Hobbies, Games & Quizzes Books

Book SynopsisCrochet is a quick and easy craft and can be addictive! This latest title in the A-Z series will have you create beautiful pieces in no time. Don’t know where to start? If you have never held a crochet hook before, the simple instructions and easy-to-follow photographs at the beginning of the book will have you working like an expert in no time. Learn about bobbles and clusters, loop stitches, picots and popcorns, shells and spikes. An expert, but you want to expand your repertoire? Discover broomstick crochet, entrelac crochet, filet and hairpin crochet, Irish crochet, surface and tubular crochet, Tunisian crochet and so much more. We show you how to achieve a perfect finish to your crocheted project and how to add your own special touch with fringes, spirals, edgings and three-dimensional motifs. It's 164 pages of hooking bliss!Trade ReviewThe best way to describe this book is invaluable! There is so much left I have to learn about crochet and this book is helping me on my way. This book is designed to take you step-by-step in different techniques and stitches so that you can learn them. The pictures are amazingly clear and really do take you through step-by-step. Everyone from a beginner upwards has something that they can learn from this book. If you are a beginner then this book really is invaluable. It takes you through the different ways you can hold your hook to how to get started. It takes you through each of the basic stitches you will need and then takes you through everything from increasing to decreasing. This is a project book this book is purely to learn to crochet, learn different stitches and techniques to help support you on your crochet journey. An amazing array of stitches are covered. Everything from a single crochet to a puff stitch. Or why not try a raised treble rib. Once you have learnt numerous stitches you can then learn how to crochet with beads and sequins. How about learning broomstick crochet or entrelac crochet. Then we move onto filet crochet and hairpin lace. I love the section of Irish crochet. It makes it so easy to follow and a scary technique look so easy. The book even takes you through learning tunisian crochet. The other amazing thing in the book is using crochet to create buttons, buttons holes and button loops. I haven't covered everything in the book as there is just so much packed in! I think this really is an invaluable book for any crocheter! * Crochet Addict UK *Issue 79 This reprint of a classic crochet guide is still a great and comprehensive introduction to the craft. Starting with the guide to hooks and yarns, it moves on to basic stitches illustrated with clear and colourful photographs. It's then on to the bobbles, clusters, hoops and picots- and we're not even a third of the way through yet! This book would make an ideal present and reference for the beginner, yet it is packed with informaiton even the most experienced crocheter will find useful * Inside Crochet *Crochet stitches for all skills from absolute beginner upwards. 1200 photographs in this encyclopaedia of crochet stitches. Discover the different types of crochet such as filet and all the stitches you could ever need. With these basic stitches and techniques you will be able to create motifs of all kinds. Easy to use and clear instructions and photos. * Karen Platt- yarnsandfabrics.co.uk *Table of ContentsHistory 4 General Information 6 Techniques from the beginning 10 Stitches, stitches, stitches 36 More stitches and techniques 63 Added touches 118 Finishing 146 Index 161

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Book SynopsisKirsten Glasbrook demonstrates the ancient art of tapestry weaving using wool yarn, fine linen and cotton on simple rectangular frames with notches, or purpose-built looms for larger tapestries. She shows step by step how to weave gorgeous tapestries, from choosing colours and winding warps through to creating images and finishing off with tassels and beads. Readers will learn how to create horizontal and diagonal lines, curves, motifs, shading, outlines, borders and more. There is a gallery of beautiful finished works to inspire everyone from beginners to experienced weavers. This best-selling title has been re-issued to inspire a whole new generation.Trade ReviewWhen modern crafters think of tapestry weaving, they often think of the large-scale medieval tapestries that hang in museums or historical landmarks, but the history of tapestry stretches back much further, to ancient Egypt and other world cultures. In her introduction to tapestry weaving, Glasbrook provides an overview of basic loom setup, weaving techniques, and tapestry design in the form of a sampler project featuring abstract designs. Unlike other forms of weaving, tapestry weaving does not require an expensive loom—one can be made from a simple frame or even stiff cardboard. Glasbrook covers loom preparation, including winding the warp and warping the loom, selection of warp and weft yarn, and techniques for weaving a variety of patterns via a small sampler project. A gallery of Glasbrook’s work, along with tips and techniques for weaving similar projects, follows. VERDICT Tapestry isn’t generally covered in beginner weaving books, and there’s plenty of information here to get novices started with this fascinating and ancient craft. * Library Journal USA *Tapestry Weaving by Kirsten Glasbrook provides a logical and systematic approach to the craft. The book explains the weaving of woolen cloths, linen and cotton on simple rectangular frames with notches, or specially built looms for bigger work. The book explains many techniques, which are accompanied by step by step photographs such as such as deformation of weft lines, vertical appertures, diagonal shapes and curves. The book is suitable for beginners, but will also inspire experienced weavers too. * Textiel Plus *

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Book SynopsisThe latest title from sewing guru Debbie Shore has arrived – and it’s her most fun yet! Packed with 20 colourful, inventive projects, it contains something for children of all ages. It contains a fold-away easel for a budding artist, a magnetic fishing game for an intrepid naturalist, and a colourful backpack for the young explorer. Why not make some spooky Halloween bunting to get ready for trick-or-treating, make a pirate cuddle pillow for a swashbuckling bedroom, or line up some funky monkey skittles for a game or two? The book contains all the guidance a beginner sewer will need – containing useful tools and techniques sections at the beginning, and plenty of tips throughout – while its fresh, exciting designs will also inspire experienced sewers.Trade ReviewMost folks who sew end up with a wealth of scraps left over and are often looking for small projects so those scraps don’t go to waste. Most of the projects in this book use the ubiquitous 100-percent-cotton fabric preferred by quilters, but a few use wool felt. The techniques are for the most part standard and not overly complicated, but there are brief instructions for a handful of the most common. The projects range from practical and useful to purely fun. Unlike some books of projects for children, these are not too heavily stylized and leave plenty of room for interpretation and embellishment to suit any individual child’s taste. Included are a craft easel, drawing folder, Halloween bunting, hot-water bottle, ball, witch’s hat, kite wall hanging, coin purse, a few creatures, two games, several bags, and more. Each set of instructions is illustrated with crisp photographs, though the instructions themselves are brief. Those with some sewing experience will find them sufficient, but a beginner may wish for more detail. -- Anne Heidemann * Booklist Online *The next Half Yard sewing title from best-selling author Debbie Shore packed with 20 fun colourful, crafty projects to make kids for all ages. Each project requires only half a yard of fabric, and the book also contains templates, as well as helpful guidance on getting started * Hot brands, Cool Places *Half Yard Kids is a really charming book, suitable for both people who can sew or want to learn. The book contains bright beautiful pictures and fun ideas for every one to try. The projects are lovely and none of them are too complicated. I am even going to get my grandson to pick one and have a go with me as a family project. Enjoy and surprise your family when they see what you can do with this great book. * Jackie Tee *This is the second book in this superb series that I have got now. It certainly lives up to expectations and beyond! The suggestions are different to many similar books I've seen, beautifully presented and brightly illustrated. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. I have finished one project and am eager to begin another. The price is very reasonable. I can personally highly recommend this delightful book * Lesley Best *Love this book beautiful pictures good projects. My sewing club love the book * Monika Graham *This is a lovely new book from Debbie Shaw, The instructions are really easy to follow, each instruction is shown with a picture so even if you dont quite understand the written information the picture makes it clearer, I love all the projects and think the first one I make will be the pillow pal. * Sue McAndrew *Great book as you'd expect from Debbie Shore.. I've added this to my collection of her other books!! Plenty to keep me busy making things for my little ones! * Jenny Broughton *August 2016 The lateste title from sewing guru Debbie Shore has arrived and we think it's one of her most fun yet! Including 20 colourful inventive projects, it contains something for kids of all ages from a craft easel fopr a budding artist, to a magnetic fishing game for the intrepid naturalist, and a colourful backpack for young explorers. Why not make some sppoky Halloween bunting to get ready for trick or treating, stitch a pirate cuddle pillow for a swashbuckling bedroom, or line up some funky monkey skittles for a game or two? This inspiring book contains all the guidance you will need including useful tools and techniques secrions at the beginning together with tips throughout. * Sew *I am a huge fan of Debbie Shore. And this book has surpassed her previous books. The book is jam packed with 20 colourful toys and accessories. This is one book that will be used time and again for gifts for children. The projects are such fun and with Debbie's hints and tips you will find them so much easier. From the start you will find projects you really want to make. To be honest I might even make a few for myself. The craft easel is brilliant and would be ideal for any age. The bright colours are ideal for children and make each of the projects ones that they will want. They will make brilliant gifts. They are things that would be used time and again. My son is getting a little older now he is going to be ten. However there are still projects in the book that he wants me to make for him. My first project out of the book is apparently a pyjama eater. There are some projects for girls and for boys and there are quite a few that are unisex. Debbie's books are brilliant. The instructions are always clear and they have fantastic pictures to help you on your way. This book is worth every penny! Brilliant as usual. Debbie is outstanding. * Crochet Addict UK *TV sewing star Debbie presents her latest title in the series, brimming with fun items to sew for kids of all ages, using small quantities of fabric. With her eye for colour and simple but effective designs, Debbie demonstrates twenty projects ranging from a back-pack, caddy and art folders to storage ideas and games. As always, good colour photographs, detailed step-by-step instructions and Debbie’s hints and tips will make you eager to start sewing for the kids in your life. Good value for money. * East Kent Embroiderers Guild *I'm always looking for projects to use up some of my stash, and anything that I cam make for nephews, nieces, and grandchildren has to be good. This book has some great ideas - at first I wasn't so sure how many of them I'd make, but the more I looked through the book, the more opportunities presented themselves. I love the idea of the pillow pal (think this could work well when a child doesn't want to talk to you, but will talk to you through the pillow pall), the skittles - and the pyjama eater. The instructions are clear, with helpful photos to exemplify a point, and the 'shopping list' (What you need) at the start of each project is very helpful. The book has a crisp fresh look, with clear layout. Personally, I'd have liked to have seen a few more templates included (such as the pentagon shape), but this is a small thing - and whilst some prefer to work from templates, there are very clear instructions on how to use household items to make most of the required shapes, and this also allows for creativity and make the items individual. * Christine Hutchins *Find 20 projects that kids will love and you will love to make. Use your leftover pieces of fabric to create fun, lovable and useful items for kids. The projects are inventive, a bag that is a portable doll's house, a monster door tidy, monkey bowls as in ten-pin bowling, an art easel and more.Every project is brilliant. You will never stop sewing because friend's with their kids will be queuing at the door asking for one too. All the techniques are clearly shown and instructions are easy to follow with clear photos. * Karen Platt *June 2016 Debbie Shore started her career as a childrens TV presenter and with this latest title, she has gone back to her roots, creating 20 colourful sewing projects for kids of all ages. We think this book has to be her most fun book to date, packed with games to make - the monkey skittles are adorable activities to do - an easel for drawingy and kits to fly; bags for school and play and fun accessories for their rooms, including a pyjama eater! The book contains a useful tools and techniques section and plenty of tips throughout. * Love to Make *Another fantastic release from our very own Debbie Shore, this title offers plenty of tips and techniques for the novice crafter. Your little one will have plenty of reasons to keep stitching, as they will be treated to projects such as a fold-away easel and funky monkey skittles. * Sew Magazine *Table of ContentsIntroduction 8 Sewing kit 10 Before you start 12 The projects 16 Craft easel 16 Fish for fish, ditch the crab! 22 Foxy drawing folder 28 Halloween bunting 34 Crafty kids' backpack 36 Monkey skittles 44 Hot water bottle 48 Patchwork ball 52 Witch's hat 54 Pillow mate 58 Cube tidy 64 Chair pockets 66 Porthole curtains 70 Pyjama eater 72 Shoe bag 76 Roaring storing! 78 Kite wall hanging 82 Caravan caddy 84 Miss Monster bookend 90 Coin purse 94 Templates and index 96

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Book SynopsisThis first book in the new series will get readers started in making beaded jewellery, similar to the hugely popular absolute beginner’s course that Carolyn teaches. It introduces people who have no experience whatsoever, and who may never even have tried a craft before, to the basic techniques, tools and materials involved through simple, inspiring projects. It includes a pictorial 'Jargon buster' glossary of the essential tools and materials used (with both UK and US terms); an index; and 12 step-by-step projects through which people can learn the basic techniques while creating beautiful pieces of jewellery they would want to wear. Clear instructions, step-by-step photography and diagrams where necessary create a user-friendly guide. Projects will take no more than a couple of hours, making them achievable in an evening. Learn how to use memory wire, beading wire, stretchy cord, chain and jump rings to make desirable jewellery pieces. Design tips throughout will encourage beginners to get creative and become jewellery designers in their own right.Trade ReviewClear instructions, step-by-step photography and diagrams where necessary create a user-friendly guide. Projects will take no more than a couple of hours, making them achievable in an evening. Learn how to use memory wire, beading wire, stretching cord, chain and jump rings to make desirable jewellery pieces. Design tips throughout will encourage beginners to get creative and become jewellery designers in their own right. We loved it! * Hot Brands Cool Places *Jewellery School: Let's Start Beading by Carolyn Schulz is a perfect book for everyone who wants to start making jewellery. It includes all the information we need to start making beaded jewellery. The projects are fun to follow and make fashionable, colourful jewellery that would go well with different outfits. The projects in the book are easy to make once you get the hang of it. It introduces those interested in learning the skill with no previous experience to the basic techniques, tools and materials involved for this craft through simple, inspiring projects.Jewellery School: Let's Start Beading book includes a pictorial glossary of the essential tools and materials used (with both UK and US terms); an index; and 12 step-by-step projects. The instructions are clear and has step-by-step photography and diagrams where necessary, so we can learn how to use memory wire, beading wire, stretchy cord, chain and jump rings to make desirable jewellery pieces. Projects in this book are achievable within a couple of hours. Once we prepare ourself with the necessary instruments, it is easy to understand and follow the instructions in this book to make our own designs. http://www.createwithmom.com/2017/01/making-our-own-jewellery.html * Create with Mom *Have you always wanted to make your own jewelry but don’t know where to start? This book is aimed at the beginner who wants to make some fashionable costume jewelry and learn how to use various tools and materials. Unusually it focuses mostly on working with wire, and the projects are sorted into chapters according to what type of wire they use. Learn how to work with memory wire, beading wire, chain and jump rings and if you fancy a break from wire there is also a chapter on using stretchy cord. I am all for something different and thought that this was a good way of grouping projects, all of which manage to look both contemporary and timeless. None are too daunting either, with bracelets predominating (eight out of twelve projects are for these) but there are also two necklaces and two rings. Each of the four chapters starts with a brief overview of the type of wire/cord being used together with some useful tips. The rest of the chapter contains three projects, each handsomely illustrated with several good-sized captioned photographs, a list of materials and a useful “what you learn” area so you know what you are going to be doing. There is also a list of the tools you need with handy photographs of them and an alternative idea showing how to make the project using different materials. Throughout the book there are also useful things like a list of birthstones for each month, wire gauges, how to tie various knots and a jargon buster so you can familiarize yourself with all the terms. Another nice touch is at the top of the first page of each project is a row of beads; these are all the beads used in that particular project. This is much more useful to a beginner than a mere list. I would recommend this as being a book that is genuinely useful to complete beginners rather than being aimed more at improvers like a lot of beginner books. * myshelf.com *Journal 122 This simple straightforward book by British Jewellery designer and tutor Carolyn Schulz is a good introduction for an absolute beginner to making bead jewellery and it gives swift results. The book is divided in gour main sections, each characterised by the methods and techniques of holding the beads together i.e. the memory wire, beading wire, strechy cord & the use of chain & jump rings. Each of these four sections has three projects within it. At the beginning of each section is an explaination of the properties of the materials used, useful tips on using it and pictures of the tools required to use the material. Following this general introduction, at the beginning if each project is a little section outlining the inspiration for the design, techniques which you will learn whilst executing it and the materials required. Good close-up photographs are used to support the written instructions with the occasional addition of diagrams. At the back of the book is a comprehensive 'jargon busting' glossary describing with words and pictures the frequently used components in both UK and US terms, something that i would have found useful when starting on this hobby over twenty years ago. A final chapter gives an outline, again in words and pictures, of the tools most commonly used in the techniques of the book. Overall, this is a good, simple, value for money introduction to some of the techniques where we can use those wonderful beads. * Bead Society of Great Britain *Those looking to learn how to make bead jewelry will find clear instruction here, mostly for making bracelets and necklaces. The jewelry is limited to bead stringing (other techniques, such as loom beading, single-needle bead weaving, or bead embroidery, are not included). Even within this one technique, though, there are a variety of pieces included in a number of styles. There are three projects for each of four types of jewelry construction: memory wire, beading wire, stretchy cord, and chain and jump rings. These four types are detailed individually, with advice for making that construction material easy to use and with specific tools that are especially suited. Each project includes a list of required supplies; step-by-step instructions for construction, with accompanying photos for each step; tips; and design inspiration for possible variations. As Schulz developed this book as a course instructor, a bulleted list of learning outcomes is also provided for each project. A photo guide to the tools used is included, as is a photo appendix detailing the types of materials and terms used. * Booklist Online *I'm not a beginner jewellery maker but I think that this would have been very helpful for me when I was starting out. It is literally a jewellery course in a book. I liked how the book shows you, step-by-step, how to achieve attractive pieces of jewellery such as the cha-cha and charm bracelets. There are nice clear pictures throughout. There are four sections each covering a different base – memory wire, beading wire, stretchy cord and chain/jump rings. Within each section, Carolyn shows you the tools that you will need and how to use them. She shares her tips and explains relevant techniques such as how to make a wrapped loop, how to tie a double surgeon's knot and how to use a bead design board. There are three tutorials in each section showing you how to make simple but effective bracelets, necklaces and rings. At the end of the book there is a 'jargon buster' section and one on tools, all with photos. I received this book as a gift and I'm pleased that I did. I think it would make the perfect present for someone who is interested in learning to make jewellery, or just a treat for yourself if you fancy giving it a go. * Jo Ives *This is the perfect book for a beginner. If you are looking for a beginner book for a new hobby I would recommend this. It will guide you through the basics of jewellery making and gives you suitable projects to build your skills. You start out with memory wire projects and then to stringing and a couple of basic chain maille projects. If you do have previous experience then this probably isn't for you but it is perfect for someone just starting out. Lots of clear step by step pictures to help you on your way. * Sarah Gage *A fab guide to beading with easy to follow instructions, clear pictures and helpful tips. Includes ideas for beaded bracelets, rings, earrings and necklaces. A great book for a beginner but also a useful guide for every jewellery maker to have. * Karen Salveta *So many new techniques to learn & master very easy to follow, advice given for all tools and requirements for each project, highly recommended if a beginner to beading. * Angie Noble *Looking through this book, it has plenty of good photographs showing the steps you need to make to create 12 pretty bracelets, rings or necklaces. It shows at the beginning of each chapter what equipment you need in regards to pliers, cutters & shears and explains about each of the type of wires or chains being used. It also gives a list of the materials required. Each design has photographs accompanying the steps, and for special loops or knots it has step by step pictures. * Samantha Stroud *Table of ContentsIntroduction MEMORY WIRE: Birthstone Bracelet Island Lagoon After Eight Cuff BEADING WIRE: Pretty in Pink Golden Satin Minted Noodle Bracelet STRETCHY CORD: Glitter Ball Ring Seashore Crystal Cha-Cha Ring Seashore Crystal Cha-Cha Bracelet CHAIN AND JUMP RINGS Sweeteart Charm Bracelet Chain Maille Bracelet Shaggy Loop Bracelet Jewellery Jargon Buster Tools Index

