Customer Reviews

Art Nouveau Cross Stitch

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been looking for art nouveau projects, and I'm so happy I found this book! The designs reflect art in the style of Tiffany, Mackintosh, and other artists of the art nouveau period.

1) The charts are clear and easy to use.
2) The designs seem authentic and are used imaginatively to make a variety of projects.
3) The book is well layed out and attractive.

This is really a very nice book for stitchers looking for art nouveau projects.

Another source for such projects is Ross Designs, who make cross-stitch charts for Alphonse Mucha prints.

This book has a wide range of designs based on actual art from the period. There are beautiful photographs of the finished pieces as well as photos of the items that inspired them. There are both large and small projects and every one is exquisite. The charts are large and easy to read - both symbols and colored squares are used so you can quickly see which thread color should be used for each stitch. Two thumbs up for this one!

I didn't know much about Art Nouveau, other than it is ascribed to Frank Lloyd Wright and Tiffany-stained glass. The projects in the book are beautiful and sophisticated-looking. The charts are also large and easy enough to read. The colors suggested are listed by the DMC brand. Artists featured include Mucha, Renee Mackintosh, Klimt, and Walter Crane. (Don't count on a full picture by Klimt though, just a mirror piece that incorporates some of the same colors as in "The Kiss.") The bamboo "stained glass" wooden box on the cover is my favorite, although I will have to special order the light green aida fabric. However, the Mackintosh rose women pieces are also very stunning and unique. The piece by Mucha is a poster lady holding a glass of champaigne. It looks almost like it's almost entirely done in blackwork, with black and gold thread on white. All of the pieces have a crisp, clean look.

I'm pleased to have just discovered some of Mackintosh's beautiful work. His Mackintosh "rose women" have a sophisticated, yet subdued stained glass-y appearance. I wasn't very fond of Walter Crane's "flower lady" (faery-airy looking) pictures, but if your'e into that kind of thing, you'll love those, because there are three them, the daffodil lady, red posy lady, and purple iris lady. They are each about 12 inches square, once completed.

There is also a pretty picture, I think it is called "Wysteria," which resembles a seaside scene framed by wysteria, which looks kind of "stained glass-y." It also kind of reminds me of a French Impressionist painting. It is a manageable size to do, and would look lovely in one's livingroom or bedroom.

The Mackintosh rose women pieces and the bamboo stained glass piece on the cover are my favorites. I was a little bit surprised that there weren't any pieces resembling Frank Lloyd Wright's work. However, the designs in this book are "strong" and interesting to look at, yet the colors in them are soft and subdued like watercolors, so they don't appear too "busy."

All of the pieces can be done on white or ivory Aida cloth, although the book suggests many other lovely colors to coordinate with the designs, like blush peach, light yellow, and barely blue. If you are lucky enough to be able obtain those, they would give your work a special touch. The only thing I was disappointed in, was a project by Renee MacIntosh. It is a picture of two rose lady's with a big, abstract yellow dress. In order to get that effect, you will need some gold gauze fabric, which I cannot find anywhere. It's possible to stitch the entire area in yellow, but that would take forever (and a lot of thread) to do.

I ordered this book because I love stained glass designs and there were two pictured on the cover. I had been hoping for more of them inside but was disappointed to find that there weren't any others.

However, it is a nice book with background on art nouveau and designs inspired by artists such as Alphonse Mucha, Gustav Klimt, and Louis Comfort Tiffany. Also included are instructions for basic cross stitch, cleaning your work, stretching needlework, and turning your piece into a cushion.

If you have a preference for either color or b&w charts, you should be aware that the charts in this book are in color with symbols.

Art Nouveau covers a wide range of styles and so you are not likely to love (eg) Klimt or Mucha as much as you do (oh, and I do!) Charles Rennie Mackintosh or Beardsley - or vice versa - but this book manages to accurately and effectively translate their art into stitch. Barbara Hammet has done a marvelous job here - and her Mackintosh Rose is a delight both to stitch and to see on my favourite cushion. Nice selection of borders later in the book, too. I suppose the only reason I give 4, and not 5 stars is that I have to admit I really don't like Klimt (my son Renny will kill me). A lovely book with lots of artist background too. .

This is a fabulous book, very representational of Art Nouveau style (don't look for Frank Lloyd Wright here, his work is considered its own style). Many projects from a variety of artists. Check out the table of contents page link in the book description to get a better idea of the types of projects and artists.

Clear diagrams with both color and symbols make projects a joy to work on - I'm doing the two Rose Pillows (Charles Rennie Mackintosh style) which will be two framed pieces - one is done and one WIP right now.

