The Stumpwork, Goldwork and Surface Embroidery Beetle Collection

Jane Nicholas

If you have either a love for bugs or just fascinated by them, you will love Jane’s book on beetles. Jane starts off with a “Natural History” of beetles. She explains about metamorphosis and each stage of development.   No, her book is not a biology text but a short introduction of the beetle. On page 14, she has a very nice picture “of the external anatomy of the beetle.” She encourages you to compare the photo with an illustration on the following page. For those of you who are not really interested in the anatomy of the small creature, this does give you a good understanding how to recreate your own beetles.  

 

After a short explanation of “The Beetle as Embellishment”, Jane starts us off with Beaded Beetles.

 

Beetle Wings as Adornment, in part 3, takes us back in history when beetle parts were used to embellish clothing. Jane includes an evening bag project which you can easily work with beetle wings.

 

Finally, she takes us to creating beetles with goldwork, stumpwork surface embroidery and applique`.

 

Like most good books on embroidery, techniques and equipment is explained in detail.

 

I, for one, have thoroughly enjoyed this book. In searching the internet for beetles, I was able to recreate pictures and create my own work. Jane’s “The Stumpwork, Goldwork and Surface Embroidery Beetle Collection” is a must have for those who enjoy tiny creepy crawlies.