Book Review: Stitched Blooms by Carina Envoldsen-Harris
I know that this should be a picture of the book because this post is a book review, but I am so in love with the ‘Pincushion Petit Fours’ that I made that I just had to show you them first. I modified this easy pincushion jar tutorial to make these adorable pincushions.
I can’t bring myself to actually use them as pincushions… haphazardly sticking pins in without looking. I think I’ll just let them sit around my sewing room looking pretty.
So here is the book: Stitched Blooms by Carina Envoldsen-Harris and published by Lark Crafts. Carina comes from Denmark, lives in England, designs beautiful embroidery patterns, and blogs at carinascraftblog.com.
I am so, so happy that Lark asked me to review Stitched Blooms because it made me fall in love with embroidery again. When I was a little girl my mom taught me to embroider, but I never knew very many stitches or their names. Stitched Blooms contains enough instruction to get a beginner started or to refresh the memory of someone like me.
She covers Fabric and Thread, Tools, Techniques, and of course all of the stitches you need to make 20 projects and over 200 more included motifs.
The hardest part was choosing which project to stitch first. I love these little pom-pom luminaries.
And my daughter Cadie placed an order with me for this dala horse. 🙂
But of course you see I picked the pin cushions. I have such a weakness for pretty pin cushions. And look… I finally perfected my french knots!
What I love most about Stitched Blooms is that it doesn’t contain only hand embroidery patterns… there are templates and instructions for 20 projects (plus the extra motifs). Some projects you get to sew and then embroider. Some you embroider onto purchased items. All of them are simply lovely. And there’s a CD that contains full size motifs and templates ready to print. So much inspiration.
So run get Carina’s book and create pretty blooms in the middle of winter with me!
Happy Sewing!
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Disclosure: some of my posts contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of those links I may receive a small commission, so thank you for supporting SewCanShe when you shop! All of the opinions are my own and I only suggest products that I actually use. 🙂
Great timing!! I’ve been spending days looking for a book like this and not really finding one that combined simple instructions, projects, and disc to print out designs! I’m going it order it now. Please add other embroidery books you think are worthwhile. Thank you.
My daughter loves to embroider, but with work and school has very little time to. These designs look so simple and easy to just pick up and do at any time. I would love to have it to share with her. gccmom(at)aol(dot)com
Her book sounds LOVELY! I have been slowly dipping my fingers back into embroidery and this would be the perfect book to remind me of all of the techniques I have forgotten, lol. And, OHHH…the projects! Thank you for the chance to win such a wonderful giveaway!
I love her book! I want to add embroidery to my projects! I also think my granddaughters will be able to learn from this book!Thanks for offering it as a giveaway!
oh my, pick me pick me please!!! hah seriously it is an awesome book.
Wow I think this book looks lovely! And I really want to get into Hoop art but don’t know anything about hand sewing so far I have just had a go by picking up a needle and thread & stitching over my drawing and was really pleased with how it looked and the therapy it gave me. I would love to win this book! 🙂
OH, I love them, I embroidered a sheet set and matching pillow cases for myself when I was a teenager. I’d love to get back to it.
Love the flowers in her book and is would a good book for reference.
Ooooh! This book looks fab with visuals to boot. I’d love to get this book to expand my knowledge. I can imagine cute baby clothing as a start. I can cross stitch but just x’s. Thanks for your review!
I really really need a copy of this book! I need to refresh my embroidery skills and these beautiful designs would do the trick. Pick me, please!
The book is great, and i love to embroider. It was the first thing that my grandmother thaught me to do at the age of six.
Such adorable projects! Embroidery really lifts a project, making it really special. I’m expecting my first grandchild…so there would be lots of opportunities to embellish little items for the baby.
I love to make things for other people and give them away. I love the new creations this book gives instruction for and would love to own a copy.
Hi Caroline, what a lovely book, the photos are great. Your work is wonderful, I would love to win this book so that I and my granddaughter, Trinidy, aged 11 can learn together how to bring out the beauty of a piece of fabric by adding some wonderful stitches…. Thank you for the giveaway…. Lori M.
