Here’s another free book, the full title of which is Revised Needle and Hook: Instructions in Silk Embroidery, Knitting and Crocheting, Illustrated with cuts, half tones and color plates. It’s available online from the Antique Pattern Library, and originally published by Belding Bros. and Co. in 1902. This is another of the needlepainting/silk shading/thread painting/long and short stitch books. I like the designs in A treatise on embroidery better on average, but this book does a more thorough overview of embroidering plants. It starts with a little over 8 pages of discussion going through each part of the flower, and stitching, shading, convex vs concave petals, view from above vs below, etc:

Many of the designs are provided with not just an outline, but a numbered diagram, a flow chart indicating stitch direction, and exposition on additional details:

“It is advisable to begin the work with the back and center petals. The veining of the leaves should be very distinct and the edges sharp and jagged”

“The streaks which appear on the berries are put in with fine outline stitches after the berries are finished, with the lightest green, 1720.”

Anyway, here’s a few designs available in the book:

And I will finish the review on a high note, with this rather cool outline of a batch of chrysanthemums: