Customer Reviews

The Needleworker's Companion (The Companion Series)

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3 star:		(1)
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The Needleworker's Companion is written by one of the foremost authorties in the subject of needlearts, Shay Pendray.
For many years, I have faithfully viewed her needlearts shows on PBS and have many times wished for a reference book to compile all that I have learned and wanted to remember from those shows.Ê
This book is it!Ê It is a must have to tuck into every stitcher's bag.Ê Pendray does an excellent job of answering many questions the reader may have about projects and techniques--whether they be beginner or expert.Ê
I consider myself very experienced in the needlearts.Ê However, reading this excellent book I learned many new bits of information that I possibly might have encountered before... but did not recall.Ê It is nice to have these valuable bits of information handy all in one book in an easy to carry, quick reference.
Whether it be which size needle to use for the current project one is planning, or buying information for the correct thread/yarn purchase for a specific canvas... it can be easily accessed by a quick flip through the well indexed pages of this compact resource.Ê The well-draw stitch index near the end of the book illustrates 37 commonly used stitches and is ideal to have as a quick reference when one does not have the benefit of a larger, more bulky standard stitch reference book.Ê In my humble opinion, the concise black-and-white line drawings accentuate and help to explain the stitches more accurately than some of the color photos I have seen in other stitch dictionaries.
Also included in the Needleworker's Companion is a section on fixing mistakes.Ê Many are common sense, a few are inspirational, and very inventive--the ideas of a very experienced needleworker who has "been there, done that".
Many needleworkers are stymied as to how to finish their projects, once they have finally completed the actual stitchwork, Pendray clearly explains every step from blocking to framing and cleaning in the final chapters of the Needleworker's Companion.

This tuck-in-your-bag reference book, another excellent book by published by Interweave Press is the newest addition to their Companion series.Ê The Needleworker's Companion is written by one of the foremost authorties in the subject of needlearts, Shay Pendray.

For many years, I have faithfully viewed her needlearts shows on PBS and have many times wished for a reference book to compile all that I have learned and wanted to remember from those shows.Ê

This book is it!Ê It is a must have to tuck into every stitcher's bag.Ê Pendray does an excellent job of answering many questions the reader may have about projects and techniques--whether they be beginner or expert.Ê

I consider myself very experienced in the needlearts.Ê However, reading this excellent book I learned many new bits of information that I possibly might have encountered before... but did not recall.Ê It is nice to have these valuable bits of information handy all in one book in an easy to carry, quick reference.

Whether it be which size needle to use for the current project one is planning, or buying information for the correct thread/yarn purchase for a specific canvas... it can be easily accessed by a quick flip through the well indexed pages of this compact resource.Ê The well-draw stitch index near the end of the book illustrates 37 commonly used stitches and is ideal to have as a quick reference when one does not have the benefit of a larger, more bulky standard stitch reference book.Ê In my humble opinion, the concise black-and-white line drawings accentuate and help to explain the stitches more accurately than some of the color photos I have seen in other stitch dictionaries.

Also included in the Needleworker's Companion is a section on fixing mistakes.Ê Many are common sense, a few are inspirational, and very inventive--the ideas of a very experienced needleworker who has "been there, done that".

Many needleworkers are stymied as to how to finish their projects, once they have finally completed the actual stitchwork, Pendray clearly explains every step from blocking to framing and cleaning in the final chapters of the Needleworker's Companion.

All in all, The Needleworker's Companion by Shay Pendray is one spiral-bound, heavy card stock book that is well worth the retail price.

I would have preferred more diagrams or illustrations of the stitches. It is hard (for me, at least) to figure out how to do some of the stitches just from text at times. I have found other books more useful.

Also, the bookseller from whom I purchased the book (not Amazon) took a long time to deliver it.

A great reference for beginners & self-taught embroidery/needle pointers. It provides much needed information that is barely covered in other instructions or books. For example, it tells how to start a stitch on all types of fabrics. It explains which fabrics work best with different types of embroidery. It has a wealth of information I wish I had known from my first effort at needlepoint. I keep it handy whenever I take out my current project.