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!'

    Close your curtains Throw away your summery linens Forget about those white eyelet pillow covers And for Goth's sake, buy some black lights Voltaire is here to help you with your home decorating dilemmas, guide you through the hardware stores and decorating centers (which are so difficult for Goths to navigate), and lay it all out on the line about which shade of black goes with which shade of black. Who knows? One day soon he might have his own decorating line at a discount store. In this world of pastels and plaids, it's so hard for Goths to find anything aesthetically appealing. You go in search of Edward Gorey and wind up with an eyeful of Eddie Bauer. With Voltaire's Paint It Black you can turn the unbearably mundane into the delightfully macabre with little more than a touch of creativity and a can of black spray paint.

    This much anticipated sequel to "Totally Tangled" is just as tangled! Inside, the pages are jam-packed with Zentangle ideas, tips, projects and 60 new tangles.  Zentangle is the perfect exercise to keep that big muscle inside your skull flexible.

    Finally, in Design-It-Yourself Clothes, former Urban Outfitters designer Cal Patch brings her youthful aesthetic to a how-to book. If you want to wear something you can’t find on store racks and make clothes that express your individual style, or if you’ve reached a sewing plateau and want to add pattern drafting to your repertoire, Design-It-Yourself Clothes is the book you have been waiting for.In five key projects (each with four variations)–a perfect-fitting dress, T-shirt, button-down shirt, A-line skirt, and pants–Patch shares the art of patternmaking. At its core, it’s much simpler than you think. Patch covers everything an intermediate sewer needs to know in order to become a fabulous fashion designer, from designing the patterns, taking your own measurements, and choosing fabrics to actually sewing the clothing. You will also learn how to stylize patterns by using darts, waistbands, patch pockets, and ruffles. Patch offers tips, explanations, options, and exercises throughout that will make the design process that much easier. But besides showing you how to create clothing from scratch, she also teaches you how to rub off patterns from existing clothing–so if you have a pair of pants that you love but are worn out, or you have your eye on a piece in the store with a prohibitive price tag, you can figure out how to get the looks you want by using your own two hands.

    We spin fantasies. We devour novels, films, and plays. Even sporting events and criminal trials unfold as narratives. Yet the world of story has long remained an undiscovered and unmapped country. It’s easy to say that humans are “wired” for story, but why?In this delightful and original book, Jonathan Gottschall offers the first unified theory of storytelling. He argues that stories help us navigate life’s complex social problems—just as flight simulators prepare pilots for difficult situations. Storytelling has evolved, like other behaviors, to ensure our survival.Drawing on the latest research in neuroscience, psychology, and evolutionary biology, Gottschall tells us what it means to be a storytelling animal. Did you know that the more absorbed you are in a story, the more it changes your behavior? That all children act out the same kinds of stories, whether they grow up in a slum or a suburb? That people who read more fiction are more empathetic?Of course, our story instinct has a darker side. It makes us vulnerable to conspiracy theories, advertisements, and narratives about ourselves that are more “truthy” than true. National myths can also be terribly dangerous: Hitler’s ambitions were partly fueled by a story.But as Gottschall shows in this remarkable book, stories can also change the world for the better. Most successful stories are moral—they teach us how to live, whether explicitly or implicitly, and bind us together around common values. We know we are master shapers of story. The Storytelling Animal finally reveals how stories shape us.

    Traveling across continents, she met quilters and potters, weavers and painters, metalsmiths, printmakers, woodworkers, and more, and uncovered truths that have been speaking to us for millennia yet feel urgently relevant today: We make in order to slow down. To connect with others. To express ideas and emotions, feel competent, create something tangible and long-lasting. And to feed the soul. In revealing stories and gorgeous original photographs, Making a Life captures all the joy of making and the power it has to give our lives authenticity and meaning.

    In Venetian glassmaking, slender rods of molten glass are shaped, then cut to reveal amazingly detailed patterns: flowers, geometric shapes, dancing colors. These slices are called millefiori, “thousand flowers,” because they form a carpet of flowers when placed side by side. Now celebrity author Donna Kato shows crafters exactly how to re-create these intricate, fascinating designs in polymer clay. The Art of Polymer Clay Millefiori Techniques reveals the entire process: how to work with the polymer clay, the basics of planning and creating a cane, and using color effectively. Dozens of canes, from simple to simply stunning, are included, and everything is clearly explained and illustrated with full-color photos, the Donna Kato way. Throughout the book, examples of stunning work by such millefiori artists as Kathy Amt, Pier Voulkos, and Kathleen Dustin provide inspiration. There must be a thousand ways to make beautiful millefiori . . . explore them all in The Art of Polymer Clay Millefiori Techniques.

    The projects produce high-impact quilts made with simple cutting and construction, therefore no fussy cutting or Y-seams are required.

