There's a Russian Shawl Quilt, inspired by traditional motifs of Russian folk art, a Floral Frocks Quilt inspired by summer dresses, flower gardens and herbaceous borders and a Suits and Ties Quilt reusing sober woollen suiting contrasting with extravagant silk ties designed in an Irish Chain.Finally, a practical section covers all the knowledge you’ll need – from chainpiecing, hand-quilting and sandwiching to binding, storage and caring for your quilt. Armed with the design tools, you can embark on your quilting journey and begin creating your own personal masterpiece.

    Critics and popular audiences alike marveled at these quilts that combined the best of contemporary design with a deeply rooted ethnic heritage and compelling human stories about the women. Gee's Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt is a major book and museum exhibition that will premiere at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), in June 2006 before traveling to seven American museums through 2008. The book's 330 color illustrations and insightful text bring home the exciting experience to readers while displaying all the cultural heritage and craftsmanship that have gone into these remarkable quilts.

    In Quilting with a Modern Slant, Rachel May introduces you to more than 70 modern quilters who have developed their own styles, methods, and aesthetics. Their ideas, their quilts, and their tips, tutorials, and techniques will inspire you to try something new and follow your own creativity wherever it leads.

    It does all this through just four very simple mending techniques: exterior patches, interior patches, slow stitches, darning, and weaving. In addition, the book addresses the way mending leads to a more mindful relationship to fashion and to overall well-being. In essays that accompany each how-to chapter, Katrina Rodabaugh explores mending as a metaphor for appreciating our own naturally flawed selves, and she examines the ways in which mending teaches us new skills, self-reliance, and confidence, all gained from making things with our own hands.

    Quilting patterns by renowned designer Kaffe Fassett--all innovative and artfully arranged, with a wealth of variations.

    Some of these are for bookmarks, others are for wall decor, and still others can take on a whole host of finished outcomes. What they have in common is their literary bent—the patterns speak to all manner of literary-minded book lovers, who are happy to display their nerdier sides. And what better way than through your own cross-stitch art to hang on your wall, prop on your desk, or even gift to friends and family. And most, if not all, are beginner friendly and can be completed in a few hours—instant stitchification! So grab yourself some excellent embroidery floss, hoops, and needles, and pick out one or more of these great cross-stitch patterns for your next project.

    Canvas sneakers decorated with pink and white swirls. A pretty pillow adorned with a sleeping bunny, sweetly curled up. All it takes to create these appealing projects—or add charming embroidered touches in no time at all—are a few simple stitches, some easy techniques, and the nearly 30 projects in this book. Begin by learning several styles for outlining, filling, decorating, and appliqué. Find out about floss, fancy threads, fabrics, and needles. Get the scoop on hoops, and the lowdown on transferring your very own designs onto every type of fabric. The fresh ideas, witty patterns, and clever color illustrations take stitchers from novice to accomplished in a blink of the eye!

    Try your hand at 9 projects, including an elegant sampler with 51 mix-and-match blocks. For quilt as-you-go enthusiasts, Jera shares 3 optional joining methods, including her new technique that makes your quilt reversible! No matter how busy your schedule, you can set attainable goals and practice quilting patchwork blocks in small, manageable pieces.

    Spiral-bound so that it stays open and filled with definitions and illustrations, the book invites weavers to refer to it as they work. Included are easy reference charts and many sidebar tips to ensure success in both on- and off-loom weaving techniques. Information on project preparation, tools, drafting, warping the loom, weaving, and in-depth finishing techniques is also provided. Resources for weavers include professional associations, Web sites, and common weaving terms in foreign languages.

    Learn how to choose and mix colors, and create a multitude of effects using only one set of tubes. Discover how to make your own equipment, set up a "studio" space, and use household materials to save money. Beginners can follow processes stage-by-stage, while more experienced artists can dip in and out for help with specific problems. A unique section on how to develop your art and take it to a wider public is full of professional secrets which can bring you success much more quickly. “Try it” and “Fix it” panels placed throughout the book suggest ways of practicing and developing new skills, and avoiding or correcting common painting errors.

    Tell your story as only you can, through a series of guided projects that culminate in a beautiful, autobiographical art journal worthy of passing along to future generations. Along the way, you will hone your own unique style of artful storytelling, filled with the images, colors and symbols that resonate most powerfully with you. Twenty-four inventive, step-by-step prompts help you to:Set the scene for making art--from establishing rituals that unlock creativity to curating a personal storyboard.Draw inspiration from photos, typography, sketches, childhood memories, quotes and more.Shape your story with timelines, gathered-word poetry and simple approaches to portraits.Express yourself through an exciting range of mixed-media techniques, using everything from pen and ink, markers and watercolor to image transfers, printmaking with linocuts, acrylic and collage.A book unlike any other, The Painted Art Journal is all about digging deeper, honoring your life, and coming away with a truer understanding of yourself and your art. "Each of our stories is so different, lovely and broken in its own way." --Jeanne Oliver

    The author instructs in coil, slab, mold, and pinch techniques to produce pots, bowls, vases, tiles, and other decorative pieces. She also advises on acquiring basic tools, mixing and preparing clay, and using coloring agents. Newcomers to pottery crafting will especially appreciate her tips for making projects easier to accomplish, such as use of a hairdryer at regular intervals for drying out too-wet clay, and easy methods for keeping clay soft and pliable. Step-by-step color photos with detailed captions guide handcrafters through each project from start to finish. Many photos are of the cutaway type to show correct hand positions for controlling the clay, both inside and outside the form. Here's the book that takes the mystery out of handbuilding in clay, demonstrating each step in the pottery-making process. More than 400 color photos.

    Using incredibly easy-to-create textures and a kaleidoscope of colorful imagery, you'll learn to create one-of-a-kind collages with your own unique touch.Claudine Hellmuth shows you how to create amazing textures like layered tissue paper, masking tape texture, dishwasher rinse aid resist, Elmer's Glue-All crackle and more! You'll also learn how to:Add whimsical hand-drawn elements to your artworkExplore the possibilities of printmaking, including the use of a pasta machine!Combine paper and fabric in new and creative waysIncorporate personal imagery into your collage workWhatever your collage experience level, Collage Discovery Workshop: Beyond the Unexpected will unleash the artist within.

    It then offers a comprehensive alphabetical listing of all the abbreviations, words, phrases and symbols typically encountered in patterns.

    This book is geared toward the absolute novice and assumes you know little or nothing about the craft. Filled with lots of step-by-step photos, useful sewing tip sidebars, and a painstakingly detailed glossary, Sewing 101 teaches you how to sew successfully. You will learn terminology used regularly in sewing, as well as all the basic skills that are the building blocks of the art. From threading the machine to sewing a straight stitch, to more complicated procedures such as installing zippers and following patterns, everything is covered. Chapters include such topics as: the sewing machine and its accessories, sewing supplies and how to use them, how to shop for, prepare, measure and cut fabric, and more. Each new technique is taught via the creation of an actual project, such as a pillow, window treatment, t-shirt, or baby blanket, thereby allowing you to learn a new skill and create an item to wear, display or use in your home. Dust off that machine and begin sewing for fun and function!'