Happy Friday, my friends! Today, I’ve got an extensive and detailed book review for you, for a book that I’ve had on my table since February and should have reviewed a whole lot sooner!
It is one of my “top books” this year – it’s a banner book that celebrates a banner accomplishment! And it teaches you, very simply and directly, how to stitch your own bits of the Bayeux Tapestry.
The book is Embroider the Bayeux Tapestry by Mia Hansson, who, in fact, has pretty much embroidered the whole Bayeux Tapestry single handedly.
Let’s take a look at it!
I learned about Mia Hansson and her incredible embroidery feat – embroidering her own reproduction of the entire Bayeux Tapestry – when she somehow magically showed up in my Facebook feed. I was immediately hooked, and frankly, bowled over. I couldn’t believe the extent of work she has put into this incredible accomplishment!
I wasn’t surprised to learn that Search Press was publishing a book by Mia that shows readers how to embroider the Bayeux Tapestry for themselves – or at least, pieces of it, which is much more manageable than embroidering the Whole Thing!
The book pulls from Mia’s experiences over years (ten of them so far, I think) of stitching her phenomenal repro tapestry.
The book itself is worthy of the endeavor – it is a beautiful hardbound book, just as suitable for the coffee table as it is for the work table.
The outer cover has a delightfully tactile linen-like texture!
The end papers deserve a nice pause and perusal!
The book is both an instructional book and a project book – and there are loads of projects! Big and small vignettes from the tapestry feature characters, animals, events – so there’s something for every interest, as long as your interest includes the whole style of the tapestry!
Seriously, there are loads to choose from. Most books don’t feature this many projects, but because the instruction is all the same, there’s a lot of space for many projects.
The book begins, of course, with information about the original Tapestry…
…and an explanation of materials and tools (which are rather minimal!)…
…followed by instruction on the embroidery stitches used for all the projects (also minimal – there are not very many types of stitches employed in the tapestry, after all)…
…followed by an overview on how to approach and stitch the projects.
There’s also a nice section on tips and techniques for stitching the designs.
Then there’s the Meat of the Matter – the whole point of the book, and the vast majority of the book: The Projects.
There are, in fact, twenty five projects!
All the projects are worked with the same stitches and same techniques covered in the general information earlier in the book. Each project is presented with a materials list…
… a close up image of the finished vignette, sometimes with a blurb on how the design or interpretation differs from the original and why (very interesting stuff!)…
…a line drawing of the scene with the stitch & color layout…
…and close-up photos of different elements of the scene, so that you can know where you going and what you’re trying to achieve as you stitch that particular scene.
There are projects that are small and very manageable…
…and for those of the “Go Big or Go Home” Mindset, there are large, more complex scenes to stitch as well.
Finally, in the very back of the book, attached to the inside back cover, you will find an envelope contains iron-on transfers for all the projects.
These full-size, ready to use iron-ons will help you hasten the project preparation so you can get right to the embroidery!
And that, my friends, is a detailed look at Embroider the Bayeux Tapestry by Mia Hansson!
If you’ve ever had a hankering to stitch a Bayeux Tapestry scene, Mia makes it easy! This book is a delight on every level, from the background information, to the instructional content, to the pattern collection, to the overall presentation of the book! It’s definitely worth adding to your embroidery library!
Where to Find It
If you’re looking for your own copy of Embroider the Bayeux Tapestry, you’ll find it listed here on my Amazon Book Recommendations page. Get it while you can! I think it’s proving to be a very popular book!
The link to my Amazon Needlework Books Recommendation Page is an affiliate link, which means that Needle ‘n Thread may receive a small commission for purchases made through that link, at no extra expense to you. Thanks!
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