Stumpwork Embroidery - A Collection of Fruits, Flowers and Insects for Contemporary Raised Embroidery#

Jane Nicholas is one of the world’s leading embroiderers and has worked in the field for over 30 years, specializing in stumpwork and goldwork. She has written ten books and has contributed widely to journals and magazines. She teaches in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US, and continues to research and develop new techniques, particularly in stumpwork. In 2005, Jane was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM), for her 'services to hand embroidery as an artist, teacher and author'. Jane lives in New South Wales, Australia. For more information visit her website www.janenicholas.com

Karenplatt.co.uk: This hardback book is subtitled A Collection of Fruits, Flowers and Insects for Contemporary Raised Embroidery. It is a definitive book on the subject. Taking inspiration from England in the seventeenth century, where stumpwork flourished. Stumpwork is a form of raised and padded, sculptural embroidery. The book has a very comprehensive introduction with stitches and methods of work illustrated with line drawings. The individual elements chapter explores many flowers, fruits of trees such as acorns and insects. The colour photographs are few and far between and Jane's work certainly deserved a little more flourish by the publisher in the production department, especially given that it has been re-printed so many times. This would have been a far better book if colour photographs accompanied each subject. Having said that, it is very fine and Jane takes you through the process in a clear and concise way. There are no projects as such, just the working of over forty subjects. Her inimitable style remains true to the spirit of stumpwork in the seventeenth century.