Mystical Stitches: Embroidery for Personal Empowerment and Magical Embellishment
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- Create Date：2021-07-01 07:51:02
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Christi Johnson
- ISBN：1635863341
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Summary
Explore personal transformation through the stitching of dreams and intentions。 Anything but ordinary， Mystical Stitches combines the beloved and accessible craft of embroidery with a spiritual element， introducing a rich treasury of 200 magical symbols you can use to set an intention and create personal icons to wear or embellish items in the home。 Christi Johnson offers unique patterns inspired by botanicals， animals， numbers， the cosmos， earth elements， zodiac signs， and mythical beasts， for novice or well-practiced crafters to combine into talismans with personal meaning。 Johnson’s folk art style is vibrant and unintimidating and provides a framework for bringing spiritual elements into physical form。
Reviews
Laura
，
Mystical Stitches is not what I was expecting。 I assumed it would be a book full of embroidery designs， but it is more of a guide to spirituality and creativity and how you can express these things via embroidery。 There are excellent embroidery instructions for beginners and these are accompanied by clear illustrations。 There are plenty of photos and drawings of the embroideries and some instructions on how to create them yourself。 The author does not give detailed instructions and there aren't Mystical Stitches is not what I was expecting。 I assumed it would be a book full of embroidery designs， but it is more of a guide to spirituality and creativity and how you can express these things via embroidery。 There are excellent embroidery instructions for beginners and these are accompanied by clear illustrations。 There are plenty of photos and drawings of the embroideries and some instructions on how to create them yourself。 The author does not give detailed instructions and there aren't a huge number of designs as the author clearly wants people to create their own。 The designs in the book did not particularly resonate with me so I did not find them that inspiring。 I am not too keen on her style， although if you love Folk Art you will probably love them， and I found a lot of the symbols did not resonate with me。 If you are mainly interested in Celtic or Pagan imagery you may want to look elsewhere for more specific books and other resources。 The chapters that deal with the links between spirituality and creativity were very interesting especially as they also make plenty of practical suggestions。 。。。more
Reon
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I received a free ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。I have dabbled in cross stitching and embroidery before， but am only aware of the basics。 This book serves a dual purpose; for the absolute beginner， it explains with very simple and easy-to-understand illustrations how to select your materials， plan your work， and execute the stitches。 A wide array of stitches are covered in this text， and what I love about the instruction is that it includes both photographs I received a free ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。I have dabbled in cross stitching and embroidery before， but am only aware of the basics。 This book serves a dual purpose; for the absolute beginner， it explains with very simple and easy-to-understand illustrations how to select your materials， plan your work， and execute the stitches。 A wide array of stitches are covered in this text， and what I love about the instruction is that it includes both photographs of the completed stitch （so that you get a very clear idea of what it is supposed to look like）， as well as simple drawings that illustrate how to do the stitch。For more intermediate craftsfolk， the book serves as a repository of various patterns， symbols， colour combinations， and designs that you could use in order to create your own personal piece of magical embroidery。 Christi Johnson takes inspiration from what I assume is her own culture as well as various worldwide practices， but always takes the time to explain the significance of the symbols she borrows from these cultures。 She takes you step by step on how to use colour and layout to construct designs that look pleasing and coherent， and goes into great detail on how you can make stitchings and designs that are meaningful to you。I found this book entertaining， inspiring， well-written， and respectful。 I am admittedly a skeptic and do sometimes find myself questioning what I read in many "new age" type books， but this book felt genuine and warm all the way through。 I feel very much inspired to create my own work， and because my digital ARC will expire very soon， I absolutely plan on buying my own physical copy of this book to keep！ 。。。more
Elle
，
