A new, larger format edition of the Royal School of Needlework's classic reference work on beadwork embroidery. Shelley Cox presents an expert guide to all aspects of bead embroidery, including information on counted thread beadwork, bead embroidery, beaded surface embroidery, and fringing. Here you will find stitches and technique for every sort of needlework that involves beads. Decorative effects are explored too, making this a fantastic source book and an invaluable reference for beadwork. The Royal School of Needlework (RSN) teaches hand embroidery to the highest standard and is well respected all over the world. It not only upholds the traditions of English embroidery that go back many hundreds of years, but is constantly taking embroidery forwards in new and innovative ways. This series of Essential Stitch Guides has been produced in close collaboration with the RSN with the aim of providing a set of definitive works on traditional embroidery techniques. All of the authors were chosen by the RSN and all are graduate apprentices of the Royal School.

This new edition covers all the standards, procedures, and ethics of appraising gems, jewelry, and other valuables. Each step involved in conducting an appraisal is fully explained, with photos, case studies, key documents, worksheets and pricing data included. Registered Master Valuer Anna M Miller gives professional guidance and step-by-step instructions on how to: Build a clientele; Set fees; Get publicity; Handle insurance replacement claims; Photograph gems and jewellery; Research and write reports; Test metals; Research provenance; Master the different approaches to valuation; Use price guides; Understand legal and ethical aspects of appraising. This resource offers all the information that practising or aspiring appraisal professionals will need to establish an appraisal business, handle various kinds of appraisals, and provide an accurate, verifiable estimate of value.

This comprehensive and ambitious workshop reference book for jewelers brings together a vast range of skills, techniques and technical data in one volume, providing an essential one-stop look-it-up resource for both students and professionals. The focus is on detailed explanation - with clear step-bystep photography used extensively - which means that while this book contains the expert techniques aimed squarely at professional jewelers, it is also accessible to students of any level seeking an authoritative and comprehensive bible of their craft.

This book features 25 handcrafted projects shown in 280 step-by-step photographs. Features: the centuries-old craft of decoupage celebrated in exciting designs and practical projects; complete step-by-step instructions for 25 original projects, from a simple album cover for your photographs to a bright and cheerful kitchen table; an inspirational gallery features classic and innovative examples of decoupage from contemporary artists; a comprehensive guide to the art of decoupage, from cutting intricate paper scraps to applying crackle glaze and sealing the finish with varnish; the definitive modern approach to a traditional craft; and useful advice on preparing surfaces, applying adhesives and enhancing decoupage with decorative backgrounds. The art of applying paper-cuts to a background is a versatile and accessible craft. All you need is a pair of scissors, cut-out pictures, adhesive and a clean background surface. The principles of decoupage are easy to master, and this inspiring new book gives practical advice on all the basic techniques. An introduction details all the materials you will need to produce your own decoupage projects. There are 25 varied and exciting projects to create, including beautiful and functional objects as diverse as a painted chest of drawers decorated with a zebra design, an elegant gilded mirror frame and a headboard for a child's bed. There are traditional designs such as a simple bead tie-back for a stylish curtain, a wastebasket and a Victorian scrap table. Contemporary treatments include a bathroom cabinet with a nautilus design, and a bright kitchen table. With innovative ideas in many styles, this book is both a visual sourcebook and a practical reference guide to a classic craft.

In 1929, wicker furniture reached its peak of popularity, not surpassed until today's widespread enthusiasm for antique and modern styles. This is the largest catalog of the pre-eminent wicker and wood furniture manufacturer, Heywood-Wakefield Company. Heywood-Wakefield Co. furnished countless American homes with household and outdoor furniture, particularly chairs, for over a century. This book presents 925 examples of Heywood-Wakerfield Co. furniture in one volume, including chairs, sofas, beds, tables, bird cages, planters, desks, wardrobes, suites, and children's furniture. Collectors, dealers, historians and auctioneers will welcome this definitive source of the furniture styles, names, and fabrics as depicted here in their original presentation.

