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My grandmother taught me to crochet when I was five years old, but my mother didn't like any kind of needlework. That's the reason why I'm completely self-taught from books on embroidery and quilting. I've been hoping to learn some new techniques, and decided to invest in Embroidered & Embellished by Christen Brown.

The book is divided into four sections on traditional, silk ribbon, raised/textured and bead embroidery, and offers eight small projects to do as well as step-by-step stitch illustrations. There's also a heavenly gallery of completed projects in the last pages. From what I've read this would probably work as a good guide for a confident beginner, and an inspiration and refresher for an advanced stitcher. The author also has some excellent tips, including one way to thread a needle I've never seen before now.

I've been wanting to do more 3D embroidery, so I'll be studying this specific section of the book and perhaps try one of the related projects.

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