Mystical Stitches is a wonderfully written， excellently illustrated book。 Suitable for beginners， it covers a range of topics such as various stitches， how to prepare your fabric and thread， etc。 However， the one aspect of this book that I enjoyed the most was the metaphysical。 Tapping into the rise of pagan beliefs， Mystical Stitches combines art with spirituality。 Motifs are explored not only in terms of fashion， but of cultural and spiritual meaning， which is a refreshing find within a craft- Mystical Stitches is a wonderfully written， excellently illustrated book。 Suitable for beginners， it covers a range of topics such as various stitches， how to prepare your fabric and thread， etc。 However， the one aspect of this book that I enjoyed the most was the metaphysical。 Tapping into the rise of pagan beliefs， Mystical Stitches combines art with spirituality。 Motifs are explored not only in terms of fashion， but of cultural and spiritual meaning， which is a refreshing find within a craft-related publication。 。。。more
Beverly
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This book is jam packed！ I know I will return to it over and over， both for the wisdom and for the fabulous ideas！
Kristine
，
Mystical Stitches by Christi Johnson is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in early June。This book details how to create a talisman while using mindful and meditative embroidery needlework for smallscale art and display on tunics。 Guidance and powerful， emotive narrative from the Johnson - I particularly was drawn to the patterns for animals and symbolic shapes， like that of Mexican milagros。
Z
，
I definitely recommend this book。 I had a great time looking through the designs and I’m excited to try my hand at some stitching of my own。Full review here。 I definitely recommend this book。 I had a great time looking through the designs and I’m excited to try my hand at some stitching of my own。Full review here。 。。。more
Judy Christiana
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I have done embroidery for most of my life， having learned from my mother as a child。 This book has enlightened me in so many ways。 Without even knowing， I actually had many of the ideas written in this book already in my mind。 The crafts that I make are a release of my creativity。 They are not perfect。 They are meant to be perfect， but they bring me joy。 What this book has taught me is that what I have been doing all along is the right thing for me。 Creativity comes from within and does not hav I have done embroidery for most of my life， having learned from my mother as a child。 This book has enlightened me in so many ways。 Without even knowing， I actually had many of the ideas written in this book already in my mind。 The crafts that I make are a release of my creativity。 They are not perfect。 They are meant to be perfect， but they bring me joy。 What this book has taught me is that what I have been doing all along is the right thing for me。 Creativity comes from within and does not have to follow a specific set of rules （as so many things in life！）。 I was not familiar with most of the mystical aspects written about in this book。 I chose to read this book to learn about them。 Wow！ The information in this book was a bit overwhelming to me。 I believe I have absorbed enough that it is now part of my creative mind。 I am sure that much of this book will be coming out in my designs in the future。 The book is formatted in a very easy-to-follow style。 The designs are created beautifully。 Some are very simple and some are very intricate。 They are all， I am sure， meant to be a starting point for the reader to take and then go on and create their own design。I think this book is a wonderful tool for any crafter or person seeking an introduction to mystical knowledge。I want to thank NetGalley and Storey Publishing for allowing me to see the advance reader copy， with no obligation to write a review。 My review is done freely as a hobby of mine， and is totally my own opinion， not influenced by receiving the ARC。 。。。more
Mary
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Mystical Stitches includes an interesting combination of the mystical with the craft of embroidery。 I made my first French knot at age 8， and while I do believe handicrafts can be a good meditation， I’ve never equated unraveling tangled embroidery floss with peaceful relaxation。 Within this slim volume， Johnson provides fairly uncomplicated designs for embellishing one’s clothing and accessories to reflect their spiritual journey。 So if you are looking for a coral snake pattern to decorate your Mystical Stitches includes an interesting combination of the mystical with the craft of embroidery。 I made my first French knot at age 8， and while I do believe handicrafts can be a good meditation， I’ve never equated unraveling tangled embroidery floss with peaceful relaxation。 Within this slim volume， Johnson provides fairly uncomplicated designs for embellishing one’s clothing and accessories to reflect their spiritual journey。 So if you are looking for a coral snake pattern to decorate your t-shirt， you will find it here amongst an interesting collection of botanical varieties， zodiac signs， geometric patterns， & animal symbols to name a few。 Extensive clear drawings of embroidery stitches make this collection accessible to beginners。 。。。more
Samantha Williams
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I really enjoying all the information in this book！ It really has inspired me to dive into this craft and making my own clothing more special。 for me。 The photos are amazing， they really show you to detail of the stitches and make it really easy to replicate the patterns。
