Stitched Blooms - book review and giveaway!

Feeling Stitchy's old friend Carina from Polka and Bloom has a book coming out! Called Stitched Blooms, it has 300 floral, leaf and border motifs to embroider! We've been very lucky to have a sneak peak at it and I can say it is absolutely gorgeous! 

As well as a comprehensive embroidery introduction, there are 20 projects to make. Some of my favourite projects include a Mexican folk blouse, botanical art (I know what's going on my to-stitch list for my Christmas present giving this year), a Dala horse (check out Mollie's version when she reviewed the book) and a sweet dreams bedding set.

I think the highlight of the book though is the large collection of motifs at the back of the book. Looking through the pages of motifs is the embroidery pattern equivalent of being a kid in a candy store; the motifs range from borders to small to large-ish individual motifs which could be put on so many things, there isn't a pillowcase or item of clothing that is safe from me now! Although I am a big fan of large complicated patterns (that's where I'm personally at in my development as an embroiderer, as I've been embroidering for a fair few years now), there is so much to be said for smaller patterns, they're perfect for quick embroidery fixes where you can sit down, start something and finish it in one session, it's satisfyingly rewarding! And well, that big embroidery piece you spent months on, there's only so many things you can do with it, whereas with Carina's collection of motifs, in a blink of an eye you've got little leaves and flowers and cute Scandi borders appearing on everything! (And for those hankering after larger patterns, there's patterns such as the bedding set and the blouse as you can see.)

To prove no item of my clothing is now safe, I couldn't resist doing some alteration on an old plain white shirt of mine that had been sitting unloved in my wardrobe. It's still a work in progress, my plans got ahead of me, but this is what I've done so far.

(The stitching around the collar is adapted from one of Stitched Bloom's patterns, I made it longer. Also I'm finding little hoops are really handy when trying to work round awkward bits of clothing.)

Now that I've hopefully tempted you all, how would you like to be in with a chance of winning a copy of the book and a bundle of seven different colours of floss that are favourites of Carina's?

To be in with a chance of winning, simply leave a comment below (and I'd love to know what item you've got sitting round the house you'd like to stitch a motif onto!) The giveaway will run till midnight UK time 30th September 2013 and is open internationally.