Book Review: The Hand-Stitched Home by Caroline Zoob, and a Giveaway!

I was surprised and excited recently to be offered, a free copy of The Hand-Stitched Home by Caroline Zoob, by the publishers, to review. Obviously, I jumped at the chance to receive a lovely, shiny-new, stitching book to look at. Not having reviewed a book since I was at school it was a little daunting. But of course, it was nothing like school; actually wanting to read this book, being the main difference.

It's been a little while since I've done any embroidery but, after being inspired by this book, I'll definitely be picking up a needle and thread again very soon. Caroline Zoob doesn't profess to be an expert embroiderer but rather calls the process 'drawing with a needle', the result of which is a very individual book, full of designs that are brimming with character. The stylish cover is the first clue as to what is in store.

Lovers of a simple, minimalist style would be in their element with this book, but those who prefer more elaborate decorative touches will also find much inspiration. I've picked out a few of my favourite pictures to show you.

Using the projects in The Hand-Stitched Home you could add embroidered detail to personalise your own possessions, or create new, decorative pieces from scratch. Whether an experienced or novice stitcher, this book has ideas for all levels of skill.

The projects in the book are arranged into five sections; Making pictures, On the edge, At the table, The soft stuff and At the window, followed by the extra, useful stuff, like templates, stitches and techniques. My favourite projects are the place mats, window pelmet and cushions.

It's written in an easy-going, chatty style, with Caroline's love of the art of embroidery, and the whole creative process, shining through. I like the fact that the list of materials required for each project is not too specific, allowing each individual stitcher to use what they may already have, match the design to their own colour scheme or put their own twist on it.

The instructions are easy to understand, and detailed enough to complete the projects, as pictured, but Caroline positively encourages interchanging the designs between projects, and experimenting.

The photography is amazing, showing off the designs to perfection, and I'm pleasantly surprised that the photo captions contain 'new', useful information (and are not just regurgitated from the main text).

Luckily for you, I've decided to give away this copy!! All you have to do for a chance of winning it, is to leave a comment on this post. It can be about anything you like, but if you need a little nudge, how about telling me your experiences of embroidery. I would also be very happy for you to blog about this giveaway, leaving me a separate comment telling me so, and, therefore, earning another entry. The competition is open to anyone, anywhere. I will draw the winner using a random number generator in 2 weeks time, on 19th June, and announce the result shortly after.

If you are not the lucky winner but would still like to get your hands on a copy here's a special offer for you.

To order The Hand-Stitched Home at the discounted price of £16.00 including p&p*, telephone 01903 828503 and quote offer code JS219. Or send a cheque made payable to: Littlehampton Book Services Mail Order Department, Littlehampton Book Services, PO Box 4264, Worthing, West Sussex BN13 3TG. Please quote the offer code JS219 and include your name and address details. *UK ONLY - Please add £2.50 if ordering from overseas.

Bye for now
Teresa x