Hand embroidery has been around between 5,000 and 3,500 BC and has a rich history. Many cultures have utilized the art and craft of hand embroidery for centuries. While hand embroidery is nothing new it has grown in popularity in recent years as a beautiful and relaxing craft that can be taken with and done just about anywhere. Hand embroidery while not a difficult art form or craft does have many different types of stitches to create different effects. That is where embroidery books for beginners come in handy for anyone new to hand embroidery.

Embroidery Books for Beginners

Some of my favorite stitches for hand embroidery are nothing all that special but they make for lovely pieces of art. There are quite a few books available that will teach you my favorite stitches and then some. I’m going to share those further in this article but first let me tell you about some of my favorite basic stitches as a good stepping-off point for your journey with embroidery.

Basic Embroidery Stitches

Backstitch

The back stitch is a great stitch for stems or letters or outlines of any sort. I like to use it for outlines of mountains and stems. You can search the backstitch on YouTube and find a lot of great tutorials.

Fishbone Stitch

The fishbone stitch is perfect for leaves! You can’t get much better a stitch for leaves than the fish bone and it isn’t that hard to learn, either. Bonus! You can search fish bone stitch on YouTube and find a lot of great tutorials there.

Satin Stitch

Perfect for filling in large areas of a pattern. I have used the satin stitch for flowers, mountains, landscapes, and even the sun or clouds. You can search that stitch on YouTube and learn from many great tutorials there.

Woven Wheel Stitch

How cute the woven wheel stitch is for making little flowers that look a whole lot like roses. You can also fill the centers in with French knots for a whole new look with the same stitch! You can find lots of great YouTube tutorials on this stitch. It’s a little finicky but a really fun stitch.

French Knot Stitch

Love this one for the centers of flowers or clustered together to represent a flower. You can do so much with French knots! I like this stitch and use it a lot. It can also be a bit tricky at first but once you get the hang of it, you’ll love it. Watch YouTube videos on that stitch.

Long and Straight Stitch

This last one is great for more realistic stitching or something called thread painting. If you want to do a realistic flower or bunny or something along those lines you’ll want to likely use the long and straight stitch. Find YouTube videos that teach about this stitch.

Hand Embroidery Books for Beginners

These books are what I would recommend to the person new to embroidery or to the intermediate who likes to learn new stitches and play with new patterns.

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Embroidery Stitches Book

This would be a great embroidery stitches bible for anyone who is new or wants to add stitches to their craft. 200 Stitches to play with! This book has a 4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon and includes 160 pages.

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Lovely Little Embroideries

This book has projects and patterns, an illustrative stitch guide, and expert tips, and looks like a great option for beginners to hand embroidery. The author is known for florals and I’m sure she has put together a great book! The book has a rating of 5 out of 5 stars and includes 128 pages.

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Freshly Stitched

This beautiful book includes twelve modern embroidery projects featuring plants, flowers, and botanicals. Each includes step-by-step instructions, a quick reference chart, full-size patterns, helpful tips, and even a journal prompt. A great book for beginners! The book has 4.9 stars out of 5 stars and has 168 pages.

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Botanical Embroidery

This book contains 30 nature-themed motifs that will transport you from flowery fields and sun-drenched deserts to mossy forests, glorious gardens, and beyond. With clear instructions and comprehensive step-by-step photographs, Botanical Embroidery makes it astonishingly simple to stitch your fiber art garden. The book has a rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars and contains 192 pages.

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Thread Folk

The book includes 15 embroidery projects, step-by-step instructions & modern patterns, 14 different stitches, from straight stitch to lazy daisy, and techniques to stitch on clothes, shoes, tote bags, and pillows. The book has a 4.6 out of 5-star rating and includes 160 pages. 

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Wrapping it up

I hope you’re excited to give hand embroidery a go after reading this and finding the perfect book for your needs! I’ve been hand embroidering for a long time and I never fail to get so excited when someone falls in love with the art and craft for the first time.

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