Crafts Hobbies Books

I found this book with very good ideas and easy to understand instructions. I received this book quickly - faster than I was expecting.

I was very excited about this author's first book so I see no reason not to also like this second one. She has 6 basic stitches with the emphasis on peyote in all its types. Three patterns for spiral rope for bracelet, necklace, and lariat. This is followed by patterns in 6 sitches. They include rings in peyote, eyeglass chain and bracelet in daisy, cellphone strap and bracelet in herringbone, necklace and bracelet in netting, earrings and pendant in brick stitch, bracelet and choker in RAW. Two pages on basic tools and supplies which include the latest materials, 3 pages called basic stitch maps illustrating the stitches. Then a "bonus" section on peyote. This includes bracelet in even peyote, ring in two drop peyote, bracelet and beaded bead necklace in tubular peyote and a lovely spiral necklace in peyote. Then comes 3 dinensional peyote with a miniature jewelry box and tiny tote bag. Followed by circular peyote with an applique, and a curly bracelet and frilled pendant. Then odd-count peyote with a cellphone strap, brooch and choker. The instructions include both words and color charts and lots of tips. The beads used are given in both millimeter sizes and the 8s and 11s which are the sizes used in the western world. I think that for the price this is excellent value and is good for self learning or with a class. I haven't made anything yet so will upgrade this review after I have.

A great book. Very different from what I usually see. The quilts look like art quilts when they are compelted, but they are so easy. You create "stratas" by peicing together strips, then cut squares or triangles to create the quilts. A really great concept and presented very well - clear instructions and illustrations.

I'm very pleased with this book. Plan to make a couple of the patterns soon. Highly recommended.

This is a wonderful book. Beautifully illustrated and loaded with NEW ideas for fat quarters. Refreshingly different from most on the market today. Highly recommend to any and all who love their fat quarters. I had a little bit of difficulty finding the 7 1/2 square ruler that some of the patterns use but find it I did. A great book!!!!!

There are some fun projects in this book, and they don't necessarily require fat quarters, of course. The instructions are clear, the illustrations informative, and I can't wait to get started on one!

I am so deighted by this book. Mary Hoover and Barbara Persing are such talented sisters. Their eye for creativity gives a incredible depth to a traditional art. This is a must buy for anone interested in quilting!
Much success Barbara and Mary! Well Done!

I got this book for Christmas last year. Almost all of the projects are ones I will actually make (many books have one, or two, and the rest are junk).

The patterns are mostly easy to follow, and the results are beautiful. While many of the items are not things I would wear myself they make great gifts, and are a good base to use when making up your own patterns. A GREAT idea book and great for gifts.

I recently purchased this book and have not been able to put it down. Gorgeous pieces, beautiful pictures and glossy thick pages. Not only do I want to make everything in the book, it's perfect for a twenty-something like myself who likes feminine things and a little bit of trend and flair at the same time. This knits in this book remind me of something you might find at Anthropologie. A little bit vintage, very feminine, luxurious and cute. The Daphne purse on the cover is to die for- and I see myself making about 5 of them for people for Christmas time. lol The Fair Isle patterns are not to difficult and gorgeous. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves to make beautifully feminine pieces for themselves or others.

The projects look nice, but I'm a bit weirded out by the photos of the models who look like they're just out of Jane Eyre's boarding school and two minutes away from coughing up a lung. Yuck!

I got this book in order to knit pretty, stylish things for my granddaughters. I love to knit and why make a bunch klutzy stuff they won't like? It is full of great ideas and the patterns are easy to use. I have knit two of the classic beanies since last night and have embellished one with folk-art star buttons and the other with a small bouquet of knitted flowers, from directions given further on in the book for embellishing an evening bag. I added a knitted leaf with a ladybug button. Both hats came out great and not a bit grandmotherly. I am going to add some arty glass beads to the flower centers tomorrow to jazz it up another notch. These are great basic patterns for getting your creative juices flowing and your embellishing stash involved. Very feminine, nice pattern stitches, very classic designs. If they aren't classic yet, they will be. Young hip people will like these designs, and so will their grandmothers.

I bought this book for it's potential gift resources and discovered that the author and myself have very similar taste in yarn and accessories; so much so that for once I actually had the same yarns at hand for the patterns. We just clicked, and so did my needles. So far the patterns have been true to measure, really cute, and the recipients have loved them. I've combined some of these designs with things from 'Knitting Over the Edge' with wonderful results especially with the hats. The instructions are very well written and easy to follow and the photography is beautiful, what more could I ask?

This book is clearly presented. The book covers the basics, particularly for counterbalance, countermarch looms. It presents warping from back to front. Many helpful tips are given for basic weaving techniques. There are interesting Swedish style patterns and illustrations.

I learned to weave, many years ago, while living in Norway, gave it up for another number of years but have now had the time to return to this wonderful past time. Weaving in the Swedish Tradition book was a Bible for Weavers back then and I'm thrilled to see that it has been translated into English.
I highly recommend this book for both novice and experienced weavers!
Thanks,
Happy Weaver

This English translation of the Swedish version of this book makes it possible for more weavers to recreate awesome handwoven pieces. The directions are clear and the photography inspiring.

I purchased this book for a very specific reason - to figure out how to make my 4 harness Glimakra into an 8 harness. It did that and so much more. If I were a beginning weaver, this book would be a "must have" in my library. As a more seasoned weaver, I feel much the same way. Every technique has not only a verbal description but good diagrams as well. It covers the basics with good hints for making things easier. It goes beyond the basics with very useful information on patterns and materials. Thank you to the translator for making this available to us in English. A great resource!

