Ultimate Crochet Bible is the ideal guide for anyone casting the first time, but is also the definitive reference for more experienced practitioners who just need to brush up on a technique. Filled with more than 400 images, it explains exactly how to create garments, jewelry, accessories, and more, from the basic chain stitch to finishing touches like a picot trim. Additional topics include creating texture, structure and shaping, color work, and embellishments.

     What if you could start your day out with an excited shout instead of a frustrated sigh? Unfortunately, selling handmade goods online is no longer as simple as throwing together a product listing and waiting for sales to roll in. There are now millions of people with handmade products and they are all eager to build a sustainable income. The Handmade Entrepreneur uses precise methods based on proven marketing techniques to set you above the competition. It teaches you how to create a genuine business you can count on rather than a bundle of shop pages and social media accounts built on a foundation of guesswork. What You Can Expect to Learn from This Book: • How to take DIY pictures that get clicks and sales • How to set up a shop that turns visitors into buyers in under two seconds • How to price your items • How to write titles and descriptions • How to brand your business with DIY techniques • How to rank your pages • How to find targeted audiences • How to build up your list of followers • Where to promote your listings • How to sell without selling • How to form relationships with people who can send you extra sales • How to start a "buzz" about your products • Which tools to incorporate into your business The goal of this book is to free you from having to rely on any third-party website for your sales. Yes, you can take advantage of platforms like Etsy, and you should, but websites come and go, and if all your sales come only from that website, you run into trouble every time there are algorithm changes, a saturation of sellers, or cheaper products to compete with. You are trying to generate sales, which means that you are trying to run a business, which in-turn means that you need a real business plan. Brick and motor stores don't just buy a bunch of goods, throw them in a building, and hope people will come. They plan, study their target market, pick a perfect store location, and prepare to market themselves. Just because you sell online does not mean that you can skip all of these steps. You have billions of products to compete with online and a crowd of shoppers who have an overwhelming number of options before them. You must prepare your storefront, get your products ready, know your audience, and then know how to market to them. Optimizing Your Shop for Sales Dani starts out showing you how to prepare your products with photos that attract clicks and sales. It doesn't just tell you how to do it, though. It SHOWS you. Thanks to the help of many carefully selected Etsy sellers, there are many example photos for each point. In addition to this, the author only shows you DIY photos to prove that you can do it all on your own. Next, Dani discusses how to optimize your shop. She goes through every aspect such as banners, profiles, descriptions, tags, and titles. You will learn how to optimize your pages so that people stay there instead of leaving instantly. This can be done by creating an inviting environment with images and content that buyers can skim through in under two seconds. If buyers can determine that your page is worth staying on in less than two seconds, you have won the battle. Finding Targeted Audiences and Marketing The issue with selling online is finding people who would be interested in your products.

    No matter what size or shape you are, wearing garments that fit perfectly makes you look and feel better. Rather than making commonly accepted changes to a commercial pattern, the method presented in this guide focuses on the way a test garment fits the body. The fabric is manipulated to improve the fit, and then those specific changes are made to the pattern. The result: patterns that fit perfectly!With The Complete Photo Guide to Perfect Fitting, you'll learn:The importance of a fitting axis and how to use it during a fittingHow to recognize fitting issues, such as drag lines and foldsHow to manipulate fabric to solve common and unusual fitting problemsHow to transfer the fitting changes to your pattern easilyBasic pattern-making skills to ensure accurate alterationsSee the fitting process from start to finish on basic garments, fitted on real people. Then follow fitting solutions on different body types. Hundreds of large color photos illustrate the techniques and concepts in simple step-by-step instructions. With these lessons, you will get the perfect fit for any body.

    Marie Boudon's beautifully presented creative course will give you a good grounding in this new-to-you medium and teach you all you need to know to get started with painting flowers in watercolor. Find out about paper, brushes and paints, color mixing, wet and dry techniques, blending and gradients, contrast and even how to digitize your work. Then learn to paint roses, peonies, carnations, dahlias, anemones, poppies, leaves, details and textures and how to bring all of these together into beautiful compositions which make lovely art pieces, journal pages, handmade stationery and greetings cards, inspirational quote frames, personalized gifts and more.

    

    EllynAnne’s enthusiasm for these textile artifacts dances across the pages as she muses on aprons in the kitchen; housework aprons; aprons worn by America’s waitresses, butchers, and maids; barbecue aprons; children’s aprons; holiday and dress-up aprons; and the sassy variety that are equal parts smooch and sizzle. She dishes on fabrics and adornments; aprons as custom gifts; and collecting, displaying and preserving aprons. She shares tidbits of advice and recipes, along with her favorite apron stories, gathered from apron wearers everywhere like ripe cherries in the lap of her own apron.The Apron Book is loaded with fabulous four-color photographs of the author’s vintage apron collection, plus the images of apron lovers past and present. You’ll also find four basic apron patterns—the waist apron, the bib apron, the smock apron, and a little girl’s apron—plus a host of variations for sewers of any skill level. As a bonus, the bib apron pattern is packaged separately and tucked inside the book!There is no other book like The Apron Book, which celebrates the humble yet lovely apron and the spirit of the men and women who once wore them, while providing the inspiration and tools to reinvent aprons for the here and now.According to EllynAnne, “Aprons don’t hold us back, they take us back “ — the very reason for the apron’s status as today’s hottest collectible.

