Explore a life lived in stitches and witness the aesthetic evolution of a treasured quiltmaking artist. Immerse yourself in the beauty of detailed, up-close photos that will inspire and delight you. Revel in this dazzling self-curated collection of Gwen Marston's more than five-decade passion for quiltmaking. Her masterful body of work is presented in a single vibrant coffee table book of stunning photography for the first time ever. From her early pieces inspired by Mennonite quilts to her innovative work with applique and texture to her exploration of modern design, Gwen's aesthetic has remained a glorious marriage of freedom in construction, expert use of unexpected colors and negative space, and happy design surprises. See more than 80 quilts representing more than 40 years and a variety styles--all united by a common thread: the artist Gwen Marston.

This beautiful new book of functional, stylish designs for little girls contains over 20 unique knitting patterns for sweaters, cardigans, dresses and tops, skirts and snoods and charming accessories. Combining true comfort with contemporary design, in a world where time is precious and clothes are often mass-produced, Danish knitwear designer Vibe Ulrik Sondergaard has produced a delightful range of garments that are definitely worth investing time into. Many of the designs focus on texture and shape in solid colours, and all aim to be functional for active children. They are feminine but not too childish in look and feel. Beautiful stitches, quirky details, classic shapes and lush yarns are combined to inspire others to create their own 'Labour of Love'. Word count: 19,500

There's a new craft in town: TerryGami TerryGami is a fun craft that shows children how to shape and sew cloth toys and holiday ornaments out of washcloths. Not only will children learn how to sew, it will improve their dexterity at the same time. Moms, here's a new solution to that nagging question: "What can I do to make my kid's birthday party special?" Leaders of children's groups of all kinds will now have a fresh new choice to engage children's hands and minds for the next group meeting. Teachers, parents, and children will love TerryGami's versatility for creating gifts for personal use and craft sales. TerryGami cloth critters are inexpensive, easy to make and can serve many purposes: decorations, sachets, treat boxes and favors. Some are designed to be used to sooth a child's boo boo; just place an ice cube between the rolls. Colorful and inexpensive terrycloth washcloths and utility cloths are sold in large bundles at discount department stores and online.

The Vintage Pattern Selector is a practical sewing book that arms the reader with all the techniques and information they need in order to mix and match clothing styles from the 20th century. Accompanied by a CD with printable patterns for a range of dress sizes, this book is a comprehensive guide to creating contemporary outfits from vintage styles. For home sewers and fashion enthusiasts, vintage clothing isn't merely a device to replicate specific looks from a specific era, but instead, an opportunity for limitless style options that draw on decades of experimentation with hemlines, colour, styles, and silhouettes. Wear a 1960s style shift dress with a classic 80s blazer. Match a 40s' cowl neck blouse with 70s' style tapered trousers. The Vintage Pattern Selector is the ultimate handbook to show the reader how to choose the right fabric, colour palettes, styles, and patterns in order to create contemporary pieces that reference these timeless styles and designs.

In this book, you will find 25 different projects that you can make using the punch-needle technique, which has taken Instagram and Pinterest by storm. Transform traditional punch embroidery into modern accessories for yourself or to add colour to your home. The book explores the materials which can be used in punch embroidery, provides step-by-step instructions and allows you to create unique and inspiring pieces using templates. You will be amazed to see what you can do with a punch needle, some yarn and a piece of fabric! Projects include cushions, children's bags, rugs and wall hangings.

Arounna Khounnoraj's Embroidery is a modern guide to this ancient craft. Arounna will show you how to master the art of the decorative stitch through clear step-by-step instructions that demystify the embroidery stitches and teach you how to apply them through a collection of 20 botanical-inspired projects. The projects include bags, wall hangings, napkins, cushions and more. This book will inspire you to build on your skills and find your own personal style. Packed with stunning lifestyle photography that draws on Arounna natural style and aesthetic, step-by-step illustrations will clearly show you how to start and finish each project neatly. Embroidery offers a fresh approach in Arounna's signature style.

Making Working Women's Costume gives a unique account of the clothes of ordinary women from the mid-fifteenth century to the early twentieth century. As well as introducing the historical periods, it gives patterns for a range of typical garments that women of the poorer classes would have worn. Organized by century, it draws on historical sources and finds, paintings and photographs to recreate the clothes of these under-celebrated women.

