Hand Sewing Magic

Thanks to NetGalley I received access to a digital ARC of Hand Sewing Magic by Lynn Krawczyk in exchange for an honest review.

The book is split into five main sections, beginning with The Handstitcher's Toolkit, then followed by 4 sections of stitches classified by type, from utilitarian stitches to dimensional ones. There are also templates and stitch guides at the back, and a chapter on resources.

The first section is thorough and covers thread types, embroidery hoops, needles, fabrics, essential and pattern transfer tools, tension, troubleshooting and how to best stitch whilst ensuring you aren't straining your eyes, hands or body as you work.

The sections on stitches are divided into the following useful categories: Utilitarian Stitches, Outline and Filler Stitches, Decorative Stitches, and Dimensional Stitches. Each stitch gets at least one page with thorough directions and large, clear photos of how to stitch it. There are also smaller, captioned photos showing variations of the stitch shown at the bottom of each page. At the end of each section are ten small projects showing how to utilise the stitches, from corner bookmarks to embellished coats.

This is a very good book with lots of photographs, and clear descriptions. Because of the name, I was rather surprised to find it focused so much on embroidery and decorative stitching. As I would like to acquire basic hand sewing skills for sewing in buttons correctly, and finishing off seams in plush toys invisibly, this was not the book I was looking for. Though I won't be adding this to my collection of sewing books as soon as possible, this book is certainly on my short list of books to buy should I develop an interest in embroidery or using hand stitching as an embellishment.