Sew What! Skirts: 16 Simple Styles You Can Make with Fabulous Fabrics


Francesca DenHartog - 2005
    This spiral-bound book lays flat for easy reference and features full-color photographs of 16 sample skirts, with illustrated step-by-step instructions for completing each one. Encouraging you to experiment with bold patterns and unique fabrics, Francesca DenHartog and Carole Ann Camp provide simple guidelines for translating body measurements into panel dimensions. Create a custom-tailored wardrobe that fits perfectly and showcases your unique and personal style.

Sew U: The Built by Wendy Guide to Making Your Own Wardrobe


Wendy Mullin - 2006
    Stitch N' Bitch for sewers complete with 3 full Simplicity patterns from downtown fashion darling Wendy Mullin.

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!

Block Party - The Modern Quilting Bee: The Journey of 12 Women, 1 Blog, & 12 Improvisational Projects


Alissa Haight Carlton - 2011
    Twelve chapters (one for each month) showcase the designs of today's leading modern quilters along with easy-to-follow guidelines, so you can reinvent their work in your own signature style. Best of all, with this book in hand, you'll have everything you need to start your own online quilting bee and enjoy collaborating with other fabric lovers around the world.

Sewing Green: Projects and Ideas for Stitching with Organic, Repurposed, and Recycled Fabrics


Betz White - 2009
    In "Sewing Green, " Betz White takes stitching to an even higher level of sustainability, presenting 25 projects made from "repurposed" thrift-store and back-of-the-closet finds and organic fabrics. White's whimsical yet practical designs include an apron constructed from men's dress shirts (and a wallet from the shirts' cuffs ), a soft blanket pieced from secondhand cashmere sweaters, and even a tote bag refashioned from used Tyvek envelopes. Along the way, White dispenses tips on everything from how to deconstruct old garments for reuse in new creations to how to wrap gifts with resusable fabric scraps instead of paper. Inspiring profiles about well-known leaders in the eco-stitching movement are sprinkled throughout, and a complete resources section helps crafters make eco-smart choices. With "Sewing Green, " today's sewers will be fashioning handmade heirlooms and sustaining traditions for generations to come.

Sewing in No Time: 50 Step-By-Step Weekend Projects Made Easy


Emma Hardy - 2008
    You are sure to find plenty of ideas to inspire you in every room of your home. Designer style can be achieved at a fraction of the cost. Store-bought soft furnishings can be expensive and the choice is often limited-but with so many gorgeous designer fabrics on sale, there's never been a better time to make your own. Sewing in No Time sets out 50 simple step-by-step projects using nothing more than the most basic of sewing skills. From a simple curtain with a pattern border and a striped duvet to a fabric storage box and a children's play tent, Sewing in No Time is the perfect book for people who are big on ideas but short of time. Whether your home is a traditional country cottage or a modern warehouse-style apartment, you're sure to find plenty of ideas to inspire you. Softcover: 160 pages. Made in USA.

Fit for Real People: Sew Great Clothes Using ANY Pattern


Pati Palmer - 1998
    Real people of all ages are featured in photographs that explain the steps of cutting out pattern pieces, pinning them together, and adjusting the fit. Special attention is paid to tricky challenges such as accommodating a full bustline, adjusting sleeves, or reworking a garment to make it more flattering, as well as alternative fitting methods such as draping and computer design. Metric conversion charts, charts for comparing pattern company bodice measurements, and a history of American dress design (Just where did size 10 come from?) make this book a versatile reference.

Wool Pets: Making 20 Figures with Wool Roving and a Barbed Needle


Laurie Sharp - 2008
    There are only a few books written on the subject and most of those focus on 'flat' needle felting on a surface. This book is about sculptural needle felting—creating 3-D animals and figures using the felting needle to sculpt wool.The book shows the techniques and describes how the felting needle works with wool fiber to create felt, while explaining the differences between this art form and other forms of felting. The reader will learn how to hold the needle, what sort of materials to use, and why.There are about 20 complete projects including various birds, bugs, four-legged animals, and people-each one unique and irresistible! Laurie also shows the reader ways to display their felted creations as mobiles, ornaments, or arranged in shadow boxes.

How to Use, Adapt, and Design Sewing Patterns


Lee Hollahan - 2010
    The book's opening chapters present an illustrated guide to the tools, equipment, and fabrics needed for making garments, while also serving as a miniature textbook to teach basic sewing techniques. Chapters that follow offer detailed instruction in adapting and altering a store-bought pattern to suit individual tastes. Alterations include adding flare, and modifying the shapes of bodices, arm holes, neck lines, sleeves, and skirts. The book's concluding chapters instruct on designing one's own patterns from scratch. Author Lee Hollahan demonstrates to her readers that once they understand how to adapt a store-bought pattern, they are well on their way to custom designing their own wardrobe. More than 500 instructive illustrations.