Carmen
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I received a copy from Storey Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。If you’re looking for ideas on how one might make their spirituality and embroidery meet， then this is the book for you。 Here you will find out how Christi Johnson expresses her spirituality through embroidery and how she hopes to inspire you to do the same if that’s what you wish。 It applies to any beliefs， and she includes 200 symbols along with their meanings so that readers can figure out how to creat I received a copy from Storey Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。If you’re looking for ideas on how one might make their spirituality and embroidery meet， then this is the book for you。 Here you will find out how Christi Johnson expresses her spirituality through embroidery and how she hopes to inspire you to do the same if that’s what you wish。 It applies to any beliefs， and she includes 200 symbols along with their meanings so that readers can figure out how to create their own talisman。While this is not a traditional pattern book， as it includes many pictures of the symbols she’s made so that people can create them， they do not include the patterns themselves。 At least， there weren’t patterns in the digital ARC I received。 It’s possible that the patterns are included in the final edition that goes to print。 In addition to providing tips on how to embroider as well as how-to graphs on various stitches， there are also tips on how to connect with your spirituality or personal power along with stretches to do in between stitching。 。。。more
Jackie
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ARC provided by publisher through Netgalley for reviewI think this is book for 2 types of embroiderers: 1） people who are already into mysticism and who want to combine this with their embroidery hobby and 2） people who are already into embroidery and are looking to try freehand designs。 Note that both of those groups are people who have already done some embroidery。 This book isn't really designed for beginners。 It does include a chapter at the beginning describing basic stitches and how to do ARC provided by publisher through Netgalley for reviewI think this is book for 2 types of embroiderers: 1） people who are already into mysticism and who want to combine this with their embroidery hobby and 2） people who are already into embroidery and are looking to try freehand designs。 Note that both of those groups are people who have already done some embroidery。 This book isn't really designed for beginners。 It does include a chapter at the beginning describing basic stitches and how to do them， but it's fairly cursory and I think most novices will need to go to other resources for learning the basic stitches。 The High Points: There's some really great tips in here on how to embroider clothing and what areas of clothing are best suited for embellishment。 It also includes some guidance on color theory and composition for design。 All of which is great for someone who is moving past the design transfer phase and is looking to start coming up with their own designs。 The Bad: I really wish this book was organized differently。 Johnson starts with some New Age mysticism / meditation stuff， but the book starts in earnest with the stitching tutorials （which are honestly too limited for true beginners） and then immediately moves into a long chapter of 'symbols'。 These are pages of grouped icons that each have an embroidered example and a paragraph explaining their symbolic meaning（s）。 For example， one of the symbols under the Animalia heading is a swan， and there's an embroidered swan and a paragraph talking about the various things swans symbolize。 There is nothing about the stitches used in the example or how to go about it yourself。 That won't come for much later。 Then we get the chapter on design theories。 After that we get a chapter with larger designs that have （loose） instructions on how to stitch them。 （No patterns。） We get another chapter on mysticism。 Then we finally get a guide where each of the symbols from the earlier chapter has a stitch guide。 It would have been much easier to have the flow go from teaching the stitches， to here's some designs with instructions， to here some smaller items to use in your designs along with guides to stitching them， here's design theory to how to use these smaller items to create your own larger designs， and now we'll circle back to mysticism and how to incorporate embroidery into your practice。 Ultimately I think this is a pretty good book for an intermediate embroiderer with a New Age aesthetic/lifestyle but if you're a beginner， you might be better off picking up something else first。 。。。more
Allison
