Building on the success of her previous books, Alison Holt shows you how to produce incredible seascapes using various combinations of just two simple machine stitches. The techniques are broken down into clear, step-by-step instructions, and there are five stunning projects as well as many examples of Alison's original and exquisite work to delight and inspire you. 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; painting backgrounds; and all the basic stitch techniques you need to know. Detailed instructions explain how to create realistic scenes, from the sunlit glow of the Mediterranean to the drama of a stormy, windswept beach in winter. Alison also introduces a new technique that combines paper, fabric and stitch to produce embroideries with a more abstract feel. This is an inspirational book for artists, embroiderers and textile artists alike, and a ' must-have' instructional book for anyone interested in learning about free-motion machine embroidery.