Penguin Threads - Embroidered Covers for Penguin Classics by Jillian Tamaki

I just fell in love with these book covers when I saw them - which of course had me buying the books and putting my old copies in a charity (thrift) store.

They are designed and embroidered by Jillain Tamaki, an illustrator and comics artist. She grew up in Calgary, Alberta, on the Canadian Prairies and went to school at the Alberta College of Art and Design.

Jillian currently lives in Brooklyn, NY where she teaches at the School of Visual Arts and carves out a decent living making illustrations for magazines, newspapers, websites, and books. She has 2 books of personal work: Gilded Lilies (Conundrum, 2006) and Indoor Voice (D&Q, 2010).

Here you can see the working of the cover design for The Secret Garden.

Gillian says: These three book covers were embroidered by hand over the course of 2 months. Three books were a lot to pull off, but I am such a sucker for classic literature and book illustration... how could I say no?
I so know the feeling - but am so glad you didn't say no!