Who What Wear: Celebrity and Runway Style for Real Life


Hillary Kerr - 2009
    Now, the creators share their tricks of the trade, translating high fashion in a low-fuss, accessible way. Hillary Kerr and Katherine Power, two former Elle magazine editors, are the fashionable duo behind the booming website. In Who What Wear they’ve compiled the best of their tips and advice into one stylish compendium.Trends come and go at a dizzying pace and it can be challenging to just get dressed in the morning!Kerr and Power banish those fashion faux-pas fears and give readers the tools necessary to update their own personal styles and recognize and incorporate the latest runway and Hollywood looks.Celebrity contributors such as Rachel Zoe, Nicole Richie, and Rachel Bilson also dish their insider style secrets alongside images from the runway and beyond.

"A" Is for Apron: 25 Fresh & Flirty Designs


Nathalie Mornu - 2008
    These ingenious projectsfrom ultra-feminine and vintage chic to whimsical color-playinclude waist and bib aprons, pinafores, smocks, cobblers, and even something for the pint-sized cook. All of the projects are photographed in a playful style. And templates, sewing basics, and quick and easy projects for sprucing up store-bought aprons and whipping up aprons from recycled materials are here too!"

Freehand Fashion: Learn to sew the perfect wardrobe - no patterns required!


Chinelo Bally - 2015
    She wowed the judges with her ability to create stylish, fitted garments using a freehand cutting method that was taught to her by an aunt. In Freehand Fashion, Chinelo lets us in to the secret of how she does it. Using a series of basic garment blocks, she explains how this innovative technique can be used to create a whole wardrobe of fashionable clothes that will fit every shape and size - with no patterns required. Based on a traditional Nigerian technique, Chinelo has developed her own freehand cutting method. The emphasis is on the individual’s own body measurements, and getting the perfect fit. This is a surprisingly simple technique that anyone can learn. No fancy equipment is needed - just a sewing machine, measuring tape, chalk and of course a good pair of scissors. Using step-by-step illustrations, the book shows how to draft, cut and construct the five basic blocks that are used - either singly or in combination - to make every item of clothing in the wardrobe. Once you have your basic blocks, you are ready to tackle the projects - practical garments that are fashionable, modern, stylish and versatile. There are tops, skirts, day dresses and eveningwear. This is an exciting sewing technique that will be brand new to most people, even experienced dressmakers. There really are no limits - and the beauty of this technique is that it can be applied to any body shape.

Joyful Stitching: Transform Fabric with Improvisational Embroidery


Laura Wasilowski - 2001
    With instructions for 21 embroidery stitches and 6 projects, all in Laura's signature colorful, whimsical style, you'll transform a flat, plain surface into a joyful, design-packed art piece. Stitch on wool, felt, or silk, and enjoy the simple pleasure of slow stitching. Includes a gallery of display ideas.

The Watercolor Flower Artist's Bible: An Essential Reference for the Practicing Artist


Claire Waite Brown - 2007
    The stylish design of this book, along with the interior photographs, illustrations and diagrams, make the learning process simple and fun for beginning painters and provides useful tips for more advanced artists.This book is divided into three sections. In the first section, you will find practical advice on choosing the necessary tools and equiopment as well as hints on mixing colors€”one of the trickier skills to master until you have learned some of the basic properties of color. Next, the techniques used in watercolor painting are explained in detail, from the most basic like laying washes and reserving highlights to some of the more unusual and exciting methods like wax-resist or spattering paint. Tutorials and more than 100 step-by-step sequences demonstrate how to paint a wide range of subjects, including landscapes, buildings, people and still life. Over 180,000 copies sold worldwide.

Simple Crocheting: A Complete How-To-Crochet Workshop with 20 Projects


Erika Knight - 2012
    Under Erika Knight's guidance even those who have never picked up a crochet hook before will soon be making gorgeous projects and all the while learning new techniques and adding to their skills. Each of the 20 projects in the book will teach you a new stitch, technique, or trick, and will build on and consolidate crochet techniques already learned in the preceding projects, until you have mastered a wide repertoire of skills and completed and enviable collection of crocheted items.Simple Crocheting showcases the incredible variety of finishes that different crochet techniques can produce. Erika begins with simple scarves and hats that are chic accessories as well as being the perfet items to practice basic stitches. She then takes you through the dense textures of double and treble crochet---which make excellent bags, purses, and even a laptop case---and then moves on to the more intricate, deilcate lace and cluster stitches---perfect for heirloom shawls and antique-style cushions. Freeform or random crochet takes the craft to a more demanding level and projects like the edge-to-edge cardigan will provide a new chlalenge for all creative crocheters. With exquisite photography by Yuki Sugiura that perfectly shows each of the beautiful designs, and supported with clear diagrams and illustrations, Erika Knight has created the ultimate book for all enthusiasts of this remarkable craft.

