Modern and Traditional Embroidery Dress

One of the fun things about being a blogger for Feeling Stitchy is that free books and materials sometimes come my way. I received a copy of Stumpwork Embroidery: Techniques, Projects, and Pure Inspiration by Kay and Michael Dennis to review.

Stumpwork is an embroidery technique that I would like to be able to do. I will be honest and admit that I found the projects in this book very difficult to complete. While each project does walk you step by step through it, I feel as though many projects in the book are geared towards the embroiderer who has a better grasp of how to do stumpwork already. I started a project making a butterfly with 3D wings, but I have a hand injury that's preventing me from finishing because of the dexterity involved.


Stumpwork Embroidery starts out with an introduction to Kay Dennis' journey into stumpwork, and then goes into the history of this art form. I found that aspect fascinating! In this photo below from the book, it's a closeup of a British stumpwork box from circa 1650. Look at that detail and how well it's held up over the centuries.


Some of the projects in the book, like this poppy seed below, are definitely projects that someone who has some basic understanding of embroidery can accomplish.

Completed poppy seeds from the book Stumpwork Embroidery

The author, Kay Dennis, is a big fan of needlelace, and she is exceptionally creative at creating interesting projects! Needlelace is made using needles and thread to create many stitches to make lace. It requires dexterity and an attention to detail. The end result is fantastic!



Once my hand is sufficiently healed, I'm going to dive further into this book to master the techniques. You can find me on Instagram where I share on the Feeling Stitchy and my personal Random Acts of Amy accounts.

Have you tried stumpwork? Have you read this book? Or do you have recommendations for other books or resources on stumpwork? Please leave your comments below!

The portability factor is indicated with each project and varies a lot. Obviously most people will be unlikely to tag along some huge curtains to a cafe but the cute thermal packs could be sewn up quite easily when you are on the go.


In previous work Susan Wasinger has been keen to recycle and re purpose stuff so it's no surprise that Sewn by Hand has a couple of  projects where recycled materials are being used.  There is a nice project (see photo above) using old men's shirts (that is not shirts from old men but...oh you know what I mean!) to make an apron. Personally I would be very much inclined to get my iron out to make neat seams and run the panels quickly through my sewing machine. Maybe because I already spend much time on other 'slow crafts' like embroidery and quilting... In other projects,  the hand sewing is part of the charm or decoration of the items made. Many of the projects, and indeed the whole layout of the book, have a nostalgic, timeless feel to it which fits the 'strictly Hand sewn' theme perfectly.