Hazel Blomkamp – författare

Journey through the vibrant, living history of crewelwork, from traditional Jacobean designs to innovative, contemporary projects.Create 8 sumptuous embroidery projects, each with complete written instructions and a full-size embroidery chart.Written by world-renowned crewelwork experts Phillipa Turnbull and Hazel Blomkamp, this inspiring, practical book provides a fascinating overview of how the art form of crewel embroidery has evolved over the centuries. Praise for historic embroidery expert Phillipa Turnbull: 'Phillipa is a renowned expert with over three decades of experience [...] Her work is celebrated for its authenticity and historical accuracy, often replicating designs from the 17th and 18th centuries.'Praise for contemporary embroidery expert Hazel Blomkamp: 'Always fanciful, sometimes flamboyant, Hazel’s designs are wildly ingenious when it comes to her use of patterned and textured elements.' Mary Corbet, Needleandthread.comInside you'll discover:8 inspiring crewelwork designs each with detailed instructions, charts and a full-size embroidery pattern, suitable for confident and experimental embroiderers.Designs from then and now: 2 designs celebrating historic embroideries; 2 original contemporary designs; 4 side-by-side designs (2 designs, both stitched by each author, for a direct comparison of how traditional and contemporary crewelwork can produce stunning and varied results).A comprehensive illustrated stitch directory featuring over 100 stitches, divided into traditional and contemporary ways of working.A full-size embroidery chart for each project.Phillipa, an expert on historic embroidery and the founder of The Crewel Work Company, reveals the rich history of crewelwork and celebrates its vibrant beauty. Through her stunning projects and inspiring insights, discover the traditional threads and stitches used and uncover a deep and direct connection to the embroiderers of the past.Hazel is a globally renowned embroiderer and best-selling author, who focusses on innovation in crewel embroidery, experimenting with stitches, threads, beading and more to give her work a contemporary twist. Her joyful, visionary approach breathes new life into this traditional craft.

In this fourth title in Hazel Blomkamp’s series on crewel embroidery with a twist, the focus is on farm and game birds. The birds give a nod to current trends, most notably the Zentangle look with crewel-style filling-in stitches and techniques. Crewel Birds is a celebration of Hazel’s signature techniques: a wide variety of surface/crewel stitches, some of which are brand new and many with a different take or different ways of combining stitches to make them more interesting.Also included are needle lace techniques used as embroidery stitches, loom weaving techniques modified for embroidery, and unique combinations of both of these. The incorporation of beads and crystals adds even more dazzle to the intricate designs. There are six projects, each explained with detailed step-by-step instructions and clear photographs, with design templates and a full stitch gallery providing everything readers need to recreate them with ease. The projects comprise a phoenix, rooster, common pheasant, mallard duck, flamingo and golden pheasant.In addition to these sumptuous embroideries, Hazel explains how to hand quilt the backgrounds and finish the edges with binding to put them together in a ‘rag book’, as an alternative to framing. For embroiderers looking for something different and new to stitch, and for those keen to challenge themselves with more complex embroidery techniques, this book is a must-have.