Go for a swim with the mermaids and nymphs, go Nessie-spotting and dragon hunting and follow the fairies and unicorns on a walk through the forest. And there’s much more waiting for you at the end of the rainbow! Beginners as well as advanced crocheters can conjure up these adorable fantasy creatures with a flick of their hooks. All patterns are accompanied by easy-to-follow instructions as well as explanations of all stitches used, and are easily customizable, so it’s a small step to imagine your very own fantasy amigurumi!

    550+ photos.

    That is creativity," say award-winning craftsmen Beiderman and Johnston in this well-organized and highly instructive guidebook that tells you everything you need to know to create attractive woodcarvings.Especially written for the novice, it shows how to produce realistic animals, flowers, and humorous figures in a variety of forms: in the round, in relief, and as line carvings. A wide spectrum of more than 60 project patterns offers practical plans and ideas for carvers at all levels of expertise.The authors provide a detailed yet easy-to-follow introduction to carving tools and how to use them. There are also helpful hints to guide beginning carvers through difficult stages of carving, and expert advice on painting and finishing, woodcarving as gifts, how to exhibit and enter carvings in competition, and much more. You'll even find a whole chapter devoted to carving birds.Abundantly illustrated with over 200 photographs and detailed line drawings, this first paperback edition of The Beginner's Handbook of Woodcarving will be welcomed by any would-be woodcarver seeking a thorough, reliable, and crystal-clear introduction to the age-old art of carving wood.

    This art form has been developed by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. What I love most about this art form is that all the patterns are based on simple lines, circles and shapes. Anyone can do it. The beauty of Zentangle lies in the way these patterns evolve from their simple building blocks. Different patterns are put together to create small ‘tiles’ or square drawings. Zentangle art has been used by artists from all over the globe and from all art fields. They have incorporated Zentangle art into everything from mixed media, paper crafting, scrap booking to home décor projects. A simple search on Google images will reveal the vast world of Zentangle art! Zentangle art has also been used by kids all over the world to have fun and make paper toys. With this book Zentangle art can now be used by you to rest, relax, create and make art! This book is perfect for the beginner as well as the experienced tangler. We will go through the list of tools needed, basic tangles created by Rick and Maria, Zentangle Inspired Projects, creating new tangles and lots of worksheets for you to play with and have fun. So left brained or right brained, artist or scientist, child or adult join us in this wonderful journey as we discover and create awesome doodles and tangles. This book will take you from the tools needed to start your Zentangle art experience to creating some beautiful Zentangle Inspired Art pieces that will range from mixed media to home décor crafts. Let’s take a brief look at all we will cover in this book. We will discuss paper, pencils, tiles and log books to store patterns. Once we have all the basics in place we will move on to basic tangle patterns. These tangle patterns have either all been developed by the founders of Zentangle, Rick and Maria or are part of the list of official tangles. They are a great place to start your tangling adventure. Tangles can also be enhanced in several different ways. We will talk about four of these methods and share some examples. Next up we will add some color to the black and white world of Zentangle Art and stir things up a bit. We will go through several different ways in which color can be incorporated in your tangled art. Then we come to the art creation section of the book! In Chapter 5 I will share lots of worksheets for exercises and projects you can do yourself whenever you want. The worksheets come as an easy download and you can print as many as you want to use for yourself or share with family and friends when you introduce them to tangling. These worksheets come as a separate pdf which is available for FREE download for all readers. In Chapter 6 I will outline and give instructions for several applications of Zentangle art in the popular art and craft forms today. We will talk about mixed media art dolls, home décor items, book making, art journaling, card making, paper quilts, Artist Trading Cards and paper crafting. To finish up I will share with you a few of the tangles I have come up with and will show you how to create your own!

    In this book, you'll discover the secrets of minimalist design-how to find beauty in the basic elements of your environment. These projects deliver exciting, vivid results with solid color fabrics. City Quilts was named one of the Best Books of 2010 in the Fiber Crafts Category by Library Journal, and is a finalist in the 2010 Foreword Book of the Year Awards."

    Sew modern quilts for everyday use that will help you return to the roots of quiltmaking, with projects designed to help you use up every last scrap. Learn sorting and storage tips to help you plan your next quilt, with projects categorized by type of scrap--squares, strings, triangles, or little snippets. You'll never look at scraps the same way again!

    The three twenty-something co-owners of Stitch Lounge, an urban sewing studio in San Francisco, teach you, in plain, fun language, how to do it, whether you're hand sewing, machine sewing, or, in a few cases, simply wielding a pair of scissors.The first three chapters lay the ground work: Hand Sewing Basics, You and Your Machine, and Gearing Up, which includes Fabric 101, how to set up a sewing space, and a run-through first project on the sewing machine. Then the fun begins with Embellishing and Customizing projects, including adorning your pant legs with ribboning, turning a computer-scanned image into an iron-on that you can apply to a t-shirt or skirt, taking in a skirt, or untapering a pair of pants (the authors believe tapered pants are the devil's work). Then move onto Refashioning: The Next Life of Your Old Clothes and turn a t-shirt into a skirt, a sweater into a halter top or legwarmers, or a pair of pants into a hip belt. There are 22 projects in all, some of which only require an iron and/or pair of scissors, while others can be sewn by hand, for those readers who haven't yet made the sewing machine plunge.

