Synopses & Reviews
Many people at first mistake Alison Holt's embroideries for paintings or even photographs. Alison's way of working has evolved into a technique of painting with threads on to a canvas of hand-painted silk. She uses two basic stitches - straight stitch in various combinations and zigzag stitch - to make fine and broad brushstrokes on silk, blending both to achieve stunning results. The raised embroidery on the glowing coloredcolorful background produces a beautiful three-dimensional effect. This comprehensive and colourful book covers everything from composing a landscape and setting up the machine to choosing threads and silk dyes and framing up. Alison encourages the reader to experiment with the techniques as they go along, making sure the colorcolorful, length and direction of stitch are right for the effect they are trying to recreate. Step-by-step demonstrations of an autumn river bank and colourful flower border are included as are many examples of Alison's inspiring and original work.
Synopsis
Many people at first mistake Alison Holt's embroideries for paintings or even photographs. She is fascinated by gardens, landscapes and detail and enjoys the challenge of interpreting all the elements she sees in nature. Alison's way of working has evolved into a technique of painting with threads on to a canvas of hand-painted silk. She uses two basic stitches - straight stitch in various combinations and zigzag stitch - to make fine and broad brushstrokes on silk, blending both to achieve stunning results. The raised embroidery on the glowing coloured background produces a beautiful three-dimensional effect. This comprehensive and colourful book covers everything from composing a landscape and setting up the machine to choosing threads and silk dyes and framing up. Alison encourages the reader to experiment with the techniques as they go along, making sure the colour, length and direction of stitch are right for the effect they are trying to recreate. Step-by-step demonstrations of an autumn river bank and colourful flower border are included as are many examples of Alison's inspiring and original work.
Synopsis
Beginners will enjoy experimenting with thread colours, and the size and direction of the stitches and will have great fun building up a range of exciting effects.The more experienced will find satisfaction in recreating an original scene - a colourful summer garden, a field of poppies or a quiet landscape.
About the Author
Alison Holt studied Fine Art, Textiles and Embroidery at Goldsmiths College, London where she experimented with many textile techniques before choosing machine embroidery as a medium. She started to explore her love of gardens and the countryside through embroidery, finding it the perfect vehicle to express the various textures and forms she finds so fascinating. She now teaches machine embroidery, silk painting and surface decoration and runs courses at her studio. She also works to commission, and exhibits her embroideries in Britain and America. Her work is sold to private collectors all over the world.