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I promise， i read the description of this book， but it still wasn't at all what i expected。 This book includes some beautiful patterns and clear instructions。 At the same time， i didn't expect the"spiritual practice" element of this book to be as emphasized as it was and， while i like the idea of using embroidery for meditation or spiritual practice， this particular use of it was not my style and made the book feel rather self-help-esque I promise， i read the description of this book， but it still wasn't at all what i expected。 This book includes some beautiful patterns and clear instructions。 At the same time， i didn't expect the"spiritual practice" element of this book to be as emphasized as it was and， while i like the idea of using embroidery for meditation or spiritual practice， this particular use of it was not my style and made the book feel rather self-help-esque 。。。more
Priyanka Menon
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I have been going through numerous embroidery books to learn new stitches and techniques。 I am so glad I got to review this book- it wasn't anything like I expected。 It was more about intentions， symbolism and slowing down and enjoying the art of embroidery。I can't wait to try some of the projects from this book。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of the book to review。 I have been going through numerous embroidery books to learn new stitches and techniques。 I am so glad I got to review this book- it wasn't anything like I expected。 It was more about intentions， symbolism and slowing down and enjoying the art of embroidery。I can't wait to try some of the projects from this book。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of the book to review。 。。。more
Tashina Knight
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Beautiful book。 I'd say it's 2/3 stitching techniques/ideas/photos and 1/3 spiritual/meditative/informative about symbols used in pagan and mystical beliefs。 It's really perfect for me because it shows sooo many photos of finished stitching on clothes and wearable items which is what I'd be doing。 It does cover beginning stitches， which is useful for me。 It is very well illustrated with both photos and drawings。 I really enjoyed looking through it and it's going to be one of my favorites。 The on Beautiful book。 I'd say it's 2/3 stitching techniques/ideas/photos and 1/3 spiritual/meditative/informative about symbols used in pagan and mystical beliefs。 It's really perfect for me because it shows sooo many photos of finished stitching on clothes and wearable items which is what I'd be doing。 It does cover beginning stitches， which is useful for me。 It is very well illustrated with both photos and drawings。 I really enjoyed looking through it and it's going to be one of my favorites。 The only thing that would have made it better is a selection of different artists' stitching projects。 This appears to be all the work of the author。 Don't get me wrong; her work is beautiful， but it would have been nice to see others' work as well。 I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Patricia Reyes
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It leans heavily on the spiritual side of creating， and there are many references to talismans， mythology， astrology， meditation， and even yoga。 Not quite the embroidery tutorial for me。 It also doesn't provide patterns as much as just a photo of each design and then a drawing telling you what stitches to use。 It leans heavily on the spiritual side of creating， and there are many references to talismans， mythology， astrology， meditation， and even yoga。 Not quite the embroidery tutorial for me。 It also doesn't provide patterns as much as just a photo of each design and then a drawing telling you what stitches to use。 。。。more
Annie
，
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 Mystical Stitches is a tutorial and style guide for embroidery by Christi Johnson。 Due out 22 June 2021 from Storey， it's 208 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats。 It seems that surface embroidery is enjoying something of a renaissance lately; I've reviewed several new and upcoming releases this year on the subject。 This one， in addition to being a very good basic tutorial instruction guide on the stitches and designs， also h Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 Mystical Stitches is a tutorial and style guide for embroidery by Christi Johnson。 Due out 22 June 2021 from Storey， it's 208 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats。 It seems that surface embroidery is enjoying something of a renaissance lately; I've reviewed several new and upcoming releases this year on the subject。 This one， in addition to being a very good basic tutorial instruction guide on the stitches and designs， also has the added attraction of explaining the symbolism and meanings behind the included designs， most of which have some mystical or philosophical significance。 The author has included not only the expected astrological symbols， but also a wealth of other pagan， Egyptian， nature/wiccan， geometric forms and shapes， numbers， planets， and others， certainly enough to keep readers busy and exploring for ages。 In addition to the instructions and stitch diagrams， she also writes well and engagingly about intention and ritual， use of color， and materials。The book does include a number of step by step tutorials for surface embroidery embellished clothing， ritual cloths， amulets， and others。 All of the projects can be adapted for other uses。 