Friday, August 28, 2020

Lit Stitch: 25 Cross-Stitch Patterns for Book Lovers, edited for Book Riot by Meredith A. Clark, patterns and instructional text by Shawna Tang



Reviewed by Kristin

Lit Stitch is an excellent mix for anyone who loves books, and who is feeling a little crafty. Most of these patterns could be knocked out in an evening or a weekend by anyone with a small amount of experience with a needle and embroidery floss. The designs are cute and modern, and would be easy to adapt for a framed project, a bookmark, or a t-shirt.

I’m particularly fond of the “Bookasaurus,” with books decorating the spine of the stegosaurus. That prehistoric creature would be adorable on a baby bib or a toddler’s t-shirt. Maybe I’ll start with the valentine, “ISBN Thinking of You” for my daughter who also works at a library and really, really, really likes puns. (Shh, don’t tell her!)

Ever popular is the saying, “I Read Dead People,” and this is worked into a design with a Shakespearean head including X’s for eyes. Also within you will find “Books & Coffee,” “Read ‘Em and Steep,” and “Bring Your Own Book” (with a wine bottle.) Yes, this book has designs for whatever you like to drink. Or read.

One thing that perplexed me was that four or five of the projects had varying images in the book. An early index spread shows every single design and which page to find them. This summary page has several more elaborate images, but when you go to the actual page it is a more simplistic pattern, often leaving out more than half of the original picture. Did they just go crazy with their creativity, and then couldn’t translate it to a grid? At any rate, I’ll just take the fancier pictures as inspiration. I like to try to improve upon recipes or crafting designs, albeit with varying degrees of success.

The book includes a few patterns with mature language, so this might not be the best book for children or young adults. I know this may make the book more *or* less appealing for a variety of crafters, so reader be aware!

 

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