Threadwork

About Effie Mitrofanis

Effie Mitrofanis is a researcher and tutor of creative and traditional hand embroidery and exhibits and lectures regularly throughout Australia and internationally. She has studied embroidery and needle lace in the UK, Italy, Greece, China and India. She has published numerous articles in the World of Embroidery, UK, and magazines in Australia. She has a passionate interest in the art, pattern and texture of embroidery, its history, its makers and techniques.

Stitch

June/July 10

You can't fail to be inspired by this wonderfully colourful book. The 28 projects are all clearly explained and illustrated with an abundance of sketches and colour photographs. The projects are organised into four sections: backgrounds; stitches for texture and effect; cords for embellishing and trimming; and stitch and bead patterns and each section is more luscious than the last. The wrapped and embellished cords, sometimes enriched with knots and beads, are absolutely gorgeous; they can be used singly, twisted or plaited together, couched onto fabric to create pattern or texture, become an integral part of an embellished surface, or provide the perfect finishing touch to a project. Using richly coloured silk fabrics and brightly coloured threads (Effie gives a list of 'zinger' DMC colours she likes to use), every embroidery in the book is a mouth-watering confection. In fact, I think the whole book is a 'zinger'!