Stitch diagram recommendations are specific enough to follow and general enough to be easily changed to suit the reader's needs。 Materials listed in the tutorials are easy to source and inexpensive。 In fact many of the clothing tutorials will be a super opportunity to re-purpose and upcycle found materials。 The book has an abbreviated bibliography and links list as well as a cross-referenced index。 This would be a good choice for readers who are interested in more esoteric embellishments for clothing and ritual cloths。 This would be a four-star read evaluated only on the merits of the embroidery instruction， but the author's voice adds a great deal of value。 She's calm， reasonable， engaging， knowledgeable， and there's a very kind and encouraging vibe throughout the book。 Very well done。 Five stars。Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes。 。。。more
The Shakti Witch
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How gorgeous is this book？ Artist Christi Johnson will inspire you with 200 of her original designs to embroider。 Infused with magickal meanings Johnson also details clear instruction on stitches and how to get started。 This makes it perfect for the novice too。 Lots of ideas are shared about what to embroider making this perfect for those needing some inspiration for ritual clothing， day to day sigil embroidered fashion， talismans and items for altars。 *eArc provided by the publisher and NetGall How gorgeous is this book？ Artist Christi Johnson will inspire you with 200 of her original designs to embroider。 Infused with magickal meanings Johnson also details clear instruction on stitches and how to get started。 This makes it perfect for the novice too。 Lots of ideas are shared about what to embroider making this perfect for those needing some inspiration for ritual clothing， day to day sigil embroidered fashion， talismans and items for altars。 *eArc provided by the publisher and NetGalley 。。。more
Jennyfer
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I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book。 A guide to creating specific mystical patterns？ Perhaps， and there are stitch patterns in there for that purpose。 What I wasn't expecting， and was quite pleasantly surprised by， was the focus on creating and art as a meditative purpose， the process over the finished product， and the encouragement to slow down。Once you get to the stitch patterns and guides， they are clear and well drawn out。 I am a crafter， so I knew many of these stitches and te I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book。 A guide to creating specific mystical patterns？ Perhaps， and there are stitch patterns in there for that purpose。 What I wasn't expecting， and was quite pleasantly surprised by， was the focus on creating and art as a meditative purpose， the process over the finished product， and the encouragement to slow down。Once you get to the stitch patterns and guides， they are clear and well drawn out。 I am a crafter， so I knew many of these stitches and techniques， but this book collates them in a comfortable， informal way （as opposed to the more formal， structured， embroidery books on my shelf）。 The pattern guides at the end are helpful for beginner embroiderers， as they offer suggestions as to which stitch to use in various parts of the pattern/shape to achieve the illustrated effect。A delightful little craft book， celebrating slow art。 。。。more
Katy Picken
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I received this book as an advance review copy e-book， and it is absolutely beautiful: I imagine that the "hard copy" would be even more so， one of those books it is just a pleasure to hold and to flick through and to linger on some of the wonderful illustrations and photos。I have to admit that the spiritual element of the book， with its emphasis on new age mysticism and talismans was not for me， but the variety of designs in the book means that you do not need to be a pagan or wiccan to find so I received this book as an advance review copy e-book， and it is absolutely beautiful: I imagine that the "hard copy" would be even more so， one of those books it is just a pleasure to hold and to flick through and to linger on some of the wonderful illustrations and photos。I have to admit that the spiritual element of the book， with its emphasis on new age mysticism and talismans was not for me， but the variety of designs in the book means that you do not need to be a pagan or wiccan to find something that you will like。 The promotion of stitching as a form of meditation， of slowing down and really looking at things was right up my alley however。This is probably not a book for a complete beginner at embroidery。 Although the stitch instructions and illustrations are some of the best I have seen， the patterns as presented require the stitcher to do a fair amount of work in incorporating them into their own designs。 It is however a wonderful resource book for someone with some stitching experience who wants to branch out a little。With thanks to Netgalley and Storey Publishing for the advance review copy。 。。。more
Ashley （Red-Haired Ash Reads）
