Hand-stitched Home: Projects to sew with Pendleton & other wools
By: Susan Beal
Rating: 5 of 5
“Hand-Stitched Home” is a beautiful and informative book by Susan Beal. The book tells the history of the Pendleton company and has many projects to make using their and other types of wool fabric.
The author gives many tips on how to work with wool, including what types of wool work for certain projects (primarily based on the weight of the wool), how to wash it, types of stitches that work well, as well as the types of tools you will need to create the projects in the book.
The projects were a great assortment, from pieced and appliqued quilts to boxes, plant holders, and much more. I was amazed at the potential uses for the fabric. There are both modern and traditional projects and, interestingly, modern projects that use traditional patterns of wool. Using patterns that have been in use for many years brought a classic look to the projects.
The author has done a fantastic job of explaining all of the steps involved (with both illustrations and written directions), including embroidery/sewing stitches, quilt piecing, and applique techniques. I was very impressed by the depth of her knowledge and the simple but precise methods of the directions she provided in the book. I could walk through a project step-by-step without having a problem understanding what I was to do next.
I had never used Pendleton wool yardage and was at first a little surprised at how expensive it was. When I thought about it, I realized that when I buy a Pendleton product, I have always paid a high price because of its high quality. It makes sense that the yardage would also be higher than other fabrics because it is the same fantastic quality as their finished goods.
I enjoyed reading through the book and plan to start a number of the projects, beginning with the rug. I’ve crocheted rugs before but have never sewn one, so this should be an interesting and fun project to do. It is great to have an unusual assortment of items to make and that is why this book is a good one to have in my library.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Taunton Press, via Netgalley.
“Hand-Stitched Home” is a beautiful and informative book by Susan Beal. The book tells the history of the Pendleton company and has many projects to make using their and other types of wool fabric.