Heirloom Embroidery by Jan Constantine is a pretty book, and it’s packed full of projects for the hand embroiderer. Here’s your opportunity to add this book to your collection for free, with my book give-away. Let me tell you a little about the book and show you some photos…
Heirloom Embroidery isn’t quite the book you might think it is when you read the title. When I hear “heirloom embroidery,” I think of vintage linens, Victorian whitework and lace, embroidered christening gowns, and so forth – embroidery projects that are certainly gorgeous, but technically more difficult and time consuming.
When you see the cover of the book, you’ll realize this isn’t quite the type of heirloom embroidery we’re talking about!
The book is full of great little (and some big) projects taht are accessible to any level of embroiderer.
For example, here’s a colorful fleece scarf pattern – what a great gift this would make for the upcoming holidays! The author provides a list of materials, clear instructions, and all the finishing techniques.
Inside the book, you’ll find the instructions for the strawberry sachet featured on the cover.
Speaking of Christmas and the holidays, you’ll find several Christmas-oriented embroidery projects, from these snowflake hearts…
… to appliqued and embroidered reindeer and dove pillows…
…to a cozy Christmas stocking.
But don’t think all the projects focus on winter. There are plenty of projects perfect for spring decor, like this tablecloth.
You’ll also find plenty of seashore scenes – lighthouses, shells, boats. You’ll find dragonflies and bugs and flowers and even a trout worked in a style reminiscent of free-style blackwork.
Besides thorough instructions for each project, a materials list, finishing techniques, and so forth, you’ll find a stitch glossary in the back of the book.
In short, the book has everything you need (except the actual supplies and your own stitching time!) to create many projects that are certain to be family heirlooms.
It’s a nice book – I like it a lot! And the projects are, again, accessible to all levels levels of embroiderers.
I thought I’d give you the opportunity to enjoy the book, too – so, to enter this give-away, leave a comment below! Tell me why you’d be interested in having the book, and include a name in your comment! I’ll draw a winner by random number on Monday morning, October 27th, at 5:00 am CST.
The give-away is open to anyone, anywhere! Thanks for participating!
I am a beginner at embroidery and would love to stretch my legs a bit with this book!
You still ask why we want to win this book? After that description and those photos!!!
I stand so much in need of ideas for little (and two or three not so little…) Christmas gifts … I think this book would help a lot!
I am disabled and don’t get out much, but I love traditional needlework and there are so few books I can find on hand- embroidery and how to use/finish it.
Carolyn
I would love to receive this book, as I’m always looking for nice little projects to make as presents. I almost never embroider for myself, funnily enough. I always hope that people will treasure them and pass them down. Embroidery IS special, because it is not only the gift of something pretty, but the gift of the makers time. Whenever I make something for someone, I think of the recipient as I do it, and sew a little bit of love into every stitch.
So why would I like this book? Because, just like threads, you can never have too many! 🙂
Claire
I’d love to receive the book to make heirlooms for my children.
Mo
A great question. Why would I want this book? Well, you just can’t have enough books 🙂 This looks stunning and inspirational – projects that can be completed in a few hours to longer ones. I like the multi-themed aspect too.
I enjoy your blog immensely, Ellie
Hei!
First i have to get ridd of my fear of writhing in English, been some years since last time…;)
Second, the book looked lovley. I tried to, what do you call it..embroider? we call it “brodere” last night. Used to be able to do it one hundred years ago, but i had to surrender and admit that i needed som patterns and some kind of help….your book looks like something like that 🙂
Love your blog!
Britt
What a beautiful book! I think this will settle the question of what to give for holiday gifts this year, and I hope I’m lucky enough to be chosen at random. Thank you for telling us about this great find.
Rosalie
Hi Mary.
Your blog posts are always so interesting, I really enjoy coming here.