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Rating:3 stars - I liked itMagic Stitches combines the craft of embroidery with spirituality to create talismans and amulets that you can wear。 In this book， the author gives clear step by step guides on how to do the basic stitches in the patterns provided。 They were extremely easy to follow and the visual steps were perfect for the more tricky stitches。 This book also discusses common embroidery themes throughout history and what they can mean。 This is great if you want to create your own embr Rating:3 stars - I liked itMagic Stitches combines the craft of embroidery with spirituality to create talismans and amulets that you can wear。 In this book， the author gives clear step by step guides on how to do the basic stitches in the patterns provided。 They were extremely easy to follow and the visual steps were perfect for the more tricky stitches。 This book also discusses common embroidery themes throughout history and what they can mean。 This is great if you want to create your own embroidery talismans。 She also goes over the color wheel and how color can play an important part in your embroidery。 I thought it was a great addition because everyone is affected by colors but it’s not something that is discussed in some embroidery books。 The author provides quite a few embroidery patterns at the end of the book， all of which are for incorporating onto your clothes。 I don’t think I will actually alter my clothes this way but will probably create a small embroidered talisman to carry in my purse or pin on the inside of my jacket。 Overall， this was a good embroidery book for beginners， but I also think experts will also learn from this book。 I think everything is also easily applicable to any embroidery project。 *ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review。*You can also find my reviews at Red-Haired Ash Reads。 。。。more
Sally
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MYSTICAL STITCHES by Christi JohnsonAs the title implies， it is all about sewing stitches for decoration on clothing or accessories。 I chose this book for the designs offered， I value them for their artistic properties。 There is a good spread of designs， none too satanic or witchcraft looking。 I had reservations since it's titled Mystical。The author has models wearing clothing articles that have been embroidered using the designs offered in the book， so you will have an idea of how they look on MYSTICAL STITCHES by Christi JohnsonAs the title implies， it is all about sewing stitches for decoration on clothing or accessories。 I chose this book for the designs offered， I value them for their artistic properties。 There is a good spread of designs， none too satanic or witchcraft looking。 I had reservations since it's titled Mystical。The author has models wearing clothing articles that have been embroidered using the designs offered in the book， so you will have an idea of how they look on the finished product。Highly recommend。 Perfect for needle artists and even journalers like myself。Many thanks for the complimentary copy of #mysticalstitches from #netgalley I was under no obligation to post a review。 。。。more
Melanie Knight
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This book is beautiful and inspiring。 The pages are filled with step-by-step guides and projects， handy hints and lots of inspiration for creating your own designs。
Hel
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Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 When I think of Mystical Stitches， three words come to mind: competent， ambitious， and charming。 The initial instructions for how to perform the stitches in the book are very concise for a beginner embroiderer。 The diagrams are very clear。 There are a few bits where the author suggests stretches that are slightly random， but they don’t detract from the book as a whole。 One of my favorite things in Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 When I think of Mystical Stitches， three words come to mind: competent， ambitious， and charming。 The initial instructions for how to perform the stitches in the book are very concise for a beginner embroiderer。 The diagrams are very clear。 There are a few bits where the author suggests stretches that are slightly random， but they don’t detract from the book as a whole。 One of my favorite things in witchy books is when I can relate new ideas or classic with a different spin back to my own practice。 Every baby witch has or has looked at copious correspondence charts and then gone on the hunt to look for the perfect ingredient。 When you live in your practice longer， you stop looking for special ingredients， and make the ingredients you have special。 With Mystical Stitches， the author shows you how you can make what you need。 It’s a lovely concept！ Why would I need to acquire a moth wing or an acorn out of season， when I can just stitch it？ The illustrations are charming and many。 I really enjoy the author’s use of color and texture， it’s bold and cute without being cutesy。 The projects are fun and easily personalized。 Mystical Stitches makes me want to fish out my needles and floss and get to work。 。。。more
Elizabeth