This book is a must for the library of most weaver's
especially those with counter march or counter balance looms.
Doug. 8th April 2008

What a wonderful Book. It tells you everything you need to know to create wonderful pieces of art from photo's. I have had Adobe Elements on my computer for months and never used this, with the easy to follow instrucitons from this book I have been creating wonderful pictures for printing. take a look at Beth Wheelers website for more inspiration
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If you like taking photos and you love to quilt, this book is for you. It gives you ideas and help in using the two together and being really creative to boot. A don't miss book for quilt artists.

This book gave me exactly what I needed to alter photos and print what I wanted. It breaks the steps down so you can understand and follow along as you work with your printer or computer. The finished product is beautiful.

This book is good as far as it goes. It covers selection of photos, size, printing onto fabric sheets, tiling, etc. competently and simply. The pages are well laid out, with images of the computer screens and step by step instructions. When you have read this book, you should be able to manipulate your photos, print them, and stitch them into quilts or book covers or postcards.

Where it falls down slightly, is that it doesn't know whether the reader is computer literate and/or sewing literate. For me it didn't quite explain enough about the computer side, and yet showed photos of a sewing machine, and sewing needles, as if we didn't all know what they look like!

One bonus is that you get a 30 day tryout version of Photoshop elements 5, which is the program they recommend and refer to.

Its limitations also extend to the works of the authors shown - almost all flower centres. A greater balance of subject types and a few more photos of variations in effect options for the same subject, would have made this a 5 star book.

This is a grat book with good pictures and texet. It is easy to read and understand.

this book helped me a lot and found it very interesting and gave me
a lot of ideas.

I gave this book along with a lathe as a Christmas gift to my Father-in-law. He has a machinist background, but had not used a wood lathe before. This book offered a great starting point for him. I read the book also and found it to be very good.

I recently decided to give a shot at wood turning. Being a complete beginner without any time to attend any classes I started by shopping around for different books and DVDs.
In my opinion, "Learn to Turn" is by far the best book available for starting woodturning.
It is written in a very simple style and illustrated by numerous color pictures.
This book is short, well organized and go straight to the point.
The book is divided in two main parts.
The first part introduce the basics of woodturning, the tools, sharpening, sanding, finishing.
The second part is a composed of a multitude of photo essays that show you how to use each tool and drive you through several simple projects.

This book is an excellent reference for the new woodturner. It makes no assumptions, and starts from the VERY beginning, so some may skip some of the beginning sections. However, the book is organized to guide you through the process, and includes projects to use your newly found skills. The book reads very well, and will give you the fundamental knowledge you need to get started. It's also filled with excellent photos to help clarify the text. I would highly recommend this book to other beginners (in fact, I already have).

You are taken through the basic steps that might mystify you before you start, such as finishing off thread. The exquisite details will help in getting you through the stages of the embroidery.The pages of the book are stiff and you need a book stand with clips to keep it open. I found the variety of stitches demonstrated inspiring and will go back to the book as I progress in a project. An important detail not included was the angle of a needle to have a bead sit straight (found in another book). Excellent referral source.

I just started to interesting in beading and this book is excellent source for amateurs. I can see every details and create some interesting thing by myself.

I really liked this book. I bought about 5 and this is exactly what I was looking for. It taught me what I need to know!!

Step by step instructions and copious illustrations. An excellent book for those who want to bead woodland designs.

I haven't had a chance to try the techniques out yet but in thumbing through the pages this one looks by far the best bead embroidery book I've seen as far as illustrations and easy to understand instructions go.

I knew I wanted to buy a 14" bandsaw, but knew nothing about bandsaws and wanted a good overview. It accomplished that.

I get the impression that the author expected the reader to select the topics of interest and just read those. As a novice, I read the entire book straight through and as a result, got a bit tired of the repetition I went through.

It is an easy read and I learned effectively. I still have a couple questions, but was able to narrow my saw selection to two.

If you are thinking about buying a bandsaw or are new to them, get this book! This book is packed with information that is helpful for buying new or used saws. It explains the differences in blades and what you need for different uses.

This book will save you money and guide you to the right saw for your needs. Well worth the price!

I bought this book because I've been in the market for my first bandsaw for a few months. I've been researching the topic a lot and came across a recommendation for this book in a forum somewhere. Given Amazon's great price I thought what they heck. I found this book to be very informative and pointed out a lot of things I should be looking at when determining which saw to buy that I had not though of. It did this without knocking any brands or given slanted praise to any brand either which I really liked. I don't really like taking a recommendation from an author who recommends a brands that sponsors him. Definitely worth the money and the time.

I bought the bandsaw and figured I better have a book to help me along. I bought this book with the hopes it would help. It has and will some more in the future.

I did find some of the information redundant as to what was written in the owners manual. But, there are great sections on how to tune up your saw, jigs, projects and a whole lot more. This book is in my shop with me and I find myself referring to it.

I would recommend for both novice and seasoned woodworkers. There is just a lot of good useful information.

Every chapter is filled with knowledgeable experience gained from using many different types of bandsaws. Lonnie Bird has taught woodworking and the use of power tools such as the band saw for many years. Having used a bandsaw in the past and getting ready to do so again after a 15 year hiatus, I thought I should bone up on the facts. Lonnie had information I never even considered before. His treatment of bandsaw blades and their use is invaluable and complete. This book will be readily available in my shop for quick reference whenever I need it on bandsaw tuning or blade selection.