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Rating: 
Summary: Singular reference for all types of embroidery
Review: Any needleworker - making a crazy quilt or not - will be amazed at this wonderful book. Ms. Samples has clearly invested a lot of time into her research and has presented us with not only solid historical documentation but also with a platform for delving off into new uses and combinations for these glorious stitches. As for the complaints that the book has no specific stitching instructions, that is true, but a beginner embroiderer with a stitch encyclopedia should have little trouble since the stitches are grouped and labelled by their most prominent basic stitch, i.e., "blanket stitch," "feathered chain," etc. The only suggestion for improvement I have is that the text portions be printed in a different font. I highly recommend this book to any needle artist. Just have your needle and floss nearby once you start looking at it!
Rating:
Summary: Singular reference for all types of embroidery
Review: Any needleworker - making a crazy quilt or not - will be amazed at this wonderful book. Ms. Samples has clearly invested a lot of time into her research and has presented us with not only solid historical documentation but also with a platform for delving off into new uses and combinations for these glorious stitches. As for the complaints that the book has no specific stitching instructions, that is true, but a beginner embroiderer with a stitch encyclopedia should have little trouble since the stitches are grouped and labelled by their most prominent basic stitch, i.e., "blanket stitch," "feathered chain," etc. The only suggestion for improvement I have is that the text portions be printed in a different font. I highly recommend this book to any needle artist. Just have your needle and floss nearby once you start looking at it!
Rating:
Summary: Great ideas for experienced stitchers
Review: I agree with the last review that said you really need to be experienced in a few of the stitches, but once you have mastered the main stitches you can go anywhere with this book. Maybe a review of how to do the basic stitches would help those who are inexperienced, but I found that everything shown was simple once you broke it down into those individual basic stitches. I'd encourage anyone to buy a basic book first and learn before venturing into this one, but it is fantastic for those of us who need ideas and designs for our simple or ornate crazy quilt tops. Thank you Carole Samples!
Rating:
Summary: Great ideas for experienced stitchers
Review: I bought this book after it was recommended to me at my crazy quilt guild meeting. I have read it from cover to cover and it is by far the best crazy quilt book on embroidery stitches ever. Carole explains hisory of crazy quilting and best of all the different stitch combinations are just wonderful. If your like me and get hung up on the same old stitches and want to add on to stitches you have just done this is the best book. I now use it as my main crazy quilt book for new stitching ideas. I do wish it was spiral bound so it would lay flat in front of me when I use it........which is quite often. Thanks Karen, Woodstown, NJ
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing collection of beautiful stitches
Review: I love this book. I took out about 10 books from the library and settled on (and bought) this one because the collection is so complete (it's over the top actually). Granted, there are not detailed instructions for each stitch (if there were, it'd have to limit the number of stitches). Also, it is easy to lose yourself in the book -- definitely mark a stitch once you've found it because finding a particular stitch again is challenging. There are so many gorgeous stitches that I did not see anywhere else. If you go through the trouble of making a crazy quilt, you'll want the unique stitches in here.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrific source for embroidery and crazyquilt stitches
Review: I recently bought this book and found it to be a very comprehensive book for crazyquilt and embroidery stitches. There are a couple of problems though. The photograghs are printed in browns, beiges and cream colors not in black and white, or in color. The brown photos make it rather difficult to see the stitches clearly. Many of the photos are very muted and stitch patterns do not show up well at all. The photograhs really needed to be printed in color to get the full effect of the stitches. The other problem is that if you are a beginning crazyquilt stitcher this is not a good book to start with as there are few if any stitch instructions. Some of the more complicated stitch patterns really needed some instructions. Taking an educated guess on how to do some of these beautiful stitches may take more time than some readers want to spend. I am glad I bought the book and I am sure I will use it as a guide for many quilt and embroidery projects.
Rating: 
Summary: No instructions included
Review: Not since Dorothy Bond's "Embroidery Stitches from Old American Quilts" copyright 1977, has there been a superior book published on crazy quilt embroidery stitches. This is the most definitive resource on embroidery stitches for not only crazy quilts, but with a little imagination, can be used for any type of "period" quilt embroidery. Although there are no instructions for how to create the individual stitches, (buy Judith Baker Montano's "Elegant Embroidery Stitches", This is a BIG & comprehensive encyclopedia of simple to advanced stitch combinations. Thank you Carole for focusing on the stitches and eliminating the "how-to" of crazy quilt patchwork. This was definitely a labor of love for this author and it shows! I bought this book to embelish a '30s style applique quilt I am currently working on and I wasn't disappointed. The possibilities are endless! A TREASURED book in my library!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent resource
Review: Wonderful to read and a very thorough treatment of the subject. Lots and lots of wonderful information and stitches. An excellent resource for all levels of crazy patch quilting. Also very good quality paper - for those of us who notice those things. A wonderful addition to a quilter's library.
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