Customer Reviews

2001 Cross Stitch Designs : The Essential Reference Book (Better Homes & Gardens)

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

From reading the other reviews here, I guess I'm what you'd call a "beginning stitcher"! I haven't got a huge cross-stitch library, and this book (a gift from my Mom) is GREAT for me! The number of the designs is terrific, and the varied topics, too (flowers, kids' motifs, alphabets, holidays, etc.) really make it useful. I love flipping through and finding something to go on a baby bib, hand towel, or other gift (the designs, being small, are a great fit!). But the main reason I like this book is that the actual designs are REALLY NICE--meaning classy! How many times have you dismissed a cross stitch book because the designs were just too tacky or choppy? Why do so many designers "countrify" everything, or make the same blocky-looking bunnies and ducks over and over? I'm so picky, but this book satisfies my tastes--good stuff here! For example, the flower section is so pretty, they've got me stitching flowers all over (and I'm not a real flowery type!). So, if this sounds like you--GET this book NOW!

Small designs on every subject and for every occassion. The designs can be used well on household items, to decorate clothing, for ornaments, bookmarks and small gift bags and tags. Color charts. Chapters include:

Florals; For Little Ones (children); Symbols of Love; Christmas Fun; Santas and Snowmen; Borders and Patterns; Country Patterns; Americana; Year-Round Holidays; Nature Designs; Animals; Alphabets and Numbers; Sports, Professions and Pastimes; Cross-Stitch Basics; From Start to Finish (tips and techniques); Specialty Stitches; Patterns & Instructions; Extensive Index

This book is perfect for the stitcher that likes to take various motifs, and put them together in her own way rather than for the stitcher that likes to have a complete project to stitch and finish "just like the picture." I like the myriad of designs, but find that when I use the book, I need to make a working copy that I enlarge to make reading the charts easier. I've used some of the Borders and Patterns for creating bookmarks. There are lots of great idea starters here.

This book is NOT REALLY for big project. But for small project like orament and book mark and small gift bags or small gift tags. I like it a lot, since I don't want to do BIG CROSS STITCHES project. If you are looking for big project like a big painting(cross stitch), then this is NOT for you.

I found this book while looking for some holiday gift ideas and bought it because it has everything! Most of the charts are perfect for small gifts like ornaments, gift bags and bookmarks. The borders, flower patterns and fun alphabet patterns are easy to combine for larger projects as well. All you need is a little imagination and some graph paper and you can create your own fun projects based on the designs in this book.

This book has almost every design a cross stitcher could need. The full-color pictures/charts are very helpful.

The layout of the book is very easy to follow,with everything categorized,the book in itself is beautiful. The beginner will love it because of its easy,small and bountiful designs and motifs. Definitely not a book for cross-stitchers who love big projects

I teach middle school and I have a crosstitching club. I was allowed to spend $30.00 for all the stitching stuff. The each student wanted many different and unsually patterns. This book had everyone. The patterns are very cute and easy to complete. The only negative is its a hardback book and hard to hold individual, but if you make a copy of your pattern its easier. I was so excited to find this book

This book is full of tons of ideas to help get you started on any custom cross-stitch project. Designs are organized into categories such as flowers, hearts, valentines, baby, Christmas, borders, etc. For each category, there are two pages: the first shows the final stitched versions for many small designs in that theme, and the second contains the charts and instructions for each design. The book is well-organized, but the charts can be hard to read. Also, because the finished designs are done on a variety of colored Aida cloths, the pictures sometimes loose their sharpness.

This book contains many designs but no actual projects. At the end of the book, there are suggestions for how to incorporate the designs into various finished projects such as a keychain or ornament, but these are not complete project instructions. However, if you are creative, this is a great book to help you come up with your own projects. Looking for a design for a baby bib? Check out the wide varieties of infant- and child-themed designs. Need to enhance an existing project with a flower? You'll find various types of floral designs here. Several different cross-stitch alphabets are also included at the end. Overall, this book contains a large variety of designs appropriate for many custom projects.

I found thousand of perfect designs for all my projects with crosstitch. They are easy to follow and the picture of the finish product are very helpfull. Would be a very good book for beginners in crosstitch.

This book has been my lifesavor. The designs are fairly simple, they look great, the colours are interchanged easily and the book includes a full colour sample page of each design. The paper is high quality, the charts are easy to follow and the variety of designs is amazing!