In contrast to much current scholarship on women and material culture which focuses primarily on women as consumers, this essay collection provides case studies of women who produced material objects. The essays collected here make an original contribution to material culture studies by focusing on women's social practices in relation to material culture. The essays as a whole are concerned with women's complex and active engagement with material culture in the various stages of the material object's life cycle, from design and production to consumption, use, and redeployment. Also, theorized and described are the ways in which women engaged in meaning making, identity formation, and commemoration through their manipulation of materials and techniques, ranging from taxidermy and shell work to collecting autographs and making scrapbooks. This volume takes as its object of investigation the overlooked and often despised categories of women's decorative and craft activities as sites of important cultural and social work. This volume is interdisciplinary with essays by art historians, social historians, literary critics, rhetoricians, and museum curators. The scope of the volume is international with essays on eighteenth-century German silhouettes, Australian aboriginal ritual practices, Brittany mourning rites, and Soviet-era recipes that provide a comparative framework for the majority of essays which focus on British and North American women who lived and worked in the long nineteenth century. This volume will appeal to a broad range of students and scholars in women's history, art history, cultural studies, museum studies, anthropology, cultural and social history, literature, rhetoric, and material culture studies.

From one-of-a-kind, hand-made fashions, accessories, and jewelry to commercially made, highly decorative items, wearable art has become an important category for collectors of vintage costume and unique contemporary fashions. This book, with its 575 color photographs, showcases stunning examples of vintage and contemporary wearable art accessories, including close-up shots detailing the intricacy of handiwork involved for the items, a glossary, bibliography, and value guide. An exquisite assemblage of hats, handbags, scarves, shoes, and jewelry present this compelling topic at its best. From Art Deco enameled mesh to Judith Leiber jeweled handbags, antique African trade beads to Femo, the examples shown are not necessarily museum art, but are real wearable creations from the antique to the present. It is sure to delight and intrigue anyone interested in fashion, art, and the unusual and beautiful.

Once again Tom Wolfe brings his artistry, skill, and wit to the mythic figures of bygone days: The Wild West. Taken separately, the cowboy, gambler, bartender, sheriff, and soiled dove offer interesting challenges to the carver. Together they make an enchanting scene, interacting with each other and almost magically taking on a life of their own. Fully illustrated, step-by-step instructions from the blank to the painted figure.

The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection celebrates some of the most beautiful objects ever made, many in precious materials, and often on a small scale. Focussing on 50 exquisite works from the collection, this beautiful little book showcases the decorative art of creating small-scale carvings, snuffboxes, inlay pictorial illusions, and more, in cut-and-polished natural stones, often incorporating the widely known technique of pietre dure. Demonstrating remarkable skill and ingenuity, many of the works were commissioned by the powerful Medici family and royal families across Europe as symbols of their power and prestige. With detailed photography and extended captions the books explores the fascinating interplay of craftsmanship with the natural beauty of stones such as amethyst, lapis lazuli and jasper.

By what means did so much beauty and ingenuity appears in articles of everyday rural life in Portugal? How did the shape of these objects balance necessity and formal perfection so skillfully? This book explores the effect that generations of trial and error, individual craftsmanship, and an instinct to carve out the essential with the slenderest of means brought to objects that made life both livable and meaningful to a pre-industrial society. The objects photographed and described by designer Jasper Morrison may be appreciated both for their beauty and for the example they set of design at its purest.

Following the tremendous success of his first book, Tom Wolfe now offers his most popular wood-carving with step-by-step instructions. Tom attributes the popularity of his Pig Pickin' carving to nostalgia. This work harkens people back to a simpler time, when the hog harvest was a community event. Everyone shared in the festivities...and the food. Tom makes the directions clear and each step is illustrated with a photograph. Because the book starts with the bandsawing of the pattern and continues through the painting, even a novice should be able to complete the project. At the same time, the seasoned carver will benefit from Tom's technique and expertise, and everyone will enjoy Tom's anecdotes about country life.

