Margaret Lee was introduced to Chinese embroidery by her Chinese mother and grandmother. After a successful career as a banker she moved to Australia where she devoted her time to her family and her passion for embroidery. Margaret has developed a program to teach Chinese ‘Su’ embroidery which she has successfully introduced around the world. With this book she hopes to contribute to the preservation of the traditions and the Art of Chinese Embroidery.
Chinese embroidery has been around for centuries. It has long been
admired around the world. Until now, little instruction is written
in the English language. The introduction begins with a brief
history of embroidery in China. It then moves on to the art of Su
embroidery and the discipline that is the focus of the book.
Margaret Lee talks about becoming an embroidery artist; about the
way we commit to embroidery alongside learning the stitches. The
last topic covered in this section is practical consideration. Su
embroidery takes time, Margaret advocates planning and preparation
and forming good work practices. Protecting the work and silks is
also covered here. The next section ‘Getting Started’, talks about
the equipment and materials needed for Su embroidery. Some of which
are not readily available outside of China, so Margaret suggests
suitable alternatives. Filament silk is the thread she recommends
and the dividing of this is explained. Preparing the fabric and
framing up are also covered in this section. The embroidery
stitches and techniques sections cover all the stitches used in the
book. They are broken down into groups, linear techniques, filling
techniques, supplementary techniques, scale techniques, and knots.
Each group of stitches begins with a short description and
indication of where they are used. The second half of the book is
dedicated to projects featuring flowers, plants, insects, designs
in the style of brush painting, birds, and fish. A labelled, colour
picture and a line drawing showing the stitch direction accompany a
stitch guide for each project and the full-size designs are
provided on two pull-out sheets at the back of the book. If you
have ever considered trying Chinese Su embroidery this is an
essential learning guide, but I think that its appeal is to a far
wider audience. If you have struggled with filament silk but wish
to use it in your embroidery, I recommend this book for this
section alone. Anyone wishing to learn thread painting techniques
will benefit from reading the stitch guide on filling techniques.
This is a gorgeous book that definitely belongs in my collection so
that I can refer to it again and again.
*The SEW Region Magazine - Book Threads*
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
