Book give away A-Z of silk ribbon embroidery

A-Z of Silk Ribbon Flowers by Ann Cox is a beautiful hard back with a very clear lay out. There is a large section with technical information on how to achieve the flower patterns in the second part of the book. The introduction encourages you to read all of this information before you start any embroidery- which I didn’t. I wish I had though because I’ve only ever had a tiny play with ribbon embroidery and hadn’t got a clue how to finish off the ribbon at the end of my stitching- of course it then occurred to me to read the first section of the book which gave me a very elegant answer!

The book uses a variety of techniques to produce flower embroideries which are almost like botanical illustrations in their accuracy. The designs have a rating to indicate their complexity but the directions for each design are incredibly detailed so I imagine it would be possible to move on quite quickly and build up ones skill. I attempted a very simple Aster head and was really pleased with the results. The book does recommend painting the silk ribbon to get a very subtle and realistic result but I used a space dyed ribbon and liked the end result. One particularly nice feature of the designs is that in the materials listing the ribbons you will need are represented actual size and colour so if you are using ribbon from your stash you can check its suitability- how sensible!

The author does have her own website selling kits and supplies which would allow a result to be achieved which would be very close to that pictured. I think this book would form an excellent course, like having a very experienced expert sat along side you as you work. The book costs £19.99 and I think compared to an evening class that represents excellent value for money and would add another silken string to any embroiderers bow.

I really rate this book and feel a little sad in offering it up here as a give away, but a give away it is. Leave a comment and I shall draw a name next week to send it to. I wonder if these reviews are of use to you? I thoroughly enjoy doing them and have to say that I'm learning lots, my next review title is something slightly different and I'm really looking forward to having a go at something form it. It's so lovely to have comments from lots of new faces....please make sure I can contact you if you win- by leaving an e-mail or ensuring you allow replies on your account. Thank you!

You may notice that I have now listed all of my unfinished projects in my side bar- isn't it scarey?!