Mary Legallet's newest book Mary’s Whimsical Stitches Volume Two is now available! You may remember when we had the opportunity to speak to her earlier this year when Volume One was released. It quickly became one of our best sellers! You can read all about it by clicking here.
Mary’s Whimsical Stitches is one of our all-time most popular books. It’s a must have for any needlepointer. If you don’t have her first book in your library, you’ll want to order it today! Mary’s stitching style is so elegant, but not only is she an exquisite needlepointer, she has become known as an incredibly knowledgeable national teacher. Her books feature a wealth of needlepoint stitches you won’t find anywhere else- because she has diagramed them herself. Volume two will feature over two hundred and fifty more stitches, many of which are previously unpublished.
One of our favorite features of both of her books is her innovative use of URLs. Many of her stitch diagrams have a URL link at the bottom of the page. Simply type the link into your preferred internet browser and you will find a stitched sample of that stitch on her blog. Sometimes when you see a stitch diagram in a book it can still be tricky to visualize what it will look like stitched in a canvas. There also is a full index in the back of each of the books that outlines her suggestions on where and how to use each stitch in the book. Mary works hard to remove some of the guesswork that comes with selecting your own stitches.
We were lucky enough to catch up with Mary Legallet this week about Volume Two of Mary’s Whimsical Stitches. Read on to learn more about the book.
Mary, it’s so nice to catch up with you again! I know that Volume Two of Mary’s Whimsical Stitches has been in the works for quite some time. Can you tell me a little bit about that process? How has writing been different the second time around?
I learned a lot from writing the first book. Most importantly, the first book forced me to consolidate and organize my entire diagram library. It helped greatly when it came to assembling the second book! Since I knew that there would be a sequel, as I’ve written stitch guides and blog posts throughout this year, I was consistently identifying and tagging stitch diagrams that I wanted to include in the next volume.
I learned a lot from writing the first book. Most importantly, the first book forced me to consolidate and organize my entire diagram library. It helped greatly when it came to assembling the second book! Since I knew that there would be a sequel, as I’ve written stitch guides and blog posts throughout this year, I was consistently identifying and tagging stitch diagrams that I wanted to include in the next volume.
How does Volume Two of your new build off Volume One? What can our stitchers expect to see in the new publication?
The format of the new book is the same. Because each book is designed to stand independently and I never know which book someone will pick up first, the introduction is essentially the same but also identifies unique things within that specific volume.
Like the first book, there are over 250+ stitches in this publication. It includes a full year of blog posts and links to those stitched samples. There are more all-new stitches (without stitched samples) than blog post stitches (with stitched samples) this time around because of the “move” of the Essentials Chapter.
I included the Essentials Chapter in the first book to ensure we were all speaking the same language. Instead of repeating that chapter in Book 2, it will be updated a bit and spun off into a free download available to all, regardless of whether they purchase the book or not. Information on how to access that will be available in January.
There is a new chapter I’m very excited about called “unique stitches.” It includes cute and different beading ideas, including what I refer to as basketweave beading, messy beading, and beaded lazy daisies.
With the influx of new needlepointers who started stitching in the pandemic, I really tried to balance the content of the book so that there is something for everyone. I pulled together a combination of really big dramatic stitches with some more approachable stitches. I’m really happy with the mix of stitches I’ve come up with and I’m hopeful it will appeal to all skill levels. It’s important to me that anyone can pick up the book and find something for them.
Do you have a favorite stitch in the book?
Oh gosh- That’s an impossible question to answer! I love Reverse Basketweave Beading, but there are a couple of new, very extravagant stitches that I’m thrilled I was able to sneak in. This includes one of my favorite stitches from one of the very first stitch guides I ever wrote. It’s the stitch on Santa's coat on the pink Melissa Shirley Santa. Of course, my favorite stitch also depends on the mood I’m in and the particular canvas I’m working on.
What are you most excited about with the launch of Volume Two?
Excited isn’t the right word. I’m honestly just so grateful for the reaction to the first book and that there is excitement and enthusiasm surrounding the second book. I certainly hope it lives up to expectations!
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