No crafter should feel limited by the yarn colors available in a favorite fiber shop not when it s so fun and satisfying to hand-dye yarn and fleece right in the kitchen. Ultimate color control is now within the reach of anyone who loves yarn and fleece.
In "Hand Dyeing Yarn and Fleece," self-taught dyer Gail Callahan uses fiber, color, and heat to create exciting new yarns and yarn colors. Her recipe-style instructions lead readers through a variety of simple techniques that turn plain or outdated yarns into colorful fibers, customized by color and quantity for the project at hand. And there are even eight projects for knitters eager to use their new yarns.
Standard kitchen equipment is all that's needed to set up a kitchen dye shop. Dyeing can be done in a microwave oven, a sturdy stovetop kettle, a crockpot, a traditional oven, or even an electric frying pan Callahan covers every method.
Dyeing doesn t end with the simpler singlecolor methods. Adventurous crafters will find instructions for designing self-striping and multicolored yarns with dip-dyeing, tie-dyeing hand-painting, and other inventive techniques. Detailed advice on color theory and types of dyes, including food colors and other "grocery store" dyes, make the entire process achievable for complete beginners.
A wonderful new skill that will appeal to enthusiastic knitters, crocheters, rug hookers, spinners, and weavers, hand dyeing is the next step in creating handmade fiber crafts from scratch."

This is a bright and humorous collection of foundation paper pieced quilt blocks and projects for happy quilts. The motifs include a wide range of popular designs-everything from avocados to rainbows-so you can mix and match to make perfect personalised quilts and quilted projects. Foundation paper piecing is the perfect way to get perfectly sharp points and create fun quilt motifs. By using the foundation paper piecing (FPP) technique you can create intricate designs which would be impossible with traditional piecing. FPP is done using a sewing machine so even though the blocks are detailed the process is quite quick so you can make cute quilts and quilted projects in quick time. It is also the perfect way to use up your stash of quilting and sewing scraps and have lots of fun selecting the perfect scrap to suit your blocks. This collection features 100 fun quilt blocks from some of the best known names in patchwork and quilting. All the blocks are made using foundation paper piecing and all the templates are featured at full size with the seam allowance added so you can trace them off and get piecing straight away. There's a comprehensive section showing you how to do FPP with step-by-step instructions and photos so even if you've never done FPP before you can get started. The motifs featured include everything from food and drink (strawberry milkshake and pizza anyone?), to designs for outdoor explorers (a canoe and campfire set the scene for adventure lovers); pets and wild animals (think racoons to kittens) and everything in between. There is a block to suit everyone so you can make the perfect themed quilt for your nearest and dearest based on the things that they love the most. As well as instructions and patterns for the 100 FPP blocks there are also instructions for 10 projects made using the blocks including a retro apron; a rainbow pouch bag; a tote with 1950s sunglasses motif; the perfect table runner and a cute, kitten pillow. So why not choose your favourite motifs and get started making perfect quilted gifts for your friends and family!

Choose from 200 beautiful block designs and learn different ways of joining them to make blankets and throws that are both functional and decorative. From Art Deco geometric patterns to traditional chequer-board stripes and elaborate motifs, discover new ways to combine colour, pattern and texture. Crochet is one of the oldest and most fascinating ways of creating a fabric out of yarn. Find out how to create wonderful and unique afghans, wall hangings and accessories in a kaleidoscope of colourful contemporary and traditional designs. All stitches and techniques are clearly explained with step-by-step illustrations, from working in rows and in the round to joining blocks and making figures. At-a-glance symbols denote the methods used and level of difficulty, so both new and experienced crafters can easily create a crochet masterpiece.

Pay tribute to The Stars and Stripes with patriotic quilts from Judy Martin. Features 16 new 2- or 3-colour quilts inspired by the 'Shakespeare in the Park Quilt' from her Creative Pattern Book.

Create unique projects with all types of embellishments - like lace, linens and hankies, trims and ribbons, buttons, and treasured pieces - with ideas, techniques, and a 100+ stitch library to inspire.

Designed for beginner sewists and those who already have the basics, this book is an essential guide to learning how to sew by hand or machine.

Forget step-by-step instructions and copycat designs. In The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters

15 amazing stitches, 10 simple lessons, and 25 glorious projects. Modern Japanese Crochet casts the classic stitches you think you know in a totally new light, showing them in ways that add striking textures and contrasts to handcrafted pieces. For the experienced needlework enthusiast, this book is a revelation--the perfect introduction to the unique Japanese style of crocheting and charted patterns. Clear instructions, schematics, and charts walk you through exciting Japanese-style projects in this book, which include: An elegant shawl or blanket festooned with flowers A gorgeous scarf with a cascade of delicate, understated frills A bag or pouch in a cheerful strawberry stitch A brioche-stitched bowl that makes a wonderful home for your yarn A star-stitched shoulder pouch or hat that is a charming way to play with colors Plus much more--charming bags, scarves, hats, and handwear that help you try more fabulous stitches! The introduction by Gayle Roehm explains how Japanese crochet diagrams work, allowing you to stitch these fantastic patterns and projects easily. A section on stitch techniques walks you through the basic stitches, adding and decreasing, binding, and finishing. The inspiring photos are all the invitation you need to grab your hook and get started!

