Crafts Hobbies Books

My son bought this book (9 yrs old) with his Christmas money and has been glued to it. He and his father will be building a tree house next year. He loves it!

It is a Dangerous, if you want a helpful book try U.S. Army Survival Manual.

This is a great father/son book. There are things in there that I was never taught to do, so both my son and I are learning. Great stuff to do together!

I am a geezer and things like this were taught when I was young and had to run from dinos to avoid becoming supper while going home for supper BUT
The IGGIES put everything right here!!
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Get 2 copies of this book, one for the young man who needs to know these things because... a mans gotta know what a man should know.
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Get the other copy for yourself because you've forgotten things you should not have.
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Zeke

My nine year old twin girls love the book. Sure, they have no interest in hunting rabbits (they're vegetarians) or famous battles in history (at least not yet), but there's a lot in here for any kid who is not on too tight of a parental leash. Get this and the girls' book too. A lot of worthwhile bits in each.

I spent more time reading this book than I usually do with knitting books - vs. flipping through them. I tend to be a collector of them for the knitting porn factor (if you are a knitter, you know what I mean.) There are several patterns in here I'm eager to start and have already added them to my queue on ravelry.com.

That said, I "ditto" much of what's been posted by other reviewers. I have always been afraid to be a maverick knitter, and Wendy does a great job in showing us how. My favorite part of this book, beyond the lovely photos, witty prose by Wendy Bernard and exciting and fresh designs, is towards the end, in which she shows you how to design, size and develop a pattern for your own sweater. Fabulous!

I give this review with great passion. I have knitted dozens of Wendy Bernard sweaters and several of the same ones over again. Her designs are simple and very fashionable. To boot the patterns are easy to understand and many are top down construction so there is little seaming. I have been waiting for 2 years for this book to be published and when it arrived ... it did not disappoint. Classic designs with a kick!

I read Wendy's blog Knit and Tonic - Not only do I like Wendy for her knitting designs but for her witty perspective on life!

If your answer is Yes, then this is the book for you. In this book, in addition pictures of the pattern knitted up, there is also a picture of a alteration idea knitted too. In one section, Wendy gives a formula to figure out afterthought sleeves and how much extra yarn to buy.

But even if you have no desire to customize a pattern, don't be frightened off because this book has so many cute patterns with a wide variety of sizes (xs to 3XX), you may have trouble just deciding which to knit first.

And if all this wasn't enough, there is a section on how to make your own dress form and understanding ease.

I am a huge Wendy B fan, so I might be a little biased, but I am so in love with this book. The designs are so beautiful and there is not a single one I don't like. My only problem is deciding which one to knit first!

The book suprised me very positively with its quality, content and size. The proyects are very special because they are based on traditional, but timeless patterns and few details make them so modern looking. That is true, you don't know which one to begin first. The designing course is fantastic, after reading this book you will be able to transform any pattern you see into your very own and unique version. I agree with the opinion of another reader that the book misses the patterns index, but I made it on my own. I also glued white sheets between the book pages to draw and make comments about my changes to the patterns.
The photographs are awesome in this book!

If you like InStyle magazine, then you will be disappointed with this book - there aren't any style photos!
Instead, buy the book "Harper's Bazaar Great Style: Best Ways to Update Your Look", a wonderful book to learn how to dress well and have style!

Out of all the books on fashion I have read, this is best hands down. Unlike many other books on style, the author succeeded on articulating intelligently just exactly what style is about. All the advice was clear and so true. I originally borrowed this book from a friend but I later bought this book; love it!

I love this book. just when i was looking for ispiration, Nina said it plain and clear for me. I took some items out of my closet and turned it into something awesome. That same day I walked into a coffee joint in Seattle and immeidietly the baristas commmented on my outfit! Thanks Nina!

"The Little Black Book of Style" written by ex-Fashion Director of Elle Nina Garcia is a great straight forward read for beginners and fashion experts alike. The book is very clean, organized, straight to the point and not at all wordy. Garcia talks about everything from basic wardrobe staples (and different ways to wear them) to inspirations in music, art and the movies. It is also a small book so it's easy to travel with as well. Love it!

If you're fat like me, stay far away from this book. The advice in here only applies to skinny girls. From the "little black dress" to "you can't have too many high heels." Only skinny girls can pull these looks off. And of course she tells the usual like that it's "all about confidence." No it's not. We live in a world that only cares about physical appearence, not personality or confidence. Trust me, if you're fat like me, the only thing this book is good for is starting fires.

