Beginners will enjoy experimenting with thread colours & the size & direction of the stitches & will have great fun building up a range of exciting effects. Many people at first mistake Alison Holts embroideries for paintings or even photographs. She is fascinated by gardens landscapes & detail & enjoys the challenge of interpreting all the elements she sees in nature. Alisons way of working has evolved into a technique of painting with threads on to a canvas of h&-painted silk. She uses two basic stitches
- straight stitch in various combinations & zigzag stitch
- to make fine & broad brushstrokes on silk blending both to achieve stunning results. The raised embroidery on the glowing coloured background produces a beautiful three-dimensional effect. This comprehensive & colourful book covers everything from composing a landscape & setting up the machine to choosing threads & silk dyes & framing up. Alison encourages the reader to experiment with the techniques as they go along making sure the colour length & direction of stitch are right for the effect they are trying to recreate. Step-by-step demonstrations of an autumn river bank & colourful flower border are included as are many examples of Alisons inspiring & original work.