For Italian immigrants and their descendants, needlework represents a marker of identity, a cultural touchstone as powerful as pasta and Neapolitan music. Out of the artifacts of their memory and imagination, Italian immigrants and their descendants used embroidering, sewing, knitting, and crocheting to help define who they were and who they have become. This book is an interdisciplinary collection of creative work by authors of Italian origin and academic essays. The creative works from thirty-seven contributors include memoir, poetry, and visual arts while the collection as a whole explores a multitude of experiences about and approaches to needlework and immigration from a transnational perspective, spanning the late nineteenth century to the late twentieth century.

At the center of the book, over thirty illustrations represent Italian immigrant women's needlework. The text reveals the many processes by which a simple object, or even the memory of that object, becomes something else through literary, visual, performance, ethnographic, or critical reimagining. While primarily concerned with interpretations of needlework rather than the needlework itself, the editors and contributors to "Embroidered Stories" remain mindful of its history and its associated cultural values, which Italian immigrants brought with them to the United States, Canada, Australia, and Argentina and passed on to their descendants.

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!

Ahead of the Curve is the first sewing book to empower curvy and plus size women to feel body confident by sewing a wardrobe that fits. Don't change your body to fit your clothes - change your clothes to fit your body! Ahead of the Curve includes 5 basic garment patterns (UK sizes 16-36/US size 12-32/EUR sizes 44-64), which includes a pair of trousers, a t-shirt, a sleeveless top and two dress designs. Jenny takes you through a series of "Fit Clinics" - tutorials and case studies demystifying the fitting process - showing you how to adjust these patterns to master the perfect fit for your body shape. Once you have got to grips with this, you can go on to customize your closet and create an unlimited array of fantastic clothes that celebrate your body. If you're curvy or plus size, trying to find clothes that fit and reflect your personal style can be incredibly difficult and frustrating. Plus size women feel constantly excluded and like they can't express their personality through clothes. This book finally changes that.

Craft a closet full of looks for the doll lover in your life! Stitch seven classic designs and 46 variations designed specifically for 14" dolls. Projects include skirts, tops, totes, dresses, pyjamas and more! Most items can be sewn with a single fat quarter or leftover pieces of fabric.

A follow-up to the bestselling Animal Hats, this title features 15 fun patterns to crochet, suitable for all abilities to make. It includes an illustrated techniques section explaining all the crochet know-how. It features colour photographs and step-by-step instructions to guide the reader along. Spread a little animal magic with these adorable animal hats. Adults and children alike will love this collection of eye-catching hats. Even on the coldest of days, your animal antics will raise smiles and spread some warmth and cheer. Why not knit up a whole menagerie of characters to suit every occasion and mood? At the back of the book the basic crochet techniques are clearly explained, including how to add a lining for extra coziness. Sizes are included for children and adults so all the family can have their own hat. It includes 15 clearly presented crochet patterns plus charts. Patterns include: leopard, owl, parrot, zebra, deer, duck, raccoon and sheep.

Discover fresh new designs for scarves, shawls, and cowls. With Scarf Style 2, you'll follow up to the best-selling Scarf Style and learn from the experts! Scarves are comfort food for knitters, and a great way to learn new techniques without a big investment in time or materials. You'll be introduced to many basic knitting techniques such as color, lace, cables, and more. Whether you are a beginner or more advanced, Scarf Style 2 offers a wide range of patterns for all ages and skill levels. As scarves remain the most popular go-to project for knitters, you'll discover great ways to use small quantities of luxury yarn or use up leftover yarns in your stash. Don't miss the Designer's Notebook at the back that offers further advice on designing your own patterns.

Deal yourself a quilt challenge with these delightful blocks to create dynamic quilts. The follow up to the best-selling Quilt Builder Card Deck, this second set of cards is perfect to spur your creativity with quilt blocks. Great activity for groups, quilting bees, and guilds - distribute a card to each person and have them make the block.

Sew super cute rag dolls and their gorgeous clothes to make the perfect present for little girls. Choose from 11 adorable dolls and a wide range of accessories such as hats, bags and shoes. Each doll has her own name and personality and will charm children and adults alike. The dolls come with a variety of hair colours and styles and their own individual outfits. Choose from Fleur who has pigtails and her own doll sized knitting bag; Jean who likes the outdoors with her red boots and dungarees; and Red who has gorgeous red hair and a fabulous red cloak to match. There is a summer time doll with cute espadrilles and straw bonnet, a ballerina doll with a tutu and tiara, a wedding doll with a beautiful dress and veil and a bedtime dolly with her own nightdress and matching teddy. And don't forget the delightful school girl doll with her own very special school satchel. The basic doll pattern can be used to sew all the dolls and then altered according to hair and eye colour and hair style. There are step by step instructions for all the clothes and accessories for each doll, as well as suggestions for which fabrics to use and how to combine different prints and trims.

