Firstly, this book is not a book with designs to embroider. Should you get this? Absolutely. Books like this remind us to enjoy the process of craft. The photographs not only inspire but give culture connections to embroidery design. I particularly enjoyed the section referencing colour theory and the concept of a colour globe. This book encourages a stitcher to see inspiration in the world around us. To create a journal to practice and experiment with stitches.
Perfect gift for anyone who enjoys needlework.

This book was provided for review by the publisher.
My comments are reflecive of my honest opinions of this book.

a beautiful book! probably for a slightly more advanced audience than myself given the stitches explainers are all the way at the back of the book and I don't know most of them. Stunning photos and I loved all the ideas to get design ideas included!

This book exudes happienness for the needle craft. The pictures are what make this the perfect guide for when artists are ready to move away from the pattern ans into the flow of thier own vision.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Johnson has created an absolutely beautiful book here. It has a variety of examples from different cultures and artists to show case different forms of embroidery and design. The author offers up tips and tricks for designing and practising your own embroidery art. Perhaps not a super beginner friendly book, as it could be a little overwhelming to be given such complete free rein on the design of our work.
And honestly, just a visually stunning book to flip through.

This book is one of the most welcoming and encouraging books on embroidery that I have seen! I love how the author embraces her own style & mistakes and encourages her readers too as well. While my style doesn't match hers, there are still a lot of great tips to outline the process of bringing your embroidery ideas to life. Theres even some stitches that are new to me in the back of the book that I am looking forward to trying out!

This book is a work of art and encouragement. I loved it so much. I expected to find a how to on embroidering like the artist who wrote it, but instead it was like a master class on how to find your own inspiration and then begin to make that. I love to garden and go to my local nursery and this author has me looking and sketching the shape of different leaves and mixtures of colors. I came to this book looking for guidance on how to do big and technical embroidered artwork (and that’s definitely in there), but I fell in love with the idea of little embroidered snippets on a jacket or purse that have personal meaning to me or are just pleasing to my eye. I came to it looking for complicated and have closed the book with more knowledge and enjoyment for where I’m currently at with this art.

I recommend this book to any type of artist looking for guidance in finding your own inspirations around you.

Thank you Christi Johnson, Storey Publishing, and NetGalley for letting read the advanced copy of this book. I really enjoyed it.

'The Art of Embroidery Design' will not only lead you through the process of creating your individual art pieces but it will also introduce you to embroidery in different cultures. With step by step tutorials you will be able to create the greatest of embroidery patterns.
Even though many may find this book useful, what I personally didn't like was the style of embroidery patterns, I was hoping for something a bit more subtle like Scandinavian or Japanese embroidery art.

From the start, I could tell this book was a work of passion from the author. I never really understood how people come up with embroidery designs. The books walk you through from the creation of the idea to making it possible. I was able to learn about the tradition of embroidery. I like that it explains the different concepts of the artwork and honestly have developed a whole new respect for it. The concepts of the artwork, the book explains different ways to create different values and hues!

What a nice book! Inspiring to the max. I would like to make everything and the book gave me confidence to actually try out some doodling with a needle and thread.

The Art of Embroidery Design : A Workshop for Developing Your Own Original Stitching. This is a great fun embroidery book, full of colour and creativity. It includes styles from all over the world and is suitable for all levels. A good joyous read, perfect for creative crafters.

It’s not often that I make sounds when I’m reading a book. (OK, I do make yummy noises when I’m reading cookbooks), but I certainly did as I read this one. Every couple of pages I let out a gasp because the projects here are so beautiful. I have been an embroiderer ever since I was a little girl. I have always tended to stick with what I know, failing to branch out into different areas of embroidery, and I see now that that has been a mistake. This book has certainly opened up my eyes as to all of the possibilities.

Author Christi Johnson is a true artist in every sense of the word. She experiments, she creates, she proudly wears her own work as a personal canvas, and is an exceptionally good teacher. I learned so much looking through this book, and cannot wait to put that new information into practice. Not only is this book of great visual appeal, but it is an excellent teaching guide as well. The various techniques are explained clearly and concisely so that anyone can understand them. Projects are shown step-by-step in order to not only re-create what she has done, but to design and create special projects for yourself. There is a section that I found to be invaluable, that teaches you, by way of both text and wonderful illustrations, how to make every stitch used in this book.

