Make Your Own Dress Patterns: A Primer in Patternmaking for Those Who Like to Sew


Adele P. Margolis - 1985
    Her profusely illustrated primer allows you to create your own fashionable patterns and personalized commercial patterns. You'll learn how to design and execute everything from skirts, dresses, and blouses to sportswear, jackets, and children's clothing. You'll also find tips for: shaping fabric to your figure; mastering the art of flares, flounces, pleats, and tucks; creating fashionable necklines, pretty pockets, stylish sleeves, and much more.Simple step-by-step directions and more than 1,000 illustrations show how to successfully complete apparel for work, home, and play that reflects your personal style and taste.

Water Paper Paint: Exploring Creativity with Watercolor and Mixed Media


Heather Smith Jones - 2011
    Unlike the typical watercolor textbooks, this unique, beautiful volume is a field book of inspiration, creative ideas, how to's, and projects, all from an artist's perspective. Each creative exercise features a technique, shows step-by-step photographs, and includes a clever idea for a gift or project that can be made from the painted samples.

Hip to Crochet


Judith L. Swartz - 2004
    Presented with easy, step-by-step instructions, illustrations, and photos, these 23 projects include a bohemian coat sweater, a mohair hat, retro bed slippers, and an assortment of trendsetting bags. Projects are included for baskets, pillows, and a throw to add a stylish twist to a crocheter's home decor. In addition to introducing basic crochet techniques, this guide tackles more advanced projects using a variety of yarns, including mohair, merino, angora blends, and linen.

Crochet Stitch Dictionary: 200 Essential Stitches with Step-By-Step Photos


Sarah Hazell - 2013
    This essential book presents 10 color-coded stitch sections: Basic stitches, Fans & Shells, Bobbles & Clusters, Spike stitches, Post stitches, Mesh & Filet, Cable stitches, Tunisian stitches, and more!Learn each stitch with written, charted, and step-by-step photo instructions that clearly explain where the yarn goes each step of the way. In addition, each stitch pattern shows a large finished swatch in actual size.You'll enjoy the colorful and eye-catching "candy-box" sampler pages that start every section. Crochet Stitch Dictionary offers excellent useful instruction and inspiration for all crocheters.

Scandinavian Needlecraft: 35 step-by-step projects to create the Scandinavian home


Clare Youngs - 2010
    Incorporating the finest elements of Scandinavian crafting traditions, inspiration is taken from a range of backgrounds including classic folk art, as well as more contemporary sources. These delightful designs, each with clear step-by-step instructions and beautiful photography, will have you itching to get stitching. Arranged into five chapters, the projects work with a wide variety of fabrics: there are adorable fleece and felt baby bootees finished with French knots, classic embroidered gingham napkins, and a striped machine-embroidered apron. A wide range of techniques are employed, including appliqué, cut work, patchwork, decorative machine stitching, shadow work, and ribbon work. Basic stitches such as herringbone, cross stitch, Danish knots, blanket stitch, and satin stitch are also used to great effect. Simplicity is always at the heart of Clare’s designs, and with step-by-step artworks and such clear instructions, anyone can have a go and will be surprised how quickly beautiful pieces can be made.

The Craft of Bookbinding


Manly Miles Banister - 1994
    Book sewing of all types (antique, flexible, lockstitch, whipstitch), plus how to make endpapers, attach headbands, case in, cover with cloth and other materials, add titling and decoration, much else. Updated list of suppliers. 254 illustrations and photographs.

Knits for Nerds: 30 Projects: Science Fiction, Comic Books, Fantasy


Toni Carr - 2011
    The patterns for 30 iconic clothing and accessory items inspired by popular TV shows, books, films, comics, and more--including Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Firefly--are presented alongside full-color photographs showcasing completed projects, such as:* Lieutenant Uhura's sexy Star Trek minidress* Hobbit feet slippers* Firefly-inspired scarf, socks, hat, and jacket* Tank Girl socks* Hermione Granger's secret beaded bag* Manga-inspired leg warmers* The Big Bang Theory-inspired his and hers sweater-vests* Lord of the Rings-inspired shrugIn addition to a wardrobe of costume finery, hobbyists will also find instructions for practical projects such as an e-reader cover or a laptop bag crafted of checkered fabric that serves double-duty as a chessboard and carryall, as well as patterns for plush toys inspired by Star Trek, robots, and the comic book Squee! Wear (and knit!) your nerdiness on your sleeve with Knits for Nerds.

Edible DIY: Simple, Giftable Recipes to Savor and Share


Lucy Baker - 2012
    Based on the popular Serious Eats column by the same name, Edible DIY includes 75 recipes divided into five chapters: Crunchy, Boozy, Sweet, Spicy, and Jars. With plenty of packaging tips throughout, Edible DIY is the perfect solution for making inexpensive edible gifts in your own kitchen with everything from Chocolate-Peppermint Marshmallows and Coconut Granola to Homemade Sriracha and Espresso Barbeque Sauce. Illustrated with inspirational full-color photography throughout.

