Crafts Hobbies Books

Instructions are clear and easy to follow. By far the best book I have seen on the subject.

I just received this book today and read it cover to cover. It has everything. It's well organized, lists items you need to create a project, has step-by-step directions and tips. The pictures show you the process and gave me many ideas to copy. This is a beautifully presented book. You can't go wrong with Francoise Read's book.

The Basics Equipment: stamps and inkpads, plus combined results Tools: the essentials, plus punches, thermal embossing tools, glues, wire tools and more exciting possibilities.

Materials: the embossing powders- glues, colouring mediums etc that take stamping beyond the basics.

Papers: what's out there and how to use it.

Simple Stamping Workshop back-to-basics guide to perfecting the foundations - inking brush markers accurate positioning masking clear stamps simple embossing

Presentation Workshop Basic design: layouts composition presentation Colour schemes: including swatches and finished examples

Applying colour: applying inks, chalks, sponging and more Finishing touches: glitter, ribbon, charms, eyelets etc

Creative Workshop 19 step-by-step, technique-led illustrated projects (mostly cards), plus a gallery of samples each for further creativity Acetate Bleaching Brayering Chalks Collage Cut Away Decoupage and 3D Decoupage Direct to Paper Embellishing Masking Metal Foil Multi Embossing Pearl Effects Resist Embossing Shadow Stamping Shrink Plastic Style Stones Vellum Velvet Paper Suppliers

- Acknowledgments
- Index

One of the most wonderful books for Stampers.
Very clear and great to have.

The Rubber Stamper's Bible

Very good book. I wish I knew about it when I started stamping two years ago. If you are just starting to stamp, it explains the differnt inks, cardstocks, tools, techniques, etc. which would have been such an asset instead of my learning bits and pieces at a time. I would have at least knew what people were talking about.

In Points of View, Valerie outdoes her first book, Beyond the Horizon. She includes many more techniques and hints, along with gorgeous pictures of her work and that of others. It's a book to get lost in. Easy to translate the written word into real life works and be pleased with the results!

If you love making quilted landscapes or are interested in learning how to make them, this is a great book. You learn easy as well as a little more advanced ways to make them. You learn how to look at fabric and see possiblilites in it that you had never seen before. Follow the patterns and techniques to make your own piece of art and then check out the gallery in the back of the book. Amazing! I had made landscapes before getting this book, but I have learned so much more from it.
Kay S.

As a quilt teacher this is a must have tool. This book is one of the best landscape book out there, it so simple to use that a first timer can use it with their eyes closed. If you ever wanted to give it a try this is the way to go it has it all from the very simple to wow!!!!

This is an excellent book for a beginner to practice landscape quilting.
The simple techniques that you can try will encourage you to then design and make your own landscape quilt.

Points of View is a wonderful book, rich in detail and information, and gorgeous photos of Valerie Hearder's quilts. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to do landscape quilting. Valerie's "viewfinder" idea for finding your correct section of fabric is great, the instructions are clear and easy to follow to make your version of each type of quilt.

Again, I purchased this from Amazon. I've done a couple of the cards. However if you don't have patience forget it. This book requires a steady hand and patience. Takes time to work through all the different types of pop-ups. Some I'm still trying to figure out. However her designs are beautiful and I would say go for it. It definitely makes cardmaking fun.

Interesting to look at, but not the least do able for moderately talented card makers. This is for the gifted pop up artist.

This 3-D Pop-Up book is very good with easy to use instructions and illustrations. Would recommend it to friends.

I have a decent- sized library of papercraft books, but this outshines then all. It has the required beautiful pictures, but the beautiful pictures are of beautiful items, and the instructions are easy to follow. I am racommending this book, at with the highest praise, for all my papercrafting friends!

I purchased this book for my sister. She loves to make her own cards and used one of the patterns to make some breath taking Christmas cards this year. We sent them to people we love that live a great distance from us and we do not regularly stay in touch with. The love that went into making the cards was evident and we received calls from all of the recipients. I have never made any cards and the ones my sister made were so beautiful I decided to try. I made the pop up bird, and it is exquisite. This book is a wonderful tool to make beautiful gifts that will last in the memories of loved ones forever.