    But when Natalie Chanin and her Alabama Chanin and The School of Making teams began to look at needlework closely, they realized all stitches are based on geometric grid systems—and by using grids as guides, they could make learning stitches, even seemingly elaborate ones, as easy as child’s play.   In The Geometry of Hand-Sewing Chanin presents their breakthrough method, featuring illustrated instructions (for both right- and left-handed stitchers) for more than 100 stitches—from the most basic straight and chain to the more fanciful feather and herringbone; photos of both right and wrong sides; and guidelines for modifying stitches to increase one’s repertoire further. To simplify learning, the book also includes two plastic stitching cards die-cut with the grids on which every stitch in the book is based. These reusable cards can be stitched through for practicing ( just as children use lacing cards to learn to tie shoes) or used as stencils for transferring grids to fabric.

    Each seasonal project, specially designed to promote health, creativity, relationships and more, provides gentle inspiration to live your best life. When Ishida was diagnosed with a chronic illness and lost her corporate job, she thought her life was over. But these challenges ended up being the best thing that ever happened to her because they forced her to take stock of her life and focus on the important things, and enabled her to rediscover sewing--her true passion.   Inspired to succeed at just one thing, Ishida vowed to sew all of her daughter's clothes (and most of her own) for one year. Sewing Happiness includes 20 projects plus variations (including Japanese-inspired home goods and children’s and women’s clothing) organized by season, and stitched together with Ishida’s charming personal story.

    You’ll cover all the basics, including precut options, standard quilt sizes and needle types. Plus, finish your quilt like a pro with yardage and cutting info for borders, backings, and bindings! Easy-to-use charts, tables, and illustrations are at your fingertips in this handy, spiral-bound guide that’s easy to take with you.

    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.

    Claire's illustrated, step-by-step instructions let you duplicate the design details made famous in expensive ready-to-wear. Plus, Claire's timesaving patternmaking and copying methods can be used to create one-of-a-kind, original garments.Only a few simple tools and patternmaking skills are needed to copy your favorite garments.

    Author Sato Watanabe has published many books that are favorites among Japanese sewing fans. In this book, she shows you how to make genuinely professional-quality pieces quickly and inexpensively at home. DIY Sewing designs include:Lace Shirred BlouseTiered Sleeveless DressZip-up Vest with High NeckFrilled Shirt in CharcoalFlannel Short CoatAnd much more…All of the styles and fashion are easily customized to create your personal style, and there is something for everyone and every occasion in this book—from a bright two-texture combo dress to a relaxed, bohemian tunic—and everything in-between. All the styles are thoroughly modern and practical, ranging from softly feminine or straight-line simple to smartly-tailored or loosely-deconstructed.Simple lines make these garments perfect for women of all ages and all sizes. This book includes a complete western-sized sewing pattern for each design that is easily adjusted to fit your body form. The understated, graceful designs in this book are ones that you'll come back to again and again.

    With simple step-by-step instructions that are accompanied by templates and pattern pieces, each project is designed to be completed in just a few hours. Get inspired and turn a yard of your favorite fabric into a quilted lunch bag, bright sundress, or a cuddly plush turtle.

    Filled with do-it-yourself projects, Steampunk Gear, Gadgets, and Gizmos: A Maker's Guide to Creating Modern Artifacts shows you how to build exquisite, ingenious contraptions on a budget.Learn from Lord Featherstone as he distills his wealth of hard-learned skills, describes how to use the readily available tools of the modern mad scientist, and expounds on the art and philosophy of scavenging unique components and raw materials. The perfect companion for the hobbyist and advanced machinist alike, this inventive volume will guide you through the creation of your very own infernal devices.Get steamed with these provocative projects: Aetheric ray deflector solid brass gogglesCalibrated indicator gaugesFerromagnetic self-scribing automated encyclopedia (or, the Steampunk book drive)High voltage electro-static cannon (or, the lamp gun)Tesla-pod chrono-static insulating field generator (or, the mobile device enclosure)Altitude mask with integrated respiratory augmentationArmoured pith helmetMark I superior replacement arm with integrated Gatling gun attachmentVisit the companion website, www.mhprofessional.com/steampunk, for videos, images, and more bonus content!Make Great Stuff!TAB, an imprint of McGraw-Hill Professional, is a leading publisher of DIY technology books for makers, hackers, and electronics hobbyists.

    You won’t find “home sweet home” here, but you will find “Can U Not” or “Don’t Be A Prick.” Renee Rominger, founder of Moonrise Whims, designs projects for a new generation. And whether you just started and need a solid foundation, or you’re an expert looking to enhance your art, Edgy Embroidery will teach you something new, fun and easy.Renee not only shows you how to conquer basic techniques, but also how to create more complex stitches like her unique Moonrise Roses. With pattern templates, detailed stitch tutorials and instructions on how to complete each design, every one of these 25 projects will be wall-worthy.This is definitely not your grandmother’s embroidery.