Want to turn an ordinary T-shirt into a work of art? Or create a lasting message for yourself or others? All you need is some basic supplies and Ciara LeRoy’s Lettered in Thread: Creative Techniques for Designing and Embroidering Meaningful Messages. LeRoy, founder of the Cincinnati-based Pretty Strange Design, is an artist specializing in hand-lettering and embroidery, and her book is a wonderful compendium on both of these topics, offering step-by-step instructions to create your own stylized projects. This colorful book is loaded with photos and illustrations that make the learning process seem manageable as readers learn a new skill that is “ultimately about telling stories and sending messages.”
LeRoy is a fun, funky encourager whose own creative journey began because her “affection for passing notes in class had evolved into mailing handmade, hand-lettered cards to friends.” Eventually, after taking an embroidery workshop, she “found a fresh spin on lettering that felt like a natural fit.” And lest you be worried that you may not have the creative chops to take on this craft, she notes that her lowest elementary school grade was in penmanship, adding, “The irony that I now make a living from my beautiful handwriting and lettering is not lost on me.”
Hand-lettering, she explains, is the art of “drawing letters” and should be approached more like art class than penmanship exercises. She showcases numerous styles and also guides readers through creating their own “fauxligraphy,” or fake calligraphy. Finally, she includes lessons on seven embroidery stitches, explaining how to pick the right stitch for different effects. Projects include embroidery on hoops and clothing; my favorites are a monogrammed brooch and extremely cool “secret word” messages; in the latter, she instructs readers in using in the same colors as the piece’s background, therefore camouflaging words that express “the things we as humans almost say to each other, but never quite find the courage to utter out loud or send.”
Lettered in Thread is not the place for your grandmother’s framed platitudes: LeRoy includes a chapter on using embroidery as activism as well, and she urges readers on with a final hurrah, “Just freakin’ do it!”