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Wow！ I absolutely love this book and can’t wait to get started on trying out some ‘mystic’ embroidery。 Not only does this book give very clear instructions to a novice embroiderer like myself but also provides an insight into the symbolism and history of the different stitches and techniques。 A beautifully illustrated book and a very refreshing approach by the author to this fascinating craft。 A book to be treasured and passed down to the next generation of sewers。 Highly recommended。
Jenn L
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Wow， I love this book！ Not only is there easy to follow technical information on stitch techniques， materials， and colour harmony， it also covers intentions， symbols， meditation， yoga poses， and so much more。So many beautiful ideas; I especially love the botanical section。This would be a lovely gift for someone interested in slow living or mindfulness。[I received a copy of this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review]
Poptart19 （ren）
，
4 starsThis is a unique pattern book， not just offering designs， but the artist’s reflections on building intent & meaning behind them。 I recommend this as an aid for exploring designing your own patterns， & as a reference for embroidering basic shapes， animals， symbols， etc。The writer discusses how embroidery as an art form is an artistic outlet for meditation & spiritual transformation for her。 She discusses symbology， talismans， creative inspiration， & some meditational practices she enjoys。[ 4 starsThis is a unique pattern book， not just offering designs， but the artist’s reflections on building intent & meaning behind them。 I recommend this as an aid for exploring designing your own patterns， & as a reference for embroidering basic shapes， animals， symbols， etc。The writer discusses how embroidery as an art form is an artistic outlet for meditation & spiritual transformation for her。 She discusses symbology， talismans， creative inspiration， & some meditational practices she enjoys。[What I liked:]•The reflections on the creative process & creating designs that evoke deep personal meaning are great。 I’ll be considering those ideas & playing with them as I design my own future patterns。•There is a basic materials & stitch guide， but it does include some insightful tips such as the best ways to split floss， anchoring methods， etc。， that aren’t in most basic guides。•The art/designs are gorgeous！ Bold， colorful， intricate， & lively。 The designer’s work reminds me of Tessa Perlow’s style of embroidery （an embroidery artist I adore）。•The patterns include a great variety of components that can be built into a larger design: animals， plants， celestial bodies， geometrical designs， mythical creatures， human body parts， nature， as well as mystical/esoteric symbols & items like wands & pyramids。•There is info on building your own color schemes （basic color theory）， and working basic shapes or components into bigger compositions。 This is great stuff！ Helpful to me since I’ve been designing my own patterns for years now， but know I can grow in that。 There are also a handful of the author’s own compositions， shown as finished works on upcycled clothing。[What I didn’t like as much:]•This is because of my personal values & not any intrinsic flaw in the book， but this book was not exactly what I expected。 There is more emphasis on spiritual practices & beliefs I don’t adhere to than I thought。 That’s okay though！ I’m sure others will find the book meaningful & resonant in ways I did not。[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。 Thank you for the book！] 。。。more
✨Elianna✨
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 I loved the style of this book， and it was cutely done。 I loved the bright colors and all of the cute ideas in this book。 I think that this book is definitely a must buy if you like or want to learn more about embroidery and if you like mystical creatures。
Carolyn
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Mystical Stitches by Christi Johnson is an incredible journey into spiritualism and how it can be manifested in your embroidery projects。 Ms。 Johnson goes in depth into the topic and combines it with clear stitching diagrams， beautiful motifs for stitching as well as how to choose your own motifs to express your inner self。 This beautiful compendium will expand your mind as well as your skills。。。an excellent addition to your embroidery library！ THank you to the author， Storey Publishing and NetG Mystical Stitches by Christi Johnson is an incredible journey into spiritualism and how it can be manifested in your embroidery projects。 Ms。 Johnson goes in depth into the topic and combines it with clear stitching diagrams， beautiful motifs for stitching as well as how to choose your own motifs to express your inner self。 This beautiful compendium will expand your mind as well as your skills。。。an excellent addition to your embroidery library！ THank you to the author， Storey Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this publication in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Erica Jane
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An absolutely gorgeous embroidery book！ Meaningful， intentional， and also informative。 Love it。 Not very difficult and covers the basics， too。 ARC via Netgalley。
Dawn Thomas
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