Customer Reviews

Magical Needlework: 35 Original Projects & Patterns

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I consider myself an experienced needle person, being well versed in embroidery and quilting.

Working with the needle, sewing patterns, making quilt patterns, and working magic has always been in my own work. Watching weavers at their looms has convinced me that a true craftsperson could combine magic with any kind of needle craft and create some wondrous magical weavings.

In her book "Magical Needlework", Dorothy Morrison gives us a starting place for this kind of magical interweaving.

Her projects are simple, from a cover for a Book of Shadows, to poppets. The designs are very pagan or celtic in flavor, but an experienced needle person could take these projects and patterns to new heights.

She covers all kinds of needlework, from embroidery to needlepoint, to knitting, crocheting and quilting, so no one should feel the subject matter limited. She takes you step by step, with well laid out and clear directions. Most are well illustrated.

She also explains the magic. How to work the spells, herbs to use, energy flow from fabric and texture, making it easy to understand.

I found this book interesting, and I have considered a couple of projects, elaborated upon and molded just a bit to make the finished project uniquely my own. Just have to find the time to put it all together.

I recommend it for beginners and experienced alike, who wish to include magic in their projects. A good read, even for an experienced needle person like myself.

Magical Needlework / 1-56718-470-7

To date, I have found about three guides on Wiccan craft projects, and these guides are all fairly disappointing; this one is definitely the most disappointing of them all.

I was really excited about this book. I am an avid cross-stitcher and quilter and own several books on each. I'm not much of a seamstress, but I'm learning and I love what I've learned so far. I really couldn't wait to get my hands on this book and start making Wiccan bed spreads and Wiccan cross-stitch wall-hangings.

I really wish I'd saved my money. This is a very lazy effort, put together hastily and with no respect for the customer. The section on quilting absolutely infuriates me - the author shows nine (only nine!) quilt blocks and explains their "significance" to Wicca. The deep "significance" being that the Texas Star looks like a pentagram, the Eight-Pointed Star was the symbol of Ishtar, and the Pandora's Box is named after, well, Pandora's Box. After these three sentence "explanations", the author doesn't even bother teaching the reader how to piece these blocks together. There are no patterns, no sizes, no instructions, nothing more than "here's a picture - quilt it". I have many, many quilting books and none of them would *ever* consider describing a quilt block in this ridiculously lazy manner! Every single book would at least instruct the reader in what order to piece the pieces, what size they should be, where to cut along the bias, and so forth. I seriously doubt that the author of this book has ever quilted anything at all.

The section on cross-stitching is just as bad. The major cross-stitch picture included (a goddess clutching the earth to herself) is very rudimentary and includes no color chart whatsoever. (There aren't even color pictures in the book, by the way.) I guess you can just cross-stitch the entire North American continent as one uniform shade of green, but I was hoping for color depth and subtlety, not a kid's coloring book. This lack of effort in a pattern is absolutely insulting.

The rest of the "projects" here are forgettable or insulting. The Norse Amulet project is as follows: Get a piece of Aida cross-stitch material. Cut it into a circle. Stitch a rune in the center of the circle. Hang the cloth circle from some yarn. Wear yarn amulet proudly to work or play. I don't think I need to defend my irritation at being told that it's normal for a grown woman to wear yarn necklaces to work. This is the sort of stuff I made in Sunday School as a kid (substitute "cross" for "rune" and voila!) and it's insulting that this is being packaged as one of 35 adult Wiccan projects.

If you are a pagan parent and you're just desperate for a Wiccan "Sunday School Project", this book is a decent resource as long as you don't mind spending the money. If you are a pagan adult who really likes needlework and expects a level of respect and professionalism, try Polson's Witch Crafts. It's not a remarkably good craft book, but it is more detailed than this one.

~ Ana Mardoll

Having known this wonderful lady for a number of years, and knowing her sense of humor, this book is a fine example of homespun writing at its best! Dorothys' projects are excellent, and her writing makes it a joy to learn! This is one book that is going to get a LOT of use in MY household!!!

It is so hard to find good needlework patterns and ideas to celebrate the Craft and my chosen Path. I was so excited when I saw this book I had to buy it, immediately, and I'm not sorry I did. The projects range from the mundane to the magical and there's something for everyone...stitchers, knitters, quilters. Ms. Morrison filled an otherwise large hole when this book was published!

Magical Needlework is one of my favorite craft books. In it there is a wealth of projects from cross-stitch to weaving and many many more between. If you love crafting plus alittle bit of magical history as well as great stories about the author's experiences, this book is for you. Another book for you is Spell Crafts-Creating Magical Objects by Scott Cunningham & David Harrington. Magic is an option to enjoying these two great crafting books but by no means a must.

I really liked this book. The projects are simple and easy to follow. While more expierenced crafters will find some easier projects to work in between longer ones, the person just starting out in the craft and as a crafter will find the book very useful.

I loved this book. I bought this book when it first came out. And to say that I have just about done each craft in there is an understatement. The pentacle wall hanging is my favorite, and has made a wonderful gift for Yule and birthday present for pagan friends. I lost my book due to Katrina, but have added this one along with a bunch others, to my shopping list. Wonderful book and I just love Dorothy Morrison and every book she has written.

Got this book for the interesting patterns. Dorothy Morrison is a fabulous writer and has some really great ideas in here. The book was used, but it was in pretty good condition and came in the mail pretty quickly.

This book is great for witches into needlework. I only give it four stars because it doesn't show enough of the completed projects....I really like to look at a picture to check my work. Other than that this book is great, not the best, but still great. I really like the quilted book of shadows they show on the cover. Some of the projects are also a little too simple or useless, but no craft book has only awesome projects. However, if you are crafty witch this is a must have on your shelf.

I was expecting to see more of magic-related information in this book (not just a little in the back of it) and more projects of pagan nature (like pentagram wallhanging, which actually made me to buy this book).
For my taste, it has too much on quilting and not enough on weaving or spinning, but overall it is OK book.