The Embroiderer's Flowers by Thomasina Beck
Flowers and embroidery have been inseparable on dress and furnishings from the age of Queen Elizabeth I up to the 20th century. This book, by the author of The Embroiderer's Garden, is an expression of a passion for flowers - their beauty, their history and their use in embroidery - and a pattern source book. The illustrations show the remarkable variety of style and technique used - canvaswork, blackwork, surface stitchery, patchwork, applique, crewelwork, stumpwork and machine embroidery. Some flowers are rendered with botanical accuracy, while others are captured through colour and texture. The book includes practical suggestions for developing flower designs from original ideas.