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Book SynopsisLeading international doll-maker Ray Slater reveals her secrets to creating vibrant and dynamic faces in cloth. Brimming with ideas and practical advice, this is an invaluable guide for cloth doll-makers everywhere. The face is the key to bringing life and personality to a cloth doll. Often thought of as being the hardest part of the making process, creating the face is, in fact, relatively easy and enjoyable to do. Just by following a few simple rules a whole world of wonderfully expressive, fun characters can be created. Ray will show you how, taking you from the initial inspiration sources, the design and drawing process, to the final colouring, sewing and embellishment of the head. Using just three basic face designs – flat, three-dimensional and collaged – you'll learn how to create a fantastic collection of characters. With tips on how to adjust proportions, hues and positioning of the features, you will learn how to make a whole host of faces with different looks and expressions. Fully illustrated step-by-step instructions break down the process of making each kind of face, and there are techniques to help you make your own unique doll. Finally, Ray shares two body patterns in her book to suit all three head types, and body templates are included.Trade ReviewEver wanted to learn the secrets behind creating cloth dolls packed with personality. Leading international dollmaker Ray Slater is on hand to guide you through every step of the process: from initial inspiration to drawing up your design, all the way through to adding the finishing touches. Simply mix and match the faces and bodies to create a first-class collection of characters! * Sew Magazine *I particularly like the templates at the back of the book and help on drawing faces. Anyone who enjoys art and being creative would find this book very interesting. Before reading this book, I never knew a cloth doll could be so expressive! Customer Review Angela Merritt * Customer Review *I was excited to receive a review copy of this book by Ray Slater book from the publishers, Search Press. It’s a new area for me, but combining textiles with painting would broaden my skills especially in the latter area. The book starts with materials and tools needed and moves onto inspiration and design. She takes her inspiration from many sources – anything with a human face, such as portraits, sculpture, paintings, film, and fashion. Slater’s design development is so logical and developed in small steps which can be followed easily. She then moves onto drawing faces and provides plentiful diagrams of how to draw each feature – eyes, noses, mouth, eyebrows. A great feature of this book are the galleries – copious drawings of facial features in different styles – simple faces, long faces, square faces etc. Some are fantasy/ decorative while others are realistic. Faces can be formed in several ways. Flat fabric can be shaded by painting. They can be further developed by needle sculpting. Or they can be totally 3D, with features such as noses and moustaches made separately and sewn on. Ways to add hair? That's there, as is adding real eyelashes. All those techniques are shown and explained. Throughout the second half of the book Slater has examples to inspire you, showing design sheets as well as finished faces. The book isn’t primarily about doll making as it concentrates on how to construct faces. However towards the end she discusses – again in depth – how to make basic doll shapes and includes templates for this. She also has a plethora of templates for faces. This book gives me the confidence to expand on my textiles and sewing activities, and to be creative in a new way. It’s the most exciting book I’ve seen in a long time and one I would purchase. Definitely recommend this. -- Customer Review * Amazon *Whether creating a doll or incorporating faces within your embroidery Ray Slater's new book is full of inspiration. It is full of tips on how to get that unique look. Ray explains that it all begins with the design, and she proves that faces are not as scary as you might think. [...] There are plenty of examples in their various categories, line drawing, realistic faces and decorative faces ... Ray finishes the book with a quick workshop on making a basic doll, with plenty of templates of the suggestions to encourage all ages to have a go. This book deserves a place on the bookshelf of everyone who is young at heart and still enjoys doll. I know that copy will end up on mine. -- Anne Rowell * Book Threads Magazine *Table of ContentsIntroduction 6 Face & doll-making notions 8 Materials 10, Tools 12, Drawing & colouring equipment 14 Inspiration & design 16 Influences, sources & styles 18, Developing a design 20 Designing & colouring a face 22 Proportions of the face 24, Drawing eyes 26, Drawing noses 34, Drawing mouths 37, Shading a realistic face 40, Gallery of simple line faces 42, Gallery of realistic faces 45, Gallery of decorative faces 50, Designing a collage face 53 Face-making techniques 56 Flat faces 58, Dimensional faces 68, Extra head details 82, Collage faces 88 Basic doll-making techniques 102 Before you begin 104, Basic bodies 106, Basic collage bodies 114 Templates 116

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Book SynopsisIn this first book in her new Sewing Room Secrets series, Debbie Shore walks you through every aspect of machine sewing, revealing her top tips and providing in-depth and helpful guidance every step of the way. Starting by looking at sewing room essentials, Debbie then guides you around your sewing machine and explains all the tools and materials you might need, including wadding/batting, interfacing, fabrics and threads. There’s a handy troubleshooting section to reassure and guide you when you encounter problems. Debbie covers the key techniques you need to know, including inserting zips and piping, using shirring elastic, free-motion embroidery and appliqué. Debbie’s focus is on craft and home items, but she also includes some dressmaking and quilting tips for those looking to explore other areas. The ten beautiful projects help you learn the techniques as you progress through the book, beginning with a simple pincushion before moving on to a pillow cover, a tablet case, a drawstring bag, a sewing machine mat and more.Trade ReviewFirstly it’s a beautifully-produced book, thick glossy pages with lovely pictures. More importantly it is absolutely perfect for a beginner as it explains sewing terminology - bias binding zips, pockets and equipment needed. An expert in sewing would love the book as a handy go to for more tips and hints and maybe find ways of making their projects that bit more professional, for example zip placements on cushion covers. The patterns included are versatile and something you could use for many occasions. I love the toaster cover! -- Emma Cropper * Customer review *This book explains each technique carefully, accompanied by useful photos. There are also 10 projects which use those techniques, again with stage by stage instructions and more photos. At the start of each project there is a list of the skills that will be used. Although I was already familiar with some of the techniques, there were others that I was pleased to be reminded of and some that were new to me. There is also a useful introductory section which includes, for example, the different types of wadding available and what they are ideal for. This would be an ideal book for anyone at the beginning of their sewing journey, but there is also plenty here for those of us who have more experience. As a dressmaker, I am pleased to see sections on quilting, bag making and free-motion embroidery which would extend my skills. Overall I feel that this is a well thought out book with lots of useful tips and techniques. -- Chris Constable * Customer review *Step by step approach to sewing. Clearly laid out with some lovely projects to work on. Great for a sewing novice who wants to improve their skills! -- Sarah Counter * Customer review *This is a beautiful, inviting book to read. I have quite a bit of sewing experience but I still found lots of enlightening content, such as areas on free motion embroidery (which I’ve always avoided!) and piping explained in Debbie’s usual clear terminology. The section on zips is useful and clearly illustrated which is helpful as I forget some of them if I’ve not done one for some time. It’s a great book for refreshing techniques if like me you’ve done some sewing before but would be very helpful for those starting out as everything is clearly written. The projects are cute, not taxing but good for practising the techniques. The colour photos are fab. All in all, I would thoroughly recommend this lovely book to every one interested in sewing. -- Rosemary Covell-London * Customer review *Debbie is the person who got me into sewing, the way she explains things makes it seem so simple, like you are listening to a friend! This book covers so many aspects for a beginner, or even someone returning to sewing who wants to refresh their knowledge. It includes information on thread, fabric, interfacing, sewing feet and tools, different types of stitches on a sewing machine, piping, bag making and tutorials for zips, seams and applique that can be applied to several projects. There are also ten tutorials for actual projects, such as a pin cushion, cushion cover and tablet case to name a few! -- Charlene Merrall * Customer review *Brilliant book - exactly what I needed to revitalise and improve on my outdated and rusty skills. Debbie Shore is a star!! -- Trish Evans * Customer review *In her latest book Debbie invites the reader into her own sewing room, to explore the tools and equipment, fabric and threads that she uses, and to share her sewing secrets, hints and tips. She presents ten gorgeous projects, each with detailed step-by-step instructions. Be it a simple pincushion, a toaster cover or tablet case, each project showcases a different technique, such as applique, or piping or inserting a zip, designed to expand knowledge and build confidence and the completed item makes an attractive addition for the home or a perfect gift. This book is ideal for the new sewer, or for those wishing to build their skills. Excellent value for money. * East Kent Embroiderers’ Guild *As it says on the cover, this book contains “top tips and techniques for successful sewing”. I expected a book for beginners and this is all that, but there is also plenty of use for experienced machine users too. There are useful tips for buying a machine to start with, complete with a diagram of a typical basic model with all the parts named. Troubleshooting and maintenance advice follows, along with a guide to common types of foot and needle. Discover what basic items you need and why you need them, plus a guide to different fabric types…I certainly wish I had had this book when I was starting out! Other topics covered include threads, interfacing, wadding, toy filler and even storage. I don’t own all of the items listed in the Tools section so don’t worry if you don’t either; this is very much a personal list but a good book like this tells you what is out there so you can decide what you need. The rest of the book takes you through a number of basic techniques from basic seams to putting in a zipper, using piping, making pleats and hemming. This is not only a book for the garment maker as there are also tips for quilters, toy makers, free machine embroiderers and of course no Debbie Shore book would be complete without a section on bags. There are some projects to try out your new skills including a tablet case, toaster cover, bolster pillow and several bags. All techniques and projects have staged photographs and I confess I learned a lot (and unlearned a few bad habits). Modern materials are covered too so you can find out how to put in a bag frame, apply snaps and bag locks. Throughout the book there are numerous sections of tips and jargon busters, so even if you know nothing about sewing you will by the end of the book. This is a really useful book that belongs on the keeper shelf of anybody who owns (or plans to buy) a sewing machine. -- Rachel Hyde * myshelf.com *Some people prefer to embroider using a machine and in this comprehensive guide to machine sewing Debbie explains how to use a sewing machine to create free-motion embroidery. There is the added bonus that if you have a machine sitting unused, or you wish to use a machine to create other things this book really is a very useful guide to getting the best out of your machine. * Hot Brands Cool Places *What Debbie Shore does with her fabulous new book Sewing Room Secrets is take the sewist back to basics. If you are a novice stitcher this book is perfect for you, and if you have been sewing for what seems like an age then it is a brilliant guide to reminding you of some of the things you might have forgotten. With ten projects included, Bags, Pillow covers, and a gorgeous Toaster cover, each project gives you the chance to use the techniques given and end up with a fabulous and professional looking usable item. Debbie Shore also makes suggestions on how to organise your sewing space to make it more user friendly and practical. Advice on what you need to start your sewing journey is included , a full guide on which sewing machine to buy and what the different parts are and what they do. and even what feet is best for your sewing project. Tips and techniques are explained in a simple language that everyone understands. I love how Debbie doesn't bombard us with 'sewing speak' that some professionals use. What I love about this book is that everything is covered. Zips, Applique and so much more. Even shirring is explained and demonstrated, this is something I have never done but do plan on having a go. This book is brilliant. It is beautifully presented and the photography gives a visual guide that makes everything come to life in perfect fashion. -- Tracy Shephard * Postcard Reviews *Crafting superstar Debbie Shore shares more stitching know-how in her latest collaboration with Search Press. Sewing Room Secrets: Machine Sewing includes plenty of expert tips and helpful guidance, starting with a look at tools and materials. Debbie covers important techniques such as inserting zips and piping, using shirring elastic, motion-free embroidery and appliqué. There’s a focus on craft and home décor projects, as well as dressmaking and quilting advice for readers looking to broaden their skills. The book also features 10 eye-catching makes including a pincushion, pillow cover, tablet case, drawstring bag and sewing machine mat. * Craft Focus Magazine, Issue 71 (Feb/March 2019) *Step into a sewing room and share some expert tips, techniques and trade secrets for successful sewing. In this first book in a new series, we explore every aspect of machine sewing with top tips providing in-depth and helpful guidance every step of the way. * Machine Knitting Monthly *Debbie Shore's unmissable book, Sewing Room Secrets brings you ten must-make projects to build your confidence! This read is jam-packed with tips for successful machine sewing, such as the essentials you need in the craft room, troubleshooting tips and a glossary to help debunk unfamiliar terms. * Sew Magazine - Issue 121 (March 2019) *Table of ContentsAbout this book 5 About me 6 My quick tips 7 Sewing room essentials 9 My sewing room 10 Sewing machines 12 Tools 22 Fabrics 28 Fabric terminology 30 Wadding 32 Interfacing 34 Threads 35 Toy filler for softies 36 DIY templates 37 Storage 38 Sewing know-how 40 Machine stitches 42 Seams 46 Cutting 48 Hems 49 PROJECT Heart pincushion 50 Zips 52 Piping 58 PROJECT Pillow cover 60 Shirring 62 Free-motion embroidery 63 PROJECT Shirring dress 64 Bias binding 66 PROJECT Toaster cover 68 Appliqué 70 PROJECT Drawstring bag 72 Bag techniques 74 PROJECT Tablet case 78 PROJECT Frame purse 82 Quilting 84 PROJECT Machine mat 86 Dressmaking 88 PROJECT Bolster pillow 90 PROJECT Tote bag 92 Index 96

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Book Synopsis28 different characters, poses and expressions that offer a dynamic selection of manga chibi figures. Chibis are a fun subject to explore, with large eyes, tiny bodies and very expressive emotions. This is a genre perfect for anyone seeking to learn a simpler form of manga and the basics of creating these delightful characters. Trade ReviewSo easy to understand with step by step instructions. This came in handy for my daughter who is studying art at school. She loved the book and took bits from it and made her own characters too. For anyone who loves to draw anime this book will show the basics and you will hunger to learn more * Jenny Cooper *spent a fun afternoon with my son drawing these little characters, the book makes it so easy to draw, step by step - a great place to start for budding manga artists, i think we will be moving on to some more advanced characters soon. A4 sized paperback book. * Sallyanne Rose *I received 'How To Draw: Manga Chibis' last month and it really is a great way of showing you how to get started when it comes to drawing manga characters. The book is made up almost exclusively of step-by-step figures which, in my opinion, is the best way to teach someone how to draw. I mean, who can learn to draw from superfluous paragraphs of text?! Each stage of the drawing process is clearly outlined, you simply start off with lines and circles as a guide, and you add a little more with each step. You'll be surprised at how quickly your character develops and you'll soon be able to draw without the aid of the book at all. With the run-up to Christmas, this would make an ideal gift for both kids and adults alike. Yishan Li really has provided a truly great resource for learning how to draw manga figures. Recommended. * Derek Wilson *I got this book with my 11 year old in mind. He loves to draw and is always practising. This book shows lots of different manga figures to draw broken down into simple easy to follow steps. My son loves it and has expanded his drawing skills. * Lisa Mayles *My stepson is a big Manga fan, and was trying to start drawing his own characters, this book, with its step-by-step illustrations has really helped him to improve. The book itself, with the eight-stage technique, is really easy to follow, even for beginners (I had a go myself!), and I'd recommend it for anyone wanting to have a go at Manga. * Susie Wilkinson *'How To Draw Manga Chibis' is a simple, yet very effective book which can help start you on your way to drawing brilliant manga figures. The book features very little text (apart from the first page) which makes it a very easy to understand book. There are plenty of figures (28) to practise drawing and these can be adapted to create your own manga chibis. Each page shows roughly seven or eight drawings, right from the basic circles and lines to start with, each picture then adding more detail next time. I haven't really tried drawing before I had this book and have practised using the figures in the book. I am very pleased with how simply it is set out and none of the pictures seems overwhelming. It is an A4 sized book of 32 pages. It is informative and well worth a try. * Kaiserin Maggs *This book was given to me to review and I found it to be very pleasing. I've tried drawing manga before now, and own several "How to books" by various authors, so was very pleased to receive this one to review. The book starts off with a short introduction about what Chiblis are and an explanation on how to understand the drawing stages that has been used in the book, to aid you in drawing them, followed by some recommendations on what to use to draw and colour each character. This book contains 28 cute little Chibis to draw, in several "how to draw" stages. These include a cute Cat Maid, a Sorceress, a delightfully fluffy, Polar Bear Mascot and a fun Footballer, besides many other wonderfully drawn, fun, cute and creative characters, to draw and colour yourself. The designs in this book, are suitable for any ability in drawing, as there are a few "easier" ones to draw and a few other more "challenging" ones to enjoy. Yishian uses several stages to show how to draw each Chibis, starting from the basic outline to get the sizing right, on limbs, heads etc. All the way up to the final finished stage - a complete Chibis. The stages are very easy to follow, with her using different coloured outlines to highlight the different stages of drawing, making it easy to follow and see how each layer goes on top of each prior layer, to build up to the final picture. This also gives you a wonderful insight on how to, maybe go on, and draw your own styled Chibis, using the same ideas as you get used to copying, throughout the book. I would personally recommend this book to anyone who enjoys drawing manga or anyone thinking about trying to learn how to draw it, as its gives you plenty of guidance and clear stages on how to draw these cute little characters. * Kelly Biss *Great book. Easy to understand and a great fun way to start drawing. * Jo Udall *

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Book SynopsisThe complete manual for acrylic painting. Marylin Scott provides over 100 step-by-step demonstrations showing how to tackle tricky subjects, accompanied by full-colour photography. Even though, acrylic is used by many well-known professional artists, it is rather less popular with amateurs. This is surprising, because acrylic is not only the most versatile of all the painting media, but is also highly forgiving. You can paint out mistakes as you work, even making major changes to the colour scheme and composition. Each new painting can become a springboard for ideas and the range of different effects is vast.Trade ReviewJune 2016 Described as the 'complete manuals', this seris of books from Search Press offers painters essntial information in their chosen medium, whether it's watercolour, acrylic, pastel, sketching and drawing or oil painitng. Each book contains over 100 step-by-step demonstrations, with visual sequences to show you exactly how to tackle tricky subjects - from watercolour skies to faces and figures. In the Acrylic Artist's bible Marylin advocates the use of acrylics by beginners as the medium is much more versatile than others and also very forgiving! Here she describes exactly how the medium can be used for best effect, plenty of practical advice on how to present your finished paintings, and how to set about exhibiting your work to a wider audience. * Love to Make *