I only just discovered Lena Corwin yesterday and was so inspired by the cover that I ran right out to the bookstore to get it. There are a variety of techniques with simple, detailed instructions and beautiful pictures. I am so inspired and can't wait to start printing.

...and you will see different things in the pages each time. I am one of the lucky artists in this book and I am amazed at the results. To put this much work together from so many artists had to be tough. My favorite aspect is the fact that there is so much diversity. Each artist bring their own voice to their work and it bounces off the other artist's work to create a harmony of color, shapes, images and words. ... Wow maybe that was a little too tooooo....but I want to convey that this lively book is a real treat to look at and a good source of inspiration for what ever art you do or enjoy. Great job Dawn. Thanks for including my work.

This book is wonderful. As I leafed thru the pages I had amazing inspiration to grab various art supplies and try something new. A great book for when you're stuck in a non-creative but want to be creative moment. This is an art journaling book you won't regret buying.

How does a reviewer "Rate" or "Review" another artists' ART?
This was a difficult task for me, because as my 1st sentence stated, it's quite difficult to rate an Artists' personal Art.
Basically, it's like trying to evaluate a person's inner soul!

This book is so well photographed & so detailed and colorful! Dawn DeVries Sokol has done a beautiful job at displaying all the entries that she received while organizing this book of 1000 Journal entries.

The other amazing thing is that the entries that Dawn received were from all over the World! Therefore, it is so interesting to see how a journal writer is different from all others, and yet also the same, in that "we" (as a community of human beings) express ourselves in common ways as people! This book expresses this point very well---the soul of a person.

Dawn stated in her Preface that she chose not to categorize each Chapter by theme. But rather, Dawn chose to show the Journal entries as a continuum. In this way, Dawn has displayed the worldwide entries in a spiral fashion, rather than in a linear fashion...thus, each entry spiraled from one to the other.

Some Journal entries are sometimes "dark", sometimes sad, and sometimes happy. Such is life.
All are introspective.

When I read this book, I first of all went through each entry to look at the colors and artistic points. Then, the second time I went through this book, I looked at each Journal entry more specifically (often with a magnifying glass) in order to absorb the pages more thoroughly.

All in all, this was a very insightful experience, not only into the souls of the Artists and writers, but also into my own soul.

Whether you use (or would like to start using!) an art journal to document your days or access and express your inner creativity, this book will inspire. It's so huge, by the time you finish you already want to flick through it again to remember your favorite pages. It's interesting to see the diversity of examples from other countries. Apparently when the project got up and running they were inundated by examples from people around the world wanting their work included in the book. While some pages are completely magnificent artworks there are also some very simple, playful, even childish pages - so you won't feel intimidated or dissuaded from taking up pen/paint and paper yourself, always a risk with these types of books - you can buy them in a bid to become inspired but actually end up the opposite! Not so here. There are naive scribblings that can be as insightful and interesting as beautifully designed masterpieces. This book will give you ideas and inspiration on two levels - technique and topics. Some pages have clearly taken hours and hours to complete, some are of a quick and simple style that seems easier to accomplish amid a busy lifestyle. Either way you'll get ideas. Then there's the dilemma of 'what can I write about?' From incidental observations to spiritual contemplation, you'll come across triggers and ideas in other people's work you might like to explore. And even if you prefer to just look at art rather than create your own, this is simply a beautiful book and reading other people's art journal entries can reveal sometimes intimate and always intersting glimpses into the creative process.

Huge, colorful, and important. Open to any two-page spread and you will find yourself getting lost in the creativity and playfulness (images, words, ephemera, and montages) of hundreds of brilliant people. Thank the Good Lord for all of them, but especially for "author/assembler" Dawn DeVries Sokol and her passionate work. As a life-long sketcher, doodler, cartoonist, journaler, and collector of "beautiful scraps" I am inspired beyond imagining with the turn of each giant page in this book. It will be a long time (if ever) before it gets slid into my studio bookshelves for I will be pouring over it daily. This is a portable library, a floating museum, a veritable mountain of inspiration. THIS is the "movable feast!" I have already added it to my list of books that inspire me on my blog: www.TeaWithMcNair.typepad.com. I am eager to meet Dawn at the ZNE Convenzione here in the Bay area (Aug. 22-24, 2008) Meanwhile, I have ONE THOUSAND pages of creativity to sit with at Cafe Zoetrope and make me giggle, tear up, and want to crack open my sketchbook many more minutes each day.