Growing Up Sew Liberated: Making Handmade Clothes and Projects for Your Creative Child


Meg McElwee - 2011
    From simple clothing to toys, Growing Up Sew Liberated is packed with innovative, playful sewing patterns. Follow the structure of a child’s day with 20 projects including:Getting up and getting dressed: comfortable clothing patterns such as T-shirts, sweatshirts, and pocket pants.Homemaking and cooking: projects for engaging children in helping around the house and for in the kitchen, such as aprons, bibs, and placemats.Playtime: indoor and outdoor activities are celebrated with dolls, a cape, a satchel, and a tent.Bedtime: snuggle in for a night in cozy pj’s and a sleep sack.Meg adds in suggestions for projects and adventures for kids and adults to explore together and tasks that children can accomplish on their own.Includes a techniques section, how-to photos, extra tips and tricks, and a bonus full-size pattern section, Growing Up Sew Liberated collects designs, activities, and ideas that are perfect for adding creativity into the daily life of sewists, children, and families.

Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing: Patterns and How-To for 24 Fresh and Easy Projects


Lotta Jansdotter - 2007
    Our innovative packaging makes for easy usereusable pattern sheets are neatly tucked into a folder inside this full-color, lay-flat spiral bound book. Lotta has included patterns for handy tote bags, smart aprons, chic bed linens, and much more. Each project is paired with step-by-step instructions, charming photographs, inspiring design ideas, and helpful, hand-drawn how-to illustrationseverything you need to make whimsical pieces for the home and beyond. Best of all, there's nothing complicated about the projects. Never has simplicity looked so sophisticated.

Reinvention: Sewing with Rescued Materials


Maya Donenfeld - 2012
    As a response, a vibrant Do It Yourself movement has risen to reclaim age old traditions that reconnect us to slower and simpler times. A sewing renaissance has been set in motion at a time in history when economic instability and an awareness of the importance of using sustainable resources is peaking.With this in mind, award-winning blogger Maya Donenfeld offers a guide to working with her favorite recycled materials. You’ll find linen, burlap, wool and more with details on their history, deconstruction techniques, sewing tips, and information about their environmental impact.Reinventing everyday materials into extraordinary items of beauty and utility for the modern home and family will excite new and experienced sewers alike. To add an element of personalization, Maya draws on her experience leading print workshops to share easy methods for transforming gently-used fabric with paint and ink. Stenciling templates and thorough instructions are provided, as well as encouragement to invent your own designs. Stories, a favorite recipe, and nature activity are tucked between and around the projects to offer the reader an invitation to slow down, and create with intention.

Weekend Sewing: More Than 40 Projects and Ideas for Inspired Stitching


Heather Ross - 2009
    In Weekend Sewing, designer Heather Ross presents creative projects for clothing, accessories, and home items that can be made in a weekend or less. Some, like the Quick Garden Gloves and Ruby’s Bloomers, take a few hours; others, like the Weekend-Away Travel Bag and Trapeze Sundress, require a day or two—but all of them capture that weekend feeling.  And because weekends are often the most fun when they’re social, Ross features ideas that encourage us to share our stitching and our time, such as a recipe for soup to simmer while sewing, then serve to guests later in the day, and tips for transporting a sewing machine to a friend’s house for an afternoon of social stitching.The sewing instructions are beautifully illustrated, and patterns for the projects are included on pullout sheets.

The Workbench Guide to Jewelry Techniques


Anastasia Young - 2010
    Offering detailed explanations and step-by-step photography to demonstrate procedures, this handbook includes a complete reference section featuring tool shapes, an index of gems, a glossary, standard sizes and measurements, conversion tables, and an extensive list of resources. Additionally, the manual offers a directory of tools and materials—including a key to identifying tools for a “beginner’s kit”—a historical introduction to jewelry, and suggestions for photographing and promoting completed pieces. Remarkable cutting-edge pieces by jewelry makers and designers from around the world are used to illustrate the various processes involved in creating exceptional jewelry. Covering everything from traditional metalsmithing skills and using alternative materials, such as plastics and resin, to discussing issues involved with outsourcing work to specialist external suppliers, this is an indispensable and essential resource for both students and professionals.

Liberty Book of Home Sewing


Lucinda Ganderton - 2011
    Brimming with lavish photographs of bold, graphic fabrics, The Liberty Book of Home Sewing offers 25 irresistible and easy-to-make projects that allow readers to incorporate a touch of Liberty elegance into their home. Simple enough for beginners, the projects range from feminine totes and aprons to handy pincushions and book covers, full-sized quilts, chic throws, plush cushions, and more. With color step-by-step illustrations, detailed instructions, and plenty of inspiration, plus an exquisite fabric cover, this enchantingly beautiful book will be treasured by longtime Liberty fans and young crafters alike.