    Immerse yourself in the sumptuous world of Jelly Rolls with 17 exciting quilting projectsTurn gorgeous Jelly Rolls into fabulous quilts, each of which can be made from just one roll.Features unique advice on making the most of this fresh approach to fabric, as well as tips on adapting the quilts to your existing stashes.Step-by-step instructions and easy-to-follow diagrams ensure that untying your beautifully rolled fabric will be the first step to quilting heaven!

    As a result, writers will dig deep within and explore their own values and worldviews in order to create an effective story. Writers will come away with an extremely precise set of tools to work with--specific, useful techniques to make the audience care about their characters, and that make their characters grow in meaningful ways. They will construct a surprising plot that is unique to their particular concept, and they will learn how to express a moral vision that can genuinely move an audience.The foundations of story that Truby lays out are so fundamental they are applicable--and essential--to all writers, from novelists and short-story writers to journalists, memoirists, and writers of narrative non-fiction.

    If you're short of time or need a quick gift for a birthday, keep this eBook handy - it's sure to become a lifesaver when you're in a pinch. Be sure to stock up on Lion Brand Imagine Yarn so you're always prepared to make a quick craft.Believe it or not, Lion Brand Imagine Yarn can be the sole supply for a bunch of creative projects. For instance, you can create a scarf by simply unwinding the yarn and creating a series of knots. These crafts to do with yarn are as varied as they are intricate. In this free eBook, you'll find delicate jewelry crafts, winter wearables and even a plant hanger. Decorate your home and accessorize your wardrobe, all you need is Lion Brand Imagine Yarn. Make gifts for friends and family members or create something you can keep - it's up to you. Either way, you won't get bored with this vast assortment of crafts with yarn.

    Other projects include home–computer face–lifts, Xerox wallpaper, aluminium lighting fixtures, and cosy shoe–storage systems. In additional to Todd's brilliantly engineered projects, the book comes complete with a tutorial on modern home design in the form of sidebars and short essays throughout –everything from that now–famous Eames chair to the case–study houses of the 1950s.Handmade Modern promises to revolutionise the way the reader looks at his or her own home and capacity to beautify a space. Chic, accessible, and fun, this is the achievable new look of modern home design.

    Until his writing, the intricate knots, interlacings, and spirals used in illuminating The Book of Kells and in decorating craftwork and jewelry seemed almost impossible, "the work of angels." In this pioneering work, George Bain shows how simple principles, no more difficult than those used in needlecraft, were used to create some of the finest artistic works ever seen. He also explains how you can use these principles in re-creating artifacts and in creating your own Celtic designs for art and craft work or even for recreational use.Step-by-step procedures carefully introduce the simple rules and methods of Celtic knot work and the well-known designs from the great manuscripts and stone work. Later chapters build up to complex knot work, spiral work, and key pattern designs, with special coverage of alphabets and the stylized use of animals, humans, and plants. Altogether over 225 different patterns are presented for your use, with hundreds of modification suggestions, 110 historical and modern artifacts showing designs in use, a great number of letters including six complete alphabets and 25 decorative initials, and a number of animal and human figures used in the original Celtic works.Artists, students, craftspeople, even children can work with these patterns and instructions for creating dynamic designs for use in leather work, in embroidery and other needle work, in metalwork, jewelry making, card design, borders, panels, illuminations, and in countless other ways. Mathematicians will find a great deal of pleasure in the geometric principles on which the patterns are based. Art historians and others interested in studying Celtic art will find a great number of outstanding art works and the best presentation in English for understanding Celtic design.

    And most of them only take an afternoon! Whether it’s a casual carryall or a ritzy, patent leather clutch, the envy of your friends is only a few hours away. Why break the bank for a designer bag when you can easily make your own unique fashion statement? In Simply Sublime Bags, you’ll find 30 do-it-yourself, clever and affordable handbag projects—all of which require little to no sewing. With inventive methods of construction (like duct-taped reinforced interiors and iron fusing), these hip handbags, totes, and clutches have all the looks that bag-lovers want—the shine of patent leather, Chanel-style chain straps, or even funky logos—and each can be personalized to your own taste. The materials are easy to find in hardware, home, office supply, and fabric stores—sometimes even in your own closet!Bags include:• Charmed, I’m Sure—brightly colored vinyl makeup bags with vintage plastic charm zipper pulls• Keyhole Clutch—pink-and-white houndstooth fabric lined with duct tape, with keyhole cutouts for handles• Shower Curtain Tote—you guessed it, a funky fabric tote made from a shower curtain• Nights in Black Satin—an elegant evening clutch made from satin ribbon stapled together and adorned with a rhinestone earring claspDay to evening, totes to clutches, and everything in between, Simply Sublime Bags has something for every occasion. The results? Simply sublime!

    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.