Vintage bags are the perfect way to bring a touch of feminine style and retro glamour to any outfit. Here are eight original projects inspired by the elegance and sophistication of styles from the 1920s to the 1950s. The bags are made from easily acquired materials using straightforward techniques and come in a range of beautiful shapes. All the projects can be created from small amounts of fabric. Projects include: 1920s asymmetric clutch; 1920s Art Deco-inspired pocket bag; 1930s tie-handle bag; 1940s crescent bag; and 1950s flower handbag.

From the elegant bias-cut gown to the light and liberating day dress, this book looks at and celebrates the historic silhouettes, fabric cuts and contextual history of 1930s clothing. Equipped with instructions, patterns and enchanting photos, it explores the history of 1930s fashion, and explains how to make a range of versatile thirties-inspired garments. It takes ten examples of 1930s garments, ranging from a lingerie set to a heavy coat, to create a thirties-inspired capsule collection. The patterns are taken from original 1930s garments, with each piece being carefully measured and the patterns scaled down accordingly. Step-by-step instructions for making each garment are complemented by close-up photographs of historic details and decoration. A beautiful and practical book, it will inspire designers, dressmakers and lovers of vintage fashion who want to express themselves through timeless and elegant style.

30 easy-to-make, stylish decorations all made from felt. The book includes templates, a comprehensive techniques section, guide to embroidery stitches and beautiful hand-drawn illustrations to accompany every project. The fabulous projects include mug hugs, hanging decorations, seasonal decorations, pillows, ornaments, wall-organisers, brooches, children's toys and much more.

Bracelets, buckles, buttons, and beads. Clasps, combs, and chains. Items of personal adornment fill museum collections and are regularly uncovered in historical period archaeological excavations. But until the publication of this comprehensive volume, there has been no basic guide to help curators, registrars, historians, archaeologists, or collectors identify this class of objects from colonial and early republican America. Carolyn L. White helps the reader understand and interpret these artifacts, discussing their source, manufacture, materials, function, and value in early American life. She uses them as a window on personal identity, showing how gender, age, ethnicity, and class were often displayed through the objects worn. White draws not only on the items themselves, but uses their portrayal in art, contemporary writings, advertisements, and business records to assess their meaning to their owners. A reference volume for the shelf of anyone interested in early American material culture. Over 100 illustrations and tables.

Sweet & Simple Needle Felted Animals provides detailed instructions to create your own cute and cuddly collection of needle felted pets, barnyard buddies and mascots. These adorable furry figurines make beautiful gifts and accessories that you can carry around or wear. This DIY needle felting book includes step-by-step instructional color photos and texts that couldn't be easier to follow. It shows you how to make the central shape, attach the components, add the details and then attach the finding. And voila! Your accessory is ready to be worn and appreciated! The animals you can make include: A playful Kitten A sweet miniature Dachshund Puppy A mommy Pig and her Baby Piglet A downy Duck and Ducklings A saucy Squirrel A friendly Chipmunk A pair of adorable White Bunnies A trio of brightly-colored Parakeets A fairytale Bear And a host of other miniature animals and charms With over 20 charming projects, great techniques and helpful tips, this is a craft book that felting beginners and experts alike will enjoy and treasure. Grab some wool roving and your felting needle and get crafting!

Sew your own capsule wardrobe to see you through the week to the weekend! Revitalise your wardrobe with this capsule collection from sewing expert Rachel from the House of Pinheiro. The collection includes the perfect separates to take you through the working week to the weekend including a jumpsuit, day dress, trench two piece, kimono dress and versatile shirt dress. Rachel includes a main pattern for every day of week and then offers variations for how to dress it up for a meeting or down for the weekend. There is advice on how to change the look of the pieces through fabric choices and styling tips, as well as a techniques section featuring Rachel's tips on how to get the best fit for your body type and how to measure yourself correctly to ensure you get the perfect fit every time. Garments include on trend staples and reinvented basics to create an exciting collection of 7 patterns, which can be used to create numerous different outfits.

Discover perfect paper piecing with Simple Foundations! Introducing a translucent foundation for paper piecing that just may change your life! See-through "Simple Foundations" paper will make all your paper-piecing projects simple to prepare and stitch.

A selection of over 25 carpets and rugs to make for the dolls' house in a variety of classic styles. This book is all you need to create beautiful carpets and rugs of all shapes, sizes and designs, whatever the size or period of the house. The historical and style details of each piece are given, with suggestions for where each one could go in the dolls' house. There are 25 stitched projects, with several variations based on the originals. Each project has a short introduction explaining the techniques used, and ways of adapting the design. There is a wide selection of canvas sizes and fabrics, with stitches including tent stitch, cross stitch and a variety of other stitches to cater for all abilities. Charts for alternative colour ways or designs are regularly included. All the designs have symbol-on-colour stitching charts, and materials, tools and techniques are fully explained, accompanied by step-by-step diagrams and photographs.

