A couple weeks ago, when I reviewed the book BiblioCraft by Jessica Pigza, I might have mentioned that I have a Thing about Libraries and the Wonderful Wonders that they offer.

In the online world, you can find excellent resource books for hand embroidery – old books that are in the public domain, preserved in digital format for general use. I’ve mentioned many of the online spots for good needlework books here on Needle ‘n Thread over the years, as occasionally, I like to highlight a book that’s caught my eye, that you might find interesting, too.

Open Library is one of those hubs where you can search for old embroidery books available online.

Today, I’d like to point out one of my Absolute Favorite old embroidery books (I have it on my shelf and like to read it just for fun now and then). Unfortunately, it’s not a widely available book (you can find used copies available now and then, but they tend to be pricey). But fortunately, it’s available on Open Library in digital format, so you can enjoy it, too.

Then I’ll give you some tips on using Open Library when you’re foraging about for embroidery topics.