Long taken for granted as ordinary household objects, needlework tools are enjoying a new and richly deserved interest among collectors of all ages and both genders. Covering the simple to the sumptuous, this delightful book chronicles the history and diversity of needlework tools dating from ancient Egypt through the twentieth century. Nearly 500 color and black/white photographs beautifully illustrate tools such as needles, bodkins, pin cushions, thimbles, bobbins, clamps, hooks, shuttles, measuring tapes, waxers, winders, and more. In addition to the tools themselves, you will find the boxes and containers used to hold them--from slender needle cases and knitting sheaths to large, ornate sewing boxes. Both new and experienced collectors will enjoy learning about such interesting objects as sewing "toys" and compendiums, Nanny brooches, drizzling cases with their "unpicking" tools, and the nineteenth century sewing cases known as Ladies Companions. A highlight of the book is a special section featuring representative needlework tools from several outstanding international collections. Three appendices, values for the tools illustrated, a bibliography, and an index round out this captivating book.

This book shows you how to make twenty Christmas decorations including hanging tree decorations, a Christmas wreath, an advent calendar garland, free-standing felt ornaments, a Christmas cottage storage box and a bottle gift bag. The designs have a fresh, contemporary look that will appeal to a young audience and traditional crafters, and all the projects are suitable for beginners as well as more experienced sewers. The easy-to-make pieces use pre-bought felt, which are relatively cheap to buy and widely available in a huge range of colours. Includes step-by-step instructions, lists of the materials and tools needed, and a beautiful photograph of the finished piece. Templates are provided where required, and the basic techniques and stitches used are included at the start of the book.

Feast your eyes on these fascinating fabrics! Cherished by America's farmers for years, cloth feed sacks are part of America's rural history and are now entering the marketplace as hot collectibles. Over 500 color photographs illustrate fabulous patterns on beautiful feed, sugar, flour, potato, corn meal, salt, rice, and even bank and lead-shot bags. Also presented are examples of the aprons, tea towels, and bonnets commonly created from these pretty printed textiles. This colorful, entertaining, and useful book shares heartfelt reflections of life in the country and will appeal to quilters, crafters, and those with fond memories of farm life. Includes price guide and helpful hints on starting one's own feed sack collection.

Journey into a land of fairy tales as you paper piece 16 blocks, including unicorns, dragons, and more! Sew seven cute and useful projects like quilts, pillows, and a backpack.

Stitch yourself a merry little Christmas with What Delilah Did. With three themed collections: Merry and Bright, Stylish and Chic, and Classic and Cosy, you'll find something to suit whatever your holiday style. This thoroughly modern take on counted embroidery is all you need to create your perfect hand stitched Christmas. With a comprehenisve stitch directory, a variety of simple techniques and a selection of colourful bite-sized projects to entertain beginners and experienced stitchers alike, you will be hard pressed to stop yourself from making them all. Look out for Fair Isle-inspired Christmas Jumpers, a spectacularly stylish Polar Parade and a neon-infused Advent Tree that cannot fail to make this your merriest and brightest Christmas ever. So join Delilah in celebrating her favourite time of year with charts and instructions for 12 stitched decorations that are, quite simply, heirlooms in the making.

Painting with Wool is the introductory and must-have text for fiber artists and other crafters looking for a new and exciting art form to explore. Increasingly popular, Dani Ives's style of needle felting uses wool fibers and a felting needle to layer and "paint" embellishments for pieces that are bursting with texture and depth. Whether you want to decorate a tote or garment, or create frameable artwork, Painting with Wool is the guide to everything you need to know-including the tools required, the basic techniques, and how to get started. For fiber lovers who want to broaden their skills, needle felting is an easy, therapeutic form of self-expression that offers beautiful, unique results. Ives is a pioneer in this art form and a skilled instructor who makes learning this craft fun and approachable for all.

Renowned colour expert and quilt and fabric designer Kaffe Fassett explores flowers as a source of inspiration for patchwork and needlepoint in this new quilting guide and pattern collection. Along the way, he shares a behind-the-scenes look at his fascinating design process-from mood boards and "sketching" with colour swatches to planning and sewing the quilts. While the focus is on patchwork and needle point, the design and color ideas translate to many design disciplines and materials, including crafts, fiber arts, floral design and home decor. Accessible to all skill levels, the designs on each page will inspire you to see how much more colourful and alive your needlework, quilts and creative projects can be.

Learn to make beautiful punch needle hooked rugs with veteran instructor Amy Oxford. A complete "how to" photo essay walks you through every stage of rug making. Never dry, Oxford entertains as she teaches. A question and answer section, fascinating interviews with professional punch needle rug hookers, a look into the origins of the punch needle technique, and exciting photographs of work from some of the field's most innovative and inspired craftspeople make this book a must for any textile lover. A gallery of more than 140 rugs, pillows, chair pads, and stair runners shown in full color will inspire your original designs.

