FROM THREAD TO NEEDLE

Contemporary Embroidery Art

| by izn |

From Thread to Needle by Charlotte Vannier is the perfect book for anyone looking to grasp the state of contemporary embroidery art (as of 2019) in an empirical way—through the works of 82 artists, aged between 33 and 87, all active on the international scene.

Each artist is given between 2 and 8 pages filled with large, bright, and detailed photographs showcasing their work. At the beginning of each section, there is a concise yet valuable artist profile—including birth date and place, current residence, and website—which I found particularly useful (and, in a way, reassuring). The book strikes the right balance between text and images, with captions for each photo specifying the dimensions, materials, and creation date of the works.

Considering how challenging it is to photograph embroidery—whether on fabric, paper, photographs, or objects—this book is nothing short of a miracle. The images are crisp and beautifully printed, and some, like the one on the cover, are so tactile in appearance that you feel tempted to reach out and touch them.

Another aspect I love about this nearly 400-page book (did I mention that I love it?) is the incredible variety in the artists’ works. It is a true explosion of ideas, colors, and an endless wave of inspiration for embroidery artists. To me, it’s an absolute must-have—every time I revisit it, I discover something I hadn’t noticed before.

The author, Charlotte Vannier, is a writer, photo stylist, and creative for print and publishing. After studying at the ESAG School of Design in Paris, she worked as a freelance graphic designer before moving on to create poetic and unconventional objects. She has authored several craft books and is a versatile artist, working across multiple media, including paper, lighting design, upcycled objects, sewing, photography, and crochet. She is also the author of Unravelled, published by Thames & Hudson.

Title: From Thread to Needle
Author: Charlotte Vannier
Publisher: Gingko Press (2019)
Language: English
Pages: 368