The Art of Embroidery Design is a wonderful resource for both beginners and experienced stitchers. The step-by-step approach to design is easy to follow, and the inclusion of examples from diverse embroidery traditions around the world adds a rich cultural layer to the content. While I appreciated the accessible structure, I found myself wishing for more depth in the design theory sections. At times, the book leaned more into inspiration than technical instruction. Overall, it's an inspiring guide, especially for those looking to get creative with their embroidery.

I adore books by this author. They are the perfect blend of guided, specific instruction and encouragement of more freeform creativity. This book has basically everything I would want-- inspiration, basic stitches, information on design principles. I look forward to following the design method laid out in this book.

Definitely more of a technical book than a pattern book, you will learn a lot about color balance and embracing the mistakes in this book. I liked the colorful and up close photos of the pieces, though the style is not one that I use a lot. Good for the adventurous beginner and up.

This is a beautiful resource about embroidery and the basics of design. The imagery throughout the book is striking and eye catching with different examples from various artists and cultures. The book is divided into easy to follow sections that begin with the creative process, progresses to information on embroidery from cultures around the world. The next section reviews the elements of design. I like how the artist has included a few sections addressing subjects to encourage the reader to expand their confidence in design and the artist profiles which demonstrate how one medium can be interpreted so many different ways. I think my favorite section of the book is Putting It All Together, where the artist breaks down her thought and design process of several of her own pieces of work. I enjoyed having this opportunity to delve into the artists mind. The one thing I would say is that if you are looking for a book with step by step projects and instructions this isn't what you are looking for. The projects within the book are more of a prompt to create your own designs. The last section goes through embroidery basics with good instructions and illustrations. If you're looking for a book to help you develop your design skills and not just repeat someone else's work, then this is the book for you.

Designs were good but more important were the patterns of doing it. As said in book, 'This is not a book of patterns to be replicated. This is a book that invites you to be a part of the process of image creation.'

I have seen embroideries in making on lehengas, a long decorative skirt traditionally worn by women of India and some other South-Asian countries on formal occasions. I have also worn Kurtas (type of tunic or long, top) which is usually worn by men in India and her adjacent countries, with same culture since eras back.

Christi Johnson depicted design from all over the world. But I think, from India, she would have chose better design than some tradition patterns wearing by the Banjaras from Rajasthan's rural areas and (a nomadic group from India, a chain stitch embroidery) and some from Kutch, Gujarat where radial designed embroidery used to wear by people in which no matter in whichever way you turn the cloth to, the embroidered animals are right side up along the bottom edge. West Bengal designs were also patterned well.
The greatness and vastness speaks of itself with the fact that even the designs from Uzbekistan, Mexico and Romania are same as the ones in use from early period in India.

I liked the crouching and grid stitch. "Mining the Psyche with Valeria Duque" shows a very good innovative pattern. Also, appliqué process from Peru was also very good along with the embroidery from the Paracas culture of Peru.

Overall this is good guide on different patterns/designs from all over the world.

This isn't a book of patterns, it's a guide for developing your own embroidery designs and it absolutely delivers. With lots of examples of traditional embroidery from different cultures and interviews with contemporary artists and examples of their works it gives readers plenty of examples of what they can do with fabric and thread. Picutures of the projects show both the front and back, with advice about how some techniques will use less thread or have bigger impact without being too time consuming.

The instructions for creating a sampler aren't intimidating and I look forward to seeing what I can come up with. .This is a different style of embroidery than I've done before and is full of colorful possibilities!

This is a beautifully illustrated introduction to embroidery as a creative practice. This book doesn't teach step-by-step how-to's (though it does provide a reference section on methods). Rather, it teaches how to truly appreciate and create embroidery with your own unique vision as an artist. This is an intuitive, self-guided approach to art-making that teaches the artist to trust themselves and cultivate their own vision. I think it's a very empowering and inspiring read for both beginners and advanced artists. As an artist trained in other mediums, it really made me want to explore more fiber arts and stitching in my work.

Artists & crafters know that there is truly "medicine in making" and so I love that the author of this book dedicates the first chapter to showing us inside her creative process. In describing creativity as a practice, she's really modeling a kind of arts-based mindfulness, the kind of "tuning in" to inspiration and intuition that helps artists find their own voice. She shares her methods for looking at nature for inspiration, her sketchbook practice for visualizing ideas, her toolkit, supplies, and so on. A highlight is the short discussion of the "beauty in the flaw"--in sharing how perfectionism kills invention, the author encourages a "beginner's mind" approach that will serve all artists well to cultivate. The second chapter gives a visual history of global forms of embroidery, with a focus on many stunning indigenous traditions (Otomi, Banjara, and so on). The third chapter explores fundamentals of design, such line weight and pattern, texture, color, and composition--all of these elements are defined with curated visual examples. The 4th chapter discusses how to cultivate your own vision, including practices for inviting inspiration from nature, and profiles several contemporary artists who are doing great work with embroidery. The 5th chapter brings all of this together with some sample projects, but even these inspire the artist to make their own designs, not copy a pattern from a book (there are no patterns in this book, which I love). The projects are more like journal prompts or exercises that aim to have you drawn on the skills learned this far in the book while using your own vision to create the design. There are some sections at the very end covering embroidery basics and stitch methods--so the basics are here, but they aren't the focus of the book.

