Crafts Hobbies Books

I bought this book and Danny Proulx's Build Your Own Kitchen Cabinets (Popular Woodworking). Proulx's book focused on particleboard construction and mostly 32mm cabinets. I was very dissapointed as I was anxious to start building cabinets and particleboard is not what I was looking for. This book however, was just what the Dr. ordered. I'm very comfortable with my tools and have been woodworking for years now, but I still found some usefull tips in the book. I skimmed the book without reading all of it and immediately bought the lumber I needed and began construction. I had a completed bathroom vanity cabinet in 1 afternoon (not including stain and finish). As others have mentioned, his dimensions are not perfect, but since my house doesn't perfectly match the book, I used my own tape measure.

Even with the dimension issues here and there, I highly recommend this book for anyone who actually wants to make cabinets. I have a few other books that discuss the "idea" of making cabinets. This one tells you the tools you need and how to do it. It focuses on pocket-hole joinery but it also shows how you can use other joinery techniques as well. I can't stress this point enough... if you are planning on building cabinets, you will love this book. If you just want to read about building cabinets, this book isn't what you want.

I'm off to buy more lumber for more cabinets!!!!

This book was a great introduction to how to build cabinets. Being an experienced person in woodworking, this book gave the guidance towards me taking on this project. As a previous review stated, I also found an error in the calculation table but after doing the calculation over and over again, it seemed to have the wrong calculation formula but is was indeed correct. I did though find an area that the publisher and the author should have covered that was overlooked. When assembling the doors the author states to assemble the rails and stiles with glue, drive a couple of 1/2 inch nails into the assembly and remove the clamps. After doing this, I discovered those nails while routing the outside edges with my round-over bit. So, I will in the future take extreme care to where I place those nails, assuring that they will not be found later. I also modified my wall cabinets by using 1/4 inch plywood for the tops and in some assemblies I found that using the pocket hole method better for attaching plywood to plywood, less splitting when the screw is at an angle.
Otherwise this book is an excellent source that gave me the confidence and courage to build my own cabinets, as I have them all built now, just waiting to stain and assemble them and install.

This book is well written, and easy to understand. The author gives you a solid understanding of the basics and some of the more advanced "how-tos" of cabinet making. I would recommend this book to people who have some knowledge of power tools and want to learn how to build kitchen cabinets.

This book is very well laid out and easy to follow instructions to build the greatest custom cabinets. This is the best book I own

I am a firm believer in the KISS method of doing things. (Keep It Simple Stupid") Every step is covered in this book so that anyone can learn from it. The "Build Like A Pro" series of books are all laid out like this one. The "Expert Tips" are great. They show you short cuts to help you do the jobs right, but in less time. This is stuff you only learn by doing the job everyday. They are trade secrets.

I love the pictures but, as other reviewers have mentioned, the instructions are horrid. Instructions were missing or so vague it took forever to figure it out. (I was making the little elephant.) Mind you I have been sewing since 7th grade and I am 52, so I have some experience. I quilt and have made many clothes and other things along the way. I have never seen instructions like this. Please do not buy this book unless you just want to look at the pictures. It was a waste of my time and money and I threw the book away.

Great gift ideas, beautiful colors, great photography. My only wish is that the instructions were a little more detailed. As a beginning sewer, it's a little intimidating. I'm sure for others with more experience, it's just the right amount. Good book overall.

This book is without a doubt one of the most inspirational and beautiful crafting books I have come across. At first glance, the photographs and fabric choices are so compelling I almost forgot the book contained actual projects and instructions. With that said, once I sat down with the book and inspected the contents, I found the projects to be sweet not corny, simple not boring, and elegant not plain.

Too many crafting books waste pages in the beginning talking about the basics of needles, thread and other basic techniques. What I love is the brief section on Exploring Color. It is something often missed or overlooked and so important when dealing with any art. The author has an obvious strong grasp of color not using it as a sort of assault on the senses in a careless manner, but rather to enhance the projects and fabric choices letting all aspects of the projects speak for themselves.

I have been crafting for only a couple of years and while this doesn't give me the viewpoint of an experienced artist, I feel I have a fresh perspective. If you're new to the patchwork and quilting world, this book will be what you're looking for when needing some inspiration and manageable projects to tackle. If you're an old-hat at this, maybe it's time to branch out. This book will definitely breath some new life into your sewing and quilting.

