Quick & Clever Cross Stitch

I have been privillaged to obtain 3 Helen Philips books, "Cross Stitch Garden Notebook," "The New Cross Stitch Sampler Book," and now "Quick and Clever Cross Stitch." Each of these books has a focused theme and doesn't vere from it. The editing is outstanding, being superb in it's own right. In a library of about 90 cross stitch books these are among my favorites. But this book has something that none of the other 89 in my library have. It has templates and 1000 + motifs designed to fit into these templates and teach about the actual construction of a Sampler or gift piece for any and all occassions. The book is designed to instill success in the stitcher and to build confidence from the start. It is constructed so that you can begin using her actual samplers and/or substitute and personalize them. The motif libray in the back is divided into sections so that you can locate occasions, seasons, special events, holidays, themes, etc. Her motifs all have personality and variety. They fit the idea but are tweaked just enough not to be ordinary. She begins the book by giving you the choice of how you want to proceed and then walks you through the steps to create your own pieces. Helen's style in this book is simple and quaint but different from her "Garden" book. She uses no embellishment here. The idea is to develop the skill of Sampler design and construction. Although it leans towards it, this is not a "cutsey" book. You could make it that way or you can simply use it as a learning tool and develop beautiful pieces on your own. An abundance of contemporary color choices appear throughout this book. The motifs are simple but with a purpose;so you can learn quickly and yet end up with a lovely piece. Mind you, the templates are far from simple. They are typical of a variety of templates you migh contemplate for any Sampler: simple to complex. If you have any doubt about it check out her "Sampler" book to see how lovely and elegant her designs can be. This is a stepping stone to designing your own lovely pieces and you will learn quickly using the more simple designs presented here than struggling with more sophisticated designs before you're ready. Remember, you can always dress things up as your skill expands but it's a pain in the neck correcting something half way through a piece because of a mistake. I have learned the hard way and this is soooo much better. Gee, do you think I like this book? You bet I do.

The book was in excellent condition and shipping was fast. Very happy with the purchase.

With this book you can make personalized samplers for any occasion. The patterns are not involved but when put together make an impressive gift!