Discover the 120 hand-embroidery stitches that every embroiderer should have in their stitching arsenal, with clear, step-by-step photos you can come back to time and again! Contemporary needlework teacher Sharon Boggon's forward-thinking ideas will help you view hand embroidery through a vibrant new lens. Beginners and seasoned embroiderers will gain the confidence to create new patterns by playing with the stitches--manipulating the height and width, making asymmetrical loops, stacking up designs, or filling multiple rows with the same stitch. With so many creative variations and the author's gorgeous samplers, you'll be inspired to incorporate new techniques in your own crazy quilts and modern projects.

• Essential guide to surface embroidery! 120 contemporary stitches, including left-hand stitches, with step-by-step photos

• See how tiny tweaks to each stitch can take your needlework to unexpected places

• Play up the possibilities with modern fill patterns, asymmetry, luscious texture, and crazy quilting