I got this book as a Christmas gift from my wish list. I loved the simplicity of the projects and the gorgeous fabrics (maybe that's why the projects are so lovely?), but once I started to try to make my first quilt (Little Bits pg.90)for my toddler boy I've had to read and re-read the directions so many times before cutting! I started about 2 months ago, then stopped because of frustration with the unclear directions. I picked it up again, and guess what, I'm frustrated again! I think diagrams would help so much to make it clearer for cutting, sewing and layout of ALL the pieces, instead of providing a diagram for just one detailed section. For a visual learner, which is what I am, pictures speak more than words in this case. As mentioned by other reviewers on different patterns,it seems that parts of the instructions are incomplete or missing. ie, the putting together of the back pieces of Little Bits quilt. Unless I totally missed it after re-reading it so many times. My eyes started to blur and my brain began to blow steam. So now I'm resorting to putting that part aside and finding help on-line somewhere. Or going to the local fabric store for help, again. Hopefully they won't try to rope me into spending money and signing up for an open quilting class like last time after giving so-so help. I just want clarification on the directions and sew my quilt before my little boy is off to college!

Others have mentioned the cover of the book was the selling point. I must say that is what sold me on the book. After looking inside, I was a little disappointed. The instructions are the worse. "Cut one 38 inch deep piece." What on earth does that mean? Is that length or width? Don't waste your money. You will read the instructions a million times before you understand what the author wants you to do.

First, I'd suggest you ignore the less than five star reviews; The authors don't seem to get the point.

This book is not about specific technique. It is about the thought process you go through in selecting and applying a technique. It is about approaching things from a self-conscious perspective of Craftsmanship in woodworking. That probably sounds like the mystical-babble that most practical craftsman hate, but I found myself in complete sync with the author's thought process in about the first four paragraphs of the introduction, and I am all about practicality.

As so many of the other reviewers have noted, I wish I had found this book years ago and started with it, but then I might not have understood it at that point.

I read this book with knowing almost nothing about this subject. Though I have not tried to use the knowledge presented in this book in a practical sense, I feel that I have gained enough insight from this book to begin to do so. This book will probably be appreciated the most by those that are seeking a basic understanding of the fundamental principles of woodworking. If you are already working with wood, this book is probably not for you. For those of you who are not, this book will provide a foundation from which to do so. I would not rely on this book alone though as the only source of information on this subject, as it seems it is not comprehensive enough to encompass the whole of the subject matter.

With this book you need a lot of expensive machines.
I don't consider this basic...............
A book of pictures.
Hope you can find better,finally all is here is on the web too, but free .
LM

As everyone else has mentioned, this book contains wonderful introductions to the techniques and vocabulary of fine woodworking. In addition, it also can be a great introduction to the use of hand tools, for those who might be familiar with power tools and woodworking in general, but with no hand tool experience.

One of my favorite things about this book is that the author, Peter Korn, is not afraid to give recommendations for which tools to buy and which you can do without. He sometimes will even recommend a specific brand of tool, which is great since tools may all look the same even though they are most certainly not built the same.

Overall, a great purchase.

I had nothing but a curiosity about woodworking when Amazon brought this book to my attention as a highly rated book for beginners. This book does an absolutely fabulous job of boiling the craft down to the basics for readers unfamiliar with the subject.

This book will not make you a master in any technique, nor will it cover anything in particular detail. What it will do is give you an introduction to wood, common tools (both hand and powered), and basic techniques for making fine furniture. This book was the beginning of an addiction for me, and for that I am grateful!

This is a wonderful resource for anybody wishing to raise the quality of the garments they are producing. It is clear and easy to follow

If you're going to buy one sewing book, this is the one! It is packed with useful and understandable information. I checked it out of the library, but now I'm buying it so that I'll always have it nearby to refer to.
I own "Sew Everything Workshop" and "Bend the Rules Sewing" both of which are invaluable to the beginning sewer and user friendly, but "High Fashion Sewing Secrets" is far superior. EVERYTHING is in here. If you're buying a complete beginner book, I suggest "Bend the Rules", but if you've sewn even a pillow or curtain, buy "High Fashion Secrets". What you learn is practical for projects other than clothing.

