Timeless Art of Embroidery FROM THE PUBLISHER
Embroidery has always captured the spirit of an age -- from the drama of the Norman Conquest to the elegance of the 1900s. In The Timeless Art of Embroidery, Helen M. Stevens draws inspiration from the past, blending it with contemporary ideas and her own unique style to create an amazing collection of new embroideries. Vivid images are explored in stunning detail. The tranquility of an idyllic country scene at dawn with magnificent cockerels about to crow; garden favourities interpreted through the Victorian language of flowers; the magic of ancient woodlands where dewdrops hang motionless on spiders' webs -- all are recreated as Helen explains how to use ancient and modern embroidery techniques in new and exciting ways.
Experienced embroiderers will find a wealth of innovative material and suggestions -- such as how to emphasize perspective and achieve three-dimensional effects. Novices will revel in the clear line drawings and tips on easily achieved realistic touches -- two lazy-daisy and a few straight stitches create an amazingly lifelike gnat! Glorious full-colour plates of all the completed embroideries, plus sketches and diagrams, span 1200 years of inspirational designs, from heraldic medieval dragons to modern folk embroidery, accompanied by fascinating historical detail.
The Timeless Art of Embroidery is full of beautiful and extraordinary images presented in a very approachable manner -- it is the perfect present for any art or nature lover; and a must for the bookshelves of all enthusiastic embroiderers. acclaimed embroidery artist and designer since opening her studio, True Embroideries, in 1981. She lives and works in the Suffolk countryside, which is the main inspiration behind her remarkable depictions of wild flowers, animals and birds. Her unique pictures, worked by hand in pure silk, are in collections around the world and her commissions have included work for the Mary Rose Trust, Harrods, the Edith Cavell Hospital, and the Palace of Westminster. Helen's writing and broadcasting have ensured a dedicated following both at home and abroad. She is regularly invited to lecture on her work. In 1989, Helen was elected a member of the Society of Women Artists, only the third textile artist to be so honoured since the Society's foundation in 1855, while her research and embroidery was featured in the British Museum's Anglo-Saxon Art exhibition 1991-2. Helen also gives workshops on her unique style of embroidery and is currently designing a range of masterclass kits.
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
This is the third embroidery book by British textile artist Stevens (after The Embroiderer's Countryside, David & Charles, 1992, and The Embroiderer's Country Album, David & Charles, 1994). She excels in the naturalistic type of embroidery known as needlepainting. Worked in silk using several classic straight stitches, her flowers and animals are delicate and exquisite. This is not a book of projects but a clearly delineated album of Stevens's works with notes on technique in the accompanying text. As such, it is an inspiration to experienced needleworkers, proving a level of expertise and artistry rarely seen in modern embroidery books. Highly recommended for all decorative arts collections.
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