Unconventional & Unexpected: American Quilts Below the Radar 1950-2000


Roderick Kiracofe - 2014
    Collected by renowned quilt authority and collector Roderick Kiracofe, they represent a 20th-century quilt movement that remains mostly undocumented. Unlike the familiar quilts that replicate traditional patterns of earlier centuries, these surprising textiles represent a freer, more casual, utilitarian style that departs from (and returns to) a multitude of norms and standards. Peppered with essays by renowned experts that help to contextualize the quilts’ surprisingly modern aesthetic, Unconventional & Unexpected is a groundbreak­ing celebration of 20th-century quilting that picks up where most other quilt histories leave off.

The Ultimate Sashiko Sourcebook: Patterns, Projects and Inspirations


Susan Briscoe - 2005
    - Easy-to-follow instructions for creating beautiful, elaborate designs with more than 90 Sashiko patterns- 33 projects incorporate different designs and techniques- Features a full-color inspirational gallery of Sashiko work from contemporary textile artists.

The Colette Sewing Handbook: Inspired Styles and Classic Techniques for the New Seamstress


Sarai Mitnick - 2011
    Sarai Mitnick, an independent pattern designer setting the high water mark in the industry, shares her knowledge of these fundamentals and offers five beautiful projects to go with them. Powerful instruction: A former expert in user experience in the tech industry, Sarai Mitnick's Colette Patterns line has gained a great deal of respect for comprehensive, clear instruction. Comprehensive resource: The chapters cover sewing techniques, planning and fitting, working with patterns, working with fabrics, working with linings, finishing techniques? In essence, each chapter focuses on what the entirety of another book might cover. Gorgeous package: Pitch-perfect combination of illustration, step-by-step photography and beautiful project shots, all with a clean, lovely design. *Disclaimer: eBook does not include Tissue Enclosures as enclosed with original book.

500 Cups: Ceramic Explorations of Utility and Grace


Suzanne J.E. Tourtillott - 2005
    The exciting pieces come from an international array of artists, each with a unique perspective. The stylishly varied collection has a little bit of everything: the cups range from handbuilt to wheel-thrown, practical to sculptural, round to square. Benjamin Schulman's "Stacked Teacup Set" takes a strictly functional approach, while Heather O'Brien's "Dessert Cups on Stand" focuses on aesthetic form rather than usefulness. Annette Gates' "Espresso Shot Cups with Rubies" has a surface design of simple abstract lines and dots of glaze and jewels. Some are whimsical, others starkly conceptual. Every one is a treat for the eye.

The Subversive Stitch: Embroidery and the Making of the Feminine


Rozsika Parker - 1984
    In this fascinating study, Rozsika Parker traces a hidden history--the shifting notions of femininity and female social roles--by unraveling the history of embroidery from medieval times until today.

The Modern Natural Dyer: A Comprehensive Guide to Dyeing Silk, Wool, Linen and Cotton at Home


Kristine Vejar - 2015
    Now, in The Modern Natural Dyer, expert Kristine Vejar shares the most user-friendly techniques for dyeing yarn, fabric, and finished goods at home with foraged and garden-raised dyestuffs as well as with convenient natural dye extracts. Demystifying the "magic," Vejar explains in explicit, easy-to-follow detail how to produce consistent, long-lasting color. With stunning photography of the dyes themselves, the dyeing process, and 20 projects for home and wardrobe (some to knit, some to sew, and some just a matter of submerging a finished piece in a prepared bath), The Modern Natural Dyer is a complete resource for aspiring and experienced dye artisans.

The Feisty Stitcher: Sewing Projects with Attitude


Susan Wasinger - 2010
     Along with the familiar fabrics and recycled garments, she gets into the spirit of exploration with unexpected materials, from paper and tire tubes to neoprene. And with the skill level set at beginning to intermediate, every crafter can join in!Projects include:Bags and Totes  Home décor and gift items Wearables, such as hats and other accessories

Dior by Dior


Christian Dior - 2007
    This autobiography gives a fascinating and detailed insight into the workings of a great fashion house, while revealing the private man behind the high-profile establishment.

Dare to Be Square Quilting: A Block-By-Block Guide to Making Patchwork and Quilts


Boo Davis - 2010
    A must-have book for any quilt or craft library." --Denyse Schmidt (author of Denyse Schmidt Quilts). . . My approach to quilting is an approach for true beginners. I don't like triangles, circles, hexagons, diamonds, rhombuses, or any shape that makes measuring a chore. (Can we stop right here and ponder the word rhombus? Man, that word is hilarious.) In this book, every project is designed using only squares and rectangles. Why just squares and rectangles? Because straight seams are easy to stitch!Craft a modern quilt with independent quilt-maker Boo Davis, whose fun, slightly quirky designs take quilts into new graphic territory. Using only simple shapes like rectangles and squares you'll see robots, skulls, alarm clocks, and owls come to life as fabulous, full-size quilts. With 10 charming quilt patterns, and 15 eye-popping patchwork projects perfect for afternoon or weekend crafting, Dare to Be Square Quilting reinterprets quilt traditions such as basket weave, rail fence, and housetop designs in a bold new way. With advice on color and fabric selection, and an extensive how-to section on quilting, Davis teaches the fastest, simplest, and most reliable methods modern quilting has to offer.Dare to make a quilt that's funny, fabulous, and from the heart . . . Dare to be square!