A New Dimension in Wool Appliqué - Baltimore Album Style: Visual Guide - Unique Embroidery

I honestly believe that this book and the author's previous book "Gorgeous Wool Applique" to be the best wool stitchery books ever for creating beautiful, detailed (often 3D) imagery.I love wool applique and I must be honest that my completed projects are nice but are really primitive and lackluster when compared to Ms. Tirico's work. Her expert use of embroidery gives applique shapes and projects dimension. I find this very inspirational and will strive to incorporate many of her techniques in my future work.The book includes nine projects: Three round table rugs (22" to 27.5") with pennies or tongues. three square pillows (15" and 18"), and two small projects ... a sewing kit and two pincushions. All projects are listed as intermediate level except the sewing kit which is a beginner project. All instructions are clear. Templates are full size and there are full-sized tear out placement guides in the back of the book. A Stitching Guideline is also provided along with discussions about felted wool, felting wool yourself, and dying wool. (these are very short to-the-point discussions.)Photographs in this book are top notch...you can even see the little poky fibers on the cut edge of some of the applique pieces.In Ms Tirico process, she uses a basting technique to prepare the applique pieces. She insists you use basting in order to stop pieces from slipping and to get exact placement. I've never used basting before (although I've often had shifting problems even when using pins or glue) but plan to give thread basting a try on my next project.If you want to be amazed by how elegant and classy wool applique projects can be, you must get Ms. Tirico's books. I own most wool applique books published in that past many years along with dozens of individual wool applique patterns from various authors (most of which tend to be on the primitive-style of wool applique) but I truly believe that wool applique simply doesn't get any better than Ms Tirico's work! (NOTE: If you prefer to work in primitive-style wool applique then this book is NOT for you because the finished projects look very refined.)

Baltimore Album appliquéd blocks are outstanding when done with fabrics. They are very detailed, and full of bitty pieces and tight angles with edges to turn over. A Baltimore Album block can look like it took days and weeks to complete - because it did.Now Deborah Gale Tirico shows how wool can overcome much of the fussiness inherent in this block's stylism. But would the BA maven extraordinaire Elly Sienkiewicz approve of the techniques and results in A New Dimension in Wool Appliqué? Would you, too? Enough to buy the book?Based on beauty alone, I vote yes. There is nothing primitive about the use of wool here. The effects are much more sophisticated than most wool appliqué books. Wool has more advantages than just not needing to be turned under. Good REAL wool handles needles and threads with such tactile satisfaction. And it adores showing off the occasional embellishment.Wool Baltimore Beauty comes at a cost, figuratively, literally, and temporally. Basting is essential; it's as painstaking as the hundreds of felt pieces to be cut. Tirico excellent instructions step you through the work to be done before the actual appliqué can begin. The background on each project's symbolism is fascinating. You may need to invest in many different products: clear acetate, freezer paper, a rotary cutter, tweezers, black wool by the yard, wool and threads with exotic names such as "Collards" and "Rousseau", a variety of thread types (Weeks Dye Works, Painter's Thread, Bella Lusso, Japan Gold Kreinik braid, Gold Accentuate, Medici wool, crewel wool, perle cotton, cotton sewing, quilting, beading floss, and that Rainbow Thread you can see on the ring of pennies), and various needles (crewel, tapestry, basting, milliners). Plus Delica seed beads in different colors. And pillow forms and craft stuffing if you choose certain projects. People are either going to be energized or overwhelmed by such a list, but this is a traditional craft that tends to reel in new fans.Don't be dismayed by all the black and white pages you see. These are for the individual forms, and are to be traced NOT cut. A full-size pattern pull-out section is included at the back of the book.Some blocks are more sophisticated than others. Many require careful stacking and/or overlapping.* ALL require access to loads and loads of wool and threads in innumerable colors. Newcomers to the craft might explore old country fabric shops for small bundles which are becoming more polular. The more adventurous can boil their own wool, and even dye it as needed. Craft sites that sell rovings often also sell felted sheets. Thrift shops and antique stores are a bounty of wool. Or you can run down your list of contacts, hoping for a few hits.* There is 1 thing that has always puzzled me about overlapping. It shows. The bottom-most form slightly warps the upper-most(s). Look closely at the cover photo where 3 leaves hang over the top of the red basket. I've always cut that under part away because I don't like the warping. Am I a nut? What do other people do?

Terrific book

A beautiful book of beautiful work. Inspiring. Informative. Instructive. I immediately went to work on a small piece. Success. Happiness. Pretty. I have tried the dimensional flowers. Beautiful. I highly recommend this wonderful book.

Well written book with excellent photos and great instructions. I would recommend this book .

fabulous book -will enjoy using this book for wool applique - very inspiring!

This book was not what I was expecting. I am not sure I will make anything from it. But the pictures are beautiful.

Great patterns - beautiful work