Allie's in Stitches: Beaded Embroidery Stitching by Christen Brown: My Review and a Giveaway!

*************EDIT with Winner!***************

I used a random number generator to pick the winner of the ebook, and it is #7, Karen!

Welcome to the Blog Hop for Christen Brown's latest book, Beaded Embroidery Stitching!

C &T Publishing has just brought out Christen's excellent guide for creating beaded needlework. She covers everything you need to know, from supplies/tools, design inspiration, and stitch diagrams, to 8 wonderful projects, (shown in different color variations too.)

All the stitches are shown at the front of the book, beautifully grouped and organized for easy reference to the rest of the book, a very helpful feature. The actual stitching graphics, by illustrator Mary Flynn, are clear and excellent, while the color photos of Christen's stitched beauties will inspire you no end!

I have had such fun incorporating just a few of the book's inspirations and techniques into the project below. Please follow along in my process....and don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end, for an E-copy of Christen's book.

I started with a purchased jean jacket from Costco. Being totally enamored of vintage textiles, I appliqued old blocks, lace, motifs, and repro fabrics to the front and back, knowing I would be adding the finishing touches with my beading. I call this, "The Americana Jacket". Very '70's, isn't it?

The front of the jacket.

The jacket back

The first things I wanted to add were beaded buttons (page 68).

Mother of pearl buttons with lazy daisy stitches of perle cotton with a bead

Next came adding some beading to the collar and front pocket flaps. I decided to use the Continuous Bead Stitch Fancy, pg 52.

The stitch instructions in the book.

Beading the collar

For the back of the jacket, I wanted a heart, so I started with beaded buttons again.

My heart template and chalked guidelines, with an array of buttons to choose from.

I wanted an inner heart to go in my button "frame", and came upon a great discovery: these Wash Away Applique Sheets from C & T provide a really great stabilizer for beading onto fabric!

A great product! The paper washes away, too.

The stabilizer placed on a vintage block, fusible side up

This shows the ironed under edges, adhering nicely to the fusible side of the stabilizer, as well as the beading stitches.

The beaded heart topstitched into place, with outline beading being added

The completed heart. Christen gives a great tip for keeping those tiny outline beads in a smooth line, on pg.52.

Once the back was finished, I decided to add some more beaded lazy daisies to the front.

Chain stitch with beads. Notice how the lace has provided my spacing for me.

So here is the completed back of my Americana Jacket. With my bead embroidery stitching, I wanted to add to the complexity of the detail without turning it into a "Rhinestone Cowboy" type of garment, if you know what I mean. It's still within the vintage vibe I was after, but definitely more interesting.

Design notes: the vintage block used for the inner heart is on point, as is the vintage block in the back yoke. Also, the stamped brass filigree in the center of the heart mimics the shape of the embroidered "A" motif in the center of the yoke. I think these subtle touches unify the design without being too obvious.

The front of the jacket is just slightly glitzy, enough to make that 70's aesthetic more fun.

Jacket front. Two vintage log cabin blocks were used for the yoke; I pieced the vertical strips from repro fabric. Design note: the pattern of the vintage red print along the bottom of the yoke is carried on in the buttons going down the front, another hopefully unifying element to the overall design.

Having Christen's book in front of me really freed me up in this project, and gave me lots of tips. I have done beading before, as in my book, Allie Aller's Crazy Quilting, but this resource has lit my fire anew!

I am so eager to see and read what my fellow bloggers on this hop will present to you, featuring Christen's book. Be sure and check them out! Especially because each one of us will be giving away a free E-copy of Beaded Embroidery Stitching. Leave a comment below each blog post the day it is posted, and that night the Blog hop host for the day will choose a winner. We'll each notify the winner the next day on our blogs, so we can get the email of the lucky winner and email them a copy of their book!