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Rating: 
Summary: One of the best books I have ever owned
Review: About four years ago I bought four kits that came from this designer but missed out on buying the other two from the collection. Well imagine my surprise and delight when I bought this book and found all of them in it. These designs are excellent, easy to follow and beautiful when completed. THey also transfer over easily to needle point when using an 18 ct mono and floss instead of wool. This is a great edition to anyone's collection
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I have ever owned
Review: About four years ago I bought four kits that came from this designer but missed out on buying the other two from the collection. Well imagine my surprise and delight when I bought this book and found all of them in it. These designs are excellent, easy to follow and beautiful when completed. THey also transfer over easily to needle point when using an 18 ct mono and floss instead of wool. This is a great edition to anyone's collection
Rating:
Summary: By Far the Best
Review: I love cross stitch and needlepoint and I also love oriental designs. This book fits both criteria and then some! You will find wonderful designs, some very small and quite a few large ones. Two things are really appreciated...very few colors are used (which is amazing given the depth of the designs) and very few fractional stitches are used, which again makes the stitching that much more enjoyable. Three large designs of geisha's are included and several designs focus on oriental plants and calligraphy. I would definitely rate this as one of the best cross stitch books I have ever purchased.
Rating:
Summary: By Far the Best
Review: I love cross stitch and needlepoint and I also love oriental designs. This book fits both criteria and then some! You will find wonderful designs, some very small and quite a few large ones. Two things are really appreciated...very few colors are used (which is amazing given the depth of the designs) and very few fractional stitches are used, which again makes the stitching that much more enjoyable. Three large designs of geisha's are included and several designs focus on oriental plants and calligraphy. I would definitely rate this as one of the best cross stitch books I have ever purchased.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent resource for oriental designs
Review: I ordered this book seeing the good reviews and because I wanted some oriental cross stitch designs and I must say, I havent been disappointed at all! All the designs in the book are breathtakingly beautiful. Like another reviewer has mentioned, tbe designs are all vivid in detail and rich in color, yet the palette used is limited. There are patterns in all sizes, a few big ones, a few medium sized ones and a few small ones. They are beautiful and easy to work on, yet the end result looks amazing. It is now my favourite cross stitch book.
Rating:
Summary: Stunning!
Review: These designs are absolutely stunning! Every design is beautifully finished and photographed. The charts are large and very easy to read. The charting is done with both symbols and colored squares so you can easily determine which thread to use for each stitch. And as an added bonus there is a paragraph or two about the history and symbolism of each design.
Rating:
Summary: Stunning!
Review: These designs are absolutely stunning! Every design is beautifully finished and photographed. The charts are large and very easy to read. The charting is done with both symbols and colored squares so you can easily determine which thread to use for each stitch. And as an added bonus there is a paragraph or two about the history and symbolism of each design.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic book for all cross stitchers!
Review: This book by Joan Elliott truly takes you on an odyssey.The first part of the odyssey begins with the cover image of the Oriental Lady "Wisdom" and continues inside with small and simple florals, sachets, notecards and trinket bowls as well as large and more complex pictures, all rich with color and attention to detail. The second part of this Oriental Odyssey begins with the first words of the Introduction. Joan's love of the Orient is obvious in the history lesson she relates about such cultural staples as the kimono, the obi, the paintings, calligraphy and feng shui. Each design contains a more detailed description of the extensive symbolism within. The third piece of this odyssey is the urge to stitch that is created from the color charts. The number of floss colors required to stitch these designs is minimal given the amount of detail achieved in each. Joan was also able to make the designs rich in symbolism while maintaining a trademark of her work - a deceivingly simple and easy-to-follow flow in the charts. This Oriental Odyssey concludes with pages of instructions for finishing your projects as they appear throughout the book. These instructions are written and illustrated in a clear and concise fashion. A bonus for those who are not confidently creative is the recommendations by the author that various designs can be finished in the same manner as others. After closing the book it became very clear that Joan Elliott not only loves Oriental art but also has an ability to incorporate it into her cross stitch designs and share it with others. She not only created designs that are appealing but also that relate a story within the borders of their stitches.
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