This book is filled with information and great sewing techniques so that no matter what you make, it will fit... but it won't just fit, it will fit as if you had it custom made by Chanel. There are lots of secrets that make sewing seem like a snap.

I've been sewing for years, and I love the book.

I admit I haven't read much of it. Just skimmed through it. It's just quite hard to read...too technical (good for those who like things technical ..I"m a more visual person) and too much information in one seating. But it's worthwhile to take time to study it once I've got more time on my hand.

It does have some great tips, and instructions on copying clothes etc. but one cannot deny that many of the "secrets" are indeed dated. For example, I can promise you that you will never need to know how to make a Double Flounce collar (page 79). Many of the designers highlighted here hit their popularity in the 80s and much of couture sewing in general (but especially couture of 20+ years ago) is just not relevent to every day style. Definitely use the "Search Inside" feature to see what I mean. Still, it is not very expensive and I believe that overall there is enough in here to warrant having it in my library.

Knitter fanatic Stephanie Pearl-McPhee always has too many projects on needles, and here celebrates her knitting passion in a series of admonitions and adages perfect for knitters who 'have everything' in the way of instructionals. From pairings of feelings about yarn to boyfriends to descriptions of patterns of risk, this funny yet pointed collection is the perfect gift for any who love to knit, and a fine addition to collections catering to them.

The Yarn Harlot is a funny lady with a genius for telling home truths in ways that sound fresh. I bought this book because -- okay, (a)it's McPhee, (b)I have all her other books,(c) I've never met a knitting book I didn't need to have immediately (except those that purport to be not your grandmother's something or other). Pathetic reasons, but there you are. This book divides a bunch of those home truths into brief chapterettes -- a clever way to organize the material but one which (sorry) shows off its shallowness. "Practice Makes Perfect," for instance. Oh, thanks; never thought of that. "You Can't Win Them All." Yes, well; you learn that one the first time you try to frog mohair. "Patience is a Virtue:" This little essay does raise the interesting question of whether knitting teaches patience or whether patient people become knitters. Either way, so what?

My sense is that her publishers said, "Steph, it's time; you've got to get another book out there and do another tour." My stronger sense is that between the books and the tours and the blog and whatnot, this lovely knitter is becoming too much of a brand, the voice is becoming too familiar, and the same thing is being sold over and over, with diminishing returns for the reader. Excuse me; I need to attend to my own knitting.

Entertainment extraordinaire, with life lessons explained! How does knitting fit in today's busy busy world and do you think you might enjoy this very old pastime? Find out as you read Things I Learned from Knitting... whether I wanted to or not. This is a handy little book that will fit into a small bag. It is very very funny. I found myself laughing out loud more than once as I was reading it. The author, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee lives in Canada; she speaks and writes the Queen's English, thus the reader must often think, more than a wee bit, to extract all the meaning. That makes it all the more enjoyable. The author uses 45 old adages which illustrate life lessons and she contrasts and compares cognitive psychology to the thought processes used in knitting. That being said I think it will make a wonderful graduation present for my close friend, a young wife, mother, and knitter, who just spent the last ten years working toward her PhD in Biomedical Engineering with a speciality in Oncology. With that accomplished she now has more time to knit and to get on with life's lessons learned!!!

I bought this book hoping to find more of the same humor that was in her first two books. The third book (The Yarn Harlot Casts Off) was a disappointment to me, but I'd hoped it was a fluke. Sadly, I think book#4 is more of the same trend. If you've never read her books, it would probably be amusing, but there wasn't much original in this one. I guess there is only so much you can write about the follies of knitting, and two books is about that much! wish I'd not bought it - will be donating to our library.

I've read all the Yarn Harlot's other books, faithfully read her blog, and heard her speak live. I enjoy her style and funny anecdotes. This book was disappointing. It didn't have any substance to it, and I found it dull. Her next book sounds like it'll be much better. I wish I'd skipped buying this one and waited for the next one to come out.

I haven't seen an Elizabeth Zimmermann book I don't just love it's a bible of sorts for every knitter or wanna be knitter.

