Customer Reviews

Sublime Stitching: Hundreds of Hip Embroidery Patterns and How-To

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When I saw that this book was coming out, I knew that I would have to get it. I love the unique patterns on Jenny Hart's website- they're fun and edgier than the usual flower basket patterns you find at craft stores. That's why I was suprised when I flipped through this book for the first time. The iron-on patterns are sweet (baby bottles and cherries), but so simple that I could have drawn them myself. I suggest actually flipping through the patterns in this book before you buy it.

I admit I bought this book anticipating oodles of yummy embroidery designs by the authoress, akin to the ones she has on her website. I didn't really need the embroidery instructions, which are okay. However, I was disappointed in the number of UNIQUE images; instead, there are less images but they are duplicated in many different sizes (for example, a teacup in several sizes) and none of the designs rival the ones you can buy from her website. I would have liked more flowers and animals, for example. The spiral binding is very nice as is the storage pocket in back; very usable. If you are a beginning embroiderer or just want a book with basic images, this one is fine.

I previously bought the Stitch-It kit, which I'd probably recommend first if you've never done any embroidery. If you have, this is a great book to own. The how-to is short and simple but useful, and there are literally hundreds of patterns, including cats, dogs, letters, words, shoes, make up, rocket ships, baby faces, and more that I can't remember now. Yes, the drawings are a bit simple, but that's part of their charm. Don't forget they can be further embellished! I love that there are so many, I can always find a pattern to embroider! I am giving it four stars rather than five because I was hoping for a more comprehensive section on embroidery stitches.

If you want a lot of basic iron-on patterns with some additional info on embroidery stitches, this is a great book to buy.

The book is very well made. A nice spiral binding and two pockets for used transfers. The instruction section of the book is short, but easy to follow. I have done some sewing but no embroidery and I didn't have any problems getting started on some basic stitchs

The transfers section of the book is the majority of it. Actually when I pulled the book out of the box I was very excited, I thought I would have tons of neat designs to embroider. :(

The Sublime stitching website has a lot of awesome, unique and complex designs but the ones in this book are basic at best. Not only are the transfers basic, I don't think they are too stylish. I could draw a little cherry and stem that had more flair. Then it has 2-4 different sizes of each transfer. This is just not needed in todays day and age these resizing can be done quickly with a photocopier or home printer/scanner. I would say save your money and get some transfer paper and use your home printer or books to trace your own patterns.

Also the author warns several times that these transfers may not wash off. Which might be a precaution against the few times the transfer reacts with certain types of fabric. I haven't used my transfers yet because I'm pretty sure I want to return this item.

If you're looking for the hip patterns that Jenny Hart is known for through her site, or through her first embroidery kit-- Stitch It, then don't bother with this book. I was disappointed that these are much more run-of-the-mill designs, and don't have the cool retro-y feel that her other patterns have had. The designs here are much more basic and many are bare-bones line drawings with no detail. While there are a TON of them, it just wasn't my cup of tea this time.

This book taught me how to embroider, and got me addicted to not only embroidery but to Jenny Hart's designs on her website. The first 48 pages of this book is a How-To section with some really beautiful photos of sitched up projects that are really inspirational. The rest of this book are the iron on patterns. The patterns themselves are really nice, now that I have become acquainted with Jenny Hart's designs on her website, I can see why her fans were disappointed with this book because whereas you can find edgy patterns on her website, this book does not feature any of the edginess. To me however, that did not detract from my enjoying the patterns in this book. You will find transfers for: flowers, roses, leaves, vines, butterflies, swans, other birds, borders, dogs, cats, babies, storks, baby items (bottles, booties, strollers, rattles, etc), moons, planets, UFO's, rockets, planes, cars, trucks, flames, dancers, maracas, drums, drinks, fruits, desserts, flatware, breakfast, tea pots, teacups, teabags, paper shades, eyes, lips, words (baby, sweet, wish, love, hello, darling), stars, curliques, musical notes, guitars, saxophones, banners, 2 alphabets (upper and lower case).

The transfers are black ink and are reusable. The book is spiral bound with pockets in the front and back. All in all I really love this book! I learned how to embroider from this book, and have really enjoyed the wide variety of traditional, yet still fun, patterns. It has turned me on to Jenny Hart's patterns, and I have ordered many of her edgier patterns from her site.

Cons of this book: I wish there were more photographed examples of projects. I also wish there were more intructions for more stitches--there are about 15 stitches , but I wish she would have included instructions for the herringbone sitch, fern stitch, etc..... Lastly, as others have said the claim that this book contains "hundreds" of patterns may be a bit misleading for some--while there are hundreds of images, this count includes many repeats in varying sizes or facing a different direction. There are about 100 unique images plus the alphabets.

I will say that I also have the stitch-it-kit, and if you are trying to decide between this book and the kit, definitely get this book.

I was hoping for more complex patterns in this book. But I found most of the designs very simple and thought that I could have easily drawn them myself. This might be great for beginners or those who want only semi-unique transfers. I found myself regretting spending money on this book only to find not-so-exciting transfers.

I disagree with the last two reviewers. I love the patterns Jenny Hart has on her web site and although these patterns are different, they are just as useful, if not more. There are tons of things you won't find easily elsewhere, like Rhumba dancers, owls, space aliens and ships, cute ( and hip ) cats and dogs, race cars, and practically every fruit known to man. But there are lots of very practical things you can use for your dish towels, t shirts, pillow cases, and even your kitchen curtains! I am having a ball using the new patterns and the great thing about embroidery is you are only limited by your imagination! Embellish the heck out of these things, make sprinkles on the cupcakes! Add light and shadows to the fruit! There are a lot of alphabets in the very back of the book, great for those of us with less than perfect handwriting. All in all, I love it and I definitely give it five stars for anyone remotely interested in embroidery. Way to go, Jenny!

This book is everything it says it is and less. Ok it is an ok book. I purchased it for the iron on transfers. First let me say that there are many in the book so I cannot fault them there. I was sadly disappointed though that they were all so outdated. You might as well spend a dollar here and there and buy some of Aunt Martha's iron on transfers. Or better yet, some tracing paper. There isn't anything in this book that you can't doodle yourself. I would say for those just starting out, this would be an excellent sourse of transfers if you like funky little space ships, mariachi dancers and fruit. I did like the martini glasses, lol.

The book itself is of good quality in layout and design and the instructions are pretty good too. Overall though, not worth the money because the illustrations are substandard. I think they show a very poor try at getting the wonderful vintage era they are aiming for. Maybe I'm spoiled by a being from a family of visual artists, but honestly, those illustrations just need to be better. I wish I could get hold of the technology to make those transfers.