Step-by-step projects for creating clothes and accessories from felt -now in paperback. In Felting Fashion, acclaimed felt maker Lizzie Haughton guides the reader through every stage of creating wearable masterpieces in felt. Featuring detailed patterns and templates making a range of garments, from simple corsages, hats and scarves to more advanced vest tops, jackets and full-length coats. All aspects of creating beautiful clothes from felt are covered, from basic techniques and choosing materials and equipment to step-by-step instructions for working with nuno felt. There's also a strong emphasis on using colour and embellishment in felt, including a section on dyeing wool and silk. Lizzie's original felt fashion designs are showcased throughout and readers choose to recreate these at home or create their own unique garments.

"Haute homespun out of the Deep South." That's how Vogue magazine has described the fashion of Natalie Chanin. Alabama Stitch Book brings us a collection of projects and stories from her clothing and lifestyle company, Alabama Chanin, known for the cutting-edge twist it puts on tried-and-true sewing, quilting, and embroidery techniques, applied mostly by hand to recycled cotton jersey.This long-awaited book from Chanin begins with her story. After living in New York and Vienna for over 20 years, she began to transform cotton T-shirts into high fashion using the needlework skills she learned as a child in Florence, Alabama. When she moved home, Chanin hired local women (many of whom had worked in the state's now defunct textile factories) to stitch her couture collections with her.What follows is a step-by-step guide to the stitching, stenciling, and beading techniques used in the 20 projects showcased in the book: T-shirts, skirts, and corsets that are sold at chic shops around the world, plus a journal cover, sampler quilt, and tablecloth, among others. Also included are a pullout stencil, perforated postcard for bead-embroidery, and reusable patterns. Throughout are Robert Rausch's beautiful photographs set against the back roads, farms, and homesteads of the rural South.

"Design and Stitch: the art of everyday patchwork" is a guide for beginning and advanced stitchers who would like to understand the how and why of choosing fabrics and colors for their sewing projects. It illustrates for beginners the necessary skills for sewing the 13 projects in the book and beyond. It gives more experienced sewers another spin on methods to add to their existing repertoires. "Design and Stitch" offers practical steps for choosing fabrics that will make projects stand out and express personal style. The techniques in the book are meant to take sewists to a level of confidence and creative freedom.

The most comprehensive book about sewing machines available, yet is easy to navigate and understand. From basics to expert, it's two books in one, an efficient sewing machine guide and in-depth reference book that can stay with you for years to come. Starting with introductory chapters on how to use a sewing machine, the book quickly progresses to in-depth coverage of advanced subjects. Both home machines and industrial machines are covered with sections dedicated to modern machines and vintage machines. Chapters on fabric, thread, stitches, needles, feet and setting up a sewing room will help unlock your creativity. From straight stitch machines to electronic machines over 100 of the most popular home and industrial machines are featured with insights on capabilities for each type of machine. Older machines can have a service life of 80 years or more and are better suited for some types of work. For other applications a modern electronic machine with the latest features may be needed. The chapter on buying recommendations will help you figure out what type of machine and features are best suited for your type of sewing. Most people have a love/hate relationship with their sewing machines. They love them when the machine is working good, but hate them when frustrating problems arise. This book will empower you to eliminate the hate part of the relationship and put you in control of your machine. In-depth chapters on adjusting tension, troubleshooting and maintenance will help you handle most problems with ease and to know which problems not to tackle. NOTE: The interior pages of the paperback version are in black & white.

With her "choose-your-own-adventure" approach to sewing, Tanya Whelan offers an invaluable collection of patterns that empowers sewers to become designers. The trick is a set of patterns for 6 skirts and 8 bodices that line up perfectly at the waist, plus an additional 4 sleeve styles and 4 necklines. Tanya gives readers clear instructions and easy-to-follow step-by-step diagrams that allow them to use the enclosed pattern pieces to create up to 219 fitted dresses, including simple strapless designs, sheaths, and halter gowns. The book covers basic dress construction and altering techniques for women of all shapes and sizes.

