How to Embroider Almost Every Animal: A Sourcebook of 400+ Motifs and Beginner Stitch Tutorials

by Mieko Applemints

How to Embroider Almost Every Animal is an inspiring, fun, and sophisticated collection of 400+ stitch motifs that offer a fresh take on animal-themed embroidery.   How to Embroider Almost Every Animal helps you take your first steps to creating beautiful stitched animals with needle and thread!

Each book in the Almost Everything series offers readers a fun, comprehensive, and charmingly illustrated visual directory of ideas to inspire skill building in their creative endeavors.

Genres: Nonfiction, Crafts

120 pages, Paperback

Published March 2, 2021

Reviews

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice simple guidebook to all kinds of animals to embroider. Each type has a page or three filled with that type of animal (zoo, dogs, etc.). First there is a page of color depictions of the finished animals and later on there is a page of B&W sketches of the animals with little guidelines next to each about what stitches to use and such, and then there is a page of just the sketches so you can trace or photocopy it. Each one is true to size but they are meant to be small, about an inch to two on average, sometimes smaller. At the end there are several pages of examples of projects using the animals in all sorts of ways like hats, potholders and shirts.

Some of the assortments are zoo animals, zoological signs, animals with letters, dogs, cats and birds. There are more birds than any other group, one assortment just for parakeet types. They are average in cuteness and realism, not overly twee or authentic. I wouldn't say almost every animal is depicted by a long shot (perhaps they are being literal and only mean mammals and a few others?) but it's a nice assortment.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are wanting to try out embroidering or need new ideas because you have done so much already, then this book is for you!!! The first part of the book shows you all the different types of stitches that you can work on. There is also a part when it tells you how to transfer patterns. I liked how it had real pictures and so you know what it will look like when you are finished with it. Towards the middle of the book, it begins to show you different patters on how to make animals. It also gives references on how to make some flowers as well. Each design shows you which stitch to use and also what colors are needed. Again, I would recommend this to anyone who is wanting to begin or enjoy embroidery even more.

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books by Applemints and this newest is no exception. Even klutzes like me can learn how to embroider an array of animals in this wonder of a book! There are 400+ stitch designs — something for everyone. I especially loved the motifs for birds and for woodland creatures.

You’ll find checklists, step-by-step how-tos, templates and stitch guides, plus photos of stitching on scarves, hats, napkins, purses, and more. Great crafty fun!

5 of 5 Stars

Pub Date 02 Mar 2021
#HowtoEmbroiderAlmostEveryAnimal #NetGalley

Thanks to Applemints, Quarto Publishing Group – Quarry, and NetGalley for the ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

How to Embroider Almost Every Animal is an encyclopedic sourcebook for animal surface embroidery by Applemints (Mieko Sasaki). Due out 2nd March 2021 from Quarto on their Quarry imprint, it's 120 pages & will be available in paperback format.

This will be an oddly formatted book to western audiences. The first 30% of the book is a catalogue of designs (and there are oodles of them!) presented in full color. There is a short gallery of project inspirations after that (4 pages) along with an introduction and general techniques chapter. This chapter covers materials, fabric and thread choices, needles, scissors, tensioning devices (hoops) etc etc.
It should be noted that this book is about surface embroidery, not cross stitch. It's lovely to see tutorials and and upswing in interest for the other fibrearts; it seems like only cross-stitch had any following for a long long time and it's nice to see surface embroidery enjoying a renaissance.

Anyhow, following the materials and supplies chapter is a really well done tutorial chapter about the different stitches used for the patterns in the book. The step-by-step photos are annotated and accompanied by explanatory text. They're clear and easy to follow.

The final half of the book contains the patterns for the elements listed in the catalogue at the beginning. They are mostly small(ish) elements which can be combined and switched around as desired. There are several animal alphabets as well, for personalization (or monogramming gifts for animal loving friends). Although it's not clear from the cover art, many of the included patterns are for anthropomorphic animals in hats, clothes, dancing ballet, riding bicycles, etc. (Not all, but I would say roughly 10% of the patterns)

I enjoyed the book very much. It's a worthwhile and fun introduction and guide to learning embroidery. Many of the designs in the book could also serve as a good jumping off point for dimensional embroidery/stumpwork.

Four and a half stars

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Ellen Oberhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since the pandemic forced everyone to spend more time at home, I have pulled out my embroidery supplies and have been stitching away. While initially, the layout of the How to Embroider Almost Every Animal: A Sourcebook of 400+ Motifs + Beginner Stitch Tutorials book appeared slightly confusing. After having spent some time reading it, I now think this book is great!

This book is exactly what it says it is. It is a sourcebook, with hundreds of animal motifs to use or to riff off of. While admittedly not all of the animals are exactly my cup of tea, I appreciate the breadth and variety. The book includes zoo animals, farm animals, astrological animals, mythological animals, birds, fish, as well as alphabets featuring various animals.

Being that it is a sourcebook, it is a jumping-off point for executing your own stitching project. Stitching being the art that it is, no two people will re-create anything in the same way but this book can serve as a guide for using animals in whatever way your project needs. Sometimes the photography is lacking (white stitching on a white background) but I feel that the ideas still make it through. For the person looking for embroidery inspiration, I think this is a great book!

