Drawing on material previously published as `The Beginner's Guide to Machine Embroidered Flowers', The Beginner's Guide to Machine Embroidered Landscapes' and `Machine Embroidered Woodlands', this book provides a showcase of Alison Holt's exquisite machine embroideries. Learn how to create beautiful machine-embroidered pictures of gardens, flowers, landscapes and woodlands using various combinations of just two simple machine stitches. All the techniques are broken down into clear, step-by-step instructions, with numerous helpful photographs and a great range of inspirational pieces. Alison 'paints' her threads on to hand-coloured backgrounds, blending her stitches and achieving stunning results. The raised effects of the embroidery produce a beautiful three-dimensional look and her clever use of perspective is effective and easily achieved. This book covers everything, including the materials required; how to compose a picture from photographs that have inspired you; achieving perspective; light and shade; painting backgrounds; and all the basic stitch techniques you need to know. Detailed instructions explain how to create realistic flowers, trees, foliage and much more, and there are eight stunning step-by-step projects so that you can put into practice your newly acquired skills .This is a must-have instructional and inspirational book for anyone interested in free-motion embroidery.