Stitch, by Cath Kidston : A Book review

I was very excited last week when this book plopped through the letter box. It had been on my Amazon wish list for ages and when the opportunity arose to review it, I jumped at the chance!

As I already own both ‘Sew’ and ‘Make’ (disappointed with one, loved the other!) and am a complete stitching novice, I was intrigued as to how I would rate this book.  I’m glad to say that it lived up to my expectations and is probably my favourite book of the three.

As regular readers of this blog may know, needlepoint and cross-stitch are not crafts that I would usually indulge in and so I found the introduction section particularly useful, clearly explaining the various stitches and techniques that would be needed for the projects. I was glad to see that the projects didn't stay at the beginner level though, but were graded through to more difficult or longer term projects such as the rug and seat cover.

Although there is a fair spread of projects in the book I did find the range slightly limited - there were a lot of cushions and pouches of various kinds, (and does anyone ever use a candle shade?!). I was particularly drawn to the use of  soluble canvas to embroider designs onto clothes and other objects and am wondering if I can maybe use some of the needlepoint ideas as cross stitch designs in this way too. I am also thinking of possibly using some of the designs on a smaller scale to make pictures with.

Of all the projects included within the book, my favourites by far are the Union Jack designs and I can’t wait to start the cushion. I do however,  also want to make the Electric Flowers cushion, the Stripe rug, the pincushion, the gadget case....

For those crafters who are not so keen on Cath’s instantly recognisable florals, don’t worry!  There are plenty of her other designs included in the book and it would not be so difficult to adapt these to fit other projects.

Though the variety of projects seemed a little limited to me, the book does contain a lot of ideas and  designs that could be used as a starting point for other gifts to make for yourself or others. As a long time lover of Cath Kidston's designs and products, I thought the book itself was wonderfully photographed and whether you buy it for yourself or for someone else,  is a real addition for any Cath Kidston fans out there. Would I recommend it?  Definitely.