Call your local independent bookshop and get it today. Mine came in two days--it is well-worth the cover price.

The designs were amazing and just made her fabrics even more gorgeous. Loved the bags and the baby clothes, but the sizes were only from birth to a year, so I can't make matching sets for my two daughters.

My main gripe was that the instructions were too wordy and there were too few diagrams. I made a pair of cutie booties as they looked easy and just what my 3month old needed right now. There was only a simple diagram at the end of the instructions, so I had to read and re-read everything at least 3 times before stitching so that i will not have to end up unpicking. A diagram could be more self explanatory and cut out the wordiness which is pretty intimidating. I'm still trying to decide which project to start on next since trying to figure out the instructions take quite a while.

This book is probably not for the novice sewer as it refers to sewing terms that are sometimes explained in the appendix but without diagrams as well.

I had a lot of expectations from this book and indeed ALL were met!
Worth every cent!

If you're sewing for baby boys, don't despair there is only one dress pattern and one girly shirt (a super cute one actually) in here. Most of the projects are nursery decor (bedding and more), toys, or things for mama. The 2 diaper bags in here are both great looking patterns - nice and roomy with lots of pockets. I'm having a hard time choosing which to make and I think those 2 patterns alone make the book worth the cost (but I am a bag junkie!)
Be aware that the clothing for babies have 4 sizes: 0-3 months through 9-12 months, so not for older babies.
My only complaints:
- a lack of diagrams in the instructions. They are wordy as usual, but sometimes it's easier to just glance at a picture of the next step. There are a few diagrams sprinkled throughout, but it seems like many projects don't have any.
- the photography is gorgeous but doesn't show the details of the projects always. The modern diaper bag has no shot that shows the interior at all or even the cell phone pocket on the exterior. You need to read well into the instructions to see what kind of pockets it will have.

I shouldn't have been surprised that this book is a really wonderful, versatile book. True, it's a book for sewing baby items but they have a couple of really nice bags, designed in the wonderful Amy Butler style. The directions are clear, w. wonderful diagrams. There are patterns included (which I haven't looked at yet. This book is a good fit for beginners to more experienced sewers. Overall, I know I'll make the items in here numerous times - they're classic, well designed and modern. Alot is packed in this great book.

This is a great crochet book. As an avid, experienced crocheter, most of the books I buy are so-so or plain awful. This book delivers.

PROS:
1) Easy to read and use. Clear large colorful photos (motifs made up in easy to see yarns) and large easy to read type on a spiral bound book, for flat, no flip pages. Large diagrams and well written instructions. Love having both to go by.
2) Creative and unusual. Lots and lots of new motifs here in all sorts of shapes, from the traditional square to decorative motifs, like the star fish. Well organized layout by shapes.
3) Nice introduction with hints for use, and even aids for making up your own motifs. Well done.
4) Thankfully, the first half of the book is not dedicated to learning how to crochet. Sorry beginners, but there are tons of learn how to crochet books, and I hate spending my money on a pattern book that spends more time showing me how then letting me get at it. Yes, there are charts and a few reminders, and even a glossary, but it's not overdone.

CONS:
Okay not cons, I love this book, more like a wish list.
I wish there were more squares. I am in need of new motifs for things that must be square, (hint: Title "Beyond-the-Square") and this book is chockfull of motifs, but fewer squares. There are a fair amount, but not as many as I would have liked.

I wish there were photos of projects. Yes, the book will inspire you, and there are a few pages with cutesy, colored ink drawings, but no actual photos of projects. Just for the sake of eye-candy, because the colored motifs are so striking, I would have loved to have drooled over a few photos of put together projects.

I wish the motifs had names, titles. It's a trend in books to label patterns by number, but it is an art craft book, let's have some names. I can remember names, but it's hard for me to remember "Oh, yeah I want to make number 72 or was that 27?"

Summary: Great book, creative, colorful, fun, and well written. I have made up two motifs so far, and I am very pleased.