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Book SynopsisThis book is the culmination of various expeditions made by well-known artist and bestselling author David Bellamy to his beloved Arctic. His descriptions of his travels, written from an artist’s point of view, vividly bring to life the challenges he faced when painting outdoors in one of the harshest environments on the planet, and make for an exhilarating and captivating read. Filled with David’s watercolour paintings and sketches, made during his various expeditions, the book provides a fascinating insight into the wildlife and people that live within the Arctic Circle and captures perfectly the majesty and breathtaking beauty of the world’s final wilderness. Trade ReviewThis book is an absolute delight, to browse through, to absorb the superb and evocative images, sketches and watercolours that took me straight back to my own Arctic wanderings, to adorn your coffee table or to read for inspiration or a good laugh. * Sir Chris Bonington, renowned British mountaineer. *This is a magnificent book. David Bellamy’s art beautifully captures the sheer splendour and majesty of this great wilderness, its wildlife and people. And his narrative is at the same time informative and funny – he goes to great lengths to paint in this unforgiving landscape, watching out for polar bears, sketching while sledging at speed across rock-hard pack ice, or hanging precariously off inch-wide ice ledges, paintbrush (often frozen) in hand. David is an inspiration and this book is inspirational – I cannot recommend it highly enough. * Ranulph Fiennes *I first encountered David Bellamy almost by accident. The husband of a friend of my wife’s was a freelance designer and happened to remark that I ought to see the book he was working on, which was The Wild Places of Britain. It was amazing. I followed it up with the publisher, struck a deal and sold an awful lot of copies. I said of it then that David visits hidden and out-of-the-way places and brings back their atmosphere, people and stories. Since then, there have been many more books, mostly instructional, and the work he does for exhibition has only occasionally been seen in print. The Arctic is one of the world’s last great wildernesses and getting to it imposes a huge number of difficulties. Simply existing there is also a challenge and carries very real dangers. Imagine, then, trying to paint in freezing winds, snow and ice when your body and materials are as unwilling to co-operate as they can be. David has a reputation for painting on the edge and has been shown hanging off ropes on desolate crags before. This, however, is a whole different ballgame. If this was just a tale of endurance, it would have little to recommend it. Sure, learning that gin is a great antifreeze (for your painting water) is all part of the fun that David manages to make this seem, but if the art wasn’t up to scratch, the book would be meaningless. It’s therefore a pleasure to report that David is at the peak of his powers. The conditions that make the Arctic a challenge to visit also make photography difficult and painting captures the landscapes better than the camera ever can. Few of us will ever make it this far north, and that’s as it should be. Wildernesses like this can only be preserved by their remoteness and lack of visitors. The Antarctic is already being endangered by tourism. The value of the book, therefore, is the tale it tells, in both words and pictures, of a beautiful region that is filled with mystery, unfamiliar creatures, and inhabitants who live on the edge and have strange legends. This is both a traveller’s tale and a love story and David is perhaps the only person alive who can tell it so effectively. His paintings, all exquisitely reproduced, are breath-taking and the words he weaves round them create the nearest impression of actually being there that most of us will, or should, ever achieve. This is a major contribution to science as well as to art and a magnificent production of which all involved should be proud. * Artbookreview.net *Like JMW Turner, the artist whom he admits to being his greatest influence, David Bellamy prefers to his paintings outdoors and in all weathers. That's why you can alsmost feel the biting wind and vicious spindrift squalls in the watercolours in his latest sumptuos offering, in which describes his experiences in the Scandinavian Arctic. The author who provides our Golden Eagle award winning painting every year, explains his interest in the Arctic came late in life, following a trip to Iceland with his daughter Catherine. He soon found as he explains, that was his favoured medium of watercolour worked superbly well in rendering the subtle nuances and infinite variation of tone and colour in ice subjected to changing light and atmospheric conditions. As anyone who has been to iceland or the arctic can attest, weather conditions at those lattitudes are every bit as changeable as the Government's plan for Brexit. As the Icelanders are fond of telling you 'If you don't like our weather hang on five minutes and it'll change.' Bellamy's top Arctic watercolour painting tip? Use gin or vodka, with their low freezing points, instead of water. And why the often uncomfortable and long winded method of sketching the first scene, instead of just taking a photograph? The author's response? '...you see and learn so much more when spending even a few minutes sketching a subject.' The result is without a doubt the finest collection of paintings of the Arctic I have ever seen. Bellamy's senstive brush-work captures every nuance of mountain, glacier and fjord and leaves the reader with the intense desire to return to these magnificent unspoilt wildernesses. * Roly Smith - president of the Outdoor Writers' and Photographers' Guild *Artist David Bellamy transports us into the wild and wonderful lands of the Artic with his photographs, beautifully illustrated sketches and watercolour paintings. David has alweays loved exploring the world's incredible landscapes, wildlife and people, and loves caputing his discoveries through the means of art. During the making of this book he found himself doing his sketches on moving dog sledges, keeping a wary eye out for hungry polar bears, and sometimes it was so cold his paint would freeze up! The perfect combination of storytelling, entertaining anecdotes and imagery, this book is a delightful insigh into David's icy adventures. * Adventure Travel *The judges commented: “In a market-place seemingly full of 'personal accounts' of some journey or another, this book is singularly different, bringing a fascinating insight into the creative artistic process, and providing a readable, informative account of exploring one of the world's wildest places.” * OWPG Awards for Excellence *David Bellamy often finds himself in all sorts of predicaments when seeking an elusive sketch. Despite tripping over a crodile in Kenya and tumbling down a cliff, nothing seems to stop this 74-year-old from being in the great outdoors. Growing up in the West Wales countryside, he cultivated a love for nature, with a keen fascination for its moods and wild places. Seeing the raw landscapes of Iceland motivated him to venture further north, into the Arctic. After a dog-sledging trip to East Greenland his hunger to explore more paint worthy landscapes drew him back another seven times- backpacking across mountains on foot, sailing up the Svalbard coast in a 49-foot boat and cruising a Zodiac up and 81km fjord. Each visit exposed him to more facets of the Arctics natural charm, such as the moulins at Greenland's ice cap. His book David Bellamy's Arctic Light includes his most fearful moments, such as when the glacier beneath him broke up while he was sketching a natural ice bridge. While he revels in the atmopshere of the moment when sketching outdoors, the Arctic's subzero temperatures also means that brushes freeze when dipped in water- an artist's worst nightmare. Bellamy's witty solution Add gin to lower the freezing point. In exceptional circumstances he was even rubbed snow over dry watercolour pencil sketches. To Bellamy, 'the High Arctic can be a hostile and unforgiving place, but it will well reward lovers of truly wild places' Besides preparing for potential severe weather conditions, he encourages travellers to hire a local hunter-guide for any Arctic expedition. 'And take along a little luxury with you to relieve difficult moments, even if it's just a bar of your favourite chocolate' * Singapore Airlines *18 October 2017 In depicting the nature, atmosphere and attraction of the Arctic, the artist takes us on a most interesting visit to a land of snow, ice, storms and waste. But it is much more than this and has its own beauty which impels itself on the mind forever of those lucky enough to experience it. This is not just an artist's impressions, for behind those, are hints and explanations for any artist or would-be artist, of how he worked for and reached this wonderful display of the land in all its moods. His delight in experiencing and depicting this land that has so much to offer us comes through in all his work. This is a delightful book into which, because of a life-long interest in the Arctic I will dip into time and time again. * Yorkshire Gazette & Herald *Having had the privilege to venture within the Arctic Circle a few times, I was delighted to read David Bellamy’s book Arctic Light. In truth, the pleasure was more in looking at the pictures - some stunning and evocative images of those icy climes. I have always struggled to explain how a landscape of white can be so compelling and utterly beautiful. Bellamy’s paintings show us how; the subtle mix of blues, greys and purples that make up the arctic landscape, full of contrast. It is this clarity of light that we no longer see in most of the world that meets the eye in a stark and startling way. I can remember sitting outside a wooden cabin in Liverpool Land where Bellamy has done some of his paintings, gazing for hours at the mountains on each side and the glacier valley winding away into the distance. There was no plant or animal life to attract my attention, no bird nor arctic hare, no fox nor polar bear, nothing. Even our Greenland dog was curled up on his favourite stone, sunning himself. Yet it captivated. In the summer months the splashes of colour of the flowers and musk ox show a very different place, the green land that gave the sub continent its name. The book is principally a book for artists; Bellamy describes how the sketches and paintings were produced and narrates how they were obtained. He tells of the trials and tribulations, not to mention the fear, that artists sometimes encounter to create their own unique representation of a remote landscape. Bellamy vividly recounts being belayed into moulin, whereupon he commenced sketching. In all weathers he sketches and paints - when the paint doesn't freeze - and even then, he does. Apparently dipping brushes in gin helps! For the mountaineer, ski mountaineer and climber, this book is a journey of exploration from a different perspective. It tempts the reader to places such as Greenland, Iceland Norway and Svaalbard. For those who have already been, it is a memento of the landscapes, peoples and animals of the Arctic, all wonderfully captured in paintings. * Adele Long - Alpine Club *The British artist David Bellamy is known for his multiple teaching books of watercolor painting. But his great passion lies in the discovery of untouched landscapes, getting to know foreign cultures and their customs. “Arctic light” takes the reader in the rough and icy world of the Arctic with describable beautiful landscape images accompanied by photographs, drawings and anecdotes of his multiple adventurous expeditions into the eternal ice. In his early years David Bellamy thought like many people that the Arctic was a featureless landscape of snow and ice with no mountains. But on several travels to Iceland, Greenland and the High Arctic he was convinced of the contrary. David Bellamy understands like no other painter to capture the release of colour and atmosphere of this unreal landscape. He displays the variety of white and grey/black hues that contrasts with vibrant colours of details which catch the viewers eye. Snapshots of the Inuit’s hard life, menacing ice bear scenes as well as breathtaking sky colouring make every aquarelle worth seeing. Accompanying the drawings are humorous stories and exciting experiences. Aggressive ice bear and sudden treacherous weather made his travels often a dangerous adventure. Extreme temperatures demanded unusual painting techniques and improvisation. Quickly drawn sketches show impressions of the extreme painting positions and adverse weather conditions. Conclusion: The symbiosis of expressive aquarelle and exciting accompanying texts make “Arctic light “an extraordinary book which combines the art of painting and travel guide. https://kreativreview.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/arctic-light-by-david-bellamy.html * Kreative Review *Watercolorist David Bellamy recounts his recent trips to the Arctic in this beautiful book of words and pictures. Search Press don’t publish many hardback books so when they do you can be sure it will be a visual feast to make any coffee table proud to house it. Greenland, Norway, Iceland and Svalbard reveal their stunning landscapes, seascapes, wildlife and people in this talented artist’s work and although this is not a primer there is plenty here to inspire. He captures the chilly light perfectly, illuminating icy vistas, mountains, floe laded seas and skies full of snow. There are sketches of polar bears, walruses, musk oxen and other creatures in different poses and a few of the people he met but it is the landscapes that dominate and are this artist’s forte. His accounts of the trips are lively and amusing, filled with anecdotes and local color. Discover some of the traditional foods, unique history and the trials of travelling and painting in the freezing cold. Some instruction on how to achieve some of the beautiful effects in his work would have made a great book even better, but this is not the purpose of this handsomely illustrated travelogue. Perfect for dipping into as there is something to gaze at or read on every page. An ideal present if you can bear to part with it. * myshelf.com *David Bellamy is a watercolour artist, author of several books, teacher and, as it turns out, quite an adventurer. Having travelled previously to the Himalayas, Andes and Africa, chillier climes are sought out here. David recounts this expedition where he travelled to the Scandinavian Arctic in Greenland and Svalbard into Norway and Iceland. For those that read his account of what he saw, did and painted, this book is a perfect way of living life vicariously through the artist. David’s experiences are hilarious, breathtaking and terrifying in equal measure. He balances each out perfectly, taking you from humour to the grim reality of the cold, the danger and physical injuries. His descriptions of the environs are rich with imagery such as the ‘lava-black Icelandic moonscape, surrounded by blackened and distorted lava-demons, statuesque and eerie in the mist’ and poetic: ‘I peered…into light that transformed them into many-coloured jewels, sparkling where sunlight caught sharp edges, incandescent with breathtaking purity’. With descriptions like these, you also travel on a journey lit up by his words. It is a book of many different experiences of people, places and animals and all are reflected in the beautiful artwork that David Bellamy produces. Many sketches were produced under freezing conditions and it is fascinating to see pictures that were sketched whilst he was hanging from an icy crevasse or paintings where the colour froze as it was applied. Just flicking through to look at each of the pictures in turn, you can only guess the sense of wonder at seeing these places first hand when their interpretations are things of beauty. This is a book of many things and each sitting brings something new to the reader. An insight into the way of life for the people that live and work in the places David Bellamy has visited, the harshness of life but also a travelogue of one man’s experiences seeing polar bears, walruses, glaciers, volcanos and icebergs. Entertaining, informative and a thing of beauty. What more could we ask for? * Samantha Packer *Issue 10 - Jul 17 Usually reserved for nature documentaries, the incredible beauty of the Arctic is unlikely to be something you'll be painting on location anytime soon. But thanks to renowned teacher and artist David Bellamy, you can get a little closer to that breathtaking experience. In this book the intrepid David ventures into greenland and the Norwegian island and Svalbard. He mixes tales of biting winds, sub-zero temperatures and whiteout conditions with life studies of polar bears, seals and other fauna, as well as mountainous frozen landscapes, churning ice cold seas and wild skies. If you love embarking on sketching expeditions yourself, this is an exhilarating journey into the extremes that will put gripes such as erecting a tent in the drizzle, or getting a blister on a hike, firmly into perspective. David's elaborative writing style leads you through the trials and tribulations of his journey, with hand drawn maps and behind-the-scenes photos helping you feel part of the action. But the real star is the artwork itself, displayed proudly across whole spreads in places. * Paint & Draw *Summer 2017 David Bellamy has written numerous books on watercolour painting, but this latest David Bellamy's Arctic Light is something different. The culmination of various expeditions he's made over the years, David brings the life of the arctic vividly to life, not only through some amazing paintings, but with descriptions of his travels and annotated sketches that capture the maginificence of the harsh enviroment and the people and wildlife that inhabit it. The British Mountaineer Chris Bonnigton writes in the introduction 'This book is an absolute delight, to browse through, to absorb the superb and evocative images, sketches and watercolours that took me straight back to my own Arctic wanderings, to adorn your coffee table or to read for inspiration or a good laugh.' * The Leisure Painter *August 2017 Be under no illusion this is a major publication. The Arctic is one of the world's largest great wildernesses and one of the hardest to get to. Despite this, David has made several visits and this book is the story of the place, the adventure, the people and the wildlife. As his first book, The Wild Places of Britain, showed, David is an excellent storyteller, both in pictures and words, and this is an enthralling account of a region few of us will ever see. To have illustrated it with paintings adds further personality to the tale, showing David's interpretation rather than photographic recordings. Although it is not an instructional book, David does record some of the perils of painting in sub-zero conditions and you marvel at his persistence and ingenuity. Such a book needs the very best production and Search Press have rightly given it the treatment it deserves. * The Artist *I have always liked David Bellamy’s paintings, so when this came I was so excited. It exceeds my expectations, this is a book I love. Subtitled ‘An artist’s journey in a frozen wilderness’, the book is just that. David’s palette suits this subject perfectly. He makes full use of all his incredible skills to portray the glaciers, people and animals of the region. The text is David’s reactions to the landscape, the eeriness, the natural dangers – you almost feel as if you are standing beside him. It is an artist’s journal of a remarkable journey, with insight into this incredible world and its natural landscape with nesting villages or vast glaciers. Sketches, paintings, observations and travels all rolled into one. This book captures the essence of the Arctic perfectly. Illustrated throughout with fabulous watercolour paintings. Beautifully put together in a book that captivates the eye and and entertains the mind. Highly recommended. * Yarnsandfabrics.co.uk *This book is an absolute delight, a culmination of various expeditions made by well-known artist and author David Bellamy to his beloved Arctic. Filled with David’s watercolour paintings and sketches, it provides a fascinating insight into the wildlife and people that live within the Arctic Circle. * The People's Friend *

