There’s something magical about embroidery–some floss, some stitches, some time, and suddenly a plain piece of material is transformed into a picture, a pattern, or a piece of geometric art.

Embroidery today is moving away from the traditional to the modern, with motifs including everything from cacti to crystals, simple white stitching on colored cloth, decorative stitches on denim, and mandala patterns as wall art.

Laura Strutt has designed 35 modern makes taking you from the simplest of stitches to more sophisticated techniques. Each make has full step-by-step instructions and there are colored charts where needed for you to recreate the look exactly—but of course you can always choose your own colors if you prefer.

With tips on everything from finishing pieces to color theory, and a techniques section covering all the stitches you will need to know, you can hand-embroider any of these projects with confidence.