If you have even the remotest interest in embroidery, this book is a must have. If you have an interest in textiles or fabric arts, you need to have it as well. I can’t remember the last time I was as excited about a book as I am about this one.

Gracious, thanks to NetGalley, author Christi Johnson, and Storey Publishing for providing me with an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a fabulous start for someone who is curious about embroidery. Maybe you're like me and are just dipping your toes into this creative craft or you have already started.

I would also like to pint out that it is easy to read and understand.

In anycase, Christi is not only teaching us about embroidery and how to make different stitches. She takes us on her own creative tour as of how she works out a new artwork, because yes, just as the books title says, it IS about the artwork of embroidery and the posibilities are endless.

You'll also get a dive into where and how to find inspiration, aswell as a guide about colortheory.
The book also brings up how embroidery has been done and used in different cultures.

And of course, she speaks about differnet threads and tools to use.

I would absolutely recommend this book to someone who have an interest in creating, especially if they already have an interest in design and clothes, but you might aswell make a 'painting' from the threads.

What a lovely book. This is definitely the one you need to learn embroidery. The basic stiches are covered, but what makes this book special is how is takes you by the hand to help you create your own vibe, whatever your artistic background or lack thereof. Just start creating your own embroidered fantasy now !

As a beginner embroidery individual, this book caught my eye. In my opinion, this books is more directed to intermediate/advanced embroidery skills that want to do more than purchased patterns. While the last 30-ish pages goes over multiple types of stitches (some I have not seen before), the book does not explain in what instances these stitches would be the best choice. Christi’s embroidery work that is shared throughout the book is absolutely mesmerizing and gave me hopes to what I could eventually achieve. I enjoyed the section on how to turn sketches into embroidery art, While I am not the biggest artist, I do feel like simple sketches to embroidery patterns are something the book can help anyone accomplish. I would have enjoyed the book to have a more traditional color wheel inside of it when discussing complimentary colors.

For artists who wish to tackle embroidery design, this book offers good guidance on creating patterns. Author Christi Johnson embraces the cultural history of embroidery beyond the pre-stamped kits found in big-box hobby stores. Highly recommended purchase for library collections with well-developed craft collections.

I tore through this book-- it was great. Thoughtfully written and beautifully designed. I was the perfect audience for this book-- embroidery is one of my primary hobbies and brings me great joy, though I sometimes feel that I can't access a creative side that would help me develop my own style. I especially appreciated the highlights from other embroidery artists, as well as the concrete activities that I can use to tap into my own unique creative process.

I loved this book! I recently got into embroidery and this book was very grounding for me. I loved how colorful and informative it was. I also appreciate that it wasn't just a book of designs for the reader to copy. It did a great job of grounding the reader in the history of embroidery then empowering them to creating something of their own. I found the reading and design prompts very fun and helpful. I also love the idea of elevating an original artwork/drawing by turning it into an embroidered piece. As an artist I am always looking for different ways to use my skills and this book has inspired me to make so many different piece! Simply Amazing!

Being a beginner hand embroiderer, I was excited to see this book and read it for myself. I was inspired by the bright, clear photographs and colorful project ideas contained within. There’s some great info on how to create your own sampler, so much better and more creative than buying an established kit. There’s a great section and color theory and planning your own color palette, something I’m familiar with but always appreciate a primer of. There’s lovely info on how to incorporate embroidery into your every day world.

All in all this book will help teach you how to create unique objects, as different and special as you are.

I thought this would be more of a how-to, but it's more of a museum on the pages. I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I received this DRC from NetGalley.

I think the part I enjoyed most about this book was the section where there were close ups and explanations of pictures of embroidery from various cultures. There are helpful tips for beginners about things like floss thickness and color theory stuff. The part about textures is good. There are no actual designs to follow. This is more about how to get yourself to be creative with a few prompts and some generic language about visualizing things, which, of course, not everybody can do. I don't know if this is truly a book for beginners, but maybe more for people who have a little experience but are in a creative rut and need some suggestions for inspiration. Of course, the suggestion of look at what's around you is included. But I thought the examples of modern artists' work was more inspiring, in how varied embroidery can be.