My thanks to the author, Christi Johnson, and to Storey Publishing for providing an advance digital copy of this book for review. I truly loved it and will look forward to its release so that I can get it in hardcopy to add to my studio's bookshelf.

Thank you Net Galley for an advanced copy of 'The Art of Embroidery Design' by Christi Johnson. This book had beautiful art, but I wish it explained more on how she achieved each piece. This book is definitely not 'beginner friendly'. I may pick this one up in the future once my embroidery skills improve.

From the moment I opened Christi Johnson's The Art of Embroidery Design, I was captivated by its beautiful designs and wealth of information.

As a crafter, I'm always eager to learn new techniques, especially in embroidery, and this book did not disappoint. The layout is visually appealing, and the stitch guide is informative and supported by clear pictures showing exactly how each stitch should look, making it an incredibly valuable resource.

Whether you are a complete beginner or an experienced embroiderer looking to try something new, this book offers inspiration and guidance for developing your own unique stitching style. The step-by-step instructions make it accessible to all skill levels, and the creative designs encourage you to explore and experiment.

I highly recommend The Art of Embroidery Design to anyone interested in embroidery, whether you're just starting out or seeking something different to expand your skills.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for gifting me an e-book ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Art OF Embroidery Design is simple enough to help beginners but full of inspiration for more experienced embroiderers. It is beautifully laid out and clear instructions and thoughtful practices for anyone who is new to embroidery or interested in moving beyond pre-packaged patterns and embracing embroidery as personal expression and art form.

An excellent book that not only guides you through embroidery stitches but also encourages you to make any embroidery your own by creating unique art works that reflect you. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in creating their own designs, it is encouraging and full of brilliant advice.

Easy to follow and with some great designs. A great introduction to the art of embroidery, and simple enough for a beginner to follow.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC for this book. It is jam packed with ideas to encourage readers to explore their artistic side through embroidery.

Christi Johnson's book The Art of embroidered Design is a thorough manual for making unique embroidered designs. This book, which combines creative activities with practical skills, is ideal for readers of all ability levels. Johnson covers every aspect of design, including formulating a vision, selecting colour schemes, and applying textural effects. The book includes a variety of inspirational samples from historical and modern global needlework artists, such as those from Mexico, India, and Nigeria. Although the practical approach with the stitching and drawing activities is beneficial, some readers may find the material to be complex. All things considered, it's a helpful tool for anybody wishing to increase the originality and expertise of their needlework.

An interesting look at how to design your own embroidery piece. Lots of fun tips and advice, I especially liked the Mexican pictures, now to try finding more examples of the designs. Also like the tips for the basics at the end. This book would be good for someone wanting to explore the art more instead of just copying a pattern. Would highly recommend.

Besides being an avid reader, I am an avid crafter. I am no expert at embroidery, but I do have a love for it.

This book is not just your average, everyday embroidery tutorial book. This is an all encompassing, gorgeous book that takes you from tradition and symbolism, to texture color and composition, and stitches and techniques. That is not even all that is covered! The photos are so gorgeous, even if you never picked up a needle and thread, you would fully enjoy just perusing the book. I am learning so much and I can not recommend this book enough! It is not often that a craft book brings something new and exciting to the table. Most seem like copies of each other. But this book is just top notch and I appreciate all the time and love that obviously went into it!

This book provides many things in one. At the back of the book, beginning at p. 159, author Christi Jordan includes an introduction to embroidery for absolute beginners. (This isn’t the book I’d recommend to newbies, but, in fairness, Jordan does show you how to start.) The Art of Embroidery Design also lives up to its name for advanced needlewomen. For those talented crafters, Jordan gives you a step-by-step model on how to create your own patterns.

But there’s one more element: I’m an extremely mediocre embroiderer, but I enjoyed Christi Jordan’s book in the same way that I love leafing through a coffee table art book. Jordan includes lovely works of textile art from across the world and time. Gorgeous!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Storey Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

I have long wanted to take up embroidery, and read a couple lovely books on it, but this is the book that has made me finally go to the crafts store and get supplies, and slowly and confidently embark on this long dream of mine.
The reasons why this book stood out for me amongst the other 1-3 books I read on embroidery is certainly the step by step, vivid and accessible approach.

4.5 / 5.0

Rounded up to 5 stars because this book is more of a workbook than a project tutorial. I was expecting the how-to and was happy to discover the exploration in creativity, which prompted me to have ideas of my own rather then just instructions on how to reproduce select projects.

This is not for an entry level stitcher, they probably will find this overwhelming, or maybe not... maybe asking the reader to think outside of the box from the very get go is exactly what creatives need.

Thank you to the author for writing this, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me access to the eARC, and the tech editor for double checking it.

An acclaimed embroidery designer and the best-selling author of Mystical Stitches, Christi Johnson teaches how to create original stitch designs and expand creativity, with sketchbook and sampler exercises and inspiring examples from a wide range of embroidery artists, both historical and contemporary.

A beautiful book for anyone who loves needlecraft, this lady has previously written Mystical Stitches and this book focuses on creating one's own designs by showing how simple this process can be. I very much enjoyed reading how she creates and gleaned real insight into looking closely at everyday things. Written clearly and concisely with excellent illustrations, this is a very worthy addition to a stitchers library. I look forward to more publications from Ms. Johnson. Thank you Netgalley and publishers for an advance copy of The Art of Embroidery Design.