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Book SynopsisThis beautiful, instructive book from The Great British Sewing Bee’s Jenniffer Taylor shows you how to make and adapt your own clothes without the need for shop-bought patterns. Using Jenniffer's fun and imaginative ideas, this book will teach you how to get started transforming unloved items of clothing into new and exciting outfits; how to customise clothes with doilies, tassels, tie-dyeing and block printing; and finally how to measure yourself, create patterns and make clothes from scratch, including dresses, skirts, tops, trousers and a coat. The book is packed with all the tricks of the trade that Jenniffer has learned along her sewing journey, and it will get you started on your own #sewingrevolution!Trade ReviewI have just had the pleasure of reviewing this book . I've been a fan of Jenniffer Taylor's since the Sewing Bee & I was over the moon to be chosen to review her book . It's a book that will be useful to the experienced & newbies alike . The step by step instructions & accompanying photos are easy to follow . The instructions are written so as to give you enough information without over complicating matters. What I like in particular is the recycling ethos this book promotes. Perhaps we don't want to throw an old favourite piece of clothing away but it looks like it's seen better days . This way we can update & rejuvenate clothing. We don't always want to make something to wear from scratch or we can't find what we want in the shops . Perhaps we've picked something up in a charity shop . With Jenniffer's book we can create our own designs using items we've already got I would give this book a Five star rating without hesitation. Now to get to work on some of the ideas ! * Julie ironmonger *Jen's way of writing puts you at ease and makes every task seem easy. The pictures are clear and the instructions are easy to follow even for a beginner. I love the way she recycles old clothes into something new. * Alison Stevens *If you love sewing you need this book! It covers all aspects of sewing, starting with basic things you need to know about fabric and tools through to sewing terms and seam finishes. The book starts with an interesting chapter by Jennifer about her passion for sewing and how she started out. A wide range of projects from beginner to more advanced are clearly explained and well photographed. Most of the designs do not require patterns and clear instructions are given on how to create your own templates to your size. I own lots of sewing books but this is probably one of the best ones I have come across as it is very comprehensive. The book is great value for money too. It certainly won't be remaining on the shelf like a lot of my books, as I can see myself making lots of the garments in it..Jennifer's personality comes across in the book and it is written in a very friendly and easy to understand way. * Judith Rigg *or a beginner like me this book I fab! I have a few sewing books and have been trying to teach myself to sew for a while but this one is definitely one of the best. The best part for me is the taking measurements section, have actual photographs of a person being measured is much better than the drawings other books have. I love all the 'top tips', little things someone like me wouldn't think about but which make sewing that little bit easier. I can't wait to get started customising clothes, my husband better watch out as I may steal a few of his shirts for my first project!! * Cristin Williams *The first thing I enjoyed about Girl With A Sewing Machine was reading about its author, Jenniffer Taylor, and discovering how she began sewing. If you’re a beginner when it comes to sewing and are particularly daunted by the prospect of making your own clothes, you will perhaps be heartened to learn that her first ‘from-scratch’ project was making her wedding dress – and it looked fabulous! Before jumping into any projects, the book provides several pages of information on sewing kit items, sewing machines and fabrics, which are a helpful way of making sure that you are prepared and organised before you begin sewing. Each project has an introduction, a list of materials you will need, easy-to-follow steps interspersed with Jennifer’s top tips, and is comprehensively illustrated with clear photographs. This format is extremely helpful regardless of level of experience. There are three main sections to the book: the first, ‘Getting started’, eases you in with some fairly simple projects and includes guides to making a vintage pincushion and turning an old jumper into mittens and a snood; the next section, ‘Customising Clothes’, has some wonderful ideas to help you get creative and upcycle and refresh existing items, from using tie-dyeing and embroidery to finding a use for Nan’s old doilies; the final section, ‘Making Clothes From Scratch’, starts with a great guide to taking measurements, and includes a number of projects to make a variety of garments including tops, skirts, dresses, coats and trousers. I found Girl With A Sewing Machine extremely well thought-out and this is evident in its content and layout. Jennifer’s ability to explain things succinctly and comprehensibly makes this informative book a pleasure to read and an exceptionally great addition to any creative individual’s library and toolkit. Disclaimer: I won a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. * Dawn Andrews *This is a beautiful book; basic, yes, but the best ideas are the simplest and anything that inspires and fires your imagination is good in my world. We start with the basics, then some re-purposing before heading into the tunic on the cover. I like the fact this book promotes trial and error, having a play and experimenting while given enough tips for you to be proud of your results. If you want somewhere to start with your sewing machine without laying out a mortgage payment in the fabric shop (it's all so pretty!), a taster to grow in confidence written in a friendly, accessible style then this is a good book for you. * Kate Menhinick *Great book to get you started on sewing. I really enjoyed the pictures and the very clear instructions. It does not contain any pattern but a lot of sewing recipes instead. I think that is very useful as it helps you to make adjustments and bring anything to your style/figure standards. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to get into sewing, especially for those who are more looking into up cycling and being creative with textiles! * Sophia Komninou *This is another fantastic book from Search Press. With clear pictures and friendly wording it's like having your own private tutor guiding you through every step. This book shows you don't need to spend a lot of money when making your own clothes and has handy tips on acquiring fabric, making a pattern to fit *your* measurements and customising your current clothes to put your own, unique spin on them. The sewing kit list includes a few surprises in addition to the usual pins, scissors etc but I can see that these items will become essentials in my sewing kit. I particularly like the section on seams which explains what seam to use and why. There is a good choice of clothes to make for all seasons using a variety of fabrics. The instructions are clearly written, avoiding any "technical jargon" accompanied by close-up pictures. * Sarah Dennis *Taylor, a former contestant on The Great British Sewing Bee, brings her retro style to this collection of easy-to-sew projects, including several that repurpose thrift-store finds. The first section focuses on customizing clothes by repurposing or altering them, and the second features easy garments, often showcasing reclaimed fabric. Some garments are a bit sack-like and shapeless, including a top made of two square scarves sewn together, and others are just plain odd, such as the T-shirt that has been altered so “tassels” hang off the arms. Still, Taylor’s easygoing manner and free spirit will appeal to sewists looking for quick, fun projects with a retro vibe. VERDICT Taylor’s easy-to-sew projects will help beginners build confidence, and the down-to-earth tone is a pleasant change from the Pinterest-perfect aesthetic that often plagues similar sewing books. * Library Journal, USA *Issue 46 Jenniffer Taylor (of The Great British Sewing Bee) is a self taught seamstress, who started out by adapting clothes she already owned or making new ones using a few body measurements. This is her guide to help you do the same, with ideas for customising old pieces using vintage doilies, tassels, embroidery, block printing and tie-dyeing, or creating new garments from upcycled fabrics such as vintage scarf top and blanket coat. With simple instructions and helpful photographs for each of the 17 projects, anyone with a sewing machine can join the sewing revolution and create their own unqiue wardrobe. * Reloved *Following her participation in The Great British Sewing Bee, Jennifer was encouraged to put together the skills learned into this inspiring book, presenting fifteen fabulous projects, suitable for all skill levels. As Jennifer enjoys up-cycling there are several ideas showing how to create new garments from unwanted clothes and accessories while other projects in the book are created from scratch. By using a series of body measurements marked onto the fabric length, no actual pattern pieces are required, but by following Jennifer’s instruction and guidance it is possible to create a range of very wearable items. Whilst the designs will appeal more to the young-at-heart, inspiration can be taken by all who enjoy sewing and creating their own unique clothes. * East Kent Embroiderers Guild *If you have a sewing machine that is gathering dust, or you want to get one and have a go at making your own clothes, you will find something for you in this book. From adapting existing items to making garments from scratch, there is plenty of help for the sewing novice and intermediate stitcher alike. Like myself, the author of this book is self-taught, and this is very much a book aimed at the modern person. You don’t need to buy up the shop in order to get kitted out and many projects focus on remaking charity shop purchases. Even the garments to make are all basic daywear that are quick to make and slow to date. In short, this book is ideal for anybody who wants to free themselves from off the peg fashion and might not have a lot of time or money. The book opens with a look at the author’s own sewing background and this is followed by a short section on what you need and why. The why part is particularly useful as it also mentions what you don’t need; I don’t have an overlocker either and also have used plates to draw curves! There is another useful short section on taking a look at your existing wardrobe and shopping for fabric, plus tips on looking after fabric. The rest of the book is organized into three sections: getting started, customizing clothes and making them from scratch. Make your own pincushion, a top made from scarves, upcycle an old jumper into mittens and a snood and cut up old jeans to make a pouch. It isn’t all about sewing either, as in the customizing section there is a project on dyeing and printing as well as cutting up an old t-shirt to make a tasselled top. After these simpler and cheaper projects, have a go at making your own clothes. Turn a tablecloth into a gypsy skirt, make simple tops and dresses, a coat from a blanket and wraparound trousers. These are all comfortable items that would get worn a lot and are easy to make even if you haven’t had much sewing experience. All the projects have staged photographs, as well as several shots showing the finished item from various angles, useful tips and a chatty style of instruction that is very user friendly. A book like this takes most of the unnecessary mystique that has built up around dressmaking and makes it all seem not only doable but modern. * Myshelf.com *Issue 10 Jenniffer Taylor lit up our screens in series 2 of the Great British Sewing Bee and since then has fully immersed herself into the world of sewing! After teaching classes around the country covering dressmaking and upcycle, she's just released her first book, Girl with a Sewing Machine. It's packed with patterns for all skill levels, and we love the use of upcycling and tips on getting the perfect fit. Because adapting a garment or pattern to suit you and your style is what making your own clothes is really about. Don't forget to share your makes from the book with #sewingrevolution * Sew Now *I was so excited when I received Jenniffer's debut book, Girl With A Sewing Machine. If you do not recognise the name let me tell you a little bit about Jenniffer.... Her sewing journey started with her wedding dress, yep she began with a small project?!?! This created a love affair with sewing and thanks to her hubby secretly applying she was a contestant on the Great British Sewing Bee. Now you can find her on the Sewing Quarter channel, teaching workshops and creating a #sewingrevolution! #CraftBlogClub has also had the privilege of her being a guest host andThe cover says it's a no-fuss guide and that's what I love about this book the most, the get stuck in and sew! Being a self taught seamstress there is no jargon with a no nonsense approach. The book is great for beginners, it takes you through what essential kit you need and it goes through fabric terms and seam finishes, so lots of information to get you started. Jenniffer is known for her upcyling, so there are lots of upcycling projects, craft projects and embellishment ideas to customise clothing. These are fun projects for anyone looking for inspiration but if you don't feel confident in sewing these projects are a great way to dip your toe in and build up your skills before making garments. When it comes to making clothes there are no patterns with the book instead Jenniffer shows you how to make clothes from scratch using the garments you already own and using your basic body measurements. There are photos to show you exactly where to measure, which is helpful as not everyone knows where there true waist is. There are some great projects that are different to what you'd see in most dressmaking books, so if you like Jenniffer's style you'll love these projects. The whole book has easy step by step instructions with great photos and top tips throughout. You will learn lots of different skills including construction techniques, drafting a pattern direct to fabric, machine and sewing techniques as well as changing necklines, sewing pockets, using garments to draft a pattern, altering patterns, basic fitting techniques and draping techniques. I think I've captured everything! I think it's a great book for beginners and anyone who is looking to improve their skills. By the end of this book you will have a greater understanding of garment construction which will unleash your creativity and the ability to create your own unique wardrobe. Full review and images: https://fizzijaynemakes.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/book-review-girl-with-sewing-machine-by.html * fizzi jayne makes *The Great British Sewing Bee was a TV series in the same tradition as the Great British Bake Off, and for four seasons, it featured amateur home sewists (not aired in the U.S. but episodes can be found online). Taylor was a contestant on the second series and has since started running workshops and advocating for home sewing. Here she outlines basics for sewing garments, both from scratch and for altering existing items to remake them into new shapes and functions (both staples of the TV series). Each project is outlined in steps, accompanied by color photographs, which include useful information on making adjustments to fit one’s measurements as well as explanations of why to do things a particular way. Specific skills are highlighted in each project, and each of those skills is indexed for quick reference. Taylor notes throughout that she is self-taught and provides encouragement for aspiring sewists. Basic sewing tools and fundamentals are outlined, and projects include a skirt, dresses, tops, a coat, and more. Measurements are given both in metric and U.S. customary units. * Booklist *Girl With a Sewing Machine is a craft book with genuine soul and one of the nicest dressmaking titles I have read in quite a while. The reason it resonates is because Jenni is a down to earth person who truly wants to get people over that initial fear of making their own clothes. It is a much bigger step than some might imagine and it makes perfect sense to get cracking with old clothes or charity shop finds and to upcycle them. Looking back this is was I was doing from about the age of 9 with my best friend Laura – creating garments from our dressing up box, letting my imagination run wild and then enjoying the end results instantly. The alteration challenge on the Great British sewing Bee is always my favourite part, yet for some reason I have got out of the habit of just having a go and being adventurous. If it something that would otherwise be given away or never worn, then what is there to lose? There are projects using different fabrics such as silk scarves or woolly jumpers meaning you can quickly learn how your sewing machine handles them, and what you prefer working with. I am definitely going to sew the mittens and snood from an old jumper for next Winter. The technical details are nicely written too, in a friendly and accessible voice and Jenni looks so happy and confident in all of her makes that you want to get sewing and replicate her joy! Having said that, Jenni has her own style and you may not want to recreate all the outfits exactly, but you can still learn plenty from the methods. I am not sure I could rock a tassel top, but I could sew one up for someone who could! I think the self-drafted garments towards the end look appealing, though I have not yet had time to sew them up. The wrap-trousers are on my make-list and I will report back. I would recommend buying the book for those friends who keep saying they want to sew but don’t know where to start. I would also recommend planning some sewcial nights with like-minded folk to have a go at some of the projects together, embracing the spirit of the #sewingrevolution. The wonderful textile artist Ineke Berlyn was the spark for Jenni to start sewing and she sadly died earlier this year. My mum bought me her book on Journal Quilts a fews years back and I have admired her work ever since. I imagine that she would be super proud of Jenni’s book and I am sure it will give readers the same inspiration to make beautiful things. Full review and images: https://www.jenni-smith.co.uk/blogs/news/girl-with-a-sewing-machine-book-review-by-jenni-smith * Jenni-Smith *Jenniffer Taylor will be familiar to sewing fans as a former contestant on The Great British Sewing Bee and this new book shares her infectious enthusiasm for making and upcycling her own clothes as part of her personal ‘Sewing Revolution’. The book begins with Jenni’s personal journey through sewing as a self-taught seamstress and how she made her own wedding dress! The practical side of the book talks you through the tools required (including some rather unusual items that Jenni has found helpful) and she goes on to discuss thinking about the types of clothes you wear and what fabrics you might require for your sewing journey. The first simple project in the book is a dear little teacup pincushion that is a pretty and practical project to cut your teeth on. Jenni encourages visits to charity shops to collect headscarves, woollens and old jeans to upcycle into pretty projects including a Scarf Top and the brilliant Festival Pouch to hold all your valuables whilst having fun away from home! It’s on my to-do list… There is a whole chapter on customising clothes in your wardrobe and she has some great ideas including embroidery, printing and adding tassels – plenty of ideas to give your garments a much-needed uplift! As you move on, Jenni takes you into how to make clothes from scratch with a useful section on measuring yourself using a trusty piece of elastic and a tape measure. The book refreshingly does not rely on using pre-sized patterns – Jenni encourages you to draft your own personal patterns that will fit you, onto newspaper or pattern drafting paper from your measurements or by using an existing garment as a base and drafting straight to fabric. The book is superbly illustrated and the instructions and associated techniques are very clear so that the garments are very achievable for even a beginner sewer. The designs are easy-to-wear casual and would appeal to a broad audience. There are a couple of dresses, a skirt, simple tops, a blanket coat, wrap trousers and my favourite – the Dunga Dress. If you’ve been reluctant to make your own clothes, Jenni’s ideas and enthusiasm will help you overcome those fears and get you started – you can’t help but be inspired by her bubbly, chatty writing style and obvious passion for her subject. - See more at: http://www.thesewingdirectory.co.uk/girl-with-a-sewing-machine/#sthash.uN7scZna.dpuf * The Sewing Directory *I was so excited to get my hands on Jenniffer Taylor’s book and couldn’t wait to make a project. Besides being a book full of inspiration, sewing ideas as well as hints and tips, it is a jolly good read. I had heard of Jenniffer from the Great British Sewing Bee but I didn’t know she was also in a band, or that her path to ‘sewing fame’ was because her husband entered her for the Sewing Bee without her knowledge. Girl with a Sewing Machine, is a glossy book, with three sections. Getting started..Customising clothes and Making clothes from scratch. Jenniffer also lets you know what notions you will need to make up your sewing kit, fabric ideas and the book is littered with ‘Top tips’ that will help with our progress. I just adored her fabric diary idea and is one I am going to adopt. What I especially liked about this book, is that Jenniffer doesn’t suggest we go out and buy expensive items. Jenniffer is all about upcycling and reusing what we already have. She even made the most gorgeous skirt using a tablecloth.. genius. So do as Jenniffer suggests, grab a cuppa and dive in. Full review and to see Tracy's project: https://tracyshephard.wordpress.com/2017/05/30/girl-with-a-sewing-machine-jenniffer-taylor/ * Tracy Shephard - Postcard Reviews *Jenniffer Taylor is best known as a contestant on The Great British Sewing Bee. Since staring in the show, Jenny has been taking her #FashionRevolution message around the country and we had a great day when she visited Crafty Sew&So for a refreshing day. She very kindly gave us the first ever signed copy of her new book, “Girl with a sewing machine”, to give away as a raffle prize at The Dressmakers Ball! I decided to take a look at the book before we gave it away and I really wish I could keep it as it has some fantastic projects and ideas for beginners and established stitchers alike. She begins by running through all the sewing room essentials you might need with a charming photograph of her sewing room and detailed descriptions of each tool and what they can be used for. Watch out for some surprising and innovative uses for everyday items! Most of the projects use up-cycled and recycled clothing and fabrics. Making this book a unique, interesting and very relevant read. I’m sure you have bits of old fabric or garments that have passed their useful life as they are or you have simply got bored of in their current form, Jenny encourages us to look at these items in a new light. She also touches on ideas for embellishing and mending your clothes. I particularly like the use lace doilies as embellishments on clothing – she has even used beautiful embroidered vintage handkerchiefs and table covers to make a whole top! She includes some lovely ideas for adding embroidery to garments which is very on trend. Full review and images: https://craftysewandsoblog.wordpress.com/2017/05/11/girl-with-a-sewing-machine-by-jenniffer-taylor-book-review/ * Crafty Sew and So *Table of ContentsIntroduction My sewing journey Basic sewing kit Sourcing clothes Getting started Pincushion Scarf top Jumper gloves and snood Festival pouch Customising your clothes Doily detail on a T-shirt Block printing and tie-dyeing on a shirt and jeans Tassel T-shirt Shirt reverse Making clothes from scratch Measuring yourself Carousel skirt Batwing dress Kimono dress Cross-back top Sumer top with box pleats Blanket coat Gilet variation Dunga dress Dunga variation Wrap trousers Glossary Index