EmEmbrowdery is on of the most relaxing passtimes. What a beautiful book
I apologize, I have four little ones and wasn’t quite paying attention to my typing. Embroidering is what I wanted to type
Beautiful book. I’ve been knitting and sewing for a few years now, but haven’t gotten into embroidery yet . I set myself a personal challenge this year to finally start!
I love the book, thanks for sharing your review and the chance to win such an awesome book. I love to sit and do hand work it is so relaxing.
kalynnfail@gmail.com
This book would be the perfect book to have when I start teaching my (now 4 year old) granddaughter how to embroider! I would love to win the book, but if I don’t I’ll probably purchase it anyway!
I love the designs in this book and I would love to get into embroidery. It’s good to know that there are not only beautiful patterns, but instructions for a beginner. Thanks for the review!
I am just getting back into embroidery and these are absolutely beautiful designs
I’d love to make some of these projects,they are adorable!
I LOVE to embroidery!!!! This books looks like a real winner with so many nice projects
I have been wanting to learn to embroider!!!! This looks like a beautiful book to inspire me! Thanks for the review and potential to win. That would be AWESOME!
What a great book! Thank you for the review and thanks for the giveaway.
Looks like a great book..thanks for sharing!
I would love to win this book because the illustrations look so easy to follow and everything looks so pretty! I’ve always wanted to embroider but have always been too scared to try … I think having this book would be the encouragement I need.
Oh wow, I just recently took a beginner embroidery class and I would so love this book. I am in love with all the bright colors of thread and I have been watching tons of videos/tutorials on YouTube. I embroider every day in my spare time. I would love to win this book so I can make the pin cushions.
I enjoy embroidery and would love to work on the projects in this book. Thanks for putting on the giveaway!
I would love to have this book. I read the review and went to the website to read more. I am just starting hand stitching and this would be such a wonderful, beautiful help. I will keep my fingers crossed. If I don’t win and I have to buy one. 🙂
I need to rekindle my desire to produce beautiful embroidered items and think this book may just be the right tool to do that. Here’s hoping!
I also learned to embroider when i was a little girl by my mom. I have just recently started up again . It is so relaxing after a long work day to sit by the fire and stitch. The book would be wonderful.
What a beautiful book! Love the bright colours and pictures and the simplicity of the designs. I also started embroidery at age six (sixty years ago!) and have recently revived the craft, to include in amongst my other sewing activities, but feel I really need some more modern inspiration. This book would surely fit my needs!
Gillian Doyle, Nagambie, Victoria, Australia.
doylegillian4@gmail.com
Such beautiful projects! I would use this book for encouragement and inspiration to add embroidery to my sewing projects. I learned several stitches growing up but don’t use them as often as I should. It is such a personal touch!
Wow what a great book! What great inspiration for embroidery. the photos are so clear, it makes me want to start right away. I love stitching for my daughter, and I have been focusing on the art of smocking, but not just smocking I like to combine many techniques, like silk ribbon embroidery and would love to incorporate some of these new ideas for kids clothing.
Thanks for sharing.
WOW! This so-called "craft book", is A WORK OF ART !!! The images are so BEAUTIFUL and COLORFUL! The projects displayed are so GORGEOUS, they serenade you into purchasing this LOVELY book! I can’t wait! I am currently battling breast cancer, and seem to have more down time than I would prefer these days. I would LOVE to have this GORGEOUS book and it’s inspiring projects to keep me company during this lonely time. It would give me GREAT JOY to be able to create and RE-create heirlooms that my dear Grandmother taught me OH SO VERY MANY YEARS Ago! Thank you for taking the time to read my entry! You can reach me at kmomaz2@gmail.com
Thanks again. Kristina
I am currently rediscovering hand embroidery after many years of being a "it’s not fast enough!" crafter!! I call it maturity and understanding of the creative process, Darling Husband told me I’m just getting old and need a slower process!! Cheeky bugger!! Your work is so neat and the designs by Carina are delicious. Stitched Blooms is amazing and if I miss the giveaway I have already saved it in my Wishlist on Fishpond!!