I'm going to do the flowering box top on the cover (reminiscent of Tiffany's stained glass pieces) next - you can find evenweave or aida fabric in all sorts of colors at your local needlework shop, craft shop, or online with cross stitch retailers and on EBay.

I like that the patterns use almost no beads, ribbons, "treasures" or specialty fibers -- just metallics in a very few designs. All you need is the fabric and either DMC or Anchor floss (design keys are labeled in both) to complete your own work of art.

Also, besides all of the complete designs, the book ends with a pattern library of borders and motifs for you to use in endless variation. Want to decorate some towels? use waste canvas to put a motif on a shirt? make your own spot sampler of Art Nouveau motifs? You have plenty of source material here!

I recommend this book for all levels of stitchers, from the beginner on up, since basic stitching instructions as well as finishing instructions for the projects are included.


Definition:
art nouveau (?r' nūvō') , decorative-art movement centered in Western Europe. It began in the 1880s. In general it was most successfully practiced in the decorative arts: furniture, jewelry, and book design and illustration. The style was richly ornamental and asymmetrical, characterized by a whiplash linearity reminiscent of twining plant tendrils. Its exponents chose themes fraught with symbolism, frequently of an erotic nature. They imbued their designs with dreamlike and exotic forms. The outstanding designers of art nouveau in England include the graphic artist Aubrey Beardsley, A. H. Mackmurdo, Charles Ricketts, Walter Crane, and the Scottish architect Charles R. Mackintosh; in Belgium the architects Henry Van de Velde and Victor Horta; in France the architect and designer of the Paris m?tro entrances, Hector Guimard, and the jewelry designer Ren? Lalique; in Austria the painter Gustav Klimt; in Spain the architect Antonio Gaud?; in Germany the illustrator Otto Eckmann and the architect Peter Behrens; in Italy the originator of the ornamental Floreale style, Giuseppe Sommaruga; and in the United States Louis Sullivan, whose architecture was dressed with art nouveau detail, and the designer of elegant glassware Louis C. Tiffany.

I love to cross-stitch, yet I have trouble finding patterns that interest me. This book is such a wonderful find. It has a wide variety of patterns (the Klimt doesn't look anything like the Tiffanys on the cover) which are challenging enough for a stitcher who likes a more intricate pattern (like myself.) The patterns in this book are some of the best I've ever seen as far as artistry goes. The small motifs and decorative borders included at the back of the book encourage us to use our own creativity. I can't wait to make more of the projects in this book - right now I'm working on a pillow with one of the decorative borders.

This is a beautiful book! I've been inspired to incorporate some of the design suggestions into other works and I'm keen to stitch at least three of the projects from this book. Art Nouveau lends itself to counted work: the use of borders and both asymmetrical and symmetrical designs translate beautifully.

The book includes information about the designers (including Tiffany, Crane and Makintosh) who've inspired Ms Hammet's counted designs. Many of the smaller designs will lend themselves to gifts such as bookmarks, box lids and motifs on napery while many of the larger pictures will make works of art in their own right.

Highly recommended for stitchers who like Art Nouveau work.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I have always wished I could make a cross stitch project that looked like a Tiffany or Art Nouveau. This book provides some of the most beautiful and artistic patterns I have found. I'm sure I will find a lifetime of inspiration from the patterns provided in this book as well as enjoying the interesting reading.

Ever since living in Spain in 2005 and having the opportunity to visit the fabulous Art Nouveau museum Casa Lis in Salamanca and visiting Barcelona's Palau de la Musica Catalana, I've been in love with Art Nouveau, and I was looking for a way to translate that love into my favorite medium, counted cross stitch.

I was specifically looking for designs by Art Nouveau powerhouse Alphonse Mucha, but Art Nouveau Cross Stitch also offers designs by Louis Comfort Tiffany, Wiliam de Morgan, Gustav Klimt, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and others. Whether you're looking for feminine florals, bold Mackintosh roses, a stunning stained glass lake landscape (the same image featured on the recent Tiffany US postage stamp), or a brilliantly blue taste of Persia, you'll find numerous project ideas here from table mats to runners, pillows, clocks, and small motifs specially designed for napkins, greeting cards, book covers, coasters, pincushions and more. There's also a handy selection of Art Nouveau decorative borders for customizing your own projects.

The charts are in color, are very clear and it's easy to read the legends. Larger designs are presented in sections. There's also finishing instructions, and Hammet thoughtfully includes a section on basic techniques (fabrics, needles, general accessories). Many designs feature color photographs of the artwork that inspired them, and Hammet includes tidbits on various artists and on the Art Nouveau movement. Even if you're not a cross-stitcher, this is a beautiful book that offers plenty for art lovers as well as crafters.