Learn how to create fabulous traditional-style quilts but using today's brilliant low-cost fabric packs. Quilters, it's time to send all your adorable little pre-cuts to charm school! From the owners of the popular Country Threads quilt shop and pattern company, this collection of designs is ideal for showcasing today's precut 5" squares. Enjoy a fun and light-hearted approach to quilting with 19 terrific projects that combine traditional appeal with modern sensibilities.

Sakiori is an approach to rag weaving used by Japanese peasants to cope with the scarcity of new cloth for clothing and household textiles. In modern times, there is instead an overabundance of cloth filling up thrift stores and being discarded. Weavers can use this source of "rags" to make useful and surprising new cloth. Depending on the fabric used, results can be rugged and utilitarian (like cotton rugs) or fashionable and delicate (like silk scarves). The book begins with an overview of the history and context of sakiori in Japan, followed by methods and tips for successful rag weaving with a variety of materials and looms, including rigid heddle looms as well as floor looms. Charts and worksheets make it easy to find the information weavers need to get started, and 21 projects with instructions and drafts provide inspiration and ideas.

In Freestyle Embroidery on Wool you will learn how to kickstart your creativity and become confident at making your own colourful and expressive designs using applique and embroidery on felted wool fabric. Using her own detailed and imaginative embroidery as examples Karin Derland teaches you how to go about creating your own designs using applique and embroidery on wool felt. Karin shares plenty of instruction and helpful tips on making colour choices, how to apply ribbons, mirrors and other accessories, making and using cardboard templates for applique shapes and how to combine different types of threads and stitches for best effect. Sketches, diagrams and detailed photographs of different types of embroidered pillows, cushions, cases and other items will give you a head start on creating and applying your own designs. The book also offers plenty of inspirational images through Karin's colourful embroidery that draws on both the Swedish and Indian traditions. These can be used as an inspirational library of ideas when creating your own work. How simple or complex a piece becomes is up to you and your own level of experience and personal choice. Although the emphasis is on developing your own expressive embroidery, some step-by-step projects are included to help build confidence before launching out on your own. This is wool applique embroidery at its best - free, beautiful and generous. A note on materials: The author recommends using klade and vadmal, which are both types of Swedish 100% wool fabric of varying weight. They are made from woven fabric that has an even surface and processed so there is no visible weave. A good equivalent in the UK is a felted wool fabric such as Melton wool. Hobby felt containing polyester is not suitable.

A dazzlingly inventive tale of troubled legacies, desire and unsung power, inspired by The Scarlet Letter. Glasgow, 1829: Isobel, a young seamstress, and her husband Edward set sail for New England, in flight from his mounting debts and addictions. But, arriving in Salem, Massachusetts, Edward soon takes off again, and Isobel finds herself penniless and alone. Then she meets Nathaniel, a fledgling writer, and the two are instantly drawn to each other: he is haunted by his ancestors, who sent innocent women to the gallows during the Salem witch trials - while she is an unusually gifted needleworker, troubled by her own strange talents. Nathaniel and Isobel grow ever closer. Together, they are dark storyteller and muse; enchanter and enchanted. But which is which?

With his unerring eye, Kaffe has succeeded in finding the perfect location for his exquisite new collection of quilts, featuring both his scintillating new fabric designs and his classics, all in his unique color palette. This time he has chosen the medieval English village of Lavenham in Suffolk, where the 19 quilts in this book are set off against the ancient half-timbered Tudor houses. They are displayed in all their glory in a sumptuous eye-catching quilt gallery. Included in this set of new designs are many very special ones by Kaffe, and several by his long-time friend and co-designer, Liza Prior Lucy. Kaffe's Starry Night, featured on the cover, fussy cuts some of his brilliant floral fabrics in deep rich colors to great effect, setting them off by surrounding stars in his Shot Cottons. Shards translates the traditional Broken Dishes design into deliciously soft and subtle blends of pastel fabrics, shown off to perfection against the pale plaster and weathered timbers of the Lavenham houses. In a quite different vein, the boldly contrasting background stripes in black and white fabric in Blooming Columns make a dramatic contrast to the huge fussy-cut flowers appliqued onto it. This book--the 23rd in the series--includes a range of quilts for all skill levels, from beginners to advanced. Shaded Squares is one such lovely quilt for first timers, with its cleverly shaded squares each made up from two large triangles, one plain and one striped in Kaffe's Shot Cotton and Wide Stripe fabrics. Flat shots, a practical know-how section and glossary, back up the fully illustrated, step-by-step instructions for each quilt.

This volume explores and provides clear and detailed and in detail illustrated explanations of all kinds of outerwear patterns for women and men.Antonio Donnanno is a patternmaking techniques teacher, fashion school director, and author of dozens of fashion books.Famous consultant and author Elisabetta Drudi has illustrated the book.

