The fourth title in Hazel Blomkamp’s series on crewel embroidery with a twist, with six flamboyant farm and game birds to stitch.

In this fourth title in her series on crewel embroidery with a twist, Hazel Blomkamp works with farm and game birds. The designs give a nod to current trends, most notably the Zentangle look with crewel-style filling-in stitches and techniques.
The book is a celebration of Hazel’s signature style, combining a wide variety of surface/crewel stitches (some of which are brand new), many with a different take on combining stitches to make them more interesting. Also included are needle-lace techniques used as embroidery stitches, loom-weaving techniques modified for embroidery, and unique combinations of both of these. The incorporation of beads and crystals adds even more dazzle to the intricate designs.
There are six fabulous projects, each explained with detailed step-by-step instructions and clear photographs, with design templates and a fully illustrated stitch gallery providing everything readers need to recreate them with ease. The featured birds are a phoenix, a rooster, a common pheasant,
a mallard duck, a flamingo and a Chinese pheasant.
Hazel also explains how to hand quilt the backgrounds and finish the edges with binding to put them together in a ‘rag book’.
This book is a must-have for embroiderers looking for something different and new to stitch, and for those keen to challenge themselves with more complex embroidery techniques.