cover image Margaret Boyles' Country Needlework

Margaret Boyles' Country Needlework

Margaret Boyles. HarperCollins Publishers, $19.45 (156pp) ISBN 978-0-06-181099-2

Boyles's numerous needlecrafts books (Beginner's Needlepoint, The Act of Bargello, etc.) have earned her a reputation for dependable guidance, and readers will find here precise, quickly grasped directions and full-sized patterns, marked carefully at joints, to be transferred to templates. Emphasizing the appeal of bucolic amenities, Boyles details the methods and stitches for approximating her creations, which are depicted in color and black-and-white photographs. The motifs are traditonal, dating back to colonial days: the Angel Gabriel, the hospitable pineapple, swan, eagle, flowers, wreaths, hearts, etc. Readers will find here quaint, primitive dolls, pillows, quilts, pictures, rugs, Christmas decorations and other charmers. The author offers a choice of needlework techniques to which all the designs lend themselves, including embroidery, candlewicking, hooking, patchwork, quilting, stenciling. BOMC/Cooking & Crafts Club and Better Homes and Gardens Book Club main selections. (September 10)