Goldwork: Techniques, projects and pure inspiration Paperback – Illustrated, 23 Aug. 2011

For a complete beginner to goldwork, like me, this is a thorough, inspiring and immensely helpful book. Equipment, materials, techniques - from preparation to projects, and even a brief history are clearly explained in the text and through photographs and line drawings.One especially useful inclusion is on the acknowledgements page; Search Press, the publishers, have a list of suppliers on their website for various materials, which is very handy if you are not close to a shop that stocks, or can order, threads, wires and equipment. There is a caveat to this though, which I think needs pointing out for beginners. One of the projects I've come across uses a quite uncommon material, a No.7 check thread for the Canterbury Cross design on page 121. There are not many manufacturers for this item, and may require being made to order, so it can prove both costly to buy and time-consuming to find unless you can ask for advice on a substitute (I replaced the no.7 check with a fine rococco thread instead). I think this is worth noting in case there are other projects that require materials which are not so commonly used in goldworking these days.The only other quibble I have, and it is down to personal taste, is that the project section isn't listed in an order of recommendation for beginner, intermediate or advanced. Whilst this might be an encouraging freedom to try whichever project the reader feels is suitable to their level of experience, for me, it would've helped to see a linear progression of the projects to give a sense of learning the techniques and moving onto more elaborate designs when confident. However, the Cornucopia sampler (Pages 110-115) is plainly stated as a way to learn different techniques and this might be a good place to start off for a total beginner.I would definitely recommend this book as a valuable guide and inspiration.

This is the best book of goldwork I have ever seen. The projects are beautiful and clearly explained, and there is so much inspiration in there. The author uses classic techniques but also innovates with colour, new materials and working in 3 dimensions. Even my husband (who doesn't sew at all) was mighty impressed. Apart from anything else, the book is a beautiful object- the photography is excellent and it is well laid out. It's good to pick up and enjoy at odd moments as well as using it for instruction. The day after I got the book from amazon, I went to the knitting and stitching show at Alexandra Palace, where I could see the book getting snapped up everywhere, clearly my fellow enthusiasts agree with my opinion! Right at the end of the show, I actually found hazel herself, saw her work first hand and spoke to her, which was really lovely. I found out she runs goldwork courses down the road from me, which was an unexpected bonus!

Very informative

This is an amazingly high quality book with excellent diagrams, superb photographs and very informative text. It is also extremely comprehensive on what it covers in goldwork. I've done some goldwork embroidery however this goes much further and certainly beyond any other book I've read on the subject. The details on all the different metals and their uses makes this so useful as a reference book.I've done some courses with Hazel and her work is exquisite and the photography is so good that the details of what the finished designs or techniques look like is very helpful when trying to follow the techniques. Hazel has written a fabulous book.Search Press publish many excellent embroidery books that I own but this is their best that I've ever seen with stunning photos and presentation adding to overall delight in reading this book.

There are some good ideas for future projects in this book, but not quite as many as I had hoped for.

Fantastic book. Beautiful photos and a really useful reference guide. I knew what I was getting before I ordered it - I bought this when our library's copy 'disappeared', and I can see why it did. The projects are gorgeous, and if they are not quite to your taste then you will definitely find inspiration none-the-less.There are plenty of new techniques to learn in here, and a good introduction to a wide variety of threads. My mum borrowed this off me following a three day Goldwork course with the RSN which we both went on - over four months on and I cannot now pry it off her and will likely need to get a second copy. This book goes way beyond the content of our course, and has excellent coverage of coloured metallic threads too. One of the best books on the subject I have come across.

Beautiful book, very inspiring and helpful.

I have often thought about trying goldwork and now I've read all the way through this book, I feel that I could actually attempt a goldwork project. The very comprehensive instructions are well written and illustrated, and there are projects for all skill levels. It will be some time before I actually buy any goldwork supplies but I can see myself trying the techniques with other materials I already have, which will surely improve my general embroidery skills if nothing else. If you're considering buying a book on goldwork, I'd thoroughly recommend this book as your first purchase or an addition to any you already own.