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Book SynopsisThis fantastic new book from bestselling author Debbie Shore contains 24 projects: 12 bags and 12 matching purses. Choose from flowery patchwork totes, backpacks with faux leather detailing, clasp-top clutches, cute floral messenger bags, practical folder holders and a stylish business travel bag, all complete with a matching purse. Each purse is made in the same style and from the same fabric as its corresponding bag - mix and match the bags and purses or make yourself the pair. Each item requires no more than half a yard of outer fabric, plus all the necessary hardware, trimmings and lining. All the instructions you need are provided in Debbie's clear, friendly style, along with inspiring, easy-to-follow photography, and any templates required are included at full size. There are also QR-coded video links, providing additional support and advice from Debbie.Trade ReviewLeading craft publisher Search Press has many titles that are perfect for gifting. The book contains 24 projects, with 12 bags and 12 matching purses. Designs include flowery patchwork totes, backpacks with faux leather detailing, clasp-top clutches, cute floral message bags, practical folder holders and a stylish business travel bag. Each purse is made in the same style and fabric as its corresponding bag, requiring no more than half a yard of outer fabric together with hardware, trimmings and lining. The instructions are provided in Debbie's clear, friendly style, along with easy-to-follow photography. Each template is included at full size, and there are QR-coded video links that provide additional support from the author. * Craft Focus Magazine Dec 2018/Jan 2019 *I was super excited to receive a copy of a new book in the 'Half Yard' series by @debbieshore for @searchpress (number 7 now!! Woweee!!) I started flicking through the projects (from back to front) and, as a novice to bag making, was very daunted by the projects! What I should have done (as any normal person would do) is start at the beginning as Debbie takes you through the different hardwares (handles/frames/fastenings) used in the book as well as instructions for sewing piping, making straps, fitting clasps/twist fastenings, adding pockets, and zipped pockets! Then, once Debbie has covered these top tips/techniques, the world is your oyster! The book has 24 projects (12 bags & 12 matching purses) for you to make! Each project has beautiful photos and clear instructions! Most of the projects are very traditional and not necessarily for the modern sewist....but you can easily change the fabrics and make it your own! What I REALLY like about this book is that there are 8 associated QR-coded videos so, using your phone, you can scan the code from the book to see the corresponding video guidance (including piping, attaching a zip, attaching a purse frame and bias binding)! This is a fantastic way of combining the traditional craft of sewing with the modern world of digital media! -- Naomi Clarke * @naomialicec - Instagram *Debbie's books are always hugely popular and this delightful book is no exception. Beautifully illustrated with clear instructions and cleverly only requiring half a yard of fabric this book is an absolute delight and perfect for creating beautiful bags and purses for the summer. * Hot Brands Cool Places *I LOVE THIS BOOK!!! I want to make everything that is in it and I want to make them all again for everyone I know. A bag for every occasion complete with matching purse are beautifully showcased with stunning glossy photographs, I am in love with them all. Debbie Shore has outdone herself with this fabulous book, and if you love sewing then you will not be disappointed. Full instructions and a few full sized templates are given. The project order is easy to follow and what I love with Shore's books, is that even beginners can accomplish a usable and beautiful item. What you need, sizes and 'how to' is in simple language and include some helpful hints and tips for that professional look and finish. With no more than half a yard of fabric, totes, clutches, and more can be made from cotton, felt and faux leather. I adored the Twisted Thread Bag, and even though it looks quite difficult, the ease of the demonstration means that I will have no bother achieving a fabulous result with a stunning effect. In this book, there is a QR Code. this can be scanned with your phone and takes you to videos, tutorials and helpful advice. This is a genius idea and is why I love Ms Shore, she thinks about everything and everyone. Highly recommended and quite superb. -- Postcard Reviews * Tracy Shephard *This is TV presenter Debbie’s latest book in the excellent ‘Half-Yard’ series and is packed with gorgeous must-have bags and purses that will be used again and again. Be it a casual tote for travel, a practical carrier for the working day or a smart and stylish bag for that special occasion, Debbie has it covered, and as always, her instructions are clear and detailed. With the addition of QR codes for bonus technique videos, the designs are suitable for all abilities. Those with more sewing experience can, however, personalize their bags with additional pockets, zips and applique. A fabulous book – the most difficult thing is deciding which bag to make first! -- Embroiderers Guild * Embroiderers Guild *Make twelve bags and twelve matching purses using only half yards of fabric. All you need is this amount for the outside of the item plus lining, decorations, notions and hardware. You don’t even need a lot of sewing experience with the easy to read instructions with plenty of staged photographs, although a good knowledge of the basics is a must. There is a page of tips for the “complete beginner” but personally I would rate this for improver level as there is a fair amount to master. One of the features is that most of the projects feature bag hardware in the shape of buckles, frames, chains, D-rings and carabiners. This gives the bags a professional finish and instructions are given on how to attach them. At the front there is a list of what you need to embark on making bags plus several pages of basic techniques including stitches, making straps and your own bias binding, adding pockets and putting in zips. There are no patterns in this book apart from a page of templates; each project has a cutting list of the simple shapes you require, plus a list of everything you need and a finished size. You can expect plenty of Search Press’ trademark photographic stages for a pretty foolproof project, and a good range of different bag and purse styles. Choose from casual tote bags, shoulder bags, formal handbags and bags to take to work as well as various purses and wallets to match. My favorite feature of the book is the emphasis on using up what you have; it really shows how to do a lot with a little. From an ingenious use of an old cork to a brilliant way of using up lots of spare threads there is a way of using the smallest scraps. I love the Charles Rennie Mackintosh style rose made from “iris folding” strips of fabric – very pretty and effective. I was also impressed with the range of fabrics used, not only quilting cottons but leather, felt, tweed and all-over lace. This is the sort of book that you can dip into again and again for bags every time you have a new outfit. My current favorite from this excellent series. -- Rachel A Hyde * myshelf.com *Just received this book over the weekend. I have sat engrossed for a couple of hours this afternoon and can stlll not decide on which of the fantastic projects to try first. So glad it is July as it gives me plenty of time to make projects for Christmas presents. Another 5 star book from Debbie. -- Lesley Wheelwright * Customer review *Excellent for all sewing ability levels. Lovely book, clear, easy to follow instructions & some unusual designs. A good buy to add to my Debbie Shore book collection. -- Jane Symonds * Customer review *Another lovely book by Debbie Shore - it is written in an easy to follow style with simple steps and lots of photos. Lots of useful hints and tips as well as reminders. A good choice and variety of bags and matching purses. There are also smart links to videos for those that use them. -- Christy Chapman * Customer review *This is a great little book containing some lovely projects. I am a bit of a novice, but the step-by-step instructions look easy to follow so I'm sure even I will be able to turn out some neatly finished bags and purses. I'm looking forward to having a go - I just need to brush up on my sewing machine skills and I'll be away! -- Tess Stevenson * Customer review *Table of Contents8 Introduction 10 10 tips for the complete beginner 11 Sewing kit 15 Before you start 24 The Projects 26 Casual Tassel Bag 31 Casual Tassel Purse 34 All Decked Out Bag 38 All Decked Out Purse 40 Girl About Town Bag 44 Girl About Town Purse 48 Miss Messenger Bag 54 Mini Miss Messenger Purse 58 Working Girl Tote 64 Working Girl Wallet 68 First Class Caddy 74 First Class Passport Wallet 78 Ladies' Day Bag 83 Ladies' Day Purse 86 Cocktail Hour Bag 90 Cocktail Hour Purse 94 Crafty Girl's Folder 98 Crafty Girl's Purse 104 Blooming Marvellous Tote 108 Blooming Marvellous Purse 112 Twisted Threads Bag 116 Twisted Threads Purse 120 Girl on the Go Bag 125 Girl on the Go Purse 128 Index and templates

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Book SynopsisThis comprehensive guide to traditional and contemporary techniques provides the reader with all the information they need to produce beautiful quilting and patchwork projects. For beginners, there is how-to-start advice and step-by-step photographs, diagrams and instructions to guide them through each stage of their work, and for more experienced quilters there are advanced techniques that they can dip into for help with a particular problem. For the busy but creative quilter, a section on rotary cutting and speed pieceing shows how to achieve satisfying results in no time. The book ends with a gallery of stunning items that will inspire the reader to create amazing patchwork and quilting projects of their own, whatever their ability. Trade ReviewIt's 15 years since the last edition of this classic sewing book, updated with a new cover. Learn everything you need to create quilting and patchwork projects. It includes techniques such as blocks, rotary cutting, special effects, applique, quilting, finishing and themes. Each technique is explained in step-by-step photographs. Advice from beginner upwards, this is a useful book for all skill levels with speedpiecing ideas to save time. An inspirational gallery is included. * YarnsandFabrics.co.uk *Wow! I wish I'd had this book for the start of my City and Guilds! This book covers it all, including but absolutely not limited to: the anatomy of a quilt, the tools needed for patchwork and quilting, how to work out your fabric requirements, patchwork block construction, string piecing, speed piecing, Suffolk puffs, cathedral windows, crazy patchwork, applique, different quilting methods, finishing methods AND THEN a range of quilts which are displayed thematically including pictorial quilts, texture, pattern and rhythm, improvised quilts and traditional quilts. This really is a must-have for anyone who wants a book which covers it all! I also think it'd make a great present for anyone interested in sewing so I will definitely be buying a copy for my Mum for Mother's Day next month... in the meantime... this copy is mine! I am putting away my hand-sewing and digging out my machine to have a go at this Seminole Patchwork angled design! * Ms. N. Clarke *I love it. It has been really interesting and useful as I've wondered how to do a lot of things that were in that book and now, I know. I especially like the piece in it about reverse appliqué as I've wanted to try it for a long time! -- Annabel Haggar * Young Quilter Project - The Quilters' Guild *

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Book SynopsisThis complete beginner’s guide to painting flowers in watercolour is ideal if you want to learn to paint but are short on time. Each of the 35 quick and easy exercises takes no more than 30 minutes to complete, and will teach you how to paint flowers of different shapes, colours and families – lilies, orchids and hellebores amongst others – or learn a key technique such as masking out, working wet in wet and colour-mixing. The exercises are all worked at postcard size – ideal for a 6 x 4in (A6) watercolour pad, and tracings are included for each study. The book is broken down into five chapters that focus, respectively, on working with watercolour, watercolour techniques, colour and tone, form and detail, and finally flowers in context. The final section of the book contains three complete paintings that demonstrate how to combine all the techniques and elements of painting flowers, as learned from the preceding chapters. These paintings, too, are accompanied by actual-size tracings. Trade Review Having just had a handful of ‘beginners’ watercolour lessons and finding them very challenging I was introduced to this book. Wow! I found it to be very exciting and inspiring. For people new to painting and to watercolour this is the book for you. You don’t even need to be able to draw! The book is full of ideas, tips and projects for you to work through. Each chapter leads on to new and interesting techniques to learn such as ‘spattering’, ‘wax resist’ and the use of salt. For those who find drawing difficult as I do tracings are provided of the flowers, leaves and seed heads featured so there is no excuse not to get started! Each ‘tracing’ is carefully cross referenced to the relevant project and page where you will find step-by-step instructions to lead you through the painting techniques needed to complete your chosen project. At the beginning of the book there is information about the basic equipment needed. A list of the paint colours used throughout is given but as well as their names there is also a colour chart. I found this a great help as it meant I could mix the colour I needed if I didn’t have the particular paint mentioned. As it is now autumn I decided to have a go at the leaf (see Pic 1). This involved painting ‘wet-in- wet’. I particularly enjoyed trying out the effect of ‘spatter spots’. Painting the ‘Anemone with shadows’ picture (pic 2) introduced the idea of using ‘negative space’ to keep areas white, and of using masking fluid to reserve areas of the paper from the paint in order to add a different colour at a later stage. The background to the flowers is achieved using the ‘wet-in-wet’ method whereas to deepen the shadow and add detail required ‘wet-on-dry’. My most successful picture was achieved using wax resist to paint a picture of Honesty seed heads (see Pic 3). I was very happy with the result at just my first attempt! If you love flowers and have always wanted to paint them then this book is for you. https://notcompulsory.blogspot.co.uk/2017/10/two-ready-to-paint-in-30-minutes.html * Not Compulsory *September 2017 The original Ready to Paint series sold well to more experienced artists who might have been expected to dismiss it as 'jumped up painting by numbers'. A complete re-think has produced this development which is a whole new departure. In place of complete paintings there are 30-odd half-hour exercises that concentrate on a single element -skies, shadows, trees, rosebuds, seed heads or leaves. There is also more emphasis on technique and therefore on the learning process. It's definitely worth a look. * The Artist *September 2017 Ready to Paint in 30 Minutes is a brand new series from Search Press aimed specifically at the complete beginner. The focus is to provide quick and easy instruction for anyone short on time, as each exercise is designed to take no more than 30 minutes. The series kicks off with two titles - Street Scenes by Grahame Booth and Flowers in Watercolour by Ann Mortimer. Street Scenes is broken down into eight chapters covering tone, colour, perspective, the wash. edge control, brush strokes, adding details and putting it all togethe. There are 32 easy exercises for you to work on, each of which covers an element of street scenes, such as doorways or people. The time is limited to 20 minutes spent on each and the size is limited to postcard size, which make them ideal for an A6 watercolour pad. Three finished paintings are demonstrated at the end of the book and are accompanied by actual size tracings to make it easier for the complete novice to get started with their painting. Ann Mortimer will be well known to Leisure Painter readers and in her 30 minute book she covers five main aspects of painting flowers in watercolour: working with watercolour, watercolour techniques, colour and tone, form and details, and finally, flowers in context. Once again the size and time is limited for each exercise and the final section, also accompanied by actual size tracings, demonstrates three paintings that combine all the techniques learnt. * The Leisure Painter *This is genuinely exciting evolution of a popular series. You'll be guided through some simple exercises and on to complete painting, gaining valuable insights that will develop and improve your skills. * Artbookreview.net *Table of ContentsIntroduction 6 Basic painting equipment 8 Working with watercolour 10 Washes 12 Working wet in wet 14 Layering 16 Blending out 18 Using the white of the paper 20 Techniques 22 Masking 24 Cutting out 26 Negative painting 28 White flowers with shadows 30 Spattering & scribbling 32 Salt & wax resists 34 Colour & tone 36 Mixing greens 38 Mixing dark colours 40 Mixing shadow colours 42 Mixing yellows 44 Mixing autumn colours 46 Contrast & tone 48 Backlighting 50 Form & detail 52 Drawing & composing 54 Flower shapes: star 56 Flower shapes: bell 58 Flower shapes: cup 60 Flower shapes: cone 62 Complex flower shapes 64 Buds 66 Painting leaves 68 Leaf shapes 70 Seed heads 72 Seed heads: ‘Honesty’ 74 Flower markings: orchid 76 Flower markings: hellebore 78 Flowers in context 80 Flowers in a vase 82 Mixed border 84 Woodland with daffodils 86 Flowers in pots 88 Dog roses in a landscape 90 Pansies in a vase 92 Clematis on a trellis 94 Index 96 Templates 97

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Book SynopsisTempted to start painting but not sure where to start? Learn how to paint beautiful watercolour flowers using just 3 colours, 3 brushes, a plastic palette and a watercolour pad. This book will build your skills through easy exercises, starting from the simplest of tulips and working up to a stunning rose. Clear advice and step-by-step photography will show you exactly what to do at each stage. No drawing necessary – you can simply trace and transfer the basic drawings from the finished paintings, which are shown at full size. Colours used: cadmium yellow pale, ultramarine blue and permanent rose. Brushes used: Round brushes size 10 (Large), size 8 (Medium), and a size 4 (Small).Trade ReviewMany readers will remember using watercolor paint in childhood, but fine-art watercolor is a whole different thing and can feel intimidating for someone just beginning. King recognizes this and starts with a minimum of equipment, the most basic techniques, and a very common subject: flowers. Using just the three primary colors of paint, three brushes, and one pad of watercolor paper, the novice painter can get started with a nominal investment in materials. Starting with a single tulip and progressing through nine increasingly complex flowers, King teaches the reader three techniques in each painting, encouraging confidence and mastery along the way, and adding up to a well-rounded knowledge base. For those who find the blank page daunting, King also includes instructions for using tracing paper and pencil to transfer the outlines of her finished paintings onto watercolor paper. Terminology is explained as it comes up in “jargon buster” feature boxes, and a preview of what the reader will learn in the following project is offered at the end of each set of instructions. -- Anne Heidemann * Booklist *Flower painting being the tricky subject that it is, anything that simplifies the painting process has to be a good thing, just as long as it doesn’t over-simplify and trivialise. It’s therefore something of a relief to be able to say that Julie manages her task with considerable success. You will, I’m sure, be amazed by the variety of tints and hues she manages to achieve with just three base colours (the same ones throughout). Yes, if you look closely, the results lack some of the subtlety that could be achieved with more, but you wouldn’t feel dissatisfied with the results, for all that. I also have a feeling that the reproduction may not be as sharp as it could be, and that what you see on paper might be better that it is on the pages of the book. I also wouldn’t have chosen that sunflower as the cover illustration as it really doesn’t convey the variety of what you can achieve. Please don’t let it put you off. In keeping with the series style, there are plenty of generously-sized stage illustrations, short captions telling you what’s going on and sidebars that include a variety of tips and jargon busters. With 9 projects and clear instruction, this is the ideal place to start on a rewarding subject. You might also find it useful if you’ve already had a go, but are struggling. * Artbookreview.net *Keen to learn how to paint in watercolors from scratch but don’t want to spend too much in case it is not for you? Search Press’ Take Three Colours series is ideal as you only have to buy a few materials and each primer takes you through several skill building projects ideal for the complete beginner. I LOVE this idea and think you could do a series like this for most hobbies. Trying to work out the minimum amount you need to actually make something but worried you won’t take to it concerns everybody taking the plunge with a new interest. With this series you just buy three colors, three brushes, some paper and a cheap palette. The author takes you step by step with nine projects, each one teaching you several essential skills. The final painting is shown life size (A4) so you can trace it off and transfer it to your paper (instructions included). As well as Search Press’ trademark staged photographs there is a useful list of the skills covered, “jargon buster” boxes and even a closeup of a palette with the mixed colors on it. Also included is help on how to mix them and various tips. My only complaint is that the shot of the pencil tracing could be a bit easier to see; knowing how much detail has been included in a tracing is very helpful for a beginner. But this is a very minor gripe and the rest of the book gets an unreserved five stars for being a truly accessible primer a total beginner can actually learn from with no prior knowledge. Soon you can have a portfolio of lovely floral paintings including tulip, rose, passion flower, sunflower, poppies and more. At the front of the book is a helpful page showing thumbnails of all nine paintings and all for under a tenner (or under $15 US). More please, covering other types of paint and topics. Very highly recommended. * Myshelf.com *Always wanted to work with watercolours but don't know how to begin? This book shows you how to achieve good results with just three colours and three brushes. In this way it limits what you have to spend on materials and concentrates on getting you painting. It shows how to mix paints and has step-by-step guides throughout covering those popular features of landscape painting such as skies, water, woodland and mountains. There are nine easy projects to build your skills. In just a few simple steps, you will feel like a painter. A confidence-building book for anyone interested in watercolour. * Yarnsandfabrics.co.uk *August 2017 Watercolour Flowers by Leisure Painter contributor Julie King is part of the Take Three Colours series from Search Press (also includes Watercolour Landscapes by Geoff Kersey) which aims to encourage beginners to start painting using just three colours, three brushes and nine easy projects. Julie's book starts with a very simple picture of a tulip and works up to a more complicated rose. Jargon-free and pared down to the absolute essentials, this is the perfect book to get you started with clear advice and excellent step-by-step colour photographs. * The Leisure Painter *Table of ContentsIntroduction 6, Using the colours 8, Using the brushes 10 Projects 12 Tulips 12, Japanese Anemone 16, Geranium 20, Buttercups 24, Poppies 30, Sunflower 36, Pansies 42, Passion Flower 48, Rose 56 Transferring a drawing 64

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Book SynopsisBestselling author Sachiyo Ishii gives us mini knitted astronauts, planets, satellites, moon buggies, aliens and a whole host of astro-animals such as dogs, bunnies, elephants and giraffes. Knit your own fabulous cosmos with this delightful book! All the projects are quick and relatively simple to make, with very easy techniques to follow. There is a step-by-step section on how to sew the figures and animals together and the patterns are all suitable for competent beginners. Including full-size templates and more than 40 simple knitting patterns, this is all you need to make your very own knitted cosmos.Trade ReviewWow, some of the projects really are tiny, made the penguin which is a dinky 4cm! A great way to use up those odds and ends left over from other projects. All use DK and 4ply but I guess you could scale them up. The book takes the usually format; tools & materials, some knitting info/tips, abbreviations and a fairly detailed bit on construction, all accompanied by lovely pictures and illustrations. Next come the projects, and there are lots, all written in simple terms, and only using knit and purl! The more in depth patterns have some traceable templates in the back for cardboard reinforcement. Aliens, people and space animals, rockets, UFOs, even a satellite and moon buggy! All adorable and fun! As they're all knitted flat (and small) I found them quite quick to make although some bits a tiny bit fiddly to sew on due to the size, made easier by some well placed glass headed pins. Perfect for anyone just getting in to toy making or someone wanting a quick scrap buster project, I was surprised at how creative the projects were despite the simplicity and it certainly won't break the bank! And your kids will love them! -- Charlotte Blakey * Customer review *This book is full of fantastic characters featuring step-by-step instructions on how to sew, stuff and embroider the features. A fantastic book which covers everything a child could love and learn about space and planets. As the book says take your knitting to infinity and beyond. I will enjoy knitting these characters for my grandchildren. -- Jill Thrussell * Customer review *Lovely collection of patterns with a space theme. My 5 year old is currently space-obsessed and already requested I knit her an astronaut. The book has lots of pictures and the patterns are clear. Look forward to knitting some bits from it. -- Ailsa Roberts * Customer review *This book is full of UFOs - Uniquely Fabulous Objects! Search Press have done it again! Another superb book with plenty of projects suitable for people just starting to knit and advanced patterns for the more experienced knitters. Ideal for using up those left over pieces of wool that “may come in handy one day” and with minimal equipment, an army of aliens can be amassed in an afternoon. The instructions are clear and photos show each stage of the assembly process. I imagine all small - and maybe some not so small - people will love playing with the lovely little creatures, spacecraft and UFOs made from this book. -- Sarah Dennis * Customer review *A perfect book for all levels of knitting experience. Cute aliens that knit up quickly and more realistic astronauts, enough to tempt new knitters and experienced alike. Good clear instructions and inviting photos. -- Teresa Eames * Customer review *Lovely book full of little projects. Very clear instructions and I am really looking forward to creating some of these delightful figures!! Janice Halsall Customer Review -- Janice HalsallA lovely little book for a beginner or experienced knitter. The patterns are excellent as are the materials, technique and instruction sections for a beginner. Kathleen Howarth Customer ReviewI really like this Mini Knitted Cosmos book. My son loves the space theme so this is the perfect book for me to make things for him. I've never knitted anything quite so small so found them a little bit fiddly to begin with, but with clear instructions that walk you through each step and has diagrams too I soon got the hang of it. The book is set up in to clear sections: Materials and Tools you will need Basic Knitting Abbreviations Sewing Up and Stuffing Key Techniques Basic Embroidery The Projects As described on the cover of the book there are over 40 projects in this book ranging from aliens, to the earth and moon, little astro animals, satellites, rockets, astronauts and so much more. The projects are great for making decorations, using as toys, turning into mobiles (there are instructions on how to do this in the book) or even making little knitted keyrings. It's a really cute book and I'm looking forward to exploring the other books in this range. Danielle Graves Customer ReviewI love this book. My son loves space and I love knitting it was like this book was made for us. The book is well laid out and has helpful instructions before you get started. I'm a seasoned knitter but haven't tried small knitted toys like as they aren't normally something I enjoy but this book makes me want to try everything in it. Zoe Wickends Customer ReviewTable of ContentsIntroduction 10 Materials and tools 12 Basic knitting 16 Abbreviations 17 Sewing up and stuffing 18 Key techniques 23 Basic embroidery 25 The Projects 24 Green & Orange Aliens 28 Round Alien 30 Mushroom Head Alien and Brown Alien 32 Bug-eyed Alien 34 Horned Alien 36 Striped Alien 38 Astro-bunny 40 Astro-elephant 42 Astro-bear 44 Astro-dog 46 Astro-giraffe 48 Astro-mouse 52 Astro-penguin 54 Astro-kangaroo 56 Satellite 59 Planet Earth & Moon 62 Small Rocket 66 Rocket Children 70 Parachute Children 74 Soyuz Spacecraft 78 Small Space Shuttle 81 Large Rocket 84 Astronaut in Orange 87 Moon Buggy with Satellite 90 Space Shuttle & Astro-kids 94 Ground Staff 98 Astronaut in White 100 Flying Saucer Child 104 Planet Mobile 107 Star Babies Mobile 112 UFOs 118 Templates 124

