japanese embroidery books

If you pick up a copy of Pride and Prejudice in Japanese, I'm guessing that for most of you reading this, it wouldn't be a very interesting read. I know that it wouldn't mean much to me! But craft books are different. Embroidery books are are different. These books can be very easily enjoyed...and even understood...in Japanese.

A picture is worth a thousand words, and it's really true with Japanese craft books! I have a growing collection of these books, and I don't see my habit ending soon. Sometimes I buy these from the bookstore at the Japanese market near me, but these came from a fantastic Etsy shop. And I love them! They have such a unique style (one even has several unique styles within it!), as do many crafting books from Japan.

Take a look at my latest additions...




This first book is actually a combination of two books. One is a book that I've looked at and wanted many times, and it just worked out that it was in this title! It has lots of little patterns with plenty of fill stitches (something I really want to do more of), but it also has lot of embroidery with applique incorporated.





See what I mean about the different styles? All of those are from the same book, so for one price, I got plenty of variety! So much sweetness!

The second book doesn't have as many patterns, but each one is super precious. SUPER precious!





This book has a pull out section with all of the motifs. Well, it might have more than that...I haven't opened it all up yet! Unlike the first book, here we find more projects.




This is where not reading Japanese does have its downside. The projects are pretty simple, but as far as I can tell, most don't have instructions for making them. At least, not the illustrated instructions that you usually find in Japanese crafting books. There are some with graphics (see below), but the projects serve more as inspiration. Great inspiration...because just look at this glasses pouch:




If you've never looked into books like this before, I highly recommend that you do. They cost a bit more than buying something from Amazon, but it's worth it! To get started, try searching for "Japanese Embroidery Book" on Etsy. Good luck, and get ready to be tempted into many new purchases!