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!

    This work features 21 projects - including quilts, pillows, and soft ornaments - that draw their inspiration from the seasons and offer a fresh, modern take on folk art.

    Beautifully illustrated with 110 color illustrations, The Quilts of Gee’s Bend includes a historical overview of the two hundred years of extraordinary quilt-making in this African-American community, its people, and their art-making tradition. This book is being·released in conjunction with a national exhibition tour including The Museum of Fine Art, Houston, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

    It’s a way to let loose the imagination, elevate everyday materials by decorating them with fanciful designs, and perhaps most of all, to enjoy the quiet reflection resulting from embroidery’s unique textures, vibrant colors, and gentle rhythms.If Alicia’s first book, Stitched in Time, could be considered a valentine to the craft of sewing, then Embroidery Companion is Alicia’s full-on love letter to embroidery. This is the craft that captured her imagination as a child, helped her through the most difficult times in her adult life, and continues to stay closest to her heart. In Embroidery Companion, she shares stitch patterns and instructions for 30 beautiful projects, featuring three different kinds of embroidery:   • Decorative embroidery    • Counted cross-stitch    • Crewelwork Inspired by vintage motifs and the folk-art traditions of various cultures, Alicia’s embroidered embellishments frequently draw from the archives of historical resources to bring a homemade modern touch to tablescapes, household items, and wearables. Alicia also shares all she’s learned through helpful glossaries, discussions of essential tools, clear instructions, and projects for crafters of every experience level.Embroidery is an easy-to-learn­––and easy-to-love––craft that spans generations and touches many lives. Whether you’re attempting your first project, or you’re anxious to challenge yourself with a new technique, Embroidery Companion will be your guide to inspire and instruct for years to come.

    Hand colored in vivid combinations of painterly hues, Noro yarns are as striking to behold as they are easy to work with. This follow-up to Knit Noro features 32 small projects knitters can complete in a weekend, including Leg Warmers, Cabled Mittens, a Lace Flap Hat, and even an iPad cover.

    Reflecting her love of vintage-style patterns, the fabrics feature fresh colors in delightful and unexpected combinations. There are 43 fun and useful projects, all shown in stunning, close-up photographs complete with full-size pattern and on an enclosed sheet for each project, step-by-step instructions and templates.Some of the projects included are: -a patchwork knitting bag-a child's apron complete with handy pocket-a useful inside-out tote that expands for extra bulk-a mix-and-match bird mobile for a child-a practical zippered knitting needle case-a charming quilted purse-an amusing airplane blanketand much more!All the techniques are clearly explained in an introductory wealth of fantastic ideas and tips for variations, allowing you to customize the basic designs are you wish!

    Clear photos and instructions make it a breeze to learn everything you need to know. The 18 projects in I Can't Believe I'm Loom Knitting includes Beginner Knit Hat, Next-Step E-Wrap Knit Hat, Garter Stitch Brim Hat, Sampler Afghan, Corn on the Cob Hat & Scarf, Honeycomb Hat & Scarf, Felted Basketweave Tote, Hooded Vest, Lattice Pillow, Bejeweled Fingerless Gloves, Robin's Hood, Garter Wedges Baby Blanket, Ridged Lace Hat, Lace Wrap, Felted Candy Cane Stocking, and Panda Hat.

    Begin by choosing a motif from this extensive collection, which ranges from elegant alphabets to 1970s-inspired flowers and leaves, from sweet fairies to vintage-chic ladies in classic Dior dresses. The "Get Stitching" section gives you the basics you need to get started, along with an illustrated how-to of the simple stitches that are used to create all of the motifs. Each of the following sections, which are arranged by color–fresh greens, pretty pinks, timeless blues, rich reds, and elegant white and taupe–presents ideas for embroidering motifs in single colors, showing how much can be achieved with just one color of embroidery floss on a plain background. Includes more than eighty beautifully photographed, inspiring ideas for stitched embellishment, from wearables and personal accessories to a variety of decorative items for every room in your home.

    From basic cross-stitch and chain stitch to more complicated couching, laid work, and drawn thread work, this is the stitch bible for embroiderers wishing to improve their technique and add new dimensions to their work. Stitches are arranged according to their use, including outlines, filling stitches, isolated stitches, motifs, edgings, hems, insertions, flat stitches, backgrounds, and textures. Concealed spiral binding allows embroiderers to read and practice simultaneously.- 200 photographed stitches accompanied by 400 illustrations- Stitch selector for easy reference to all 200 stitches- Glossary of embroidery stitches and techniques

    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!"

