Little Book of Heirloom Christmas Tree Decorations by Jenny Stephenson: book review

Now we’re into October (where does the time go?) we’re starting to turn our thoughts towards Christmas. If you love being crafty and making your own Christmas decorations, and enjoy sewing and stitching, then this beautiful hardback book – The Little Book of Heirloom Christmas Tree Decorations, by Jenny Stephenson – is full of small silk Christmas tree decorations to make and treasure for years to come.

All of the decorations in the book are miniature pieces that can be used to decorate a Christmas tree, although I’m sure you could easily adapt the patterns to make larger versions if you wish.

The decorations you can make include items such as stars and snowflakes, bells and balls, angels, mini garlands, snowmen and gingerbread men. The designs for some of the pieces, such as hearts and birds, could easily be transformed into non-Christmas decorations for your home too.

The book is well laid out, with information about all the materials, threads, fabrics and embellishments that you’re likely to require at the beginning of the book (although if you have a stash of bits and pieces already, you could use up what you have readily available to save spending more money), followed by some helpful ideas about the order of working, as many of the designs contain several layers of work that are sewn one at a time.

The patterns themselves are described in detail, with lots of helpful written explanations backed up with diagrams and stitched photo examples, so you have a lot of guidance to follow when creating your designs. If you’re unsure of how to do any particular stitches, then there’s a stitch glossary and step-by-step guide at the back of the book.

The book is packed with lovely ideas and if you’re never happier than when you have a needle in hand, then you’re sure to get lots of inspiration from it. For beginners, the designs could be a bit too small and fiddly, but it’s well suited to intermediate or experienced stitchers. There’s hours of crafting to be done, but when your decorations are finished you can enjoy hanging them on your Christmas tree at home and using them year after year.

The Little Book of Heirloom Christmas Tree Decorations by Jenny Stephenson (Sally Milner Publishing) is available from Search Press for £9.99.

Amazon have a few copies in stock too.

By Rachel Newcombe.