I’d like to own that book too. As others have said, you can never have TOO MUCH inspiration. But seriously, I think we should all consider doing at least one piece of stitching to leave as our legacy for future generations. Imagine if all those samplers created in the 18th and 19th centuries hadn’t been worked and then kept? We’d all be a lot poorer for that. I have some of my paternal grandmothers stitching, but none of my mother’s or her mother’s unfortunately. My family will have some of mine to cherish in the future if I have my way.
Hooroo,
Christine
http://missmuffettwo.blogspot.com/
I’m teaching a group of home schooled girls how to embroider. I’d love to have this book because it looks like it has fun projects that the girls would enjoy making (and me too.)
celeste
What’s not to want about a book – especially one that has anything to do with embroidery? I collect embr. books so one more would be wonderful!!
I love the scarf in the pattern-the book looks beautiful and would be so much fun to explore.
Tina
Hi! I would absolutely love to have this book…I have gotten into needlework very much lately and it has gotten me so inspired to keep creating and learning. Additionally, the heirloom touch is something that’s been tugging at me lately. I started working at a sewing magazine that focuses on heirloom sewing and techniques a few months ago, and it’s started influencing my own tastes in “real life”! So for that reason and many others – the inspiration, the addition to my craft library, the learning opportunity…I would love to own this book.
LOVE your blog, have been following you for a few months now and it is always so inspiring!
What a lovely book. I’d love to discover some new embriodery projects, maybe something a little more challenging than I have done so far. The Christmas stitchings are beautiful.
What a lovely book you let us peek at. Looks like something this beginner could find very motivating and helpful. Thank you for your encouraging blog.
pick me! i have been looking for a good book to help me with my embroidery.
I’d love to win this book because I think it has some great little projects that could be suitable for teaching my niece how to stitch.
I’d love to enter this contest because I want to make some beautiful. 🙂 I cannot even classify myself as a beginner! This would push me in the right direction. 😉 Thanks for the chance at a great giveaway.
I am relatively new at needlework and LOVED!! the sneak peek of this book!! I also want to thank you so much for the tutorial videos!! I was worried sick about how to finish a quilt I had made because I had forgotten how to do a lazy daisy stitch and there it was, so perfectly explained!! Thanks for such an awesome website!!
Sheila
I would love to get the book as I liked it from whatever you posted. Would definitely like to try it.
The book looks fab! 🙂 I’m always doing flat pieces that get framed for the wall and it looks as though the book would help get me past that and to create things as well as embroidery…
I’d love to win the book! I’m trying to teach myself embroidery, and I could use all the help I can get!
I need the stitching glossary in the back as I am just getting started at this. I would love to make those Christmas hearts too!!!
Renee
I would love this book! I am beginning to get back into embroidery and these small heirloom projects are just what I am looking for. Thanks for offering this book as a give-away. I so enjoy your blog and love that I finally figured out how to use RSS feeds.
I want this book! How inspiring! Love it! I will put it on my Christmas list of books that I would like….unless I am fortunate enough to WIN IT! heehee
For a embroidery lover any book which gives inspirations and ideas is a treasure
I love books and I love to embroider. This would be a great combination! Thanks for offering these contests. They are fun!
I would love to win your beautiful book. I have a friend who loves this kind of embroidery. I haven’t done it in many year as I’ve been cross-stitching. But her birthday is coming up and this would make an excellent birthday gift for her. Thanks for having the drawing.
Leigh
I Love stitching, and after seeing the review of this book I think will be great to have it in my library 🙂
Hi Mary,
I would love to have this book…I belong to a needlework group & am always looking for small items to make for the members. The heart ornaments are especially nice.
Sheila in CA
I would love to give this book to my 13-year-old daughter. It looks perfect for her. Thanks for the opportunity!
Thank you so much for all the info you provide to us out here — and was happy to see your review of this book, which I have been contemplating purchasing but wasn’t sure if it was worth the money. From your pictures and description, it will surely be added to my embroidery library . . . one way or the other!
Karen in OH
Mary, you are such a special person, always giving away treasures! This would be a great addition to my growing library of embroidery books. It’s always a great boon to have new techniques to learn in a small version so you don’t get bogged down. Thank goodness I check your website regularly or I would have missed this one!
