Synopses & Reviews
A Library Journal Best Book of the YearHoopla, by the co-author of 2009's bestselling Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti, showcases those who take the craft of embroidery where it's never gone before, in an astonishing, full-color display of embroidered art. Hoopla rebels against the quaint and familiar embroidery motifs of flowers and swashes, and focuses instead on innovative stitch artists who specialize in unusual, guerrilla-style patterns such as a mythical jackalope and needlepoint nipple doilies; it demonstrates that modern embroidery artists are as sharp as the needles with which they work.
Hoopla includes twenty-eight innovative embroidery patterns and profiles of contemporary embroidery artists, including Jenny Hart, author of Sublime Stitching; Rosa Martyn of the UK-based Craftivism Collective; Ray Materson, an ex-con who learned to stitch in prison; Sherry Lynn Wood of the Tattooed Baby Doll Project, which collaborated with female tattoo artists across the United States; Penny Nickels and Johnny Murder, the self-proclaimed Bonnie and Clyde of embroidery; and Alexandra Walters, a military wife who replicates military portraits and weapons in her stitching.
Full-color throughout and bursting with history, technique, and sass, Hoopla will teach readers how to stitch a ransom note pillow, mean and dainty knuckle-tattoo church gloves; and create their own innovative embroidery projects. If you like anarchistic DIY craft and the idea of deviating from the rules, Hoopla will inspire you to wield a needle with flair!
With a foreword by Betsy Greer.
Review
With hilarious DIY projects, like needlepoint nipple doilies, Hoopla proves that there's a place in every woman's heart (and wardrobe) for some cheeky thread work. Elle
Review
With hilarious DIY projects, like needlepoint nipple doilies, Hoopla proves that there's a place in every woman's heart (and wardrobe) for some cheeky thread work. and#151;Elle
Prain (co-author of Yarn Bombing) offers out-of-the-ordinary designs, starched with humor. Informative and inspirational interviews with embroiderers prove they don't sew like their grannies. But Grandmother would approve of the practical sectionsand#151;on history, tools from needles to the humble thimble, types of embroidery, and finishing techniques. and#151;Publishers Weekly
Prainand#8217;s examination of the world of alternative, free-form embroidery is both inspiring and educational. Part art book, part guide, it will appeal to crafters who are looking for something beyond the stamped patterns available in big-box craft stores. and#151;Library Journal ("A Best Book of 2011")
Projects don't disappoint, with directions as clear as the designs are funky: handkerchiefs emblazoned with microbes, a modern cuckoo clock stitched on Aida cloth, and knuckle-tattoo church gloves. and#151;Booklist
If you thought embroidery was just for hankies and little girlsand#8217; church shirts, you will quickly dispose of such nonsense when you peek into the colorful pages of Hoopla ... the how-to portions of the book are beautifully interwoven with inspired photographs and thoughtful interviews with embroidery renegades whose work is like nothing youand#8217;ve ever seen. and#151;Foreword Magazine
Synopsis
An astonishing how-to book that elevates embroidery to an art form, by the co-author of the best-selling Yarn Bombing.
About the Author
Leanne Prain: Leanne Prain co-founded a stitch-and-bitch called Knitting and Beer in order to expand her skills while knitting at the pub. A professional graphic designer, Leanne holds degrees in creative writing, art history, and publishing. She lives and crafts in Vancouver, BC.
Jeff Christenson: Jeff Christenson is a Vancouver photographer.