An artistically inclined mother with a keen interest in all things beautiful got Di off to an early start as an embroiderer. Her love for this discipline soon became her livelihood and starting an embroidery business was just another natural progression for this talented crafter. She opened her first shop in the Natal Midlands and when the family decided to uproot and move to Johannesburg, along went the business. After four years of running one of Johannesburg's most successful embroidery shops, the family's urge to settle in Cape Town became too strong to ignore. Di now lives in the Mother City where she runs two successful embroidery shops. The end product of her latest interest, hand painting her own range of silk and organza ribbons for embroidery, is marketed to retail outlets worldwide.
Following on from Di's previous book, Ribbon Embroidery and
Stumpwork, this one is yet another sumptuous offering. I'm not sure
where to begin in singing its praises. Not only is it a visual
treat, but if you are not already a felting or ribbon embroidery
enthusiast, you will certainly be tempted to have a go after seeing
the sheer volume of information here. This time, Di joins
forces with fellow South African expert Toody Cassidy whose
colourful and explicit step-by-step instructions are so clear and
attractive. Not one move is left to the imagination. As for the
drawn diagrams, they are amongst the very best I've ever
seen. There are no less than 14 attractive projects to make,
once you have become familiar with the process, any of which I'd be
delighted to own.
*SEW Region Magazine (December 2019)*
Internationally renowned ribbon artist, Di van Niekerk, has brought
the textile and embroidery worlds together to create a unique book
that combines the two mediums, with fabulous results. Working in
close association with felt specialist Toody Cassidy, and featuring
art by felt designer Razaan Jakoet, Di has produced a book that
will delight and inspire beginners keen to work with the striking
fusion of felt and silk.
*Be Creative With Workbox*
The photography...is stunning throughout.
*Customer review*
An essential book for those wishing to try felting and silk ribbon
embroidery
*Customer review*
Beautiful photos throughout illustrating the techniques, each stage
and finished projects.
*Customer review*
Brilliant book for anyone who loves working 3D
*Customer review*
The instructions on making the felt are very clear.
*Customer review*
This is a book I would recommend, especially if you've tried or
want to try felting
*Customer review*
The combination of felting and silk ribbon embroidery is magical.
Make felted backgrounds and enhance them with silk ribbon
embroidery. Step-by-step instructions are included for felting and
for making silk embroidered flowers and creatures. See how to wet
felt with wool and silk embellishments; silk paper, needle felting
or nuno felting. Learn the art of silk ribbon embroidery. There are
15 projects that also have step-by-step instructions, so this book
is ideal from beginners upwards. Make a beautiful felted scarf with
a silk ribbon embroidered detail; a throw with an embroidered
border; a tablet or hot-water bottle cover, purse, handbag,
sampler, spectacle case, wall art, bag, hold-all, bracelet or
needle case. I like the projects, they have a contemporary feel.
The sparrow on the purse is very special. For each project you see
at a glance the materials you need with colour charts, needles,
stitches and techniques, process, embroidery and finishing off. An
illustrated gallery of stitches used in the projects is given too,
clearly showing stitches such as French knot and how to make a
rose, for example, with excellent large detailed line drawings in
colour. The patterns are at the back of the book. The book is
beautifully illustrated throughout. Di van Niekerk is a well-known
silk embroiderer and has joined forces with felter Toody Cassidy
and used some designs from Chic Fusion in the book. The book was
originally published in South Africa. This book is part of the
Textile Artist series. Absolutely superb and highly
recommended.
*Karen Platt*
Di van Nierkerk has produced many beautiful books for Search Press
on the topics of silk ribbon and other embroidery styles. Now she
teams up with felter Toody Cassidy to produce this book on how to
combine the crafts to make some stunning pieces. This book is
arranged in three sections: felting, stitches and projects. The
felting methods covered are wet felting for the backgrounds on
which to embroider, and the more detailed needle felting for the
smaller details. This is a large format book with plenty of
photographs but some of them are a bit small (1½”²) and rather
detailed. They are backed up by some good detailed
instructions but even a little bigger would have been a lot
better. There are three projects in this section (hot water
bottle cover, throw and scarf) to give you a feel for making items
with the method; a good idea. The middle section covers all the
stitches you need and handily starts with list of all
thirty-six. The stitches are then shown in large, easy to see
drawings containing as many stages as you need to complete them
easily. As well as a number of ribbon stitches there are the
usual freestyle staples such as chain, blanket and feather but also
more unusual ones and how to cover a bead with ribbon. The
fourteen projects are also listed with brief descriptions at the
start of their section Three of these projects are the
felt items made in the first section as well as a bracelet,
spectacle case, handbag, clutch bag and more. An imaginative
selection, and beautifully adorned with embroidered flowers, some
of which look almost real. You can imagine the price these
designer items would cost in high end stores, but all can be
achieved with some clear written instructions, photographs of
varied sizes (some rather small again) and a list of absolutely
everything you need. This is laid out clearly in sections
with photographs of most of the items including thread and ribbon
colors and exactly the right needles. This is a book aimed
more at the intermediate needle worker who has some experience with
basic sewing and embroidery but a beginning felter will find enough
to learn from. Beautiful and inspiring, like all this talented
author’s books.
*Myshelf.com*
The book is beautiful. The instruction is clear. The projects are
varied, unique, and intriguing. If you’ve never considered felting
your own fabric, the book might seem a little overwhelming at
first. But read through it – you’ll find that some approaches are
more manageable than others and that the clear instructions will
boost your confidence! It’s a book for any fiber artist, for any
silk ribbon enthusiast, and for any needleworker who enjoys
learning about other techniques to explore some day! The
instruction throughout the book is so clear and so well
illustrated, that you’ll be creating your own ribbon masterpieces
with ease in no time! To read the full review please follow
the link,
https://www.needlenthread.com/2017/11/the-art-of-felting-silk-ribbon-embroidery-book-review.html
*Mary Corbet's Needle 'n Thread*
The latest title in ‘The Textile Artist’ series is from experienced
teachers and embroiderers Di and Toody who explore the ancient
craft of felt making adorned with the delicacy of silk ribbons to
produce exquisite, tactile pieces of art. The first chapter
delivers comprehensive instructions for making felt followed by a
further chapter fully explaining the embroidery using silk ribbon
and thread. This is not a ‘quick-fix’ book – more about an
investment of time and a love of beautiful handmade things.
Every one of the fourteen projects are presented with highly
detailed colour photographs and full step-by-step instructions
enabling the maker to achieve enjoyable and rewarding
results. This is a lovely book just to look at – to marvel at
the fine cob-web like felt and the delicate miniature roses,
pansies, fuchsias, and more, crafted from fine silk ribbon, but for
anyone wishing to try something a little different and create an
item worthy of heirloom status, then this is the book for you!
*East Kent Embroiderers Guild*
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