Marilyn R.
The book appears to have several small projects included; just the thing for someone like me who gets bored easily when the projects are big and tedious.
Your blog is just amazing. I always look forward each day to reading your entry and to the eyecandy you include whether its’s your own work or someone elses.
Thank you so much for making my day a little better.
Hugs!
Lori Northon
I’m very picky about books. There’s not that many I want to own, but this looks like one I would like to have. The projects are just my style. Thank you so much for this opportunity!
Thanks for the wonderful lessons you provide for tf us to continue to grow in our hand sewing skills
pegilee
I would love this book as both my kids are now on their own. My daughter owns her own home and it would be wonderfull to create some heirloom needle work to decorate it. My son is in the Navy now so will be moving around alot so I can make him thing for his future home.
Jaci in Iowa
An interesting and useful book to create ideas for presents for friends and family. I look forwad each morning to receiving your email and find it most worthwhile.
Thanks for your lovely blog – I foudn it through sharon of inaminuteagao. I would love to have this blog because I’m learning embroidery by myself – mostly from the web as there are not many reasonably priced embroidey books here, (“here” being Australia). I find books really helpful – the projects look really beautiful too.
Looks like everyone has pretty much said it all…I will sum it up with:
Looks great, would love to have it!
Annie (Michigan)
What a lovely book – another of your great insights and suggestions. And it looks like it is full of fun and wonderful projects. This one looks like it would be helpful for those of us beginning – or beginning again. Thanks for your blog – it is inspirational.
Hi-Mary, It seems everybody wants this book! Me, too! Well, I would use it for “mini-classes” for making trifles of small gifts, sort of like quick-to-make stocking stuffers. It gives you a flavor of embroidery but doesn’t require forever to learn and complete. Hopefully, that tumbling of names that you do comes up with mine!
Why would I want this book? Because a) I am a needlework junkie
b) I am a needlework book junkie
c) I can always use new inspiration
and
d) I need to make some Christmas ornaments! Now that it gets dark at night here in Alaska, I have time to work on it!
Kathy
I am just beginning with embroidery. I’ve been following your blog and loving your work. This book seems like it might be just the thing for me. Thanks for the opportunity!
Hi,
I would love to have this book, I am impressed by the embroidery and stitching projects shown in the blog.I would like to have it to try out them. As doing a complete project always gives immense pleasure of accomplishment.
I would like to recieve this book as it seems inspirational and promising.
As an afterthought i think receiving mails itself is so exciting and i never receive anything in mail :-(. That itself will be the best reason to have the book. While i read comments by all then i thought may be Ratmomma / Carolyn needs it more than me though. 🙂
Hi Mary,
Every good embroidery book is such a wonderful treasure in itself. This book surely looks very good , with great ideas, and like everyone else, I would also LOVE to have this book.
Many Thanks to you for coming up with so many Give-aways and Stash contests. Its amazing !!
-Shrenika.(India)
Dear Mary: What a great book! Even the title appeals to my sense of family and history. I truly enjoy making something lasting for my children and grands and close friends. Another way to be remembered, and to demonstrate a big love.
Thank you.
Jean in canada
would love to have this book to embroider the kight houses and birds
as gifts for my 5 daughters.
they have very busy lives and no time for crafts for their homes.
I have many many ideas. But sometimes my knowledge of techniques very often is too poor to realize them. So I hope, this book could help me.
I am enjoying your blog and daily emails. Each one is an encouragement to work on something new or finish a UFO hiding in my closet!
I would love to have this book, to enjoy reading as well as working the projects in it.
Sandy
Omigoodness, I want this book in my hands because in our extended family, we have stopped buying gifts to exchange and now solely make our gifts for each other. This book looks like it has endless capacity for inspiration. Particularly the Cottage Border Scarf — it would be ideal for my father-in-law, an avid gardener from the Philippines who is cold all seasons of the year except the height of summer. I would just really love to make that for him, and I know he would appreciate it!!
