Embroidered Lettering by Debra Valencia

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are 100% my own. 

About the book-

Nothing is funnier than the unexpected combination of a lovingly handmade embroidery piece with an irreverent (though not necessarily less heartfelt) statement. This book shows how to use a traditional craft to add a very modern message to coasters, bags, patches, pillows, tea towels, eyeglass cases and more. Innovative designer and author Debra Valencia presents 25 fun embroidery lettering projects that let you say what you REALLY mean—in stitches! Embroidered Lettering also includes an alphabet for you to use in stitching your own phrases, along with basic instructions for stitches and advice on materials and tools. Bold, snarky, amusing, or clever—these needlework ideas are anything but old-fashioned samplers.

My thoughts-

There are so many cute projects in this book that I literally want to make them all. The days of the week tea towels, the drink recipe coasters, and the bookmarks are my favorites. I like that the beginning of the book includes a lot of different stitches for beginners like me who need to practice different stitches before starting these amazing projects. It is nice to have the visual aides for that at the beginning and the advice about what kind of needles to use. I think this is a great book for a beginner as well as someone more experienced who is looking for interesting projects to do. 

I Love My Dog Embroidery 380 Stitch Motifs for Dog Moms and Dads by MakikoArt

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

I Love My Dog Embroidery is a collection of 380 adorable dog-themed stitch motifs for pooch parents and their beloved fur babies, with project ideas, how-tos, and templates.

Created by embroidery artist MakikoArt and six other amazing embroidery artists, this “dog fanciful” collection of stitch motifs celebrates all things canine. With this lovely embroidery guide, you can create all manner of pups, including:

The sweet Labrador retriever, fluffy poodle, noble German shepherd, and many others

Dogs doing what they do best—classic poses, postures, and tricks—like “roll over,” “give me your paw,” and the ever-popular “rub my tummy”

Pooches disguised as people—the farmer, the artist, the businessman—and who can resist the sneaky but lovable mailman?

Mutts in different styles and shapes, including borders, frames, and alphabets

You’ll also find guidance on how to customize a motif to fit your favorite Fido, plus a gallery of project ideas for showcasing your stitches. So grab a needle and floss and take everything in your home and wardrobe from drab to double-dog fabulous!

My thoughts-

I have decided that for 2019 I am going to find more hobbies and crafts to try and embroidery is at the top of that list. I have a sweet dog who is my best buddy so I thought this would be a fun book to check out. There are so many cute different patterns in here to give a try. As a novice, I am not sure that it is all explained to me well enough, but I am still going to give it a try for the sheer number of patterns available. Pretty much every dog breed imaginable is included and there are several different sub-categories of different types of dogs (Dog yoga poses anyone? Or dogs with occupations! They are all so cute!). I would recommend this book to absolutely any dog lover that has an interest in embroidery.