Artist Linda MacNeil's outstanding works in contemporary jewelry are shown in exquisite detail. Nearly 200 pendants, neck collars, and necklaces are shown, along with matching earrings in an exquisite exploration of MacNeil's celebrated works in hand-fashioned glass gems and metalwork. An essay by Suzanne Ramljak, curator, art historian, and editor of Metalsmith magazine, summarizes the artist's career and contributions to the worlds of jewelry design and glass art. A foreword by Helen W. Drutt English, art historian, collector, and gallery owner, introduces readers to MacNeil's role in the current craft movement. Portraits of owner-patrons of MacNeil's work model pieces they own, illustrating the important marriage between wearer and the art object. This book is a tribute to the artist, and an inspiring portfolio for collectors and designers.

The focus of this book is on functional seating, and the key argument presented is that functional seating needs to assist the person using it for the performance of seated tasks, enhance rather than detract from the person's posture and health, and it needs to provide aesthetic features that do not limit task or health. The book spans the period 3000BC to 2000AD and presents largely Western seating. This book is unique in its approach to seating because it draws together evidence that relates to seating that facilitates health and task while also addressing aesthetic factors. This evidence creates an understanding of how seats may be designed to not only promote bodily health but also allow functional optimisation of sitting and seating. This book is important to furniture and industrial designers, interior decorators, architects, those teaching seat design, health professionals attending and educating those who relax or work in the seated position, furniture historians, and members of the general public interested in the history of seating.

"The Artist Blacksmith" is the essential handbook for anyone interested in bringing a creative, contemporary approach to this ancient craft, and for those already hooked who want to improve and expand their skills. Topics covered include the range and use of tools and materials; fundamental blacksmithing processes; working at the anvil; drawing down, bending, upsetting, and spreading; hot cutting; punching; and finally, twisting and joining. Illustrated with over 200 diagrams and photographs, "The Artist Blacksmith" will provide an introduction to the beginner and valuable information for the more experienced smith looking to expand their workshop.

A moving and inspirational memoir from the beloved maverick carpenter on HGTV's smash hit Fixer Upper that shows how to turn your hobbies and craft into a career and celebrates the power of meaningful work. Now known to the countless fans of Fixer Upper as Chip and Joanna Gaines's go-to table maker and acclaimed artisan, Clint Harp hasn't always lived the DIY dream we see on the show. Ten years ago, he was dutifully working at a sales job that, while it provided security for his family, did nothing to help him achieve his unfulfilled dreams of building furniture. With the support of his wife, the encouragement of a mentor, and a life full of lessons, he finally took the leap, quitting his job and setting out on the quest to become a carpenter. Without formal training, financing, workspace, or customers, the Harps were quickly on the edge of financial collapse. Then Clint met Chip Gaines at a gas station--a chance encounter that marked the next chapter on a wild ride Clint could never have imagined possible. Spanning Clint's remarkable journey--from a childhood learning carpentry and hard work at his grandfather's knee, through his struggles to balance pursuing his dreams with supporting his family, to his partnership with Chip and Joanna Gaines and the many adventures and misadventures of filming Fixer Upper--Handcrafted is part memoir and part manual for dreamers of all backgrounds. "From the floor of his first shop to the foundations of Habitat for Humanity houses, to building furniture for the world to see, Clint Harp is living a handcrafted life" (President Jimmy Carter).

Break the rules, embrace imperfection, and express your unique self through lettering art! This book is for anyone who's felt the pressure of perfection. As a schoolgirl in Vietnam and later in online lettering classes, Huyen Dinh was always told to perfect her penmanship. Instead, she started embracing her own imperfect style-with squiggly lines, cheeky messages, and candy colors. In this upbeat guidebook, Dinh walks you through the basic rules of lettering and then teaches you how to break them in clever and creative ways. She shares challenges and triumphs from her own artistic journey and offers inspiration as well as technical tips. You can use your new lettering skills to tell your personal story, support a cause you care about, or decorate your tote bags and sneakers! Fully illustrated in Dinh's signature pastel palette, this book is the perfect companion for any aspiring creative.

