Joyful Daily Stitching, Seam by Seam: Complete Guide to 500 Embroidery-Stitch Combinations, Perfect for Crazy Quilting

Bothell, a crazy quilting specialist with more than 20 years of experience, helps others whose imaginations might fail when decorating the seams of quilts in this delightful collection of stitches. She begins the book with a lesson on piecing, followed by an overview of essentials of hand embroidery (tools, tips, templates, and transfers) and instructions on 61 basic stitches. She then presents over 500 combinations of stitches, including eight pages of back stitches and eight more of blanket-stitch variations. Large pictures of hot-pink thread against beige fabric help to illustrate the intricacies of each individual stitch. Variations with beads and sequins in circles and fans expand the detailed yet doable work. Though the book is geared toward quilters, anyone with an interest in needlework (beginners and experts alike) will make plenty of use of this nifty anthology of stitches. (Jan.)