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Explore craft referencesDigitEMB University · Reading room
Books that move your craft and business forward.
Explore a considered shelf of books for makers, digitizers and custom-product businesses. Every title is selected for a practical reason — so you can spend less time searching and more time making.
Curated for practical makers Links lead to the original source
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Use these reading paths to pick a book that supports the work already on your table.
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Recommended reading for the work you do.
Open any title for a concise editor's note, its original author or publisher details, and a direct route to the source.
15 selected books
Book
The Complete A-Z of Embroidery Stitches
Inspirations Studios
A hand-embroidery reference for finding and comparing stitch techniques.
Book
Raffia Embroidery
Tihara Smith
Explore raffia as a decorative hand-embroidery material with a distinctive surface character.
Book
The Textile Artist: Sculptural Textile Art
Priscilla Edwards
Explore textile art that moves beyond a flat surface into sculptural form.
Book
Chloe Giordano Needlepainted Woodland Animals
Chloe Giordano
A hand-embroidery reference focused on small woodland animals and needlepainted detail.
Book
The Textile Artist: Expressive Stitches
Jan Dowson
Explore expressive textile work where marks and surface texture help communicate an idea.
Book
RSN Stitch Bank: 200 Essential Embroidery Stitches
Royal School of Needlework
A hand-stitch reference for exploring a wider vocabulary of embroidered marks.
Book
The Royal School of Needlework Book of Embroidery
Various authors / Royal School of Needlework
A broad hand-embroidery reference for comparing techniques and planning further study.
Book
Needle Painting Embroidery
Trish Burr
A hand-embroidery reference for exploring needle painting and color transitions.
Book
Appliqué Art
Abigail Mill
Explore appliqué as a way to construct a picture from fabric, color and stitched detail.
Book
Machine Embroidered Art
Alison Holt
Study freehand machine embroidery through landscape, texture and the natural world.
Book
Freehand Machine Embroidery
Poppy Treffry
A creative reference for freehand machine stitching and sewn accessories.
Book
Free Motion Embroidery
Katie Essam
Explore free-motion machine work as a way to draw with thread and fabric.
Book
Adobe Illustrator Classroom in a Book 2026 Release
Brian Wood
Adobe's official project-based workbook for Illustrator, updated for the 2026 release. Seventeen lessons move from selections, shapes, color and editing to gradients, la…
BookIntermediate
Vector Basic Training: A Systematic Creative Process for Building Precision Vector Artwork
Von Glitschka
Teaches a disciplined way to build clean vector art: sketch first, analyze the shapes, then construct them with accurate curves and the right number of anchor points. It…
BookIntermediate
Logo Design Love: A Guide to Creating Iconic Brand Identities
David Airey
A practical look at how logos and brand identities are made, from writing a brief and generating ideas to charging for the work and collaborating with clients. Airey use…
Why this shelf exists
Practical recommendations, not an endless list.
A focused point of view. We choose books that can help a maker, digitizer or customization business solve a real next-step problem.
A clear reason to read. Each listing explains why it earned a place on the shelf before you leave the University.
Respect for original work. Covers, authors and purchase or publisher links stay connected to their original sources.