10,000 Knitted Hats is a fun and clever flip-page instruction book for designing and building your own unique headwear creations. This interactive knitting book contains photographs of different hat brims, bodies and crowns that can be combined in a total of 10,626 ways to create unique hat patterns. Once you've chosen your design, turn over the pages for the correct written pattern for that combination of parts. You can then use the handy embellishments section to add any extra features to the basic design. The hat brims, bodies and crowns use many stitches, some familiar and others new. Find colour work, both easy and more challenging, along with slipped-stitch patterns, cables, lace and texture, all explained clearly in the handy techniques section. Aimed at all ability levels, there is something for everyone. You'll never need another hat book! AUTHOR: From UK knitting magazines to big international yarn brands, you can find Jo Allport's knitwear designs in many places. She also teaches knitting face to face, online and via tutorials. A lover of all crafts and a prolific writer on the subject, she is a regular contributor to Knittingmagazine and Let's Knit. This is her first book. Jo has been designing knitwear for over 12 years, but this has not been her only career. Starting in the oil industry and then moving into IT after that, she brings many other disciplines to her work. Her love of working with people, attention to detail and, most of all, her creativity, have all led her to her current passion, knitting. Follow her on Instagram and find her designs on Ravelry. Jo lives in Stirling, U.K. SELLING POINTS: . Personalisation - add extra features with a handy embellishments section . Includes a variety of techniques in a clear and easy-to-use format, suitable for all abilities . Clever and fun flip-page resource . 23 basic hat designs, with the potential to create over 10,000 unique combinations!

This book is your complete introduction to the art of hand printing. You will be guided through a plethora of techniques that include relief-, screen- and mono- printing - all using tools and materials that are easy to source and use at home in your kitchen, bathroom or garden. A printing press is not required for any of the projects. Vanessa Mooncie's beautiful original designs will enable you to make your own printed greetings cards, crockery, cushions, silk scarves, jewellery, bag, even wallpaper, plus many more inspirational projects for fashion and home. With easy-to-use templates and beautiful step-by-step illustrations you can create that special, individual gift with handmade charm.

Originally published around 1900, this book is absolutely packed with well-illustrated crochet patterns. The information and instructions within are still of much practical use to the modern reader. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Hesperides Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. Contents Include: Entirely New Designs for Lingerie - Edgings and Insertions - Borders for Tray Cloths and D'oileys - Deep Laces for Table Cloths and Valances - Motifs for Inlet Work and Irish lace

Emma has designed a series of projects in her romantic style featuring ruffles, flowers, beautiful stitch patterns, in her signature soft, neutral color palette. Whether you are creating for yourself or looking for a gift to make for someone else, these patterns showcase the beauty and flexibility of crochet. From a romantic lacy shawl to a ruffled teapot cosy, each project has been lovingly designed to bring out the dreamer in you.

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.

Dog lovers will go barking wild for this addition to the popular Edward's Menagerie series, with 65 beginner-friendly patterns for crocheting adorable pups.

Bring your favorite four-legged friends to life with these 65 crochet patterns for everything from elegant Afghan hounds to oh-so-cute schnauzers and including crossbreeds like the puggle and the cockapoo. They're so easy to make with step-by-step instructions and charming full-color photography that showcases the completed crocheted projects.

In addition, author Kerry Lord shows you how to customize each pattern so that you can capture your own beloved canine companion – whatever breed it is.

The unicorn tapestries are one of the most popular attractions at The Cloisters, the medieval branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Traditionally known as "The Hunt of the Unicorn," " "this set of seven exquisite and enigmatic tapestries was likely completed between 1495 and 1505. The imaginatively conceived scenes--displaying individualized faces of the hunters and naturalistically depicting the flora and fauna of the landscape--are beautifully captured in silk, wool, and metal yarns.

Written by one of the world's leading authorities on medieval textiles and illustrated with many lovely color reproductions, "The Unicorn Tapestries "traces the origins of the tapestries as well as possible interpretations of their symbolic meaning. This is an essential book for any lover of medieval art and textiles.

Turn fat quarters into gorgeous quilts! A great resource for quilters, especially beginners, fat quarters are bundles of colorful, coordinating fabrics so all of the "choosing" is already done for them! Fat Quarter Quilt Club features 12 quilt patterns and step-by-step projects using these convenient bundles, plus insightful details on how to choose fabrics and colors to use in your quilt projects and essential quilting techniques. Also included are clear explanations for special treatments and techniques, from custom ruler work, free motion quilting, straight-line quilting, and more. Stephanie Soebbing is the owner of Quilt Addicts Anonymous and the Fat Quarter Shop where she provides a fat quarter subscription service for quilters. She is also the best-selling author of Super Simple Quilts for the Modern Home