I have published the e-book A Spring Alphabet on my website!

As the days get longer and the light outside gets brighter and warmer, a few buds swell to burst soon and we anticipate the spring frenzy by unleashing new colours!

The star of the e-book is the alphabet, watercoloured to suggest the distribution of colours in the initial. This time I have not introduced any decorative motifs, so only the alphabet is published, full, of course. The primrose is not coloured because in the explanations accompanying the alphabet I suggest copying the colours from the photo from which I drew the design. The home print unfortunately reduces the detail of the photo somewhat, but in the text I have suggested the narrow range for each petal. The advantage of the e-book, however, is that from the PC or phone screen, the image is pure. And the invitation, as always, is to print out only the design (and thus the initial) of interest, which will be immediately ready for tracing. If you were to print it front and back instead, you would lose the advantage of immediacy!

I have explained the Long and short stitch by means of two main illustrations: the first dedicated to the schematisation of the two movements of the Long and short stitch, the second to show how I solve the problems of the contours, which will be troublesome companions when embroidering the branches of the initial.

Each initial is quite challenging, but what is interesting is precisely its complexity, which leads us to experience all the difficulties of Long and short stitch. I have added, among the diagrams, an indication of how I generally simplify the guidelines for stitching in curves, or convergences. Basically, becoming familiar with Long and short stitch means realising the great limitations of yarn and the need to learn to think accordingly. Although working with a single thread, one will find oneself filling areas feeling awkward and cumbersome: one will therefore have to make some decisions, to make our passage more docile: we will have to reduce the curves, find the most direct way, which will help us render movement, but without making abrupt changes of direction, which will attract the eyes, because dressed in a different light.

A online course (only in italian, at the moment) has also been created on this project, which will start on Tuesday 4 March, in two editions: one in the morning at 9 am and one in the evening at 8.30 pm. For formations please write to elisabettaricami@gmail.com

For those whose hands are already shaking and who want the alphabet, here is the link to my e-book shop!