The Embroidery of Mexico

A colourful tribute to Mexico’s embroidery traditions, with over 30 reusable templates. Gimena Romero reveals the symbolic language of stitches. The book covers regional techniques, experimental practices and poetic motifs, all enhanced by amazing photography. Romero aims to inspire embroiderers to reinterpret heritage through their own creativity, so that Mexico’s rich textile legacy continues to flourish!

In a deliberate, scholarly yet approachable manner, Romero shares her embroidery discoveries across Mexico. Every one of the eight different stitching styles is prefaced by a description of her hands-on research among practitioners. In Mexico City, for example, previews of a workshop on street embroidery attracted dozens of needleworkers, filling a void in real-life historical examples. Even well-schooled stitchers will understand the differences between Otomi Tenango, Deer People (Mazahua), and Oaxacan work, not only through selected examples but also in the step-by-step photographs and excellent color prints of (usually) fronts and backs of finished pieces.

Nearly 30 stitches are clearly explained (more than a few resemble common needlework, like the satin stitch and the French knot), and a handful of Romero’s own creations appear in the “Texture” chapter. Eight pages of templates are included in the appendix along with a chart showing names and provenance of stitches. Crafters will clamor for this project-driven book devoted to the colorful embroideries of Mexico.

I enjoyed reading through this book and loved the author’s introduction to it.

Like lots of books you get a section on materials and tools, this book not only talked about what was needed but also gave you photo’s as well. She also went into the anatomy of a needle, how many strands to use, what threads were best, fabrics, hoops (whether to use or not) different types of scissors.

She then talked you through transferring onto your fabric from the motif’s at the back of the book. This section was also colourfully illustrated. Then you were shown different types of embroidery from Tenango. Backstitch, Hini, Xi and all with colourful pictures of each stage etc.

The author then talked about Street embroidery and going to the San Alberto Haberdashery in Mexico.

You also find out about Mazahua Embroidery on Aida, how to stitch and not show work on the back that is not as good as the front. How to do infils, zigzags,etc

A most amazing book, to look through, decide which stitch to try and she gives you ahelping hand to embroider different ways using unusual stitches all complimenting them selves to make pictures, scenes and unusual additions to other types of sewing. Enhance your quilts, bags, pouches etc.

She shows you how to use fabrics like linen, aida, cotton fabric, hessian etc

Last but not least is the templates at the back of the book.

At the back you learn a bit about the author.

l would recommend this book if you are an embroiderer, giving you different approach to other countries embroidery and also to start embroidery, cos you never know what you can achieve till you try.

Well done to Gimena Romero and Search Press for publishing it.

This book is described as a vibrant celebration of traditional and modern designs. It has a short section on materials and tools and then goes on to describe Mexico’s embroidery heritage, demonstrating various types, each unique to a region or community in Mexico. There is a page on the history of each type followed by clear instructions using many step by step photographs,

There are even photographs of the back of the work in each case. The designs consist of flowers, fruits, animals, houses and more. The book does not contain projects as such, but many designs, including templates to be traced and transferred to fabric..The designs can be incorporated into other projects, wall hangings, table runners, etc. If you are looking to learn embroidery as a complete beginner this is a great book to use.Don’t be misled to think this is only about Mexico. Many of the stitches are used in other types of embroidery, french knots for example, and are shown clearly in the book. Some of the designs are on quite open weave fabric which makes it easy to achieve for beginners. It’s easy to choose one small design to start with, a pineapple or a flower for example, After that you will want to do more.

This is a truly wonderful book that is inspiring as well as educational. It can be a coffee table book as well as an instruction manual. Gimena Romero has created an in-depth guide to a rich history of inspiring characteristics of the embroidery of Mexico. This book shows the importance of heritage and shares the skills involved in making this wonderful textile art in traditional methods. This book covers the embroidery, stitch guides and templates for

• Tenango
• Street
• Mazahua
• Toninero
• Mixe
• Purepecha
• Lavin
• Compositions from texture

It has created in me an enthusiasm to have a go with the included templates and instructions. Whilst my completed small project has plenty of room for improvement, I feel proud of what I have learnt and created. I know that with practice this book will lead to completed projects I will be proud to display in my home.