Just a bit of winding, tying, trimming and fluffing! Pom poms are suddenly showing up everywhere--as fashion accessories, home decor items, and toys. Adorable Pom Pom Animals shows you how to use materials including yarn, mohair, and alpaca wool to sculpt cuddly pom pom animals in different shapes and sizes. In this charming little book, you will learn how to: Select the right yarns to create the correct texture for each animal Use stitching and trimming to sculpt and define the designs Hone your needle felting skills to give each creation its own personality This adorable book features lessons, diagrams, sewing tips, and step-by-step instructions on how to make 30 different cute creations, including: Miniature Schnauzer Dachshund Lion Brown Tiger Cat Bear Ice Cream Holiday decorations Puffer Fish Parakeet Flowers Hearts Plus, once you've mastered the basics, you can create your own original animal friends!

From Turban to Toe Ring is a guide for designing and making tribal-fusion belly dance wear. This style, which originated in the San Francisco dance community and has spread world-wide, is fast becoming one of the most popular costuming options. Tribal-fusion costuming is an assemblage of design elements pulled from many different tribal, rural, and nomadic peoples from North Africa, across the Near and Middle East, and as far away as India. Surface design techniques, articles of clothing, and jewelry components are fused together to create a look that blends all of these items into an exciting and uniquely individual image for each dancer.
This book will be an excellent reference source for the libraries of dancers, costume designers, historical re-enactors, and dancers who want a break from the high glitz and glamour of cabaret-style costuming.
From Turban to Toe Ring contains numerous hints, tips, and directions for making, designing, and assembling a tribal-fusion costume, including:
* A country-by-country breakdown of tribal jewelry styles from the Berber people of Morocco to the Ribari of India.
* Pattern making directions for several different choli and salwar designs.
* Directions for traditional surface embellishments, including applique and shi-sha.
* Mehndi (or henna), from mixing the paste to creating your design.
* Adapting Indian textiles, such as the toran and chakla, for tribal-fusion dance wear.
* Extensive bibliography and guide to historical research of Middle Eastern costume.

Sew 19 simply embellished projects (with full-size patterns), including a card holder, coin purses, earbud holder, small wallets, pouches and organisers. These cute and useful bags are perfect for holding and organising all of your little things. Personalise the organisers with adorable embellishments and appliques and use up your scraps, trims and other odds and ends in the process. Whip one up in an afternoon or bring your handwork with you - small pieces make these projects fun and easy to work on anywhere. Great to give as gifts or keep for yourself, these tiny bags will bring a smile to anyone's face. 'This is a fabulous glossy book with 19 projects to make. Sew Small has missed nothing out. It is easy to follow and each project can be done in a few hours or more.' Tracy Shepherd at Postcard Reviews '... I love making bags of various kinds... so when I saw this book, I thought I'd give it a go to see if it might have some different kinds of projects for me to make, and I wasn't disappointed!' https://janetgranger.wordpress.com 'The instructions have plenty of diagrams showing what to do and everything is laid out with double spacing giving it an airy, easy to read appearance.' www.myshelf.com

Add warmth and texture to your home with wool applique. Sewing in the popular folk-art style, you'll stitch fifteen projects, including thirteen heirloom-worthy table mats and two versions of an Advent calendar, on a cotton or wool base. Learn how reverse applique brings depth and colour to your handwork without the bulk of additional layers. This guide offers advice on choosing and using wool (even scraps!), plus valuable techniques and tips for wool hand stitchers.

Directoire Revival Fashions 1888-1889 contains patterns for a complete middle-class Victorian woman's wardrobe, from undergarments, through multi-part ensembles, to outerwear. The patterns are to be enlarged with apportioning scales--special rulers that enable dressmakers to easily create custom sizes, from queen size to doll size. Printed apportioning scales and instructions are included.

Each pattern is accompanied by a fashion illustration and instructions. The patterns are drawn from The Voice of Fashion and The National Garment Cutter. Because these patterns are highly similar to those published by Butterick, most are supplemented by illustrations and construction information from Butterick's Delineator. Readers can use the Delineator material to vary The Voice of Fashion styles by substituting parts from other patterns in the same book, or by altering them with minimal flat pattern work. Separate chapters contain instructions for trimmings, neckwear, and hats.

"DIY Fashion" is a cool, quirky and creative guide to making and customizing your own clothes, bags and accessories. "DIY Fashion" contains more than 40 thrifty, sustainable and stylish projects, none of which require prior skill or a sewing machine. Why buy mass produced designer labels, when you can create your own unique capsule collection? This book shows you how. As well as fashion you can wear, there are also projects showing how to create jewellery and accessories. From customized hand-me-downs to elegant evening wear, the book is packed with ideas that the reader can adapt to their own tastes. Full of tips on where to find inspiration, and with a special section on repairs, "DIY Fashion" is a funky survival guide for the thrifty fashionista.