I’m very excited that Search Press’s new edition of A-Z of Goldwork with Silk Embroidery is out now in the UK, and coming very soon (by September, I believe) to the US.
The re-printing of the A-Z series of needlework books (which I wrote about here) is a great thing for the embroidery world. The books, printed and distributed by Search Press, are now available more affordably, and hopefully, they’ll be available for a good long time.
Getting my little paws on the new edition of A-Z of Goldwork reminded me why I love this book. It prompted me to put together a short list of goldwork reference and instructional books that are definitely worth having on your needlework book shelf.
I’ve already reviewed quite a few instructional books for goldwork embroidery here on Needle ‘n Thread, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend all of them as Must Haves, or qualify them as “Best” books, or even, in some cases, qualify them as All That Great. The ones below, though, are tried-and-true.
These are the goldwork books that have withstood the test of time for me as instructional books. I’ve linked them directly to my reviews, if you want to read about the books in more detail.
If you’ve been contemplating taking the leap into goldwork, I hope this list comes in handy for you!
The Short List of the Best Instructional Books for Goldwork Embroidery
1. A-Z of Goldwork with Silk Embroidery – If you just have one book on goldwork, this should probably be it. Though the book doesn’t cover Every Single Aspect of goldwork, it covers most, and it instructs with very easy-to-follow, step-by-step photos, as is typical with the A-Z series of needlework books.
2. Goldwork Techniques, Projects and Pure Inspiration by Hazel Everett – I’d rank this book right along with the A-Z book. It’s excellent and the projects in it are beautiful. The instruction is perhaps not as systematic as the instruction in the A-Z book, but it’s very clear, and the author does touch on a few points that are not covered in the A-Z book.
3. Goldwork Embroidery: Techniques & Projects by Mary Brown has been around since 2007. It’s a good instructional book – I wouldn’t put it right up with the two previous books, as it’s perhaps not as thorough – and it has some great projects in it that are accessible for beginners and beyond, so it makes a good practice book, too. I reviewed the book back in 2007, so it’s not as thorough a review as those I write today.
4.Beginner’s Guide to Goldwork by Ruth Chamberline – This is not really a thorough goldwork instructional book. The goldwork covered in this particular book is all couched goldwork. Purls and the like aren’t addressed. But the instruction on different types of goldwork couching is superb, and the fact that the book instructs around the creation of a really lovely goldwork and silk sampler make it quite a desirable book. The author makes the techniques accessible, and the book itself is well written and beautiful. As is unfortunately often the case in the publishing world, this book, new in 2007, is now out of print, but it is available through used book sources and the like.
5. New Ideas in Goldwork by Tracy Franklin is a good one to have, if you’re already into goldwork embroidery. I don’t think I’d recommend it for beginners, but if you’ve already started dabbling with metal threads, this book will give you a more modern perspective on what can be done with them. I’ve not actually reviewed this book in depth, but I did mention it in this post, way back in 2006, which was the first year of Needle ‘n Thread.
A-Z of Goldwork & Silk Embroidery
I mentioned above that A-Z of Goldwork & Silk Embroidery has been recently reprinted by Search Press. I gave the book a good going-over during the last few days, and I’m still as enthusiastic about it as I was when it originally came out.
The Search Press edition has a different binding and cover. I think some corrections have been made to the former edition, but nothing in essence has changed, as far as the content goes.
Where to Find It
You can find the new edition of A-Z of Goldwork with Silk Embroidery through the following book affiliates:
Worldwide (with free delivery), A-Z of Goldwork is available right now through Book Depository.
In the US, you’ll find A-Z of Goldwork through Amazon for pre-order. I believe it will be out by September, which isn’t too long to wait!