    King of the whittlers.' Sunday Telegraph Barn The Spoon, as he’s affectionately known is a rare master craftsman in the art of spoon carving. In this book he generously shares his extraordinary skill, gentle philosophy and his life’s work – designing and carving beautiful spoons that are both a joy to use and hold.The simple, ordinary spoon is part of our everyday lives, intimately entwined with the acts of eating and socialising, from stirring our first cup of coffee to scraping the last bit of pudding from the bowl. And who doesn't like to spoon in bed? Barn’s spoons will take you on a journey into the new wood culture, from understanding the relationship between wood, the raw material and its majestic origins in our trees and woodland, to the workshop and the axe block, and into your own kitchen. Barn will show you how to use the axe and knife, from how they should feel in your hand to honing the perfect edge when carving your own spoons. Featuring sixteen unique designs in the four main categories of spoon – eating, serving, cooking and measuring spoons, Barn takes you through the nuances of their making, how each design is informed by its function at the table or in the kitchen, and the key skills you will learn – such as creating octagonal handles, manipulating grain patterns and mastering bent branches. Beautiful photography will inspire and act as a blue-print to help perfect your technique.

    Find information fast in this convenient pocket-size reference guide. Easy-to-follow Charts, Tables & Illustrations. Yardage requirements. Cutting instructions. Setting Secrets. Choosing Supplies. Piecing Techniques. Number Conversions & More.

    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.

    This book shows novice and expert quilters alike new ways of planning, designing, and constructing contemporary quilts. The Modern Quilt Workshop takes you through every step of making a quilt, encouraging you and challenging you along the way. YouÆll learn basic principles of quilt design, as well as new technical skills that will make your quilts more beautiful, more durable, and more fun to make.Never before published, these breathtaking patterns were created to help you learn specific design and technical skills. Want to learn how to piece circles flawlessly? Need to fine-tune your color choices? Confused about how to choose quilting patterns? Follow the step-by-step diagrams and youÆll be mastering new design concepts and innovative techniques with each new project.Each of the 15 quilt projects shows the level of difficulty, lists the skills youÆll learn, and shows how each quilt might look in different color combinations.Design tips in each chapter teach you what to look for in fabrics, or options for how to quilt the quilt.Measurements and yardage requirements are provided for 4 sizes, from baby quilts to bed quilts.Cutting templates, and tips for using them, are included.A thorough section on quilt construction and assembly helps even the first-time quilter learn the basics of cutting, piecing, aligning seams, thread color selection, choosing batting, quilting, and binding. Beginning quilters will love the simple, yet sophisticated, patterns that can turn a pile of cotton fabric into a work of art. Advanced quilters will hone technical and design skills, as well as master new techniques, such as improvisational piecing and working with sophisticated color palettes.Whether you wish to create a treasured family heirloom or a beautiful gift for a friend, these unique patterns will inspire you to try something new.

    With more than 250 projects of many different types and levels of difficulty, this bestselling, encyclopedic work contains traditional and modern paper-folding methods, and includes folds for the beginner and works calculated to challenge the experts.

    In this charming collection, acclaimed toymaker and popular blogger Hillary Lang presents a captivating gang of 24 huggable, lovable creatures to sew—from classics like Margot, a topsy-turvy doll, and the button-jointed teddy bear Bjorn Bjornson, to irresistible Evelyn, a wool felt inchworm decked out in mod glasses and a kerchief, and Koji, a fiercely cute spiked softie monster. There’s something for everyone here—from kids to grown-ups and from beginning sewers to advanced dollmakers. Each pattern includes clear illustrations and pattern templates to ensure perfect results.

    Divided into three sections (Vintage Feminine, Rustic Weekend, and Winter Harbor), Vintage Modern Knits features pieces with tailored lines, close fit, and easy-to-wear, stylish classics. Projects range from quick accessories to garments in a variety of knitting techniques. Packed with perfect weekend wear, Vintage Modern Knits puts a contemporary twist on classic knits you’ll love wearing!

    Beginners can join in the sudsy fun with detailed tutorials and step-by-step photographs for making traditional cold-process soap and the more modern hot-process method with a slow cooker. Jan presents 50 easy, unique soap recipes with ingredients and scents inspired by the herb garden, veggie garden, farm, forest and more. Sample soap recipes you won’t want to miss are Lavender Milk Bath Bars, Sweet Honey & Shea Layers Soap, Creamy Avocado Soap, Citrus Breeze Brine Bars, Mountain Man Beard & Body Bars and Classic Cedarwood & Coconut Milk Shave Soap. Featured resources are Jan’s handy guides to common soapmaking essential oils and their properties, oil and milk infusions with healing herbs and easy decoration techniques. The book also contains Jan’s highly anticipated natural colorants gallery showcasing more than 50 soaps that span the rainbow. Soap crafters of all levels will enjoy referencing this book for years to come. All recipes are sustainably palm-free!