Stitches From the Garden

It's no secret that I fall in love with embroidery patterns faster than I can  stitch  the actual projects. Last week, the nice folks at Martingale sent me a review copy of Stitches From the Garden by Kathy Schmitz. I don't want to make every single project from the book, but it's pretty close.

The author describes the book as an "embroiderer's sketchbook of garden stitches" and that's exactly what it is. Diagrams show which stitches to use where and how to make those stitches. The patterns are written for Gentle Arts floss, but the book provides DMC equivalents for those of us who want to use what we already have in our stashes.

I love all of the intricate details. The Blackbird Notion Nest has stitching on the front and back -- and on an interior pocket. Oak leaf shaped pages hide inside The Little Acorn Needle House.

The Bloom Bag has exterior pockets behind the embroidered panel. 

 I'm going to have to stitch faster, or spend less time playing Clockmaker on Facebook.