Let your creative urges take flight with this wonderful collection of birds to crochet. Featuring 10 gorgeous projects, all with stunning photographs and detailed charts, Crocheted Birds is a bird lovers delight! includes extensive techniques section suitable for all skill levels 10 projects for adorable crocheted birds projects include blackbird, wren and robin hand-drawn charts included with patterns Intricate charts are included with the patterns to help you make your feathered friends come to life!

Here is the ultimate reference for fitting test garments and transferring accurate adjustments to patterns 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 fitting

- How to recognize fitting issues, such as drag lines and folds

- How to manipulate fabric to solve common and unusual fitting problems

- How to transfer the fitting changes to your pattern easily

- Basic pattern-making skills to ensure accurate alterations

See the fitting process from start to finish on basic garments, fitted on real people. Then follow fitting solutions on different body types. The lessons you learn will help you fit any body.

When sixty-eight year old Sarah Miller moves into the Cunningham Village retirement community, she is mourning the loss of the husband, her young grandson, and the place that has been home for forty-two years. But Sarah is a survivor. As she reaches out into the retirement community that is to become home, she finds friends, activities, new hobbies, a possible love interest, and of course, crimes to solve and murderers to track down. In the first installment of this fun, friendly series of cozy mysteries, one of Sarah's new friends is murdered, and she and her feisty friend Sophie are determined to find the killer.

Go BIG with Supersize Crochet! You will love this collection of patterns for cool accessories to gorgeous oversized home decor items including a Moroccan influenced pouffe. The on-trend design and the way they stitch up so quickly when you use chunky yarn make these crochet projects irresistible. There are 20 projects to choose from ranging from larger-than-life rugs and blankets to an oversized colour block cowl and hat for super-sized accessorising. The projects are simple enough to be tackled by even beginner crocheters - you'll be amazed at how quickly you can make up the Slouchy Beanie! All you need to get started is a big hook and some yarn and you're good to go!

Inspiration at your fingertips! Within the pages of The New Knitting Stitch Dictionary you will find not only 500 innovative knitting stitch patterns, but dozens of ideas popping through your mind. Cables may inspire designs for sweaters or blankets, cozy textures for scarves, colorwork for hats, mittens, and more. You will turn to this book again and again for fresh ideas! The stitches are divided into sections by type of stitch to make it easy to find what you want: texture, lace, cables, Aran cables, flower and leaf patterns, bobbles, lifted stitches, Fair Isle, intarsia, borders, and more. Instructions for each stitch are charted so that you can easily visualize the pattern and use it in your own design. You will find this stitch dictionary to be an invaluable reference on your knitting bookshelf.

Everything you need to master quilting, patchwork, and applique, and make beautiful gifts and items for the home. Do you want to design and stitch your own unique quilts and other quilting projects at home? Quilt Step by Step will show you how. Discover what the essential tools and materials are to get started, then master the key techniques and stitches with simple step-by-step photography and explanations, including using traditional and modern patchwork block designs. Then be inspired with 15 fabulous projects to try, from bags and toys to cushions and quilts - you'll learn everything you need to know to create unique gifts and treasured keepsakes at home. Easy-to-use and fully illustrated, this book is ideal for beginners, as well as more experienced quilters looking to build on their skills and refresh their techniques.

On Amigurumipatterns.net the most beautiful crochet patterns from all over the world are collected. With more than 160,000 fans the site has grown into a community and a meeting place where crocheters and designers meet and exchange tips and patterns.Each year Amigurumipatterns.net organizes a competition for designers. The theme of the latest contest, elaborated upon in this book, reaches new heights in terms of cuteness. You'll find the sweetest baby animals accompanied by their proud parents. A baby penguin is driven around in his eggshell buggy, baby sloth spends all day on mom's belly and baby bear celebrates his first birthday ... They will all steal your heart away.This book contains twelve of the participating patterns from the competition - 25 characters in total. Maybe you are making your very first amigurumi? Then don't worry. The book begins with a number of pages dedicated to explaining all the basics. More experienced? Then you'll certainly love the details in these designs!

All the bears in the book are based on the same, simple knitted bear, instructions for which are provided at the beginning of the book and are easy enough for even novice knitters to follow. There are 20 unique designs, including a hiking bear complete with boots and a backpack, a beach-loving bikini bear, a sweet honey bee bear, and a pretty pink ballet dancer, each with its own knitted outfit and accessories. Every bear has its own special character, and the reader is bound to find at least one they just have to knit. Suitable for adults as well as children, they make ideal gifts, and of course there is nothing to stop the reader creating characters of their own that they can personalise to suit a particular person or occasion.

Are scrap piles wreaking havoc in your sewing space? Not sure what to do with all those tiny bits of gorgeous prints you hate to part with? Modern quilters Amanda and Cheryl share a passion for scraps-they're here to help you get creative and sew new life into every last little piece. Your Sunday mornings just got a whole lot cozier!