Following in the footsteps of the successful Beginner's Guide series, The Beginner's Guide to Upholstery takes readers gently by the hand and shows them the simple techniques they need to bring their love of fabric to upholstered items for the home. This is not a dry, highly technical professional upholstery manual, but a bright and accessible book that presents 10 simple projects using modern methods that are quick and easy to achieve. Readers are taken step-by-step through the process of how to upholster desirable pieces of furniture - using items found at antique markets, street sales and thrift stores that are designed-up and given a modern twist. Readers will learn about fabric choice and other materials, discover essential upholstery techniques and then embark on the projects. which include a simple stool, a vintage sewing box, a blanket box or ottoman, a fluted headboard, a Danish dining chair, a bedroom/nursing chair, a patchwork armchair and a mid-century design two-seater sofa, all guided by the author's expert instruction.

The incredible range of colours and versatility of beads, ribbons and silken threads make them irresistible materials for crafts, artists, jewellery makers and interior designers of all levels. This attractive book presents an inspirational guide to the art of working with beads, ribbons and threads, illustrating key techniques such as how to use a bead loom and a pin board for beadwork, a warping frame and skirt board for tassels, and ribbon weaving and embroidery methods to embellish your work. Presented in an easy-to-follow format, with techniques to suit all levels, this volume allows you to create exquisite decorations with confidence; it combines a fascinating history and guide to the crafts with the practical techniques needed to create traditional and contemporary items that both gorgeous and useful.

A collection of sewing projects for Christmas wreaths and garlands to make the festive period even more special. Celebrated author and pattern designer, Mandy Shaw, shares her favourite Christmas sewing projects with us and shows us how to make beautiful Christmas decorations to decorate your home at this special time of year. The projects feature Mandy's favourite seasonal motifs including snowmen, reindeer, holly, doves and candy canes. Mandy shows us how to use her super simple techniques to make 11 different garlands, wreaths and Christmas cones. These projects make the perfect presents for friends and family or treat yourself and make your own home extra special this Christmas!

So you've mastered the basics in shirtmaking and you are looking to create your own couture blouses, dress shirts, or jackets... Well, you are in luck then. David Page Coffin, author of "Shirtmaking," is back to help you through amazing custom patterns for men and women Inside you'll find a helpful guide explaining specific concepts, structures, and styles, such as: Dress (or Shaped) Shirt Block, Sport (or Unshaped) Shirt Block, Knit (or Stretch-to-Fit) Shirt Block, Folk (or Rectangular) Shirt Block, and Shirt-Jacket (or Over-Sized) Block. "The Shirtmaking Workbook" also includes lists for further reading, suppliers, and references to help make your custom shirtmaking easier. With these shirtmaking basics, you'll be creating hundreds of fashionable designs in no time

This beautiful, instructive book from The Great British Sewing Bee's Jenniffer Taylor shows you how to make and adapt your own clothes without the need for shop-bought patterns. Using Jenniffer's fun and imaginative ideas, this book will teach you how to get started transforming unloved items of clothing into new and exciting outfits; how to customise clothes with doilies, tassels, tie-dyeing and block printing; and finally how to measure yourself, create patterns and make clothes from scratch, including dresses, skirts, tops, trousers and a coat. The book is packed with all the tricks of the trade that Jenniffer has learned along her sewing journey, and it will get you started on your own #sewingrevolution!

This book takes the mystery out of the sewing machine, holding first-time stitchers by the hand and showing the easiest ways to get the most from their machine. In the climate of 'make do and mend', sales of sewing machines have soared, but many are only accompanied by a difficult-to-understand technical manual. Here, Jane Bolsover provides a comprehensive guide for beginners. Starting with an essential overview of the sewing machine, learn how to thread it and wind bobbins, why tension is important and which needles to choose. There's information on the basic sewing kit you will need, plus advice on which fabrics to choose and how to cut out. The chapters then build into a complete sewing course, and at the end of each chapter is a simple project to consolidate the skills you have just mastered. The projects include items for the home, including a cushion cover and a lampshade, stylish accessories, such as bags and scarves, plus great clothing basics, such as an A-line skirt and a simple shift dress. Also included at the back of the book are two full-size pull-out paper pattern sections.

Gertie Sews Vintage Casual is Gretchen Hirsch's follow-up to Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing. In the first book, Hirsch focused on dresses, skirts and eveningwear. But the mid-20th century was also an amazing time for sportswear-think wide-legged trousers, playful beach rompers, '50s style shorts, casual dresses, fitted capri pants and casual jackets and coats. Gertie Sews Vintage Casual is organised like her first book into two major sections-Techniques and Projects. In the first part, Hirsch focuses on techniques that are specific to sportswear, such as buttonholes, collars, interfacings, pockets for shirts, special considerations when working with knit fabrics and the intricacies of pant-making. The projects in the Part II are designed to work as a complete casual wardrobe.

