Excellent approach for beginning crazy quilters

Thanks to the positive reviews seen here, I ordered this book and have been very pleased with it. I do have a couple of other books showing crazy quilt stitches, but this one is by far the easiest to understand. The most helpful feature of this book is that it has very simple diagrams that are somewhat like dance step diagrams: showing the stitch numbered with 1-2-3 etc. and saying "come up at 1, go down at 2, come up at 3." As a result I was able to master several stitches that I had not been able to learn from other books. This may seem silly, but I have always had trouble with French knots--probably the most basic stitch there is. I learned from this book that my problem was that I was not holding the tension properly. That right there was worth the price of the book to me. My French knots look great now!

Additionally, there is a small section on ribbon embroidery which covers several of the basic ribbon embroidery stitches in the same manner, which enabled me to embroider a basket of flowers very similar to the one in the lower left corner of the cover. Having previously managed a total of two uneven ribbon roses using another book on ribbon embroidery, I was extremely pleased with my results!

Perhaps the second most helpful feature of this book is the demonstration of combining stitches. Illustrations and the photos offer a great many examples of how to combine two or three of the basic stitches to make completely different effects. I've used these examples to learn with, and they have helped to inspire me to expand on them with my own ideas.

A truly advanced embroiderer would probably not benefit very much from this book, which I would say is intended for the beginning crazy quilter and beginning-to-intermediate embroiderer. In that regard perhaps the title is a little misleading. If you are really looking for a book that covers virtually every stitch known to man, you want Mary Thomas's Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches. But you will not find the diagrams in that book as easy to understand as the ones in this book. So if you want to learn basic embroidery stitches and how to combine them easily to great effect, this book is an excellent choice.

Encyclopedia of Crazy Quilt Stitches

Everyone needs this book, it goes along with any quilt book...the instructions are easy to work out..I love it.

satisfied

i bought this book as a gift for a friend. i have one of my own and enjoy it so much i knew she would like it also.

Encycloopedia of Crazy Quilt Stitches

This is a wonderful soft covered book full of different kinds of embroidery stitches for those who love to hand sew. I bought the book for my daughter who loves my book and is always borrowing it. However, the book was supposed to be new. It had slightly worn edges and a bit of a tear on the spine. So I was disappointed as it's a birthday gift.

Great book for embroiderers.

This book is great for beginner Crazy Quilters and embroiderers. Easy to follow diagrams and lots of ideas. Inspiring pictures. Good stitch refresher for everyone.