Crewel Creatures: Fresh Ideas for Jacobean Embroidery

by Hazel Blomkamp

Beautiful bird and animal designs, inspired by the African world, in crewel and Jacobean embroidery.

Following the success of Crewel Intentions and Crewel Twists, which introduced embroiderers to using needle-lace and loom-weaving techniques, comes Crewel Creatures, the third title in this series by renowned embroiderer Hazel Blomkamp. Animals and birds are popular subjects in crewel embroidery, and here Hazel introduces needleworkers to the beautiful, exotic creatures found in the African wild. Following the Jacobean embroidery style for which Hazel is well known, and incorporating the subtle influence of the fractal designs found in zentangle art, Hazel brings beads and other three-dimensional elements into her designs, capturing the stunning and colourful art that is traditionally associated with Africa. Those new to Hazel's work will find a useful guide to the essential crewel stitches, needle-lace and needle-weaving techniques in an easy-to-follow how-to section and stitch gallery, and all embroiderers will be impressed by the wealth of design ideas and inspiration this book has to offer. With every project, step-by-step instructions and gorgeous photographs are included, along with a template of the design. All the projects are stitched and embellished on natural coloured linen, making them not only perfect for framing for display but also wonderfully economical for embroiderers to work on.