Book Review: Mandalas to Embroider

Hello all - here's a review I've been looking forward to doing for some time - Carina Envoldsen-Harris has created a lovely new title called Mandalas to Embroider: Kaleidoscope Stitching in a Hoop, with colorful, easy designs that can be adapted to any level of stitcher.

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This book is beautifully photographed, with lots of bright, compelling images of each project. Carina’s wonderful sense of color is evident throughout this book. It's a delightful book, and I recommend it to any stitcher! And stay tuned to the end of this post for a giveaway!

What's in the book

There are 24 total patterns with iron on transfers, and materials, stitch, and color guides.There are 12 large patterns made to fit in a 6 or 7 inch embroidery hoop, and 12 mini patterns for tiny Dandelyne hoops.

I love that the Table of Contents includes a visual guide of every project in the book, to pique your curiosity, and give you a clue of where you might want to start:

The intro includes a bit of info on the spiritual significance of mandalas, I must say it is wonderful that they included that, as those of us coming from another culture might be inclined to view them as merely pretty art. I appreciate that Carina takes the time to explore their significance.

There's a Materials and stitches section which walks you through each stitch used, a brief guide on hoops,  and a how-to guide for mini Dandelyne hoops, which is a lovely plus.

Pattern pages

Each pattern page includes a color line diagram, with DMC floss suggestions, a stitch guide, and a large, lovely photo of the finished piece. One thing I love about the Winter Solstice pattern, is that it incorporates DMC Coloris floss, a bright variegated floss that looks quite nice stitched up as a mandala.

Each of the mini patterns have a common theme: The Explorers, The Gardeners, and The Artists, and I love that each of the mini hoops has a female name- it gives them a nice dash of personality.

The last section in the book contains the iron on transfer patterns, and a brief guide to using them. The book also has a handy large pocket in the back for storing your cut transfers.

 

What I made

Using the transfer patterns was a breeze - I used a hot iron with no steam, ironing the front and back of the fabric first, to heat it up, then pinning the transfer face down and ironing.

The transfer lines we nice and dark, no trouble at all! I wasn't happy with size of my fabric, so I tried again, and the second transfer was just as crisp and dark - I suspect each transfer is good for many ironings:

On to my stitching - Carina's color palette was lovely, but I love to strike off on my own, so I decided to choose my own colors and stitches.

I used a thick pale blue perle cotton, and couched it down with 2 strands of pale blue floss:

Next I chose a light taupe floss, and chain stitched all the little leaves. It took awhile, but I think it paid off well in texture and interest:

Next I chose 2 nice blues, and did a combination of split stitch and chain stitch for the centers:

Next, I followed up with a split stitch in a nice bright red:

I could have repeated this same pattern for all of the cute radish-like shapes, but instead I chose to rotate all 3 colors is different combinations. Not sure if that was successful, but it was quite fun:

I again used chain stitch on the petals in the center, and large lazy daisies in the thick perle cotton. I love the texture these different weights and stitches provided:

Overall, I'm quite happy with my stitching of this project - I love that the design is simple, but you can adapt it with any stitches you'd like to try out, as well as experimentation with color.

Here are all the threads I used:

Again, I highly recommend this book - the patterns are enjoyable, intricate, and very adaptable!

The Giveaway!

Carina and her publisher kindly sent us this book for review (thank you!) and are offering 1 giveaway copy of Mandalas to Embroider to one lucky Feeling Stitchy reader! This applies to all our readers, no matter where you live!

To win, answer this question (from Carina herself): What's the stitch that you "fear" the most? I'll leave comments open through Wednesday evening (CST), June 27, when I'll close the comments and choose 1 random winner, and announce it here. Ready? Set? Go!