If you are going to make your own wedding bouquets, corsages, etc,. this is a truly useful book. Most books hint at possible usefulness, but when you look at them, they really aren't. This has step by step instructions and they are clear. I think most other do it yourself wedding flower books are written by professional florists whose true purpose is to discourage people from making their own wedding flowers, not to help them. Another good book is: "Creating Beautiful Wedding Flowers: Gorgeous Ideas and 20 Step-by-step Projects for Your Big Day (Paperback) by Nancy Ursell and Antonia Swinson"

This is a very good book if you were shocked by the price estimates at the florist. The instructions in the book were very simple to follow. I would agree that the designs are very traditional but after you get the technique down you can change things up. With this book I was able to have over 400 roses at my wedding for under $400. There was no way I could afford even the corsages for each special person in my large family without this book, flowers from the grower, and doing the arrangements myself.

This book provides good basic information and instructions on the how-tos of wedding floral arranging. Offers info on fresh flower and silk flower arrangements. Generally the instructions are quite good- however the author did not provide enough information on attaching the boutineers and corsages.

I am VERY pleased with this book. Each arrangement shows a complete "recipe" for making it along with step by step instructions AND pictures. I will save hundreds of dollars on my wedding flowers thanks in part to this book.

I am a florist and I am always looking for new and exciting ideas. I was looking forward to some "Creative Wedding Florals" and I got a book that is a throwback to the 70's. The Material is very outdated and shows nothing new. I was very disappointed. If you are looking for "Creative
", this is not the book for you.

Ha ha ha. It's so "Dynasty". The pictures and the couture featured are very bad 80's. Useful for Halloween if you want to make a "Blanche" outfit. Not a good buy, but I'm too rich/lazy to return it for a refund.

First, I'll state that I'm a new sewer but a technical person and can tell when a topic is over my head or is simply poorly explained. In my experience a well-written technical book makes the complex easy to understand. That said, I've been reading several haute couture titles to understand the process so that I can apply it to the garments I intend to create. I own and have read Claire B. Shaeffer's Couture Sewing Techniques, High Fashion Sewing Secrets and Carr's Couture: The Art of Fine Sewing and believe it is worth owning all three as each has a technique the not covered by the other two. If I had to narrow it down to two of these three selections I'd purchase this and Couture Sewing Techniques by Shaeffer. If I had to buy only one I'd probably go with Carr's. Here's why.

First you have to discount the reviews which knock the finished examples (i.e. pictures of couture dresses). In most couture instructional books the dresses are dated and show little if any construction detail. One has to consider that any book will be limited in haute couture examples as even a hundred dresses would only a drop of water in a sea of creative fabric work that dates back over a hundred years. Also, fashion is subjective so no book can please every customer. What one reviewer finds heinous another may find appealing. These books are not meant to be art galleries, they are to instruct. If you consider them from a purely technical standpoint you'll get the most from them.

Second, Haute Couture is an expressive and sometimes experimental art. I'm guessing that some reviewers feel these books should tell you how to perfectly mimic current couture dresses but that would be like a painting book telling you how to copy a Monet. I don't expect a book like this to tell me what to make. What I do expect is for it to introduce and explain as many techniques as possible, suggest problems they can be used to solve, and put it all together so that I can make a finished product that helps me express my idea closely to the original concept.

Shaeffer's "High Fashion Sewing Secrets" comes off a little hodge-podgy (i.e. it lacks cohesiveness) and the page formats are hard on the eyes. You have to sort through a lot of miscellaneous, unrelated information on each page to get to the one technique she's trying to explain. Still, there are techniques not covered in the other books so it's a worthwhile third book to get after her other title and Carr's book.

Shaeffer's Couture Sewing Techniques has a better format than her other title, has much more content (techniques) but is still not quite as clear, cohesive, or comprehensive as Carr's book. If you're an experienced sewer you may get more from this book than Carr's but, again, the cohesiveness is its weak point. I didn't walk away from it with that mental 'click' that gave me the confidence to put together that lingering vision of a garment. However, it does have many useful techniques not covered in her other title or by Carr.

Carr's strength is how she seams topics together that make the whole concept easier to understand. The editing and presentation is much clearer than any of the other books. True, the dress pictorials are dated and probably could have been omitted but the same could be said of Shaeffer's. I believe Carr's book is a good first step toward making your own haute couture creations and understanding how to tackle the problems of fine garment construction and fit.

This is the first really good and very inspiring book about couture sewing techniques. Wonderfully illustrated.

It goes into:

-which fabrics are appropriate for lining
-pleating out stripes
-how to block fabric
-how to use grain boards
-flat hand held chalk
-even bias tape makers
-innovative techniques on seam allowance
-how to preserve structural effects by using scalloping as an alternative clipping method
-thread tracing in order to ensure your fabric remains flat on the seam, darts and pleats.
-Cross basting for multiple layers fo fabric
-why not to back stitch
-proper way to press fabric to that it lies flat
-how to sew a french seam
-hong kong seam finish
-tucking
-how to cut out fabric correctly

And so much more!!