Encaustic Workshop: Artistic Techniques for Working with Wax


Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch - 2009
    In Encaustic Workshop, it becomes much more: a dynamic medium where anything goes and the possibilities are endless.Packed with step-by-step techniques, helpful tips and diverse examples of completed works, Encaustic Workshop brings all the accessibility and excitement of a mixed-media workshop to your own workspace. If you're a beginner, you'll find everything you need to know to get started. If you're a more advanced crafter or fine artist, you'll discover things you never knew you could do with encaustic.Instructions and photos will guide you as you learn to:Apply, layer, color and carve wax to create artwork rich with texture and depth.Create collages that combine encaustic with papers, fabric, found objects, image transfers and more.Experiment with charcoal, inks, watercolors, pastels and other mediums to create unexpected effects in the wax.Then, complete step-by-step projects and an extensive inspirational gallery will show you how you can combine the techniques you've learned to create more complex works.Sign your creativity up for this Encaustic Workshop--then just melt, paint and play!

Finish-Free Knits: No-Sew Garments in Classic Styles


Kristen TenDyke - 2012
    Through clever planning and some simple techniques, the projects in Finish-Free Knits are shaped and joined during knitting— without sacrificing the pockets, buttonbands, shaped collars, and more that is accomplished in most designs by sewing together separate pieces. In addition, learn how to shape armholes, join pieces as you go, use short-rows for shaping, and more.Once these stress-free finishing techniques are learned, you will enjoy the freedom to apply variations of each method in projects beyond the book. With Finish-Free Knits you can avoid the dreaded “Some Assembly Required” phrase forever.

French Girl Knits Accessories: Modern Designs for a Beautiful Life


Kristeen Griffin-Grimes - 2012
    Kristeen Griffin-Grimes brings to life her signature aesthetic through timeless techniques for a stunning encore knitted pattern book. Organized into vignettes that travel from morning to night, these captivating projects invite knitters to imagine their own daily lives enhanced by these lovely designs.French Girl Knits Accessories includes sixteen intermediate-level knitting projects covering a full range of accessories for women. Designed with French savoir-faire, the projects include shrugs, hats, gloves and mittens, wraps and stoles, and socks and slippers. Want to add more romance with lace and ribbon? Desire a perfect pleat or fold? Sidebars and techniques include simple how-tos for these details and more. Throughout this collection of small projects, you'll find an emphasis on clean modern lines and style woven with vintage and romantic fashion inspiration.

BiblioCraft: The Modern Crafter's Guide to Using Library Resources to Jumpstart Creative Projects


Jessica Pigza - 2014
    In BiblioCraft, Pigza hones her literary hunting-and-gathering skills to help creatives of all types, from DIY hobbyists to fine artists, develop projects based on library resources. In Part I, she explains how to take advantage of the riches libraries have to offer—both in person and online. In Part II, she presents 20+ projects inspired by library resources from a stellar designer cast, including STC Craft authors Natalie Chanin, Heather Ross, Liesl Gibson, and Gretchen Hirsch, and Design*Sponge founder Grace Bonney. Whatever the quest—historic watermarks transformed into pillows, Japanese family crests turned into coasters, or historic millinery instructions worked into floral fascinators—anyone can utilize library resources to bring their creative visions to life.

The Exquisite Book of Paper Flowers: A Guide to Making Unbelievably Realistic Paper Blooms


Livia Cetti - 2014
    The Exquisite Book of Paper Flowers is Cetti’s comprehensive how-to manual showcasing her until-now secret techniques for creating 27 popular blooms, including peonies, poppies, roses, and hibiscus. Clear instructions and stunning step-by-step photographs show crafters of all levels how to make individual flowers as well as how to combine blooms to form 20 exquisite garlands, centerpieces, wreaths, corsages, and boutonnieres.

Tony Northrup's DSLR Book: How to Create Stunning Digital Photography


Tony Northrup - 2011
    First, you will master these basic concepts:* Composition* Exposure* Shutter speed* Aperture* Depth-of-field* ISO* Natural light* Flash* Posing* Troubleshooting bad pictures* Using raw files* Studio lighting* Night photography* HDR* Macro/close-up photographyThen, you will learn the pro's secrets for photographing these subjects:* People (candid, casual, formal, and underwater portraits)* Weddings* Pets* Wildlife (mammals, birds, insects, fish, and more)* Landscapes* Cityscapes* Sunrises and sunsets* Flowers* Forests, waterfalls, and rivers* Fireworks* Stars

Vintage Knits: Thirty Knitting Designs for Men and Women


Kim Hargreaves - 2005
    A stylish collection inspired by films like Amelie and Chocolat, Vintage Knits recalls an era of well-tailored designs with elegant finishing touches.