Designer Phyllis Maurer subtitles her series of Ethnic Fiber Arts books, "Honoring Cultural Diversity." Her goal is to introduce more embroiderers to beautiful ethnic embroideries, as well as give the history, materials, teach the technique (with very clear diagrams and photos), and provide projects to try. She wants to help others uncover their heritage, as well as preserve seldom seen techniques. In this book Phyllis teaches German Schwalm, a form of whitework embroidery. The project is a heart-shaped sampler using a variety of Schwalm stitches and techniques.