I haven't read the book in chronological order, I've just skimmed around for tidbits I needed. I'm not really adventurous when it comes to knitting, I go by the written pattern and that is the main reason I bought the book in the first place - to hopefully add some of my special flare.

The inside of the book is pretty boring (black and white) but anything that EZ has to say is both easy to read and humorous along the way.

All n' all, I like the book and I'm glad to have it in my collection of knitting books.

I would recommend Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Workshop book to everyone with an interest in knitting. My reason for buying this book was to learn how to make EZ's Baby Surprise Jacket. The BSJ is knitted in a unique way. She also has several other knitting patterns that are unique. I learned new and easier ways to knit.

EZ is worth reading but her instructions are seriously lacking. The "lessons" are rambling and unfocused. She jumps from one topic to another in a way that probably makes sense in the video series but doesn't translate well on paper.

She mentions several types of sweater but none of them have very good instructions. I'm not the kind of knitter that needs stitch by stitch instructions but I find her vague directions disconcerting. If there are no pictures to show me what she's doing, then I need more information about the pattern. I suppose these patterns are a good jumping off point for making your own sweaters, but only if you have other, better, references at hand.

I was also disappointed by the baby surprise jacket instructions. I thought the adult version was also in the book but it's only got a small mention. Now if I want to make it I either have to figure it out on my own or pay yet more money for another pattern. And I've heard the pattern from Schoolhouse Press for the ASJ is just as vague as the BSJ pattern.

There are a few black and white photos of finished works and a bunch of hand drawn pictures. Would it kill Schoolhouse Press to update the font and photos a little?

EZ is famous in the knitting world. So this book, like all of her books, is worth reading but not worth buying. Check your local library.

A great book for a beginner. She calms your fears and helps you complete a project all by page 31. If you take the time you will be a great knitter. She teaches you to take risk and learn new techniques as you go along. I have made the hat several times and still read the book because I enjoy her writing. This book gives you classic patterns you can use again and again. She also gives you free reign to be creative and create your own pattern by giving a basic understanding of patterning for the yoke sweater. This book has it all technique and style.

I purchased this book for my "just turned" 3 year old daughter before a 5 hour car ride. She loved this book - she did the mazes straight through to the end in one sitting. This is definately a wonderful beginner's book to mazes. Highly recommended!

Looking for an inexpensive educational item? Look no further. Kumon workbooks are excellent.

My Son is 2.5 yrs old and loved this book. He finished it in less than a months time. Yes, they weren't very challenging mazes, but kept the attention of my child for 10 minutes everyday. He liked it so much that everyday he would ask for it himself. I only wish they came in spiral bound or something like similar, so that I need not hold the book for him while he is working.

This is a great product, but geared to younger children as their first introduction to mazes. My 4 yr old son breezed through this book in one sitting. He may not have gotten them all perfect, but it wasn't much of a challenge at 4.

I loved the kumon books.i run a preschool and use the book at my school. each page is full of color and that gets the kids more interested in completing the pages

I ordered this book and was thrilled when it arrived. So many wonderful ideas. It's a must for any knitter with even a small stash! It will be used over and over. Small projects are perfect for in-between the large ones and this book offers lots! Many gift ideas collected into one book.

I got this book for christmas... I like it. Mostly all knitting projects so if you crochet and don't knit, probably not the book for you. It's got some good projects in it just to have on hand.

The book is great; the only problem I have is they use skeins slightly larger than normal to make most of the projects.

This is a great book to use for gift ideas or for weekend projects - a great "stashbuster" resource.

I have inherited many orphan skeins from my grandmother's stash, and was looking to this book to make some use of them. All in all, I can say that this book was somewhat helpful. I think that the cell-phone case, while not original, was one of the coolest patterns in here!

Pros (the first two are its greatest strengths):
--The center of the book has color-photos of each and every project, cross-referenced to the page where its pattern can be found
--Patterns are organized by yarn type/weight, which is one of the most useful features I have ever seen in a knitting pattern book!
--IMHO, Two-thirds of the patterns are useful/wearable/would make great gifts
--Most of the patterns are easy for us newbie-knitters
--A good variety of items to knit
--Even the ubiquitous scarves and knits hats were creative

Cons:
--About a third of the projects were just not things that I would ever wear or make for someone else (weird things, like knit cravats, or funky purses and hats that just were not my style)
--Yarns detailed in each project were usually not commonly-found ones and had odd combinations of material types or were more expensive yarns, even though one would expect them to be easily "substitutable" in a one-skein project book.

