Stitches a la Carte – Book Review

Lynda Richardson, Dream House Ventures, 2014, ISBN: 978-0-692-26349-3

This book is such a delightful resource for every stitcher. If you are a beginner, you’ll get lots of stitch patterns that only need Tent Stitch. If you are a more experienced stitcher, you’ll find plenty of great ideas to bring life to many projects.

There are over 60 stitch patterns. Almost all the patterns are repeating in scales from small to large. One pattern is more randomly organized. The patterns, with a few exceptions, use Tent Stitch or Backstitch. The Backstitch patterns are Blackwork, but are charted like needlepoint instead of typical Blackwork charts, making them easy to follow.

Most of the patterns are charted in a single color, although some use two colors. Any of them could be modified to use more than one color.

The exciting thing about the patterns in this book is that all of them use open canvas. If filled in, the Tent Stitch patterns would be similar to my Needlepoint Damask technique. As you can see from my stitched project pictured here, it creates a damask effect when stitched on colored canvas with a matching color of thread.

I love this idea for backgrounds because it creates a great texture and keeps the background in the background because the stitching is less dense. Besides being another look, stitchers who prefer to use only Tent now have an easy way to add dimension and texture without using new stitches. This is less of a concern with the Blackwork patterns because differences between stitches and ground are an important part of this technique.

If you do not match threads and canvas colors with the Tent Stitch patterns, you will be creating something that will look more like printed fabric. This may not be a look you like.

The patterns are good for more than just backgrounds. You can also use them, especially the denser patterns, for areas in the focal point.

If you have found other stitch dictionaries too advanced for you, you’ll love this book. If you are looking for tons of inspiration and patterns for a new look to you needlepoint, you’ll also love this book.

I can’t wait to try more patterns on other projects.