Embroidery on Paper Alphabet and Festive Motifs by Joke and Adriaan de Vette

Embroidery on paper is an interesting way to add texture and dimension to a card or other project. A few simple embroidery stitches are all that is required to turn a plain handmade card into an heirloom-grade masterpiece. Besides knowing the key embroidery stitches, finding templates of suitable motifs is key to successful paper embroidery projects. Embroidery on Paper: Alphabet and Festive Motifs by Joke and Adriaan de Vette offers alphabet motifs and designs for embroidered festive cards that can be adapted to many projects.

Embroidery on Paper: Alphabet and Festive Motifs is a 48 page full color book containing templates for floral designs of each letter of the alphabet. Each letter is in a flowing script style and decorated with a floral sprig. In addition to the 26 letters of the alphabet, Embroidery on Paper: Alphabet and Festive Motifs contains templates for 13 festive card designs and seven borders. The border designs are presented within Christmas themed projects, however most of the borders could adapt to a wide variety of occasions.

In addition to the templates, the authors, Joke and Adriaan de Vette, provide basic information about the embroidery stitches used and useful tips for stitching on paper.

The alphabet templates and the festive templates present stylish designs that are suitable for beginners to paper embroidery, yet also provide enough detail to interest more experienced stitchers. The two sets of templates, however, are an odd combination. It may have been more logical to have winter or holidays themed alphabet templates to complement the festive templates. Explanations and instructions are provided for stitching each template. The festive motifs and borders are perfect for handmade cards. They could also be adapted to other projects, for instance gift tags or scrapbooking projects. In Embroidery on Paper: Alphabet and Festive Motifs, the borders are presented with three dimensional paper embellishments that may be difficult to source locally. However rubber stamped images would make a perfect substitute. Images that can be cut and layered would be particularly effective.

A full materials list is provided for each project and template. Joke and Adriaan de Vette live in the Netherlands and have used many local products, therefore it is likely that substitutions for some of the supplies used will have to be made. This will not be a problem, however, as one of the beauties of stitching on paper is that just basic supplies are required.

I have enjoyed reading Embroidery on Paper: Alphabet and Festive Motifs. I enjoy adding stitching to paper and I can see how these templates would create great looking additions to cards. Obviously, I read the book as a rubber stamper, so I was imagining how I could add rubber stamps to these designs, however every design has been created as a standalone project.

The main potential drawback of the book is the odd mix of designs. Someone seeking festive designs may find the addition of a floral alphabet at odds with their plans and someone seeking a set of floral alphabet templates may find the festive designs incongruous. That aside, the mix of good quality templates, photographs of completed projects and basic technique information makes Embroidery on Paper: Alphabet and Festive Motifs a good addition to a crafter's bookshelf. A complete stitching novice may require more information to help them get started, however there are plenty of excellent books available.

More Information

• Title: - Embroidery on Paper: Alphabet and Festive Motifs
• Authors: - Joke and Adriaan de Vette
• Publisher: - Search Press
• ISBN: - 9781844484614
• Publication - 10 September 2009