Stitch INs & OUTs – Book Review

Updated April 21, 2023.
The subtitle of this book is Interiors and Exteriors Plus; it packs so much into less than 75 pages. I’m just blown away by it.

The majority of the chapters cover items you’ll find in buildings: bricks, fabrics, patios, floors, and more. Each chapter is formatted similarly. The first page is an introduction. It gives factors to consider when stitching this item. This is followed by an additional explanation if needed. Finally, several stitches in the chapter are highlighted with ideas for types and colors of thread to use. In the stitch diagrams themselves, exampled stitches are highlighted.

While many of the stitches in this book are complex and are well-suited to using multiple threads, and even embellishments, tons of stitches are simpler and work well with a single thread.

What delights me about this book is how inventive it is. The authors have only a handful of stitches that can be found in other books. Many of their stitches are original; others are combinations of two or more stitches. Still, others add elements to known stitches.

There’s a lovely thought and consistency behind this book which is welcome. Each page has six stitches on it, in diagrams that are clear, and numbered but not overly large. The stitches are also diagrammed consistently. The first layer (even if it is the only level) is white. The second layer is always diagrammed in grey. The third layer is always diagrammed in black. In addition, the numbering for each layer is different.

This book is the follow-up to Stitch Landscapes and is written by Elaine Oliverio and Stacey Tombros and is published by their company, Little Shoppe Canvas Company.

More than any other book I’ve seen, this book pushes the boundaries of needlepoint. I love it.

Please note: A copy of this book was made available to me for review purposes.