l came across this enchanting “labour of love” project rather recently, and was immediately bowled over by the intricate detail captured on canvas. Jillian Tamaki has spent the first two months of this year, busily working away on these dustjackets. Described as her “dream project”, the Penguin Threads Deluxe Classics project certainly pays homage to the beauty of embroidery, and in my mind takes book illustration to a raised level of creativity!

The exquisite attention to detail woven into the fabric creates a vivid impression. With it’s black and orange contrasting threads, along with construction and texture of the mane, the dust jacket for ‘Black Beauty’ by Anna Sewell is strikingly strong in character.

Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’, is charmingly depicted in soft colours, with brightly coloured woven braids of hair, and ‘The Secret Garden’ by Frances Hodges Burnett whimsically flows across the cover in tones of cerise pink and purples.

From a typography angle, one can clearly see that the embroidery of the book title, authors name, and pull-out quote from each book has also been taking into careful consideration. Each book cover perfectly reflects a style of typographic flair, allowing each woven thread to tell its own captivating story.

As a person who enjoys reading, l’m rather looking forward to the launch of the sculptural- embossed versions of these richly woven books in October 2011!