More pros than cons make this a recommended knitting book for those of you with orphan skeins that you don't know how to use. It is worth its price!

I used this book for my church group girls ages 8-12. They loved trying out the different types of lettering for the cards they send to shut ins. The stencils were great for the younger ones, but the older ones wanted to try it all on their own and came up with some really unique looking cards. I was able to run copies of the pages and pass them around as there are 30 of them. Letters were also able to traced. This would also make a great gift for girls in that age group.

I JUST LOVE KLUTZ BOOKS. THEY ARE FUN FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY, KIDS AND ADULTS ALIKE!
THIS BOOK IS NO EXCEPTION TO THE RULE!
GREAT FUN TO ADD TO CRAFT PROJECTS AND EVEN MAKES SCHOOL PROJECTS AND PRESENTATIONS FUN!
THANK YOU KLUTZ!!!

My daughter loves this book. It kept her busy for hours when she first got it. Now she refers to it for card and sign making. I do too. Nice birthday gift for 7-11 year olds

Have you ever been faced with the prospect of making a poster, greeting card, scrapbook -- any creative project that required lettering? All the rest seems like a piece of cake, until you get to the daunting part of adding the words!

Fear no more, budding artists! The answers to all your lettering problems are here in this amazing little book by Klutz. You'll learn how to do different styles of lettering, how to color it, shade it, make it funky and fun!

I can't imagine any kid or adult that wouldn' enjoy having this educational tool on hand. It's sturdily put together with a spiral binding, making it easy to handle while creating your masterpieces. It also includes a set of colored pencils -- quite a bargain! There are 5 pages of stencils, but I believe that you will soon progress beyond using them.

You will love this book!

As soon as I got this, I was off and running! This is all you need to create great lettering for anything you want to put headings, titles or labels on.

The letters you make with the five sheets of stencils will be about an inch, an inch and a half tall, so whatever you letter with those is going to be very big. But these are really nice stencils, with rulers on two of them, and special edges on the others, and fun shapes as well as letters, so these are going to be useful even after you finish the book.

There are tips in the book to make these big letters very artistic, so it's customizable. There are also ideas, instructions, and examples of ways you can do neat alphabets freehand.

And you also get four markers, eight double sided colored pencils (which were not that good, really, making this more of a four and a half star rating than a true five), an eraser, a mechanical pencil, and a pencil sharpener, two sheets of sticker paper, and a pack of practice paper.

My 2-1/2 yr old daughter really enjoys her Kumon workbooks. She calls them "homework", and she has several workbooks: mazes, tracing, coloring - they are all great.

The ideas are so simple, but my son loves the colorful pictures and the end results. They are a treat for him and he looks forward to his "school work."

My three year old was just not interested in folding paper. I would recommend the Let's Sticker! or Let's Cut Paper! over this one.

my boys love the folding book - it's basic (and i mean BASIC) origami. but since they're not yet 2, they have a while before they can get through the book as the designs become progressively more intricate. very entertaining.

I have a preschooler with fine motor delays and he HATES to do anything which requires use of his hands. I was told by his teachers that this will lead to issues in school when he is expected to write and participate in art projects. If he can't write, it will affect his academic future.

Therapy provided only so much help, as he was frustrated with the tasks. But then I learned about Kumon's excellent reputation for learning through their local tutoring center - I purchased all of the workbooks.

Because of my childs delays, this book was actually the most difficult for him. He doesn't understand how to fold paper in an orderly way. What helped was the folding lines he could see on the illustrations. He truly tried to fold it correctly so he could "see the boy cry, and then see him happy". It's a simple concept, but it's meant to develop skills while keeping the child interested.

If it's not fun or interesting to a child, they won't want to do it. Folding paper for a young child helps to develop fine motor skills, that will help them in all areas when they begin to write, button, zip etc.

My child is getting a lot of exposure to fine motor tasks with these workbooks, but is still having fun with them.