Everyday Folk

Fill your home with colorful cushions, table runners, and wall hangings inspired by historic folk embroidery from the Mediterranean and beyond. Everyday Folk begins with a series of essential projects that feature a range of classic folk embroidery designs such as table runners, table squares, and cushion covers. The book then continues on to explain how to design your own projects, work with motif repeats, and adapt historic layouts to create lively and colorful textiles for your home. Through the use of just two embroidery stitches-cross stitch and backstitch-you'll be able to create a wide variety of beautiful and useful household items. This full-color book introduces the modern stitcher to the world of traditional folk embroidery with clear, detailed instructions and a design library of over 175 charts. It makes a welcome addition to any stitchers reference library. As the author states in her Introduction, "We yearn for color, complexity, and beauty in our daily environment. Folk embroidery is a compelling example of this deep desire to create objects that surround us in color, texture, and symbolic meaning." Join her on a multi-cultural journey through the centuries as she shares how you can bring this ancient beauty into your modern home!

Krista West (@kristamwest) has spent the last decade designing and stitching traditional folk embroidery patterns. She opened Avlea Folk Embroidery in 2017 to share these historic designs with modern makers. Known for her enthusiasm and energy, she is frequently called upon to give lectures and write articles on folk embroidery. Stitchers value her creative vision which combines a respect for historic designs with the needs of modern stitchers through detailed charts and instructions. Continuing to design, stitch, and write in her 1923 historic home in Salem, Oregon, she leads the vanguard in reclaiming folk embroidery today.