The art of needle felting can produce endless possibilities of hyper-realistic, almost taxidermic results. With a little know-how, some needles, wool and a few inexpensive accessories, you can learn to needle felt like a professional. Take your needle felting to a whole new level to create a range of lifelike British wildlife. World class felting master Cindy-Lou Thompson of Chicktin Creations will take you through the steps. Covering four different British wild animals, with illustrated step-by-step instructions, Cindy guides you through the process of creating different body shapes, proportions, armatures, coats, and blending, as well as realistic finishing touches such as eyes, nails, ears and detailing. Learn how to achieve a professional finish you will be proud of with different textured coats, blending, clipping, and adding shape and giving a realistic finishing touch with a variety of mediums and methods, some of which Cindy has designed and developed herself. From the author of the best-selling book A Masterclass in Needle Felting Dogs, this follow-up book will teach you new techniques, and inspire you to try new and exciting creations of your own!

This sewing book, chalk full of projects sewists will truly want to make, speaks to the zakka style. Each project graduates in difficulty to build sewing skills and teach a number of different techniques -- including patchwork, simple raw edge applique, sashiko, candlewick embroidery, crochet, and ribbons/trim embellishment. Most projects can be completed in an afternoon to appeal to the busy, modern sewists. Savvy items are practical to use around the home but attractive enough give as gifts.

Traditional or modern, vibrant or subtle, the possibilities of granny squares are endless! They captivate tones and lines much like a yarn canvas and come together as snuggly blankets, soft cushions, smart garments and much more. This unique granny square collection combines the styles of 23 creative designers from all over the world, who each bring their best game to the table. With ample suggestions for captivating combinations, written instructions as well as clear graphs for every square in the book, stitch instructions and techniques for blocking and joining, this sourcebook goes above and beyond to show you the endless possibilities of granny square crochet. All motifs match in both size and stitch count, so they can easily be combined into stunning combinations, bringing you the best of this unbeaten crochet classic! - 100 unique granny squares by 23 amazing designers - Each of the 100 squares can be mixed and matched with all others - Including charts and written out patterns in US terms for each square - Including basic crochet tutorials, instructions for blocking and joining - Advice on gorgeous square combinations - Clear photography - Beginner-friendly squares as well as challenging patterns for experienced crocheters

This book examines the clothing worn by African Americans in the southern United States during the thirty years before the American Civil War. Drawing on a wide range of sources, most notably oral narratives recorded in the 1930s, this rich account shows that African Americans demonstrated a thorough knowledge of the role clothing played in demarcating age, sex, status, work, recreation, as well as special secular and sacred events. Testimonies offer proof of African Americans' vast technical skills in producing cloth and clothing, which served both as a fundamental reflection of the peoples' Afrocentric craftsmanship and aesthetic sensibilities, and as a reaction to their particular place in American society. Previous work on clothing in this period has tended to focus on white viewpoints, and as a consequence the dress worn by the enslaved has generally been seen as a static standard imposed by white overlords. This excellent study departs from conventional interpretations to show that the clothing of the enslaved changed over time, served multiple functions and represented customs and attitudes which evolved distinctly from within African American communities. In short, it represents a vital contribution to African American studies, as well as to dress and textile history, and cultural and folklore studies.

Metric Pattern Cutting for Women's Wear provides a straightforward introduction to the principles of form pattern cutting for garments to fit the body shape, and flat pattern cutting for casual garments and jersey wear. This sixth edition remains true to the original concept: it offers a range of good basic blocks, an introduction to the basic principles of pattern cutting and examples of their application into garments. Fully revised and updated to include a brand new and improved layout, up-to-date skirt and trouser blocks that reflect the changes in body sizing, along with updates to the computer-aided design section and certain blocks, illustrations and diagrams. This best-selling textbook still remains the essential purchase for students and beginners looking to understand pattern cutting and building confidence to develop their own pattern cutting style.

Learn how to create beautiful and understated decorative stitching motifs. The designs feature surface and dimensional stitches and bead embroidery; with motifs inspired by nature ranging from roses, sunflowers, asters and daisies to little bumblebees, ladybugs and dragonflies. All 20 projects include step-by-step instructions and actual size templates. Learn how to make brooches, small bags and purses, cushion covers, picture frames and more. The variety of motif combinations will keep you stitching all year round.