This book is a very good investment, and I highly recommend it to any serious designer, or any one obsessed with sewing :D

As a sewing professional, I am always on the lookout for new insight. This book did not do the trick. Some of the technique information was interesting, but the examples are truly hienous. The entire point of couture is a beautiful result. Schaeffer does a much better job approaching this subject.

The photos of the finished outfits are very dated looking, overdone, and not really couture looking. They look like someone with no figure tried to do too much to a garment. However, the instructions on how to do the techniques are excellent. I'm giving it 4 stars because the finished products are not very inspiring.

The gorgeous pictures of these fascinating quilts are an inspiration to get to work on my own creative ideas. I am always amazed at the diversity of the human creative spirit and especially the way people use fiber in making art.

This is a wonderful book to spark your creativity. It was reccommended by Amazon when I bought another quilt book and I'm glad I bought it.

This book is exactly what I hoped to find. It is filled with beautifully illustrated quilts & embroidery with step by step details on design, construction and how it was embroidered. Sandra has detailed her quilt design process giving the reader a clearly demonstrated understanding visually & textually of what inspires her quilts and then firstly how she gets them out of her head and onto paper & then translated into a quilt. Sandras use of sumptuous fabrics showing us how fabrics are combined, moved around and translated into images is wonderful. The embroidery is textual & three dimensional and the magic is nothing you see seems unachievable. Highly recommended for teachers, students and anyone wanting to take their quilt making to a new level.

It was a gift for my Mom who wants to create more inspired quilts. She loves it and is off and running with new ideas and techniques for creating her own designs.

This book along with Sandra's contemporary quits has been inspirational to me. These two books have almost become my bible. I can look through them time and again for ideas and they help to spark my creativity. There are a variety of techniques to make your quilts more interesting and diamentional. This book was well worth the money and would make a great contributional to anyone who is interested in art quilts to their own personal library.

For those of you interested in starting your own business, race out and pick up a copy! Loads of great ideas, tips and tricks and funny stories.

A must-read for anyone thinking of starting a craft business. Fitzgerald knocks it out of the ball park with this one!

I found this book to be very helpful as a mom running her own business and I was very happy to be asked to contribute to it. Reading the things the other contributors had to say about being able to do what you love for a living were very motivational. I hope this book encourages more women to start their own businesses. [...]

This is a cut-to-the chase approach that profiles a cross-section of successful businesswomen crafters. Before you start setting up any kind of business, you'd better make sure your idea is unique and marketable. Sit down with Fitzgerald's book for a few hours, and you'll see what these women did to stand out and succeed in a very competitive business environment. I particularly liked that each profile is in that woman's own words. If I'm going to make my dream of starting a business a reality, I sure need to hear from those who stepped off the crafting cliff before me! I really liked this book.

First of all, this book was hard to get a hold of. Did they not print enough or what? Borders couldn't even order it for me, Barnes & Noble had no stores nearby with it and took a couple weeks to get it in.

I've been working on my own crafting business for almost two years now, and I love Country Living Magazine, so I was excited for this book. I would just recommend it to those who are looking for more inspiration than real direction and hardcore answers.

The true stories of successful crafters are very inspiring and helpful in the advice the women give. It was fun to see the other women's crafts (many of whom are well known in this business) and hear how they came to be successful and what their dreams for the future are.

I would not recommend this book if you are looking for some serious answers about the structure, laws, options and rules when it comes to setting up your own crafting business. I would strongly recommend The Crafter's Business Answer Book by Barbara Brabec, that book will answer every question you have and help you get set up. This book, however, the Crafting a Business book, just skimmed over all these topics very briefly at the end of the book. It wasn't as thorough and didn't answer all the important questions.

I'm pretty happy with my purchase nonetheless, and have really enjoyed reading through the various success stories in this book. It is encouraging and enjoyable.

This was a very interesting book. I find this time in our history rich. The stories are compelling and touching. I have become interested in quilts of this era and have began to do some piecing that reflect this period I was very excited to find this book for its patterns as well as it rich historical content.

I collect quilt history books and "The Civil War Diary Quilt" book is an excellent addition to my collection. The diairies are priceless pieces of our nation's history and I feel an emotional attachment to each one of the writers. The title of this book is misleading, however, because the main theme is not a quilt pattern, but the fantastic collection of diaries. Don't get this book if you want patterns - buy it for the wonderful history.