    Whether struggling to center the clay or attach a handle with precision, potters of all levels crave advice and answers, and world-renowned ceramicist and YouTube sensation Simon Leach has plenty to give. In Simon Leach’s Pottery Handbook—a book-and-DVD package—he presents clear tutorials and loads of original instruction on all of the core techniques, from studio setup to basic throwing, to applying appendages, trimming, glazing, and firing. For each technique, detailed step-by-step photography captures the subtle, intricate movements that typically fly by too fast to be learned when watching a video lesson; callouts then lead readers to the relevant video on the DVD so they can see the technique demonstrated in real time—an ideal combination that makes learning from the master easy. Praise for Simon Leach's Pottery Handbook: “A definitive guide for every step of pottery making.” —Publishers Weekly “Third-generation potter Leach, with technical and photographic assistance from Bruce Dehnert and Jared Flood, capitalizes on his celebrity with an amazingly detailed, step-by-step text for all major processes in ceramics. The in-depth perspective starts with his directions for making simple tools (a wire tool and a sponge stick) and is bolstered by charts and information-packed sidebars (e.g., for removing air bubbles and troubleshooting your first pull). Every topic that novices must master is covered, such as working basic shapes (cylinder and variations dishes) trimming, decorating and glazing, and firing.” —Booklist  “This book has some of the most gorgeous photography I've seen…” —Susan B. Anderson blog “Among how-to books, this volume stands out. This gem is as carefully honed as the skills it seeks to share.” —American Craft “For those of us who learn best with a combo of text and demonstrations, Simon Leach’s new book is the perfect fit.” —Ceramics Monthly

    Whether you've been sewing for years or just gotten the itch, you'll find invaluable information inside for using your sewing machine to its maximum potential.Learn how to:Troubleshoot machine problems like skipped stitches, needle breaks and tension troublesPerform basic maintenance on your machine to keep it running smoothlyChoose fabrics, threads and other materials that will keep your machine running at full capacity and result in quality projectsRecognize and utilize the best sewing machine feet to achieve the desired resultsRefine everyday tasks from installing zippers to sewing buttonholes and constructing perfect hemsCreate beautiful embellishments like scallops, ruches, smocking, pin tucks, cutwork, puffing and entredeux to enhance any sewn project or garmentAn indispensable reference book to keep next to your machine, inside you'll find quick answers to all your sewing problems. Take control of your sewing machine and achieve wonderful results every time!

    A collection that has been passed down through three generations of women: a chunky sixties-era toggle from a favourite coat, three tiny pearl buttons from her mother’s first dress after she was adopted as a baby, a jet button from a time of Victorian mourning. Each button tells a story.‘They change our view of the world and the world’s view of us’ said Virginia Woolf of clothes. The Button Box traces the story of women at home and in work from pre-First World War domesticity, through the first clerical girls in silk blouses, to the delights of beading and glamour in the thirties to short skirts and sexual liberation in the sixties.

    Kay Whitt of Serendipity Studio proves all you need to re-make your wardrobe are a few key things: great fabric; easy-to-make patterns; a handful of simple skills; and your own personal sense of style! Included in the book are tissue pattern inserts for the skirt; tunic/dress; and jacket-each with six variations detailed in the book for a total of eighteen new projects and looks to try. Kay provides master instructions for each basic garment and individual instruction for each unique look. Plus this book includes handy 'Tools of the Trade' and 'Sewing Techniques' sections for a quick overview of everything you'll need to make the clothes shown in the book. Full color photos of each finished project accompany each set of instructions. Author: Kay Whitt. Spiral-Bound Hardcover: 159 pages. Imported.

    Ideal for those with some sewing experience looking to break away from the restrictions of traditional patterns, this guide offers the details for both hand and machine appliqué techniques, as well as a history of appliqué and how it was rediscovered in the fiber arts. Featured are 20 modern, stylish sewing projects ranging from aprons, skirts, pillows, and totes to a duvet cover, wall clock, blouse, baby quilt, and scarf. With step-by-step instructions, color photographs, and comprehensive how-to embroidery instructions, this is an all-in-one resource and guide.