The cover of the book The Embroidery of Mexico is fascinating, a picture of Mexican life as I imagine it, all portrayed in brightly coloured embroidery of houses, fields and flowers.

This is intriguing and really encourages you to open the book to find out more. The author Gimeno Romero is a textile artist who has won awards for her embroidery with Maison Bijoux selecting one of her embroidery projects as one of the best in the world in 2013.

Gimeno’s knowledge of the areas of Mexico and the embroidery styles of these regions is clear and her ambition to keep these skills alive for generations to come makes this book come alive.

The book itself has a luxury feel being hard backed, having high quality printing and beautiful illustrations of the project steps and finished embroidery. There is a full explanation of the tools and material required for the projects and the explanation of these is useful whichever embroidery style you are looking to achieve. Gimeno takes us on her lifetime journey around Mexico providing the reader with an insight of the different embroidery methods in many regions.

There is a clear description of the steps and motifs to transfer are provided to achieve the embroideries documented. The finished items are mesmerising with the back of the projects being as remarkable as the fronts. The projects are completed on cotton, aida and canvas using different threads including embroidery threads, sewing threads and even hair. All of the stitches and finishes achieved could be used as a whole or in part on any embroidered project and that would certainly be a way to take some of the skills learnt into everyday projects.

The price point of this book at £25 is appropriate for the quality of the print, instructions and illustrations. Add to this the documentation of the history of Mexican Embroidery and the research behind the projects and this beautiful book will enhance any embroiderers skills and abilities to add new stitches to any project.

The Embroidery of Mexico by Gimena Romero is a very intriguing and more than an embroidery instruction book. It celebrates Mexico’s rich textile heritage. Romero seamlessly combines history, culture, and practical embroidery techniques, taking readers on a journey through regional traditions while explaining the symbolism and stories behind the stitches.

The photos are stunning, the instructions are clear, and the templates make it easy to try the techniques yourself. What makes this book different to others is the author’s passion for the artisans and communities who have preserved these traditions. Instead of just simply teaching embroidery, she encourages the reader to appreciate the cultural significance of every motif and stitch.

This book is both inspiring and informative whether you’re interested in embroidery or like the history of textiles. I found it very informative and enjoyable to read through. The amount of information is amazing and there are lots of techniques and templates I would love to try.

I think for £25 you get a lot for the value.

I would also say that this book is mainly for people who like embroidery or are interested in textile history.

If you want an embroidery book that feels like a cultural journey rather than an instruction manual, The Embroidery of Mexico by Gimena Romero is just that. Gimena explains how these stitches are not just rules, but a living language and provides cultural history as an introduction to each of the types of embroidery.

The book is unfortunately not very easy to read as the text is quite small in comparison to the beautifully coloured illustrations that catch your eye immediately on the front cover. Therefore, I would not recommend this for a beginner in embroidery. If you were using it as an instruction manual it would be hard to follow and hard on the eyes.

The main chunk of the book takes you on a tour of eight different embroidery styles. It covers traditional indigenous techniques—like Tenango, Mazahua, and Mixe—but also loops in vibrant modern Street embroidery. The close-up photos are stunning and helpful because they show you what the back of the work should look like too.

At the front of the book, you get a great guide on tools and fabric, plus some full-sized templates to trace at the back.

For anyone keen to experiment with bright and different embroidery styles and creating stunning fibre art this book is for you.

Gimena Romero is an artist and illustrator who specializes in textile graphics. She was born in Mexico City in 1985 and currently lives between Mexico City and Madrid. A graduate of plastic and visual arts from the Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado ‘La Esmerelda’, of the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (INBA), she did part of her degree in arts at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts in Lyon, France. She has won numerous prizes and international mentions such as Iberoamerica Ilustra and FILIJ Catalogo de Ilustracion Mexicana. In 2010 she was the cultural representative for Mexico in France with the Vargas Lugo prize and completed her textile training at the Ecole Lesage.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.