Customer Reviews

Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia of Needlework (Leisure Arts #15861)(Donna Kooler's Series)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Absolutely beautiful, thorough, well-researched book. There are a lot of needlework encyclopedias out there, but this one gets my vote for the lucid, readable text and the clear photos that illustrate each stitch. The projects that are charted out in the book are lovely, too... they show the kind of quality I have come to expect from anything that has Donna Kooler's name on it.

This is a book that no serious needleworker should be without. Well worth the price, and it's a joy to own.

This book is one of the best needlework books on the market. The stitch diagrams cover needlepoint, cross stitch and embroidery and includes information on fabric, canvas, fibers and embellishments. I would recommend this book to stitchers of all levels!

I teach a needlwork program at an arts & crafts store that is a part of a national chain. This book covers everything under the sun and then some. My students love it and the patterns that are included are great.
I highly recommmend this book to anyone who is interested in any type of needlework; it will teach you things you've never even seen before!

This is a comprehensive encyclopedia of needlepoint, embroidery, and cross-stitch stitches. Each stitch is shown from both the front and the back of the fabric. Color illustrations shown how to make the stitch, step-by-step, with brief directions included just beneath the illustration. This book also includes projects for each area, as well as a brief history of needlecraft and a listing of supplies and tools. Although the book is slightly oversized and a little difficult to handle, it is an excellent reference source and worth the extra effort.

It seems to me that an encyclopedia of needlework is one of those things which sounds like a great idea, but ends up being not very useful in reality -- sort of like a home repair manual when your drain is clogged. But Donna Kooler's brand new book (just appearing on-line and in shops now) is certainly the exception which proves this rule.

I am so excited by this book I hardly know where to begin. Donna and the staff at her design studio are wizards of design and stitching and they have brought their love of needlework and their depth of knowledge onto every page of the book.

Instead of being comprehensive, the book deals with only the three major groupings of needlework: needlepoint, embroidery, and counted thread. Each section is identified by a color and small tabs on the side of every page let you know the major section you are in.

Each of the major sections is dived up into three parts. The first part provides introductory information, history, a breakdown of materials and basic information on the technique. Even if you are an experienced stitcher, don't skip these sections, they are full of great information, wonderful tips and the best and biggest material pictures I've ever seen.

The bulk of each section is given over to a Stitch Gallery, which is wonderful. Each stitch is pictured and has a large chart (two stitches per page). The name and alternate names are given along with a description,stitching instructions and suggested uses. In places where seeing the back is important (for example in the three types of tent stitches) the back is shown. On every diagram a red dot indicates where to being stitching. In addition the stitches are broken up into families so related stitches are found together.

The final part of each section has a small selection of lovely projects to introduce you to the technique. For needlepoint there is a traditional floral, a charming Bargello kimono, and a textured stitch sampler in white.

You have probably heard that many embroidery and counted thread stitches also work for needlepoint, but you may have felt uncertain about stitching them. With this book, especially with the counted thread section you will find lots of exciting ideas you can apply to your needlepoint. The stitches for pulled work, is particularly good.

Not only is this book full of great information, it is beautiful as well. The entire book is designed to be visually appealing as well as very useful. Each page has the section name along the edge of the page as well as the printed tab. Throughout the stitch galleries, a heading at the top of the page tells you the particular technique (bargello, hardanger, edgings, etc.). All the stitched examples are done in a single range of pastel shades and in the pictures the threads are color-coordinated and the accessories are artfully arranged. This makes it a book which will draw new stitchers into our art, largely because it is beautiful and makes needlework look easy and fun.

I am so happy with this book that I'm going to recommend it to everyone in my beginning needlepoint class I'm teaching soon. It may be required reading for the class after that!

This book is well stocked with information! Many sample projects included as well as a separate guide in the back of the book for all kinds of stitches. Very easy to follow. Invaluable.

I am the proud owner of a very extensive craft library, of which probably one quarter is devoted to embroidery reference books from authors of the calibre of Mary Thomas, Jacqueline Enthoven, Moyra McNeil and Mary Gostelow and the like. The problem with that is these books are stand alone units and one can spend a large amount of time scanning through these various publications for the answer to a query.

That's where this new publication comes into play. Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia of Needlework is a fantastic reference for all crafters. It is THE book to have in your craft library that will answer just about any query you may have for many many genres of needlework. Not only does this publication offer extensive information on history and materials, but a very fine stitch gallery in each of the genres of needlepoint, embroidery and counted thread.

I am in awe of the research that has gone into putting such a ultimate publication together. There must have been many man hours spent finding the information and then many hours spent in getting that information into such easy to understand form. And the photography and diagrams are second to none.

I would thoughly recommend this book as a great reference book to find a home in any crafters library. It is exceptional.

I love this book. It is a great book to learn by. Very easy to follow!
I've learned a lot of new stitches with this book!

Beautiful reference book of stitches for Cross stitch, needlework. The photos and instructions are easy to follow.

Great all-inclusive book with detailed instructions for the beginner or more experienced needleworker. All types of stitches are included with close-up pictures and easy to follow graphs. Very colorful and pretty book, as well.