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Book SynopsisPapercutting is a perfect craft for beginners, as you can achieve amazing results with the most basic of materials – a pencil, eraser, craft knife or scalpel, a piece of paper and a cutting surface. Sarah King’s art encapsulates the beauty of the English countryside, particularly the towns and villages around the Kent coast where she lives. Her use of fresh, vibrant colours and delightful compositions evoke memories of happy times, and expert papercrafters as well as those new to papercutting will find the charming, naïve style of Sarah’s work irresistible. Sarah’s down-to-earth approach to her art makes it enjoyable and accessible to all. In the book she includes sections on choosing your materials and colours, and there is step-by-step guidance through all the basic techniques you need before embarking on the twelve gorgeous projects on the seaside, town life, the wilderness, and more.Trade ReviewWhat a riot of colour in this lovely paperback book full of scenes of seaside, hot-air balloons, nature and countryside holidays. -- Lindsey Loughtman * Customer review *What an amazing book! Sarah King offers the reader everything that they could possibly want to learn how to create epic landscapes in paper that will be treasured for many years to come. Simple and effective Sarah offers the amateur and the experience paper cutter something new in this book on how to add colour and depth. If I could give the book more than 5 stars I would. -- Sian Lawton * Customer review *Papercut Landscapes by Sarah King is a simply stunning, well-structured and colourful book, with very clear step-by-step instructions. It takes you through what materials you need, papercutting techniques, bringing the cuts to life with colour infills and how to display and frame the final product. There is an inspiring section which gives tips on how to develop your own ideas from photographs, so that you can achieve your own unique artwork. There are also many of Sarah King's beautiful templates included, to practise on. All in all I would recommend this book to any papercutting enthusiast, in a heartbeat. -- Andree Salisbury * Customer review *I absolute loved this book. It was perfect for both beginner and experienced papercutters. It starts by explaining everything you need to know about equipment and techniques. I love how this is a hobby everyone can have a go at without spending a fortune on materials. Everything is broken down into simple manageable steps. I have papercut before but I am not great at curves and this book has given me some pointers to try! Unlike a lot of similar books this one teaches you how to add colour to your papercuts which is a brilliant idea to match the pictures to your colour scheme in your house or to personalise it even further. I was particularly impressed with the final chapter about designing your own templates to cut. It is something I have always imagined to be too difficult in the past but I am certainly encouraged now to give it a go myself. It would be the perfect way to immortalise an idyllic summer holiday memory. But, even if you don't want to design your own this book is perfect to trace the designs and get stuck in. Overall a charming and well thought out book that I would warmly recommend. -- Sarah Gage * Customer review *Beautiful book, filled with a comprehensive guide on how to achieve a beautiful infilled papercut. A really delightful book for browsing through and has projects that a novice through to a more practised papercutter would find enjoyable. -- Angela Dalziel * Customer review *Paper is a big passion of mine and when I saw this book I knew I just had to have a go. The designs are amazing...I adored the balloon projects. Sarah King is a master papercrafter and she shares her techniques, giving us a one-on-one tutorial in every aspect of papercutting. This craft is explained in detail, everything you need to know is all in this book, which includes a guide of what you will need to get started. The 'templates' are stunning, and simple. but the finished effect of each design is absolutely brilliant. There is good advice on how to make your own pictures from photographs or by free hand and what I especially loved was that this is a craft that is affordable and doesn't use vast amounts of 'stuff' to create something beautiful. This is not a craft for children, due to the use of craft knives.. but there is no reason why they cannot share the joy of paper piecing and learning along with you. -- Tracy Shephard * Postcard Reviews *Looking to expand your horizons, but tight on space? This book is all about making on the micro-level. "Papercut Landscapes" is a guide on how to take your favorite geographies and turn them into unique pieces of artwork. See the full list of Martha Stewart's craft book recommendations here. -- Martha Stewart * 9 Crafty Books We're Reading in 2019 *One of our 2019 favourites, Sarah Kings, Papercut Landscapes is perfect for beginners and experienced papercutters alike. Taking you on a journey from coast to countryside, Sarah's book guides you through the basics from choosing your materials to the foundation techniques, to the best colour choices for your papercut creation of seaside, town life to wilderness scenes. * Simply Cards and Papercraft *Bring back happy memories of your holidays by using paper and knife to create uplifting, joyful landscape scenes. Sarah's delightful projects reveal how to create amazing effects with basic tools. * Crafts Beautiful *'A lovely and original book that shows you don’t need to spend lots of money or buy the latest equipment to produce impressive art and have fun creating it.' -- Rachel Hyde * myshelf.com *

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Book SynopsisSew 12 cute and cuddly characters using this fun, colourful book. Choose from Pippa Puppy, Sally Seahorse and Patty Piglet to Miranda Mermaid and Peter Pirate - or make the whole set. Created in an adorable amigurumi style in a gorgeous range of colourful fabrics, these toys would make perfect collectibles as well as cuddly playmates. All the full-size templates are provided in the book, and the instructions are clearly illustrated and easy to follow. The projects are ideal for beginners and can be sewn by machine or by hand.Trade ReviewIf you want to make soft toys and don’t know where to start this book would be a good place. It contains patterns for twelve toys with contemporary style and appeal, and is very suitable for beginners. So suitable in fact that it reminded me of my beloved Learn To Sew book I had as a child. I did indeed learn to sew with it, and can imagine a child being able to make up the projects in here too. It is equally suitable for a beginner adult, and only uses the most basic of tools; you can even opt to sew the toys by hand if you don’t own a machine. The list of what you need explains why you need each item and before you begin there is a section entitled Techniques. Here you can learn some basic skills such as stuffing your toy, sewing up, turning small parts right side out, darts and drawing patterns on fabric. This is a well laid out, large format book which helps if you are new to sewing. Each project contains a large full-page photograph of the item plus several steps with diagrams. These are very beginner friendly as they are simple, clear drawings with good use of color for clarity. It is easy for even a total beginner to see what to do as things like stitching, darts, where to stuff etc are clearly marked out. Each toy has its own personality and fun patterned fabrics have been used as well as plain; all the toys are made from cotton and felt and have a bright, modern look. Toys include an owl, pig, puppy, koala, Halloween monster and a quartet of seaside friends comprising of seahorse, crab, pirate and mermaid. Turn to the back for all the patterns, full sized and marked so you know where to place arms, legs etc. These are simple to trace and cut out, and the finished item will be something anybody can be proud of. Lots of books purport to be for beginners but this one truly is – you really can learn to sew from it. -- Rachel A Hyde * myshelf.com *A fun, cute creatures to sew book. The style reminds me of the style of a fabulous Japanese book I used to have 40 years ago. Slightly large heads and smaller bodies. Just 12 patterns to choose from but they do come with full-sized pattern pieces that you need to trace off. Sew by hand or machine. What you get - clear large photos, clear diagrams and written instructions for assembly. An appealing selection of toys that are easy to make. -- Karen Platt * Yarnsandfabrics.co.uk *Table of Contents3 Foreword 6 What you will need 9 Techniques 11 Stuffing your toys 14 Larry Lizard 18 Boris the Monster 22 Miranda Mermaid 28 Carol Crab 32 Sally Seahorse 36 Patty Piglet 40 Gary Goat 44 Kim Koala 48 Peter Pirate 54 Kitty Kitten 58 Pippa Puppy 62 Hooty the Owl 68 Full-size patterns 96 Acknowledgements

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Book SynopsisDesign and sew your own gorgeous, unique skirts, with no need for shop-bought patterns. Start by creating your own block and toile using just four body measurements. Then select your skirt shape, add the fittings, fastenings and details you want, and put the whole thing together with ease. With clear step-by-step photography and easy-to-follow instructions, Jenniffer Taylor (of The Great British Sewing Bee) will show you how to mix and match the design elements you really want to make your perfect garment; choose from A-line, flared, gathered, pencil and pleated shapes, and from pockets, zips, buttons and yokes. The book contains 10 inspiring skirt options to get you started... but it’s your skirt, your way, so fill your wardrobe with an array of gorgeous skirts that fit you perfectly and suit your style!Trade ReviewJenniffer Taylor first flew into my radar when I saw her on The Great British Sewing Bee, and I thought she was amazing. Very much an advocate of the term ‘you size‘ she has since developed a range of hand drafted patterns unique to your very own shape and size. Using just four of your body measurements, with the help of this book you can create a garment that is well fitted and tailored to your body. Like most of us home dressmakers, Jenniffer is self taught, but what she teaches us is that anyone can have a go and make a wearable piece of clothing. She has also ensured that whatever our individual style, our finished piece will fit perfectly and give us confidence that it will look good. From drafting your pattern to the fastenings, everything you need to know is included and helpful tips guarentee a professional finish. This book is a must have for everyone who loves to make their own clothes. -- Tracy Shephard * Postcard Reviews *Draft your block, choose your shape, and customise your own design says Jenniffer Taylor! This brilliantly simple book teaches you exactly how to design and create your own gorgeous skirts, with no need for shopbought patterns. Start by creating your own block and toile using just four-body measurement and then select your skirt shape, add the fittings, fastenings and detailsyou want, and put the whole thing together with ease! With clear step-by-step photography and easy-to-follow instructions, Jenniffer will show you how to mix and match the design elements you really want to make your perfect garment. Choose from A-line, flared, gathered, pencil and pleated shapes, and from pockets, zips, buttons and yokes. This book contains 10 inspiring skirt options, but remember it’s your skirt, your way! * www.thepatternpages.com *Mix and match design elements to make a perfect garment. The book contains ten skirt options to get you started and fill your wardrobe with gorgeous skirts that fit perfectly and suit your style! * Machine Knitting Monthly *Looking for a totally unique skirt? Well, you're in luck, as this must-have manual by author Jennifer Taylor, of The Great British Sewing Bee fame, shows you how to mix and match elements to create your ultimate garment. Whether you prefer a pleated mini or an A-line maxi, there's something for every style - plus a whole range of options for pockets, zips, buttons and yokes, too. * Sew magazine - December 2020 *Although I have sewn since I was a teenager, I’ve never drafted a pattern. I’m not a conventional shape so always have to tweak patterns and skirts never quite work for me, hence my interest on this book. Skirts are the easiest patterns to draft, ideal for a first go at drafting. At the start of the book there are sections on fabrics, sewing tools and drafting tools. The author then splits the book into three main sections: 1. Constructing the basic skirt block then altering for six variations on shape. 2. Techniques and some extra details. 3. Skirt ‘recipes’, where you can mix up the techniques and details. Taylor makes constructing the block (Americans call it a sloper) very understandable by breaking it down into bite sized steps. Correct body measurements are crucial and she explains how best to take them and where. (E.g. where do you measure for hips and waist? And how should you determine length?) Although I haven’t made a block yet, I’ve read through the instructions, which are very detailed and are easy to understand. Take them slowly and make sure you read through before starting to carry them out. She includes making a toile (practice garment, Americans call this a muslin) and then checking the fit and how to fine tune it. The main reason for making your own blocks is to ensure a nicely fitting garment. The next section shows how to alter the basic skirt shape to create a further five skirt shapes, such as a pencil skirt and a flared skirt. Taylor goes on to explain techniques such as a traditional waistband, facings and zips. Two zip insertions are shown, one is a centred zip. The other is a fly zip which is less common and ignored in many other sewing books. (I’m looking forward to trying it her way.) Invisible/concealed zips are mentioned but not shown. Techniques such as pockets, hems, a back vent and yokes were dealt with before the skirt recipes. There are ten suggested skirt styles, but many of the components can be swapped around, added, taken off etc. So you really have a multitude of variations to personalise your skirt for you. I like Taylor’s approach of using a scaled down/mini mannequin to show the various component shapes and how they make up a skirt. Genius! It’s much easier to understand than using full scale body sized mannequins. The skirts shown have a definite retro vibe, helped perhaps by some unusual fabric combinations. Fabric choice is all important, and most of the fabrics used are mid to heavy weight woven. For me, although my favourites are too short, instructions are there to lengthen them. Would I buy the book? Yes – for the pattern drafting, and components styles, rather than the sewing techniques. I’m excited to get my pattern paper and tackle the jeans style skirt, Bobbie (but longer!) -- M Jones * Amazon Customer Review *Clearly written and illustrated. I'm an experienced dressmaker but would usually only work from a pattern, this book has given me the confidence to make my own block and also inspired me experiment altering my existing patterns. -- Bernadette McGowan * Amazon Customer Review *The opening parts of the book give a comprehensive overview of the equipment needed and terms used in dressmaking. Although I have many years of experience in dressmaking, I have never tried to draft my own pattern and it was this part of the book I was most interested in. I found the instructions for making the basic skirt block easy to follow and then went on to make a toile as the author recommends. I carried on and then made up the toile into a proper garment as the fabric I'd picked was suitable and was very satisfied with it. Although I haven't yet made any of the other styles I have read the instructions and I'm confident I could make them successfully. I particularly liked the suggestions on customising touches such as the pockets and will definitely use these in the future, definitely a worthwhile buy. -- Hilary Guthrie * Amazon Customer Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction 6 How to use this book 8 Getting started 12 Basic sewing kit 12 Dressmaking essentials 15 Drafting tools 16 Fabricology 18 Your body, your block 22 What is a block? 24 What is a toile? 24 What details should I include? 25 Taking your own measurements 26 How to draw out your own block 28 Making a toile and checking the fit 32 Creating your skirt 37 Skirt shapes 38 Basic skirt 40 Pencil skirt 41 A-line skirt 42 Flared skirt 43 Box–pleated skirts 44 Gathered skirts 48 Fastenings & fixtures 52 Traditional waistband 54 Wrapped waistband 56 Facing 58 Zip fastenings 60 Button placket 64 Details & finishings 66 Patch pockets 68 Inseam pocket 70 Yoke 72 Yoke pocket 74 Back vent 78 Hems 80 Putting your skirt together 84 Skirt recipes 88 Monroe 88 Brodie 92 Pattie 96 Cecelia 100 Bobbie 104 Kate 108 Joni 112 Judy 116 Jasmine 120 Grace 124

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Book SynopsisA new, up-to-date edition of the popular and comprehensive encyclopedia by professional and award-winning artist, Jeremy Galton. Ideal for artists of all skill levels, this A-Z reference covers a multitude of topics concerning oil painting. The book is divided into two sections: the first provides step-by-step demonstrations that guide artists through a variety of techniques, from basic colour mixing through to creating special effects such as peinture a l'essence and sgraffito. The second part focuses on themes, illustrating how individual artists tackle a number of common subjects, including landscapes, buildings, portraits, still life, skies and water. This resource provides a wealth of stimulating ideas to help artists – both amateurs and veterans – develop their own oil-painting style.Table of ContentsIntroducing acrylics, Techniques, Alma Prima, Blending, Broken Colour, Brushwork, Building Up, Collage, Colour Grounds, Colour Mixing, Corrections, Dabbing, Defining Edges, Dry Brush, Fat Over Lean, Finger Painting, Glazing, Grounds, Impasto, Imprinting, Knife Painting, Masking, Mediums, Mixed Media, Monoprinting, Palette, Peinture a L'essence, Pointillism, Scraping Back, Scrumbling, Sgraffito, Supports, Texturing, Tonking, Transferring Drawings, Underdrawing, Underpainting, Wet into Wet, Wet On Dry, Themes, Architecture, Figures, Landscapes, Skies, Still life, Water, Index and credits