This is a great book! First of all, it has a spiral binding which makes it flat when you're trying to work from it. Then it has a great tips and tricks section, as well as a how-to section that's wonderful for beginners. It also has some suggestions on how to use all of the wonderful motifs you're going to want to make. All of the motifs are charted and have written instructions. I pre-ordered this book, so I hadn't seen it first and I am really glad I did get it. I am primarily a knitter, but do crochet because I love motifs and flowers and this book is really helpful!

There are a few things I like about this book. The fact that it is spiral bound is very nice. And naturally I was drawn to its concept: different motifs: triangles, circles, hexagons, "weird" shapes... I'm an avid square-crocheter, and I've been looking forward to moving into other motifs.

My main problem with this book is its lack of examples on completed projects. The book does include a section of cute doodled examples of what to do with motifs (put them on flip-flops; sew them together for a rug; line them up across the chest of a sweater) but there is not a single photo, not a single example of an actual project completed using motifs from this book. Which is very disappointing to me. I love getting inspiration for projects by flipping through crafting books, and seeing the different colours used. This book will give you nice ideas for individual motifs and that is all.

I think the book would have done better to acknowledge that because you're making unusual motifs, putting them together in unusual and creative ways and combinations is part of the fun. I also did not find the author's repetitive choice of colours inspiring. The cover picture is great, but inside I found it lacking.

There are some nice motifs in this book, and I would suggest it to people who would like a straight-up how-to book. But if you're looking for a book that will inspire through its use of varied colour and finished product ideas, this will leave you disappointed.

Beyond-the-Square Crochet Motifs: 144 circles, hexagons, triangles, squares, and other unexpected shapes, this book is great. It has a spiral binding (a definite ++ in my book). More importantly, it is packed with wonderful ideas and creative designs (circles, hexagons, triangles squares and unusual shapes - half circles, or, my favorite, joined rings) and ways to use them, arrange them and make them work. It is also a great handbook with respect to yarn, gauge, beginnings and endings, edgings and doing your own designs. Crocheted motifs are not just Granny Squares and this book proves it!

this book has been very helpful .detailed instructions and clear photos make this book a joy to use. this book is an excellent reference manual for all levels beg-adv

This book is not for beginners. You need to understand the different concepts of sewing and cunstruction. But it is a great reference guide for sewing pretty much anything. I love having this book on my shelf, it comes in handy. If you want more of a beginner book, the "Sew Fast Sew Easy" and "Sew On" books are better. Happy sewing!

I bought this book for class, I never got to use it. However the images and descriptions that i did read were pretty helpful, but for me it's best to see someone actually do it in front of me instead of looking at drawn images.

The shipper sent the book on time and in expected condition.

This is a big, thick, heavy book, and not exactly something you can tuck in a corner while you work. It's large and wide, though, and lies flat fairly easily, which helps to make it easier to look at while working. It includes an absolutely amazing amount of detail meant to get you from rank beginner through finely tailored clothing, and honestly I expect this book to still be useful to me in ten years from now. It's jam-packed with diagrams, color photos, and plenty of highly-detailed and very clear instructions.

Hand-sewing tips are included, as well as instructions for using the 'essential' hand stitches. This includes full-page instructions in most cases, with multiple diagrams. Each diagram comes with both an easy-to-understand explanation and a set of step-by-step detailed instructions. Essential stitches include everything from tailor's tacks to basting, backstitching, hemming & joining (slipstitch, cross-stitch, overhand, whipstitch, etc.), finishing stitches, decorative stitches, and so on. In particular I appreciate that the explanation included with each stitch details exactly what that stitch tends to be used for and why.

One of my favorite details throughout the book is the extensive cross-referencing. For example, the page that details and diagrams overedge seams provides page references to the overlock machine on page 15, zigzag stitching on page 83, and overlock stitching on p. 83. You won't have to go nuts trying to locate all the information you need. In addition, there's a side-bar at the beginning of the 'stitches and seams' section that provides a quick-reference to all provided hand stitches and their page locations.

This book can start you out as a beginner and still be useful to you ten years later. It covers everything from basic stitches to fabric types to advanced tailoring techniques, in a ton of detail with precise directions and diagrams.