Rebecca.
I love to embroider but have trouble finding projects to work on, this book would be invaluable.
I enjoy hand embroidering. I don’t have an embroidery sewing machine; however I prefer the self-satisfaction of seeing my designs come to fruition a stitch at a time. In the last few years have started doing my own designs for family wedding and special occasion presents. I love to get my hands on any new ideas I can find, and this book looks marvelous and one I certainly couldn’t do without.
I have just recently started embroidering and this book looks like it is very informative and also a lot of cute projects that
I would love to do.
Thanks for the give-away and thanks for your website ~~its the
BESTEST!!!
Doris
I am a new comer to the beautiful world of embroidery. However I have always stocked upon vintage linen from everywhere and used it in my house. This is a great opportunity to do them myself as I am newly married and setting up a new house 🙂
Sonalee
This looks like a wonderful book, great pictures and projects. A great addition to ones library. I would love to have it join my wee embroidery library.
Hugs
Gail
I would love to give embroidery another shot! I failed horribly the first time I tried. This book looks really cool! Thanks for the opportunity to win it!
! am interested in simple designs and the use of wool felt. This book looks good!
I could really use this book to expand my stitches… I have been doing redwork for about 2 years but haven’t gone beyond the basic outline stitch…
I would just love to win this book. The projects look wonderful, and the stitch guide would be very helpful.
Please count me in for the givaway and I’ll be crossing my fingers that you pick me:)
Wooly hugs,
Trudy
I LOVE needlework. I have been doing counted cross-stitch for 15 years and have been quilting for about 10. I have recently been getting into embroidery again to marry the two together. This book would be perfect for that!
I am a newbie to this and a out home mom so i need all the help I can get from book, and this look like one I could use
My best friends wife is an embroidery addict. He is 83 years old and they have been married for 55 years. I never see her but what she is hard at work, embroidering something for someone. To say that she is GOOD is an understatement. Many people accuse her of using a machine, which she wouldn’t know how to use even if she had one. PERFECTION is her motto and she follows it well.
I’d love to be able to present her with your book.
John E. Shimko
This looks like it has so many good gift ideas in it! I love those little heart snowflake ornaments! I think the stitch explanations would be mega useful too =)
I’d really love to have the book because it would improve my skills and I could create heirloom gifts for my family and guests. Also it would be lovely to have the book and pass it on to future generations and keep the tradition of embroidery alive.
Georgia
Wow Mary this sounds lijke a wonderful book. I tend to really like patterns to go by. And would love to make little gifts for friends and family and it seems like this book is filled with allot of them. I can assure you I would put it to good use…
Thanks
Sharon
I love the cheerful red and white designs and would love to make them as gifts. I signed up for your posts approximately two months ago and eagerly read them first thing every morning. Thank you for sharing. Susan
Lovely pictures, but the author actually manufactures all these items in India and not in UK, so the book isn’t quite what it seems! But if it gets everyone embroidering, then that’s okay.
I would love to have a copy of this book to add to my stitching library as love embroidery as well as most kinds of thread crafts. I also quilt and have several quilting patterns and books. I think the book is well illustrated and also would make a nice book to add to my collection and as I advance in age would love to try out several of the projects in it. I hope I can aquire one as am on a limited budget being partially disabled and self employed part time as a pet groomer as well as take care of my 81 & 76 yr old dad & mom who neither drive anymore so live close by and have little time for work or buying things anymore but love crafting items and homemade gifts for friends and family and think it would make a great addition to my collection of books.
I am attempting to sew a dedication bubble for my 8 week old son. This will be my first attempt at embroidery. I would love to have this book for a guide!
I am new to embroidery. This book would be a valuable edition for my sewing library. The passion for this art form has really taken hold of me. Lee Anne Rose
I have interest inadvancing my skills by using a free book.
This looks wonderful and so helpful to someone who through your influence has suddenly been restored to the joy of hand embroidery. (So good for the blood pressure too!) Thank you