Format: PDF

Genre: Craft/Hobby – Needleart

Rating: 5/5

Quick Take

Embroidered Wild Flowers by Kazuko Aoki is a gorgeous collection of embroidered flowers with easy to understand instructions that educates as much as it entertains.

Tell Me More

I have a treat in store for you today!  If you are a fan of embroidery, Japanese crafts, and wild flowers, then I highly recommend the following book.  Embroidered Wild Flowers by Kazuo Aoki provides hours of education, art, and fun in that it provides the reader with scientific insight as well as connecting science and art.  This book is filled with high-quality images of each pattern presented, and easy to understand instructions that take the fear out of embroidery.

I am a needleart enthusiast, and I have just recently begun to explore hand embroidery.  Apart from cross stitch, I don’t have a lot of expertise in the area of embroidery, so I was excited to learn new techniques when I came across Embroidered Wild Flowers by Kazuo Aoki.  I am a big fan of Japanese style crafts due to their detail and complexity, so I couldn’t help but absorb this book!

The first asset of Embroidered Wild Flowers by Kazuo Aoki I noticed was how beginner-friendly it is.  The first half of the book shows actual, detailed pictures of the designs once they are stitched, along with the flower’s name and a reference to a page in the back of the book that holds the instructions.  The first half of the book is split into sections based on different types of flowers, plants, and best of all, seasons.  My favorite section featured leaves in the fall that are gold, orange, and red  The book is beautifully scientific in that it gives the natural names of each wild flower and plant as well as instructions on how to gather your own plants and flowers to create inspired designs.  But don’t be fooled – this book isn’t merely a collection of embroidered flowers, it is a collection of plants and bugs in various seasons of natural scenery that end up looking like fine landscape paintings.

Every instructable in Embroidered Wild Flowers by Kazuo Aoki is given as a diagram, which I found incredibly helpful because I am a visual learner.  The diagrams are listed at the back of the book with further instructions and a stitch catalogue. The various stitches in the catalogue represent every stitch that is used by the patterns in the book so that embroiderers of all levels can understand the patterns.  Even though I am newer to hand embroidery, I found the patterns in this book easy to understand and follow. Not only did I learn new stitches and designs along the way, but I learned about various wild plants and insects and how to create my own inspired designs.

Embroidered Wild Flowers by Kazuo Aoki is a gorgeous work of art that every needleart enthusiast and embroider should have in their collection.  Even if you have never tried embroidery but are interested in starting, this book is a must-have because it teaches you along the way.  While the book starts out intimidating with patterns that appear complex, the patterns are dissected and presented in such a form that they become suitable for needleartists of all ages and levels.  I appreciate how Aoki incorporates instructions on how to collect your own plant materials to inspire further needleart creations, which inspires the artist to get outside – or connect both worlds if they find pleasure in the natural and art worlds.

I can’t wait to try every pattern in this book, and make my own!

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Disclaimer

*I received this book on Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

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