Jewelry is art that can be worn, and crafters who make jewelry like to personalize pieces to wear themselves or give as gifts. But many crafters are scared away by intimidating techniques or new materials, or they just don't have the time to devote to intricate designs. With The Big Book of Jewelry Making, crafters will learn that making your own jewelry doesn't need to involved complicated techniques, expensive tools, or a lot of time. The 75 fun and simple projects curated here all can be completed in just a few steps, and each features clear instructions and step-by-step photographs and illustrations to ensure you achieve perfect results no matter what your experience in jewelry making. Every crafter will find something to inspire thanks to the dazzling collection of earrings, bracelets, necklaces, rings, and more that are fashioned using beading, wirework, or polymer clay. Once you are confident in your skills, you can easily customize or adapt any of these projects into countless variations to showcase your own unique style.

Eileen Dubrow has exhaustively combined all original catalog material from major American furniture manufacturers of the 1880s and 90s. This period was American's hey day of growth, and its furniture is the fastest growing field of collecting today. This book will enable the reader to identify makers and give ideas of other pieces available. This book presents a fascinating study showing hundreds of examples covering furniture for the dining room, parlour, library, bedroom (brass beds), and office (a tremendous number of variations of roll top desks), including rattan and children's furniture. These pieces are still available in the market place at reasonable prices and are superbly crafted. This book contains a price reference guide.

For some time in the distant past, hand-lettering used to be a highly-regarded skill to master and was ubiquitous via publications and public signages. Although society relies heavily on keyboards and screens for communication today, a growing number of creative practitioners have been busy reviving the seemingly-lost art in recent years, in a bid to return the sincerity and warmth of the human touch to our predominantly digital lives. Brimming with character, hand-lettering serves as the bridge between old-school calligraphy and modern typography to bring nuance back into an age of uniformity. Rereleased in conjunction with Victionary's 20th anniversary, the 2021 boxset edition of 'Handstyle Lettering' comes with a beginner-friendly calligraphy pen-and-nib set crafted by renowned British companies Manuscript and D. Leonardt & Co. which--coupled with new projects, interviews, and an expanded step-by-step guide--serves to help aspiring creatives kickstart their hand-lettering journey.

Just as macrame homeware has been given a contemporary, stylish makeover in recent years, here, Isabella Strambio does the same with jewellery. Ideal for beginners, this book contains 20 contemporary jewellery and accessory projects, including necklaces, earrings, bracelets and headbands. Isabella is committed to working with sustainable materials, to ensure that these items can make you feel good, as well as look good. She gives advice on sizing and resizing the pieces to suit, and attaching jewellery findings, fastenings, beads and so on. As well as providing 20 wonderful designs, the book also covers the knots that are needed, making it ideal for beginners or people who are keen to give the craft a try and create some truly unique, truly sustainable jewellery pieces.

Quillwork began in Europe around the 13th century as a paper imitation of gold and silver filigree work. In this vintage book, originally published in 1975, Janet and Alex D Amato have evolved traditional quilling into a delightful and whimsical craft. They show you how to make quillwork jewelry, wall-hangings, Christmas ornaments, gift wrap decorations even quilled Valentines, place cards, mobiles and paperweights. The materials are so inexpensive and the techniques so simple, that quillwork is truly a craft for all ages and budgets. Line drawings and photographs throughout the book provide inspiration and clarification."

Antique wicker furnishings are greatly cherished by collectors today. Here hundreds of charming pieces made of cane, rattan, reed, rush, and willow that are displayed in full-color photographs from private collections. Trace the evolution of wicker furniture design from 1870 to 1930, the heyday of its popularity. Learn about preeminent manufacturers of the period such as Dryad Works, Bielecky Brothers, Heywood Brothers and Wakefield Rattan Company, and Lloyd Manufacturing Company, all carefully documented with pertinent examples of their work. A useful discussion of care and restoration of antique pieces is included. A wide variety of wicker furniture styles are highlighted, from ornate Victorian to Art Deco. The chairs, rockers, tables, baby carriages, sofas, loveseats, desks, and ferneries that you've seen tucked in grandmother's attic or prominently displayed at the local antique store are very valuable. Take a stroll through the decades when wicker furniture was a staple inside and outside homes all across the world. And take this book along when shopping for wicker--an up-to-date price guide will help you with your buying and selling decisions.