Whimsical Stitches, Volume 2 Book Review

Mary Legallet, self-published, coil-bound, 2021

Looking at my copy of this newer book I find it full of Post-It tags marking stitches I want to try. I’ve already used many, particularly the ones in the small stitch section. This book is a real winner of a stitch dictionary!

The book is organized into chapters. These are not stitch families but have to do more with the look of the stitch. For example, the Balanced Stitches chapter covers stitches that “combine multiple directions.” However, the chapters do not include every stitch of that type. You’ll find, for instance, stitches using beads as accents throughout the book, while the Beading Stitches chapter contains patterns and techniques that are mostly beads.

The book has one stitch per page, using large and clear diagrams. Often these are in several muted colors to show you how multiple threads can be used. Beads are indicated by colored circles with a thread going through. This is so helpful because it shows you how to attach the bead. Cross Stitches clearly show how the stitches cross. Every diagram is clearly numbered. When needed, there are stitching notes.

As was the case with the first book, access to the Internet is an important tool for the book. Stitches that originally appeared on her sites have links to Instagram pictures of stitched samples. While essential stitches were covered in the first book, this chapter, now expanded, is available free on her site.

The biggest fault I can see in the book is that too often the same stitch oriented or colored differently is on a separate page, as if it were a separate stitch. While I can understand doing this, many other stitch dictionaries put these variations on the same page. That would detract from the clean look of the book, but it would allow for more stitches to be included. That’s something we all would welcome.

I’m keeping my copy of this book next to my stitching chair and I’m using it often.