I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley, the publisher, and the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Mechthild · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get your needle, thread, and cloth - and start
"How to Embroider Almost Every Animal. A Sourcebook of 400+ Motifs and Beginner Stitch Tutorials" was created by Applemints and published by Quarto Publishing Group – Quarry. The book presents really cute embroideries of animals divided into different areas, e.g., "At the Zoo", "Beautiful Birds", "Dashing Dogs", or "Animal Alphabets", but it also treats topics such as "Tools & Materials" or an "Embroidery Stitch Guide". It is also helpful that the book contains a "Thread Conversion Chart" for Olympus and DMC (but as a German I am missing the conversion charts for Anchor/Mez and Madeira embroidery floss) and the "Stitch Guides and Full-Size Templates" for all the examples that were presented throughout the book.
I really appreciate the wide range of animals and though they are seperated in various areas they can be also combined in bigger embroidery projects. I highly recommend this sourcebook to everybody who wants to be creative in their own embroidery projects. There are over 400 hundret motifs, so there is no limit in the creativity - for beginners and for advanced emboiderers.
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#HowToEmbroiderAlmostEveryAnimal #NetGalley

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice little book. There are lots of ideas for how to use the motifs to personalise items, make cards, gifts etc, and there is a good stitch directory with instructions - great for anyone needing a refresher, or even just starting out in embroidery.

There are many lovely examples of the work - but I feel that the book would have benefited from having larger images (OK it would add more pages but hey!), as the overall feel is a tad "cluttered" - but still very nice to look at.

Having said that the book is packed with ideas and there are SO many lovely animals to choose from. I particularly loved the "Folk Animals" section - the images have real character and the colours are gorgeous - and also liked the dogs, cats, and birds sections.

There's a nice section of animal alphabets, but again, these may have benefited from being a bit larger (though of course it's hard to tell from a digital copy of a book!)

There's also a handy thread converter chart, including DMC colours which are probably more widely available in the UK than the ones used for the examples in the book.

All in all a nice little book, with plenty of inspiration, and one I'd certainly buy in print.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

How to Embroider Almost Every Animal includes sections such as At the Zoo, Animal Friends, At the Circus, and even Mythological Creatures. The author does a good job of helping beginners get started with stitching, giving a tutorial on different stitches, as well as tools and materials. The step-by-step instruction for the different stitches is first rate, allowing for newcomers to practice before starting any project.

The animals are rudimentary, simple but cute. My favorite part were the animal alphabets, as I could see embroidering a child's name on a tote bag, hat, or even a blanket. The author gives some inspirational ideas on how to use the book, from framing your work to using it on a tee shirt. The negative aspect of the book is that there are too many animals per page, making it very hard to see the numbers that correspond with the different colors for each. This is exceedingly difficult on an e-reader, so I would recommend readers who are truly interested in learning to embroider animals purchase a hard copy.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of How to Embroider Almost Every Animal by NetGalley and the publisher, Quarry Books. The choice to review this crafting book was my own.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

A plentiful selection of embroidery designs for animals and birds, including several sets of alphabets. The book has a very clear section on getting started and I particularly liked the way the different stitches were explained.
The designs were grouped in sections, including one on mythical beasts. The presentation of the designs was very cluttered. I would have liked to have seen them better spaced out. The schematic diagram for each design was poor. There was no helpful step by step guide for beginners and no close up photos.
The project section merely consisted of a few photos rather than offering a structured guide to using and adapting the patterns.
Overall, it is an interesting book with many fun ideas which I'm sure will appeal to many embroiderers.
I received a free review copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for my honest and unedited review.

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was around 3.5 stars for me.

There's a lot of different animals in this book, but I didn't love all of the patterns. There's also a lot of focus on birds which is nice but means other animals are left out. I like that the book is a helpful guide for learning to embroider! There's information on how to get started and pictures of what each stitch should look like. The pattern shows the completed embroidery, the pattern, and which stitches to use for the pattern. All of the how-to information is at the beginning of the book so you may have to do some flipping back and forth to get everything you need.

Overall it's a helpful starter guide!

[Tams M · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing resource for embroidery! When you first start using the book it can be a little intimidating because it contains so much information. You’ll soon understand how it works and really benefit from all the instructions. The book contains really clear instructions on how to do the different types of stitches so it’s great for beginners as well as experienced stitchers. I think a paper copy of the book would be the easiest to use. Thank you #netgalley

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many beautiful, embroidered animals, cute. Great visual pictures, great step by step instructions, overall, I thought this was really easy to follow. I had an advance copy of the kindle version, but for me I would prefer a book version if I were to use it.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

[Andrea Wright · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing exciting or new. Very old fashioned and simple, even though a ton of characters are covered. I would not check this out at a library I don't think.
Thank you NetGalley, I just reviewed How to Embroider Almost Every Animal by Applemints. #HowtoEmbroiderAlmostEveryAnimal #NetGalley

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks Netgalley for a review copy. Love how simple these embroidery patterns are. The instructions are clear and the illustrations are simple. Includes a lot of different animals; farm, forest and zoo, Also includes a few different animal alphabets. Very cute designs.

[NayDoubleU · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had pretty easy to follow instructions and has a great variety of animal choices. Im a beginner and i could easily follow along

[Andrea (Hammock and Read) · Rating 2 out of 5]

not the best guide. would be good I'm guessing for an experienced pattern user but not beginner friendly at all.
Cute animals!!

[Kim Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had easy and clear instructions and also allowed me to create some really cute and adorable animal embroidery! I really appreciated the time and effort put into the beginner instructions and the throuroughness of the details.