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Book SynopsisThis gorgeous book brings together 100 of the best winter knits from best-selling author and knitting designer, Monica Russel. Previously published in the 20 to Make series, these fabulous designs are quick and easy to make, and include scarves, wrist warmers, hats, boot cuffs, headbands and snoods. With designs for men, women and children in a range of colours and styles, there is something for everyone in this valuable knitting resource. Using material from the following 20 to Make titles: Knitted Boot Cuffs, Easy Knitted Scarves, Knitted Wrist Warmers, Knitted Headbands, Knitted Snoods and Knitted Hats - this book provides a wealth of inspiration with projects that will become an essential part of your winter wardrobe!Trade ReviewThis book has just arrived and I was surprised by how many projects were included. I have already have her book of wrist warmers that are included but with so many hats, scarfs, headbands and cute boot cuffs, you will be spoilt for choice. The projects use a variety of different yarn weights, colours and the instructions are easy to follow so you can make the items to suit you. Excellent photography and a lovely solid book. -- Latona Sewell * Customer review *This book contains lots of lovely knits which are nicely laid out with well written patterns. There is a nice variety of colours and yarn types used. With some straightforward patterns alongside those with different stitches, colourwork and cabling there should be enough variety to keep most knitters happy. I am a fairly new knitter and the hardest part is trying to decide what to make first! -- Nicola Farrington * Customer review *An absolute must have book for any knitter, it’s packed full of beautiful patterns for hats, scarves, gloves, snoods and so much more! The instructions with each pattern are clear and concise. There is also a full list of abbreviations used throughout the book leaving no room for confusion. I really like this book and I think perhaps my first make will be a pair of boot cuffs. -- Jan Buckley * Customer review *My first impression was WOW as i opened the book and it does not disappoint. A variety of patterns, some making lovely gifts (boot cuffs for my grandson is one). The patterns use straight and circular needles, one colour wool or several. This book would suit a beginner to knitting and as they build their skills so they could explore the more complicated patterns. An all round excellent book. -- Karen Turton * Customer review *This is a compilation of the various Twenty to Make books featuring patterns for scarves, wrist warmers, headbands, snoods, hats and boot cuffs. It is a mix of easy and more complex designs comprising lace, cables and colourwork. Specific yarns are not named but are described as 'light DK alpaca' or 'light worsted Aran' for example. A degree of experience is assumed as there is no section on techniques, but this would be a useful book for making gifts for anyone who is moving on from the beginner stage, as none of the projects are too large or complicated. -- Rita Taylor * Slipknot Magazine (Issue 162) - March 2019 *You cannot beat 100 patterns for this price. A good variety of hand knitting patterns including hats, all manner of scarves and neck, wrist and leg warmers, cuffs, boot toppers, all manner of gloves and mitts plus headgear. From plain knits to stripes, cable, fair-isle, lacy and more. This book of big patterns has big appeal. Designs are mainly for women, over 90% with a few men's designs and children's designs. Clear photos and easy to follow pattern instructions. -- Karen Platt * www.karenplatt.co.uk *This latest book from designer Monica Russel comes at the perfect time as we head into winter. Featuring 100 quick and easy knits, the fabulous collection of designs include scarves, wrist warmers, hats, boots, cuffs, headbands and snoods. Perfect for all the family, this colourful collection will be a winter bookshelf essential and is ideal for beginner knitters who are looking to experiment and expand their skill set. * Knit Now, Issue 95 *Here are 100 quick and easy designs to make including scarves, wrist warmers, hats, boot cuffs, headbands and snoods. The designs are for all the family and there's a wealth of inspiration with projects that will become part of any winter wardrobe. * Machine Knitting Monthly *If you love knitting, but don’t want to spend ages creating something, this book is an absolute delight. Packed full of the most delightful illustrations, there are so many examples of quick and easy projects that you can knit. There is a short section on knitting know-how at the beginning of the book, together with a list of useful knitting abbreviations that are used in the patterns. The projects range from patterns for competent beginners through to more advanced knitters and these fabulous designs are full of colour and creativity. Every type of added warmth is included with patterns beautiful hats, scarves, headbands, wrist warmers, snoods, boot cuffs for adults and children. These wonderful designs are perfect for adding a touch of individuality to your own wardrobe, or as gifts for friends and family, or as donations to your local charities. Highly Recommended! -- escapelearncreate.comTable of ContentsIntroduction Knitting know-how The Projects Fuchsia Scarf 10 Sparkler Wrist Warmers 12 Lacy Fern Headband 14 Hemingway Boot Cuffs 16 Peruvian-style Hat 18 Regal Snood 20 Heather & Skye Scarf 22 Chic Stripes Wrist Warmers 24 Lacy Dream Headband 26 Bramble Boot Cuffs 28 Green Patterned Cap 30 Summer Garden Snood 32 College Stripe Scarf 33 Lilac Wrist Warmers 34 Snowflake Headband 36 Penguin Boot Cuffs 38 Winter Walkies Hat 40 Foxy Boxy Snood 42 Frivolous Florence Scarf 44 Fair Isle Wrist Warmers 46 Gooseberry Headbands 48 Quackers Boot Cuffs 50 Fair Isle Tam 52 Leaf Scarf 54 Parisienne Chic Scarf 56 Cable Wrist Warmers 58 Versatile Mesh Headband 60 Valentine Boot Cuffs 62 Slouchy Hat 64 Rooster Snood 66 Steely Tweed Scarf 68 Frosty Wrist Warmers 70 Dusty Headband 72 Allure Boot Cuffs 74 Santa Slouch Hat 76 Purple Mist Snood 78 Candy Stripe Scarf 80 Playful Wrist Warmers 82 Alice Flora Headband 84 Imperium Boot Cuffs 86 Winter Thyme Beanie 88 Ophelia Snood 90 Ribbed Scarf 92 Heathland Wrist Warmers 94 Forties-style Headband 96 Pig in the Grass Boot Cuffs 98 Stripes & Fair Isle Hat 100 Blossom Snood 102 Autumnal Stripes Scarf 104 Parisienne Hand Warmers 106 Two-tone Cable Headband 108 Clarice Boot Cuffs 110 Cable-knit Bobble Hat 112 Graphite Snood 114 Autumn Haze Scarf 116 Bobble Tree Wrist Warmers 118 Diamond Fair Isle Headband 120 Bouclé Boot Cuffs 122 Chunky Rainbow Knit Hat 124 Adriatic Snood 126 Red Rooster Scarf 128 Mondrian Wrist Warmers 130 Cable Headband 132 Blooming Boot Cuffs 134 Ribbed Pompom Hat 136 Agincourt Snood 138 Bobble Scarf 140 Button Cable Wrist Warmers 142 Snowflake Headband 144 Oakshield Boot Cuffs 146 Cloche Flower Hat 148 Harlequin Snood 150 Pompom Scarf 152 Tiger Ruche Wrist Warmers 154 Springtime Headband 156 Electric Kicks Boot Cuffs 158 Autumnal Beanie 160 Starry Night Snood 162 Zebra Razzle Scarf 164 Autumn Wrist Warmers 166 Flossie Flower Headband 168 Flossie Flower Headband 170 Fair Isle Beanie 172 Caramel Snood 174 Bolero Scarf 176 Pastel Wrist Warmers 178 Red Robin Headband 180 Art Deco Boot Cuffs 182 Lacy Rose Beret 184 Matisse Snood 186 Simple Lace Scarf 188 Breakfast at Tiffany's Wrist Warmers 190 Dynamic Wave Headband 192 Button Boot Cuffs 194 Chunky-knit Beanie 196 Muriel Snood 198 Caramel Wrist Warmers 200 Unisex Headband 202 Parisienne Boot Cuffs 204 Cable-knit Peaked Cap 206 Unisex Headband 202 Parisienne Boot Cuffs 204 Cable-knit Peaked Cap 206

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Book SynopsisBeautifully photographed, this beginner-friendly guide has everything you need to make 18 lovely soaps. Inspirational for seasoned soap-makers as well, the recipes use only natural ingredients that are kind to the skin and our environment. From olive oil to juniper and cucumber to honey, there are lots of gorgeous fragrances and colours to satisfy everyone. With comprehensive information on where to start and what you need, the book includes essential tips on utensils, safety issues to consider, and by a step-by-step guide to making soap. There are also useful sections on fragrances and natural colourings and additives such as coffee and cinnamon. This book tells you everything you need to know about making your own hand-crafted soap, using tools most people already own An addictive hobby, you will find yourself making lovely, personalised soap ideas for gifting.Trade ReviewWho knew that making soap was so sciency?! The author clearly knows what she's talking about and for those who really want to get into soap-making I am sure it would be most helpful. It's a well-written book with beautiful photographs so worth the price. -- Kim Monins * Customer review *I was so excited to get this book through I have always wanted to try this and this is the perfect book to start making soap. There is so many different ones you can make and clear instructions with photos. Perfect details of what you will need and calculations detailed to make it even easier. There is even a list of different oils and what they are good to use for. I also love the fact there is a troubleshooting part so if you do get stuck everything is covered. So glad I got this book and can't wait to get started making soaps. -- Anatasia Snook * Customer review *The book begins with the principles of soapmaking – which were a little mindblowing for this first timer, but obviously necessary and, no doubt, not an issue once you’ve got your ingredients organised and your instructions in front of you. There is a very helpful sample calculation for ingredients (and, we are assured, there are easier calculators to be found online) and a table showing the saponification values of different fats and oils, which makes everything seem a lot less daunting because it means less maths! There are beautiful photographs throughout the book (some look practically edible) and the balance of pictures to text is good. The author makes a point of reminding the reader about how to actually protect themselves when using Sodium Hydroxide, rather than just saying “be careful”. This gave me confidence in her advice. I was also comforted and emboldened by the phrase, “it will always turn into soap”. It seems that soapmaking allows a lot of room for experimentation and, even if things didn’t come out quite like you’d envisaged, the end product will still be usable. I appreciated that the soaps were eco-friendly, made from natural ingredients, and focused on being non-irritant. There are 18 recipes, beginning with a ‘basic’ soap-on-a-rope, the photo of which was far more glamorous than the miniature imitation boxing glove I lathered up with in the 1980s! I was particularly inspired by a recipe that utilises coffee grounds, another which repurposes mini bundt cases, and yet another which uses annatto powder as a colouring. With a comprehensive list of optional additions, including suggestions for ingredients that create a ‘scrub’ effect, the different projects are very varied. From Laundry Soap to Guinness Soap to a Floating Soap, there’s a bit of everything. The instructions to make the basic soap, and subsequent variations, are clear and thorough. Some of the ingredient lists were a little overwhelming, but I am aware that there are suppliers who will stock them all in one place. My guess is that the trick is to view the process in the same way as baking a cake: have all your stuff to hand, one thing at a time, carefully weighed. I get the feeling that preparation is everything in this hobby. At 64 pages long, this book is quite a slim volume, but I get the sense that everything you need is there. The price is fair, as you’re buying a wealth of knowledge and a reassuring voice. Though I’ve not tried any soapmaking yet, the tone of the writing makes me confident that all the recipes have been tested and should turn out well… and, if they don’t, there is always the handy Troubleshooting section at the back of the book! I expect I will have to psych myself up before trying out the techniques, but I really loved this book and it did make me want to have a go. I now need to invest in a pair of digital scales… -- Sophie Hudson * Customer review *The book is very informative. Pictures were great. Shows some lovely shapes and fragrance/ingredient combinations. -- Claire Holmes * Customer review *A well-detailed book on how to make soap. I never realised so many ingredients were required to make soap but am determined to give it a go. -- Evette Gabriella Holmes * Customer review *A beautifully present book, the pictures are divine, not sure my soap will look this good anytime soon but something to aspire to. The descriptions/ instructions are clear and easy to follow! Christmas here we come. Tracy Brown Customer ReviewSoap making is a wonderful hobby – and in current times a good skill to have. Making Soap is a good introduction to soap making which clearly explains the basics, equipment and the important safety measures before you embark on your first project. Each stage of the soap making process is clearly described and accompanied by a colour photo and each recipe is set out in easy-to-follow steps. Should your soap not turn out as expected the trouble shooting section will explain what went wrong. The 18 recipes give a good choice of decorative soaps to try out. Once the basics of soap making has been mastered you can invent your own unique recipes using a combination of oils with properties which work for you. Sarah Dennis Customer ReviewThis is a beautifully illustrated book. A quick scan through the photos of the lovely natural soaps is enough to inspire you to have a go at soap making. However, the initial reading of the first pages on the principles of soap making and the technical calculations are quite daunting. The book is clearly written by someone with a great passion for making soap. As a hobby I’m not sure that you need to know the in depth chemistry of saponification. On the positive side there are lots of hints and tips how to initially economise by using plastic cartons, shoe boxes and other throw away packaging that you may have instead of purchasing lots of silicon moulds. The step-by-step illustrations and text clearly guide you through the basic safety aspects and mixing of soap. The recipes are varied, give a good range of ideas and results that can be expected. There is a good troubleshooting guide at the end of the book to help you resolve and be aware of the problems you might encounter. The book would probably be more suited to someone who has already made soap rather than a novice. Lynne Dobson Customer ReviewOffering a lovely introduction to this addictive hobby, Making Soap has everything crafters need to produce 18 different blends. Each recipe uses natural ingredients such as olive oil, juniper, cucumber and honey, which are kind to both skin and the environment. The book also includes information on utensils, safety issues and step-by-step guides, together with a useful section on fragrances, natural colourings and other additives. Making soap is riding high in the popularity stakes, and this visual guide shows readers everything they need to get started. * Craft Focus *Beginner-friendly guide to making 18 lovely soaps using only natural ingredients that are kind to the environment. From olive oil to juniper and cucumber to honey, there are lots of gorgeous fragrances and colours to satisfy everyone. * Crafts Beautiful - Christmas Special 2020 *Table of ContentsForeword 5 Principles 6 What is natural soap? 6 The soap maker’s language 6 Working utensils for making soap 13 Safety first 15 Making soap 16 Fragrances, colours and additives 18 Soap recipes 21 Soap on a rope (basic recipe) 21 Confetti soap 23 Olive oil soap 25 Salt soap 27 Coffee soap 29 Life is better at the beach 31 Orange & Neroli 33 Salt water soap 35 Juniper Berry 37 Genie in a bottle 39 Almond milk soap 41 Guinness soap 43 Soap cupcakes & floating soap 45 Detergents 47 Shaving soap 49 Cucumber soap 51 Patterned soaps 53 Honey soap 55 Troubleshooting 56 Solid fats and butters 58 List of saponification numbers 60 Sources 61 Thanks 62 About the author 63

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Book SynopsisEmbroidery is back! This book by Cristin Morgan, founder of the popular hand embroidery company Marigold + Mars, contains a stunning collection of contemporary embroidery motifs with bold colour palettes for you to stitch away at for hours on end. The 50 motifs include abstract and geometric patterns, botanical motifs, hand-lettered designs and much more, and will inspire you to get stitching in fresh and imaginative ways. Beginners will learn to master the 10 basic stitches and skills needed to create the motifs inside, all clearly explained in an attractive, approachable way; then, whether you're new to embroidery or the more experienced stitcher, your hand stitching skills can flourish by stitching the motifs onto 20 beautiful and practical projects inside, all featuring easy-to follow step-by-step instructions, lovely photography and helpful templates. Hoop Art will help you bring embroidery out of the hoop to add a touch of stylish handmade flair everywhere.Trade ReviewIssue May/June Social media is awash with images of embroidery framed in hoops; and this book does begin with several projects that do just that, but there is so much more to this stylish how-to book, which those who are keen to learn embroidery will love. Morgan has designed 50 modern motifs (from abstract and geometric patterns to botanical motifs and hand-lettered designs) that can be completed using only ten basic stitches, and has included a set of handy iron-on patterns that will have you stitching in no time. The stylish hoop art embroideries feel fresh and there is an entire section dedicated to embroidering jewellery, patches, homewares and clothing. Beginners will love the ease with which they can embroider a stylish necklace or tote bag, and more experienced stitch enthusiasts can tackle the embroidered denim jacket and patches, or the hoop that features on the cover. This is embroidery for our times, which, whilst aimed at a younger reader, will still appeal to anyone interested in stitching fashionable projects. * Embroidery *Issue 54 Embroidery has been brought into the 21st century. No longer the outdated skill for samplers and fussy patterns here Cristin Morgan has worked traditional stitches into beautiful designs perfect for modern interiors. Combining contemporary motifs that include geometric designs and botanical imagery worked in bright threads, once you've mastered the 10 basic stitches you'll have the knowledge to make 50 illustrated designs. Discover how to update and embellish a cushion cover, napkins or even a denim jacket, or simple salvage a hoop from a charity and create some contemporary wall art. * Reloved *If you think that freestyle embroidery is all about fussy rules and old-fashioned florals think again! This versatile way of making colorful marks on fabric can be as individual and modern as the stitcher, and this book shows you how to express yourself in stitches. This is an ideal book for a beginner as not only does it tell you what you need and show you enough stitches to get you started it also contains plenty of simple projects and even some embroidery transfers. I love the way the author points out that a beginner does not need to own everything on the list and says in just a few words how little you need to start. The projects start with several fun but very basic pieces that can be hung up in their hoops, and continues through garments, accessories, soft furnishings and even jewelry. The stitches are all shown at the back in a beginner-friendly way together with instructions on starting and finishing off plus how to transfer with and without the iron-on method. There is a section containing the templates, a list of projects with the DMC threads used and a couple of useful alphabets to trace if you are monogramming. Each project has plenty of captioned photographs as well as a large photo of the finished piece, size and a list of materials. If I could choose I would have opted for a darker, slightly larger typeface and most of the projects also require a sewing machine plus some basic skills associated with it. Some pieces can be made without, and none of the items are difficult to make up. I think my favorite is the zippered makeup purse decorated with lipsticks worked in a mixture of fabric paint and embroidery. Stitch a botanical fern, cactus napkins, winking pillow, watermelon sunglasses case, pictures in hoops of a rainbow, bees, wildflowers and many other things. I was impressed with the pom-pom instructions that show a totally different method to the one I have always used that can be done with a maker or just some card scraps. If you want to learn freestyle embroidery without a lot of unnecessary fuss and prefer contemporary designs you will love this very beginner-friendly book. -- Rachel Hyde * myshelf.com *Delve into the world of modern embroidery with Hoop Art by Cristin Morgan of Marigold + Mars. It features 20 new projects to stitch and share. * Love Embroidery *This is an amazing book. It's one that you will use time and again. The only problem you will have is which project to start with first. -- Sue Dougill * Crochet Addict *Issue March/April Hoop art (quirky embroidered designs framed in a hoop) has stormed the internet, inspiring a whole new generation to try hand embroidery. Cristin Morgan leads the pack and this book offers 20 bright, contemporary projects for hoop pictures, as well as hand-embroidered homewares, jewellery and accessories, all with wide appeal for the contemporary crafter. As you'd expect, she's included a stitch directory, templates and paper patterns for more than 50 motifs for abstract and geometric patterns, botanical motifs, hand-lettered designs and much more. Fresh and funky, this cool take on everyday embroidery is a must-buy for young crafters. * Embroidery *