I started sewing in high school when a teacher was offering a sewing and crafts club. When I graduated, I studied under her for a few years, she knew everything and I mean everything about sewing! There were times I was at home sewing on my own and had little questions, or needed sometime to trigger my own knowlege. So I bought the edition before this one and it was fantastic! I took a break from sewing for about a year since I was finishing up my BFA and now I'm sewing again. I couldn't find that book, and I saw that there was a new edition and knew it was a good book. The book is full of pictures, drawings, and explanations. I'm a visual person, and sometimes just reading how to do something, doesn't necessarily help. Plus, usually you are following a pattern that's telling you how to do something and your stumped. I have nothing but good things to say about this book. Compared to other sewing books, this one is the best source to keep around, whether you are an expert or a beginner.
The book outlines every kind of fabric and what its used for; it talks about (and shows photos) of all the different kinds of tools and materials for sewing. I mean there's a whole chapter just on zippers! Every kind of zipper you'd ever need to use and how to put them in. Plus, if you aren't using one of those Vikings or Berninas, this book shows you the ways you can do it yourself, or the old-fashion way. (I'm saving up for a good machine! One who will do button holes and sew the button for me!)
Overall, this is a great resource for any sort of sewer out there.

Saw this at a friends house, and then bought it for my niece for Christmas. I looked through it when I received it, and some of the creations are incredible! I know my niece will have a great time making her own clothes! Can't wait to give it to her!

We found this book in the library and I had to buy it. I got my daughters and some of their friends together and we cut and sewed and followed the directions. The best part was seeing the creative possibilities. The worst part was seeing that the T you make would not be able to withstand a lot of wear. I realized that if you want to keep the creation you make then you would have to get out the sewing machine and do some real sewing.

We did notice that the t need to be fited and looked at on your body before you cut. We had one girl that wanted to make the halter and following the directions in the book made the halter so small and short that she was uncomfortable with the whole project (even though the picture shows a lot of room in the torso). So making sure of the design before hand is very important.

But the girls did have fun and will be doing it again.

Pressed to find a great birthday gift for the girl who has everything? Or do you just want to give something unique and special? Why not give the gift that keeps on giving: a fun, edgy and easy-to-use craft book! Generation T is a gift for any lady!! It was given to me when I turned 18, and I have since given it to my friend on her 17th, my co-worker on her 25th and my T.A. on her 30th!! There are projects in this book that can appeal to everyone's tastes, and as a present it is a great conversation starter at a birthday dinner. I simply cannot tell you how great this book is, you must really have a peek at it for yourself!

When I first flipped through this book I thought: fab! how imaginative. Unfortunately having looked at it more closely there isn't anything I think I could make that wouldn't make me look tragic. The ideas are mostly centred around the idea of cutting up a very large T-shirt and making it with minimal sewing into something hipper, close fitting and a little punk-inspired - plenty of rips and slashes. Even using the theme of the book, rather than the specific ideas doesn't help me much. I'm sure if I was 16 I'd love it. I write as a warning that the target audience for this book is relatively narrow ie young and that isn't something you might work out from reading the blurb. Well at least I didn't. Yes as you get older you can still be on-trend, but I really think it's better to leave looks such as slashed clothing or the barely-there items etc to the younger crowd.

Pros: simple, easy to read, good starter ideas
Cons: styles not for everyone, designs generally for petite girls

I had been eying this book for several months and finally broke down and bought it.
To let you know, I am a beginner when it comes to sewing. I am essentially self taught, starting with some needle and thread stuff when I was in middle school and working up to a simple cheap sewing machine that I use now.
I bought this book after flipping through it a few times, it seemed like it had a variety of different t-shirt ideas and that even if I didn't use them all at least they would provide some inspiration.
I agree with some of the other reviews, the safety pin thing gets a bit old, but then again even if you don't like that the book does show you other techniques that could be used as well (sewing seams, using a lace and holes to thread two pieces together, buttons, etc).
THIS BOOK WAS NOT MADE FOR OLDER GENERATIONS NOR FOR HIGH FASHION. It makes it clear on every project that these are designs for punk or hipster types. They are fun ways to transform your old useless clothes into something you might want to wear without too much effort.
Yes, the clothes look better on the super-skinny New York girls that are pictured in the book, but I am a size 18-22 and I was able to pull off many of the designs with little to no adjustments.

In conclusion this is a fun book, it is not a highly technical sewing manual, but an introduction to the possibilities of DIY and to the basics of sewing that would be great for anyone just getting started in sewing or who likes the "deconstructed" look.