Colorful Embroidery with Carina

While the ole blog has been quiet this summer, there was actually a ton of stitching going on around here. I'll post some updates on some of the fun projects I completed, but today is all about one of my favorite new embroidery books from one of my favorite embroiderers. Carina Envoldsen-Harris was one of the first internet hand embroidery pals I made years ago. Her work is always beautiful and colorful and blissfully organic. She has a great signature style, and I was thrilled to see she'd be sharing her work in a book.

Stitched Blooms is a great embroidery resource for beginning stitchers, and great inspiration for seasoned stitchers.

If you're new to embroidery, Carina has a great introductory portion in Stitched Blooms that is filled information on tools and tips to get you started. Her individual stitch diagrams and instructions are very easy to follow.

After the informative introduction comes a great selection of 20 projects that feature Carina's beautiful stitched blooms. Some involve stitching on ready-made items, while others include additional simple sewing. I'm particularly smitten with this Dala Horse, and these little pom pom luminaries are adorable and practical.

Finally, Stitched Blooms includes an impressive 300 motifs for stitching on anything your heart desires. A CD is included so you can download and resize the images to suit your particular project. This is one of my favorite features.

Carina's book and CD came in handy recently as I was trying to come up with a little something for a friend who was having a baby. I got a text message that she was in labor, and though I'd already sewn a few other simple gifts, I thought it would be fun to stitch something for her daughter while she was in labor. I popped the CD in to my computer and found the image that corresponded with the one I'd picked from the book, resized it to fit the onesie and printed it out. I used my tried-and-true method for transferring images on to fabric (dressmaker's carbon paper) and set to stitching. The design was simple enough that I was able to easily complete it in a couple of hours, and it was fun to do something for my friend while she was in labor. It felt like a special way to keep her in my thoughts while she was working so hard to bring this sweet new life in to the world.

Carina's Stitched Blooms is a fantastic book for stitchers looking to be inspired by color and nature. She has a unique way of creating organic designs that can also feel very graphic and modern. It's a great addition to any embroidery fan's library!

Disclosure: I was provided with a complimentary copy of Stitched Blooms to review, but the opinions expressed are 100% my own!