Thanks so much for bringing this wonderful asset to the attention of embroiders everywhere!!
mabianchi@bigpond.com
I really enjoy hand embroidery and after several years have picked it back up. This book sounds like just the thing for me. It would give me the refresher that I need because I want a certain look and get so frustrated because I have forgotten how to do a certain stitches.
Oh my…..looks like the pictures show true "how to do" photos.
This is really needed for those of us who want to try handwork.
Lucinda
delightful little creations! look forward to making little goodies like these for my 10 month old twin grand- daughters.
I live in minnesota so I need some blooms at this time of year. I would love to add some little flowers to the bottom of my granddaughters dresses and skirts that I make for them. Diana
This book would be perfect to use in teaching my granddaughter to embroider. The designs are absolutely lovely!
I need, need, need this book. Just started and would love all these tips and stitches.
What a beautiful book and fresh style! I would love to win it and refresh my embroidery skills, and incorporate some of the designs into clothing for my grandchildren as well as the quilts I make for Quilts For Kids. You are an inspiration!
I loved the fact that your mom as mine taught you to hand embroidery. I want to pass that art on to my granddaughters, and with this book they will have a reference.
Oh, I forgot to mention I too have a fedish for pen cushions. I make mine with human hair (I’m a old hair dresser) that I have saved, it helps keep your pens and needles sharp.
This would go down with the ladies at our sewing group, most are learning how to hand stitch and some have never had the time, knowledge or materials to try sewing crafts, this book would inspire them all.
I’m going crazy for all the stiching books right now and this one seems to be a beautiful source of new projects. Good luck everyone…
I love the simple designs!
I have been wanting to learn how to embroider , there are so many times that would really be great on projects I do from baby clothing to quilting too. I would love this book with its step by step instructions. Thank you for this opportunity
Spring flowers and spring colors! I’d love to stitch these designs on a runner for my table and some snowy white napkins for the table. They’re beautiful and uncomplicated, making them oh-so-stitchable!
Thank you for introducing me to this delightful book. I’ve been an embroiderer for 50+ years and never learned the names of stitches or design motifs. 3 things I love: 1) I LOVE the idea of little projects that can be completed and given with love immediately! 2) I LOVE projects designed to please old and young alike! and 3) I LOVE the CD included with the book!
I would love to win this book! I learned to hand embroider 15 years ago from my grandma, and I’m so glad I did – there’s so much beauty to be added with it! These motifs would look great on everything I sew – doll clothes, clothes for my little girls, table runners, bags…it’s endless!
Thanks so much for this review. I feel just the same – I learned as a kid from my Mum and Grandma how to embroider, but over the years I got distracted by quilting. This book could provide just the impetus I need to take it up again in earnest! Gorgeous photos too!
My first sewing project as a child was an embroidered clown which is framed in my home. I would love to win this book! It looks like it has great ideas and projects!
I used to do hand embroidery all the time and would love to have this book to inspire me to start it again. I first fell in love with embroidery in 4th grade as part of a badge for Camp Fire Girls and have had the handwork bug ever since,. In fact the last project I worked on was for a class I was teaching to girl scouts! I need to start again and those projects look sooo cute!
My mother-in-law is 89 and still does embroidery by hand. Would love to win this for her!
I need refresher lessons on embroidery stitches so this book would be perfect! Great review. The pin cushion is adorable.
I teach how to embroider to high school students. This would be a great resource! Isew812@gmail.com
This changes my mind about embroidery! Love this! I need to give it a try!
My mom taught me to embroidery and she still embroider almost daily. This book looks fantastic! The designs are adorable! Would definitely be used by us both!
I do a lot of embroidery on fabric postcards and love the ideas I see in your book. Love the colors–need that now that winter is on us here in Maine and everything is white!
My mother taught me many years ago. This brought back memories of when we would sit by the wood heater and talk while we embroidered on pillow cases mostly. It has been a long time since I thought about that. I would love to teach my granddaughter how to embroidery.
Very cute!