Learn to make fairies and angels for any occasion and discover the joy of crafting with magic wool. Magic wool is warm, vibrant and perfect for making beautiful, magical fairies for seasonal nature tables, birthday celebrations, Christmas decorations and much more. This book includes step-by-step instructions, colour photographs and clear diagrams for more than 20 beautiful fairies. The projects range from simple yet effective ideas to more elaborate designs for experienced crafters!

Pick up a new craft and learn to create beautiful macrame homeware, wall hangings and gifts with the next book in this best-selling seriesIn recent years, macrame has gone from a nostalgic '70s trend to a mainstay in contemporary crafting, and no modern home is complete without a stylish knotted creation. This new book takes you back to complete basics, with clear step-by-step illustrations showing every knot you'll need in order to get started plus all the techniques, styles, tools and materials to take you from novice to pro. Once you've aced the essentials, move on to 20 clear, stylish and straightforward projects to practise the skills you've learned. By the end of the book, you will be able to macrame beautiful items to gift or keep, from a stunning wall hanging to a chic plant holder or a handy market bag. Projects include: Wall hangings Plant hangers Market bag Bunting

This inspirational book includes practical instruction for classic thread and wool crafts as well as related fabric crafts and needlecrafts. Full guidance is given on all the equipment and materials. Each basic technique is shown step-by-step, to ensure complete confidence and success. The prefect book for anyone new to needlecraft and a handy reference for experienced needle-workers.

Learn to make felt plants and flowers so rich with detail that they look freshly picked! Aimed at absolute beginners, the book starts with an overview of basic techniques and then progresses on to simple lessons for making flowers, plants, leaves and branches. Each lesson comes with a detailed reference photograph, easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions, and pattern. Felt flowers include magnolia, poppy ranunculus, rose and sunflower and learn to make projects such as a garland, decorative pillow, potted plant, Bohemian crown, terrarium, and more!

Making your own custom accessories is a great way to add colour, texture and comfort to your life-and can be fun too! Sew-It-Yourself Home Accessories offers 21 simple and beautiful projects to create with natural cotton. Using easy-to-learn sewing methods and bright, fresh fabrics, this book shows you how to make a range of useful items, from cushions, aprons and oven mitts to a laptop case, table linen and even a doorstop. Each project can be completed in just one weekend. Clear step-by-step instructions and colour photographs make the process straightforward and simple, even for absolute beginners. A basics section at the front of the book introduces you to all of the tools, materials and techniques you need to know.

The project designs reflect the clean lines and simple aesthetic of today's young sewing enthusiasts and include snazzy wearables, accessories, clothing for babies and children, and even home decor and furnishings. Most feature embellishments and decorative effects - simple touches that personalise a project with charm - and nearly all make use of appealing textural fabrics like jersey knits, linen, wool, and felt...even paper and vinyl! Blum and Immergut walk readers through the sewing basics, demystify the lost art of simple pattern-making, offer visual guides to stitches, and offer easy instructions for techniques such as applique, doodle-stitching, and layering of fabrics. Even the most time pressed readers will be able to stitch together modern, personalised, and beautiful projects...fuss-free and in a flash!

This is a delightful collection of more than 20 simple and stylish sewing projects for home and fashion. Now you can add new dimension and texture to your projects, even if you're just learning to sew. "Make it Sew Modern" is an exciting collection of more than 20 simple sewing ideas for current, fresh home decor and fashion patterns - including eye-catching quilts, pillows, scarves, purses, and an assortment of clever embellishments.

This contemporary craft book is packed with easy, affordable projects to help you make unique baby gifts with a French-chic twist. From simple cotton bibs, shorts and soft toys, to a basic cushion and straightforward knitted blanket, the projects are clearly explained and easy-to-follow. Other crafty step-by-steps include a hanging mobile, finger puppets, soft rattles and sensory toys. Whether you're expecting a baby and want to add a personal touch to their bedroom, or you'd like to make something special for your grandchild or friends' babies, Make, Stitch & Knit for Baby is the go-to book for creating handmade, stylish baby items. Each project is set out with easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions and range from curious beginner, to providing inspiration for the more experienced crafter.

Classic A-lines, sleeveless summer dresses, and party frocks-learn to sew eighteen-inch doll dresses for every occasion. This huge collection of over forty miniature dress designs includes twenty-eight complete patterns, plus thirteen bonus looks created from mix-and-match elements. Richly photographed, stylish dress projects are paired with sewing tutorials aimed at intermediate and advanced doll dressmakers. With princess seams, pretty pockets, and a variety of necklines, dressing up your doll has never been so much fun!