I have plied a needle for many years and bought this book in hope of adding to my skills. The patterns are clear and easy to follow with less eyestrain than with just black and white charts. I usually work in miniature and much to my delight found this technique to be very adaptable. I then went in search of other publications for bargello and although I found several none of them lived up to my expectations after viewing and using the information in this publication. Hopefully Joyce Petschek and her editors have another book in the works.

Gorgeous photography and a very artistic author make this book a joy to own for any needlework enthusiast. I plan on making several of these cushions for my living room and have already completed 2 of them.

I think the book could have been much better, however, and even more informative had the author not infused it with gushy, flowery pages about color that made no sense and were totally useless.

For example:

"The dynamic quality of these reds enhances productivity and renews ambition. The interspersed touches of violet release negativity, cool and calm hidden emotions, encouraging a sense of distance so impulsive reactions can be changed into meaningful actions". What does one do with that piece of info?

But I only bought it for the artistry and it is very artistic at that. I still would buy another bargello book if she put one out. Hopefully she will devote more space to her beautiful artistry and less, much less, to the literary fru fru.