I really enjoyed the stories, just wish that there were more. Good book for quilter's who like to take patterns and recreate them in EQ6 or other software to print out hard copy patterns. You could trace and draw out patterns in the book and do English paper-piecing too.

This is a great thick book of blocks that coincide with letters from the Civil War period. A group of us made quilts from this book. ITs a keeper.

This is a lovely book but not as good as i thought it would be. I have wanted it for over one year and now that I have it, realise I could live without it. The illustrations and overall appeal ie. colour, setout and feel are lacking. Not a really appealing book in my opinion. Overall it is a lack-lustre offering. Some good facts re: real life stories from the Civil War however.

The book came in expected condition. They shipped quickly and did a great job.

Girls will be girls and what was girly and cool 100 years ago is still girly and cool today. A fun look into history loaded with good old fashion fun. Every girl in our neighborhood has found something they love in this book. Giggles and smiles. This does seem to be a better fit for a girl who already enjoys reading otherwise you may end up doing the loins share of the reading which could be just as rewarding for your relationship with your special girl.

I received this book for Christmas and it is one of my favorite books. It has crafts and activities ranging from preserving flowers in wax to turning an old straw hat into a drawstring bag. Along with fun crafts and games, and even interior decorating, this book shows one how life was like back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This book is over 100 years old, and the activities are still really fun and easy to do! I recommend this book to any girl, young or old!

Sure, it might be a little outdated, but it's a great glimpse into a past time. And today's kids would probably enjoy the chance to do some old-fashioned things described in this book, like making their own hammock or refurbishing some old furniture. The instructions for painting and drawing and basic and useful, and many of the ideas presented are things forgotten about and could stand resurrection. Lots of attention paid to girls getting exercise and being healthy, contrary to modern perceptions of Victorian women. Good for parents and teachers, and kids who are fond of history and open to old-fashioned ideas.

My mother bought both for me as a child. I spent days going through the American Boys Handy Book but the girls version bored me to death. I was excited to learn of the amazing things boys got to do in older times but what girls were doing sounded a great deal like chores. The best bit with the American Boys Handy book is you get history and crafts together. There are many things you can still build, at least if you don't live in too urban an environment. If you do live in the city or want more female crafts than trapping, fishing and animal training, get a more modern craft book for your children. The American Girls doll company likely still makes interesting period crafts if you'd like to go the historical route. They did when my nieces were young.

L.K Ludwig does an OUTSTANDING JOB at making the artist within us all feel at ease and ready to express our thoughts, our feelings about this wondrous world in a beautiful and personal way. I was SO VERY PLEASED and DELIGHTED with this book! Many THANKS for sharing your creative insights.

Marvelously well done with explicit technique instructions. I've taken classes with L.K. Ludwig, and she transcends her artistic talent in both the classroom as well as this book. A must-have for the mixed media artist.

Ludwig is a new and thoroughly original voice on the art journaling scene! This book is a must for avid art journalers even if this romantic, bold, and somewhat chunky style is not yours. The techniques presented are simple and easily reproduced at home. I have tried many of them and there is great joy at discovery and experimentation, particularly the copper patina, of which Ludwig knows more than most. The book is packed with beautiful examples of the author's own work, which reflects a darkly romantic perception of nature and strong, soulful feeling relatedness. Her ingenious combinations of photos, monoprints, fabrics, artificial flowers, and natural materials are stunning and unique. These are new ideas in a genre where recent books have simply reiterated old techniques and ideas. This book is tremendously inspiring, spaciously and beautifully laid out, filled with moving and illuminative quotes from nature writers, and the technique instructions are lucidly and clearly presented. Having been her student in a hands on class, I was pleased to see that she is as good a teacher in print as in person, not always the case.

When I first began browing though this book, I thought to myself "Oh my goodness, how could I ever do anything this beautiful and complicated?" But LK does a wonderful job breaking down her unique images into step-by-step instructions. She includes specific tips for working with a new art material that will help you sail past the trial-by-error part of experimenting and art-making.

I really enjoyed her idea of printing natural texture onto metal foil (pg 60) because it's really simple. A sheet of metal, some patina solution and a patch of grass. Viola! I tried it and is works like a charm. Using this technique, I created some interesting background pieces I can use as mats for my image transfer photos.

LK walks that fine line between creating a visually-stunning book that's beautiful enough to inspire seasoned artsits while still featuring interesting techniques that are accessible to the fearless crafter.

Mixed-Media Nature Journals is a gorgeous book, rich with texture and chocked full of creativity.

Lots of good info in this book and wonderful photos, ideas, etc. But I'm curious, does anyone else find it creepy that what appear to be entire bird wings are used in some of these projects?