Kazuko Aoki is a celebrated Japanese embroidery artist whose delicate, garden-inspired designs have captured the hearts of makers worldwide. With imagery lifted from her own garden and travels, her pieces often highlight florals, wildflowers, bees, butterflies, and even vegetables—each rendered with thoughtful detail and whimsical charm.
Her signature style blends classic embroidery techniques—like satin stitch and cross-stitch—with subtle appliqué and mixed-media touches, creating layers of texture and a sense of quiet depth. What makes her work particularly captivating is this light interplay between botanical accuracy and artistic interpretation: flowers are recognizable, yet they feel dreamlike, almost poetic.
A favorite among her titles, The Embroidered Garden leads you through the seasons with forty motifs, from lush roses to fluttering bees to seasonal wreaths—plus inspiring project ideas like brooches, jam jar covers, sachets, notebook covers, pin cushions, and pouches.
Kazuko’s Kitchen Garden book extends this vision to edible plants—tomatoes, radishes, figs—inviting you to stitch your own harvest.
Her style is perfect whether you’re a seasoned stitcher or a curious beginner: the projects are approachable, the instructions clear, yet the results are unexpectedly artful. Her patterns feel less like crafts and more like handcrafted keepsakes—thoughtful, enduring, and deeply personal.
See more Kazuko Aoki.