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Book SynopsisFrom Denise Scicluna, the author of Rock Art, comes this guide to creating cute and characterful animal rock art projects in a variety of styles. Getting started in rock art couldn’t be simpler. It doesn’t require expensive materials or complicated techniques – all you need is a rock, some paint or marker pens and your imagination! It’s great for beginner and more seasoned artists alike, and is the perfect family craft. Discover more than 50 adorable rock art ideas for animals in a variety of styles. Projects include woodland creatures such as foxes and squirrels, zoo favourites like pandas and tigers, birds, bees, butterflies, bugs, and a whole host of other animals for you to recreate. With clear step-by-step instructions accompanying each design, lots of variations, and bags of inspiration, Pebble Pets will soon have you on your way to creating your own rock art menagerie.Trade ReviewThis is an adorable project book. With a few rocks, paints or marker pens, you can create some wonderful 'pets'. I adored the ladybird, but the lion the bee and the birds are just fantastic. This is a perfect rainy afternoon craft for kids, there is really no effort needed and it's so much fun. Each of the 50 projects, have instructions that are simple to follow, and with a picture step by step, it is both educational and fun. There is a concise 'rock guide' to ensure you choose the ideal size, shape and type. There is also a list of things needed and some tips on how to get started. This book would be amazing for small groups to get together and have some creative fun. It is just brilliant, and one I highly recommend. -- Tracy Shephard * Postcard Reviews *Pebble Pets is authored by Denise Scicluna, who also wrote Rock Art. Pebble Pets is a great guide to creating cute and characterful animal rock art projects in a variety of styles. We love decorating rocks because it’s a great craft activity for the whole family. It’s also a great value craft once you have invested in some decent pens and a bag of smooth rocks. In Pebble Pets you can discover more than 50 adorable rock art ideas for animals in a variety of styles. Projects include woodland creatures such as foxes and squirrels, zoo favourites like pandas and tigers, birds, bees, butterflies, bugs, and a whole host of other animals for you to recreate. The instructions are really clear and there’s even a chapter on what to do with your painted rocks once you’ve made them. This is a lovely book for adults and children. Both my children have enjoyed looking through it. My 6 year old couldn’t wait to make the polar bear and the step-by-step instructions were really helpful. She’s quite impatient when it comes to crafting but seeing everything laid out really encouraged her. I made the sloth as it’s my favourite animal. Full review and images: https://the-gingerbread-house.co.uk/2018/08/15/pebble-pets-denise-scicluna/ * The Gingerbread House *My family & I love it when we find painted rocks on our travels and have often said we should have a go. How hard can it be? But then we thought how do you prepare the stones, what sort of paint should we use & do we need varnish? Luckily this book answers all these questions & gives clear step-by-step instructions for plenty of cute animals. There are also galleries of designs to inspire & ideas for using the finished rock art. -- Nicola Urmenyi * Customer review *The book has clear instructionds with helpful pictures, lots of inspiration and ideas for techniques I've never really considered before. I really love the idea of using two different sized pebbles to paint a mother a baby (koala), and then stacking them so they line up perfectly - very cute! -- Saff Eaglestone * Customer review *This book is great! Lots and lots of projects to choose from, tips for getting started, a list of what you'll need and straightforward step-by-step instructions. I particularly like the handy "project selector" (a pictorial contents page) so you can easily see all the designs and where to find them. My sons had a look through and excitedly declared they'd like to make them all! A fab resource for family fun! -- Myra Armson * Customer review *Table of ContentsProject Selector: 8 pp Denise’s Word: 2 pp Chapter One: Getting Started: 10 pp Chapter Two: Pebble Pets: 82 pp Chapter Three: A Place for Your Pets: 18 pp - Here you’ll give your pebble pets a permanent home, uncovering a few ideas for what to do with them Index and Credits: 3 pp

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Book SynopsisThis exquisite book by the founders of the studio May & Berry shows you how to create beautiful messages through the combination of hand lettering and watercolour. Broken down into easy-to-follow stages, you will soon learn how to use different pens and inks to produce gorgeous lettering, embellished with simple yet stunningly effective watercolour motifs. This practical book guides you gently through the materials and tools you need to get started, and sets you on your hand-lettering journey with some simple exercises. There are then ten pretty step-by-step projects for you to try, after which you’ll be confidently creating your own handwritten artworks that you can display on your wall, send as notecards to loved ones, or use to decorate your journals and scrapbooks. At the back of the book there is a treasure trove of gorgeous botanical-style motifs and borders along with four delightful alphabets created by the authors in a variety of scripts – perfect for gently encouraging beginners and inspiring more experienced hand-lettering artists to play with new designs and styles. This is followed by six handy worksheets on which to practise your letter-writing technique. You'll soon find that hand lettering with watercolour is quick and fun to learn, and a wonderful skill that will bring you joy for many years to come.Trade ReviewHand lettering - the art of combining beautifully drawn letters and watercolour illustrations - is becoming increasingly popular. Relatively easy to learn, the technique lends itself to creating lovely homemade artwork, beautiful journal pages or delicate painted notes and cards for friends and family. Lettering with Love advises on the basic tools and techniques, with step-by-step instructions for a range of different projects. * Woman Alive magazine *This exquisite book from the founders of the May & Berry studio shows readers how to create beautiful messages using hand lettering and water-colours. Broken down into easy-to-follow stages, the title explains how to use different pens and inks to produce gorgeous lettering, embellished with simple yet stunningly effective watercolour motifs. There are 10 projects inside, all with step-by-step instructions, and at the back of the book there's a treasure trove of botanical-style motifs and borders together with four delightful alphabets created by authors Sue Hiepler and Yasin Reddig. * Craft Focus Magazine Dec 2018/Jan 2019 *Say it like you mean it with a beautiful combination of hand lettering and watercolour painting. In an age of keyboards, printers and the Internet the very idea of writing something out by hand and decorating it makes it less “instant” and consequently a lot more special. Grab anything you can write with and some watercolours and get ready to make your mark. I confess to having had a go at real calligraphy using ink and a special pen and not getting very far with it. This book is all about a different method, known as faux calligraphy which is far simpler and less rule-bound. Basically it is about forming letters using first a pencil, and then any type of pen, brush or marker you like. The book starts by explaining all this and listing what you need; all fairly basic items most people (especially those into art or craft) already own. The faux calligraphy method is explained simply with a few examples, and then follows a short section about watercolouring. The rest of the book contains lovely projects which combine the two and are all about enjoying yourself and going with the flow when working, rather than worrying about perfection. Most of the painted embellishments are floral in nature, celebrating the garden. Instructions are given throughout on how to form the loose and flowing plants, and there are several lettering styles to try too. The book has hard covers so opens out neatly and stays obligingly flat for easy reference when working. Turn to the back for several alphabets to copy for practice plus some floral wreaths, pot plants, single blooms plus a few cacti. Working through all this is a great way of getting into the style, and it is a fun way of relaxing and producing something beautiful. The projects in here include pictures for walls and greetings cards, all of which can be resized and used as a starting point for your own ideas. I love something that is a bit different, and I haven’t seen a book on this subject before. A great way of saying what you want and getting creative that does not need a lot of outlay for materials. -- Rachel Hyde * myshelf.com *Not only is this a beautiful book to look at, it is filled with some stunning examples of watercolour artwork and hand lettering, that is both inspiring and easy to achieve with a little practice. Simple step by step instructions show you how to create a piece of artwork that will be perfect to give as a gift or to decorate your home. You do not need an expensive array of tools, just a pencil and some watercolour paints to get started will suffice. I love the idea of decorating journals, my love of papercrafting will really benefit with what I learn from this lesson in paint and ink. There is a gallery of painted flowers to encourage creativity and also included are lettering in both upper and lower case, as well as practice pages to help you develop your style. Lettering with Love is exquisite. It is wonderfully presented and would make a delightful gift. It is definitely on list of things to buy for my crafty friends. -- Tracy Shephard * Postcard Reviews *Written by Sue Hiepler and Yasmin Reddig, Lettering with Love shows readers how to create beautiful messages using a combination of hand lettering and watercolours. Broken down into easy steps, the guide demonstrates ways in which to use different pens and inks to create stunning effects. There's also 10 step-by-step projects and useful worksheets on which to practice. The book retails at £12.99. * Craft Focus *Table of ContentsIntroduction 3 Chapter 1: Good to know Anatomy of letters of letters are explored along with essential materials, techniques and handy advice Chapter 2: Let's get started Discover ten stunning projects to paint yourself and learn how to hand letter and paint as you go Chapter 3: Creative Treasure Trove Exercises for drawing and painting your letters included, along with several alphabets for different script styles. In addition is a gallery of gorgeous botanical motifs, from flowers to cacti, for inspiration and tracing. Materials The authors Publication details

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Book SynopsisFrame it, wear it, look awesome. Stitch a multitude of embroidery designs - all within a cute and tiny mini hoop! Following the simple instructions inside, learn how to create over 60 tiny masterpieces in a wide range of styles by original mini embroidery hoop creator Sonia Lyne, founder of Dandelyne (TM). Using these little hoops as your canvas learn to stitch it all, from classic embroidered flowers and applique animals through to abstract stitch 'n' paint shapes and tasselled creatures. Then, proudly frame and decorate your stitched art and turn them into eye-catching jewellery pieces, or display them in your home for ultimate hoopy gorgeousness. Beginner embroiderers and experienced stitchers short on time will love the small size of these hoops, and almost all the designs can be made in a weekend. Throughout the book, Sonia gives you tips on colour and stitch variations, as well as alternative hoop shapes you could use from her mini hoop packs, inspiring you to make these little designs truly your own! Whatever your style, there's a treasure trove of stunning designs and motifs to stitch and adapt, encouraging you to grow confident in building (and feeling proud of) your own artistic juices. So get ready to be motivated, excited and inspired to stitch up a sea of mini masterpieces that you'll love to show off and gift to a loved one (or make for yours truly...).Trade ReviewGorgeous book just as you expect from Search Press. This is a great book for any Dandelyne follower to have in their crafting collection. -- Angela Harkness * Customer review *As a crafter, embroidery is still something I had to try so thought that this would be a great place to start. It's a fantastic book witch packs a lot of valuable information and projects to try. Everything is explained simply and everything you need to make a project is surprisingly cheap. The projects included are really fun, vibrant and different. You're encouraged to use your own imagination to create little works of art with really simple stitches which are well explained and pictured. It's a great book for new and advanced embroiderers alike and I would highly recommend it. -- Ali O'Donnell * Customer review *This is a very informative book with easy to follow instructions. Exploring many different textile mediums. With this book you can create many beautiful pieces, either to keep or to give away. A book well worth having in your collection. -- Jennifer Smith * Customer review *This is a great book. Whether you are a beginner or experienced at embroidery this book is a must have. It is packed with hints and tips. The ideas within the designs appear achievable. Great projects that will be completed within a short time. I see myself using this book for ideas and inspiration. Already looking forward to the arrival of my order of frames. -- Kathy Campbell * Customer review *Fantastic book as I've been embroidering for a few year there's still thing to learn from the book especially the printed embroidery -- Jennifer Brain * Customer review *Create embroidery pictures you'll love to wear! With an in-depth introduction on different stitch variations, as well as game-changing methods, you're bound to have fun with this book. * Sew Magazine (March 2019) *This is a fun and quirky book filled with 60 projects to fit tiny embroidery hoops, which come in all shapes and sizes. The designs are brilliant. Some are traditional, some are appliqued but all of them are very eye catching and amazing. Unicorns, pets and abstract patterns are included and the visual and written instructions are very simple to follow. Each one is inspiring and you will be able to indulge in a creative and imaginative craft session just by looking through the wonderful ideas. The techniques are all explained and cover a wide range of sewing and embellishment skills. This is a fabulous book, and would make a perfect gift for a stitchy fan -- Tracy Shephard * Postcard Reviews *Embroidery hoops that you can wear as jewellery? This is the latest way of wearing your art in miniature, and the invention of the book’s author. Visit her website www.dandelyne.com for everything you need (if you are in Australia) plus stockists for those in other countries. One look at the glorious array of colourfully stitched mini hoops on the cover and I was sold. Wearable art is my passion and I am always on the lookout for the latest thing. This book tells you what you need to know, starting with lists of what you need (basic needlecraft supplies) to suggestions for fabrics, threads and “fun bits”. The next section shows you how to assemble the hoops when completed, some basic embroidery stitches, how to transfer designs and other essentials. The page of tips and tricks are useful, and throughout the author has written her book in a friendly, chatty style which is accessible and a lot more fun than bald instructions. I particularly like the page showing one simple design (a heart) and nine different ways it could be worked. There are over sixty different patterns in here and they are divided into sections for ease of use. Start with that simple heart, then progress to more embellished designs for feathers, flowers and houses. Stitch a family portrait using simple shapes (easier than it sounds and very effective), use lace, sequins and beads, stitch your own drawing, work a design that flows out of the hoop and couch down thicker threads. Elsewhere are abstracts, traditional florals and even pet portraits. Some of this can be done using the author’s “spray and print” technique which utilises a printer, some spray adhesive and a picture file on the computer. This book is full of fun, modern embroidery ideas and is a lot of fun; even beginners can master it and the designs can be as easy or complex as you wish. A great new innovation. -- Rachel Hyde * myshelf.com *Frame it, Wear it, Look Awesome. Learn to create over 60 tiny masterpieces in a wide range of embroidery styles by the renowned founder of Dandelyne, Sonia Lyne. Using these little hoops as your canvas learn to stitch it all, from classic embroidered flowers and applique animals through to abstract stitch 'n' paint shapes and tasselled creatures. * Be Creative *

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Book SynopsisEnsure your garden looks stunning come rain or shine with this inspirational new book from Debbie Shore. Using easy-to-follow photography and simple instructions Debbie shows you how to sew 22 beautiful items for outdoor living. Sew decorative accessories for the patio, such as seat cushions and bunting, create practical items such as a BBQ tool roll and picnic caddy, and even make a kids' teepee! Perfect for people of all abilities who love sewing and enjoy their gardens, or who want to make a gift for someone who does.Trade ReviewDebbie Shore will admit herself that her books are aimed for the beginner through to the more experienced makers. She provides clear instructions and accompanying photographs that give a step by step guide of how to approach her projects. She provides lots of technique pages and suggests suitable materials and tools. The projects are aimed at families from the teepee and tic-tac-toe game for children, the picnic and BBQ accessories and all the table dressings and decorations for formal dining and family celebrations. Once familiar with the skills and techniques all the projects are achievable over a weekend. Happy Stitching everyone! -- Sandra Balaam * Customer review *Book is fantastic and challenges you to create items that perhaps you would not normally make. As per all previous books Debbie Shore's instructions are clear. Will enjoy crating items from the book in the future for family and friends. -- Linda Worth * Customer review *Love this book a beginner sewer and have a list of items to try now. -- Nicola Russell * Customer review *A lovely book filled with charming projects to take your outside entertaining to another level. From a sophisticated afternoon tea to keeping small people amused or picnicking in the park there are plenty of ways to show off your creativity to your friends. The book starts with some useful guidance for beginners and a list of tools and equipment needed for the projects. New sewers should be able to tackle the quicker projects which will boost confidence before moving on to the other items. There are clear photos showing each step, full size templates (it irritates me no end when you have to scale templates up or down) and handy tips dotted throughout the book. I wish I had this book before I spent a fortune on buttoned seat pads! -- Sarah Dennis * Customer review *I was very fortunate to be chosen to review Debbie Shore's latest book, Sew Outdoor Living. I looked forward to it arriving through the post with great anticipation and was not disappointed when it arrived. As usual Debbie has presented the projects clearly and concisely and as always with Search Press the paper used is very good quality, making the whole feel of the book very pleasurable. On my first flick through the book I saw several appealing projects; the bunting in a bag would make a nice gift, the teepee would be perfect for keeping small children entertained and shaded while outside, the tic-tac-toe game in a bag ideal for picnics... A more detailed look later found me promising myself I would make the patchwork picnic mat and a placemat or half a dozen. I have shown the book to a number of friends who have all picked out their favourite projects, one chose the bottle tote, another the picnic caddy, someone else selected the heart decorations for an informal wedding party, it seems Debbie Shore has created something for everyone in this book. -- Stella Davis * Customer review *Another clear, concise, well illustrated and easy to follow book from Debbie Shore. From the contents page to the actual size templates included in this book it has been well thought out and invites you to try the projects - which could equally well be used inside or as gifts. The easy to follow instructions and photographs make understanding the processes for a not so confident sewer easier and, bonus - there's no paper patterns involved! Can't wait to make the Tic-Tac-Toe game! -- Jacqueline Mcintosh * Customer review *This is a nice book if you are a beginner sewer or need ideas to turn your sewing to making your outdoors a uniquely personal place to be. The book has lots of basic skills advice which is very useful to those of us knew to using fabrics these way. There is advice on fabrics, sewing techniques, what equipment you need. Each project is clear and easy to follow. I particularly want to create fitted chair cushions, loving the tips for making them fit perfectly whatever the chair shape, how to make a wigwam (who doesn’t want their own wigwam?) and the tic-tac-toe game, which I plan to scale up to make a picnic-mat-come-game-of-draughts! Maybe even bug chess eventually! Whether you follow the patterns faithfully or use them as a springboard to more adventurous designs it is beautifully illustrated. I suspect experienced sewers might find it somewhat simplistic but for me, I am loving it! -- Gil Colling * Customer review *Another hit with me, this book is crammed with tips and techniques. There is something for everyone in it, including things to keep the little ones happy, for the man who likes to BBQ, for a garden party or picnic. The book boasts easy-to-follow instructions and step-by-step pictures. Beginners and expert sewers will all love this book. -- Debbie Thompson * Amazon *I think the book is brilliant, even for a beginner like me! The basic teaching instructions at the start of the book are so helpful. A great choice of projects to build my skill level in fun and innovative ways! -- Carol Parfitt * Customer Review *Once again Debbie Shore delights us stitchers with her amazingly simple but beautiful designs. Sew Outdoor Living gives us patterns and templates for everything needed for a perfect Summery outdoor life. From picnic caddies to teepees, Debbie Shore's style shines through. The teepee is absolutely divine, popular and very easy to make it will be my first project that I make. It will be a gift that the younger members of my family will love. 22 projects are included, and what makes a Debbie Shore special is that all the templates are full sized, she uses a simple language that even a beginner who has never sewn before can understand and each pattern comes with full instructions with photography, it really is like Debbie is holding your hand through each step. This bright and colourful book is full of advice to advance your stitching techniques. It has a handy 10 tips for a beginner that every sewist will benefit from. Everything is covered so you will not be at a loss as to what to do next. -- Tracy Shephard * Postcard Reviews *Ensure your garden looks stunning with this inspirational new book. Using easy-to-follow photos and simple instructions we can sew 22 items for outdoor living including decorative accessories for the patio and practical items. It's perfect for anyone who loves sewing and enjoys their garden. * Machine Knitting Monthly *Whatever the weather, ensure your garden looks simply stunning with Sew Outdoor Living by Debbie Shore. * Sew *Give your garden a stitchy makeover! Using easy-to-follow photography and simple instructions, Debbie shows you how to sew 22 beautiful items for outdoor living, from seat cushions and bunting for the patio, to practical items such as a BBQ tool roll and picnic caddy, and even a kids' teepee! * Crafts Beautiful *Table of ContentsIntroduction 6 10 tips for the complete beginner 7 Materials & tools 8 Useful stitches 10 Key techniques 11 Pompom Tablecloth 16 Reverse Applique Heart Placemat 18 Plant Pot Covers 22 Bunting in a Bag 24 Frilled Chair Pillow 28 Patchwork Picnic Mat 32 Buttoned Pillow 36 Teepee 40 Knotted Bolster Pillow 46 Heart Decorations 48 Bean Bag Stool 50 Piped Box Pillow 54 Bolster Pillow 57 Mitred Tablecloth 60 Rustic Table Accessories 62 Tic Tac Toe 66 Round Pillow 72 BBQ Tool Roll 74 BBQ Apron 78 Picnic Caddy 82 Buttoned Seat Pad 88 Bottle Tote 90 Templates 94 Index 96

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Book SynopsisThis beginner’s guide to painting the landscape in acrylics is ideal if you want to learn to paint but are short on time. Each of the 33 quick-and-easy studies takes no more than 30 minutes, and will teach you how to apply a crucial technique to your work, or paint a particular aspect of the natural landscape. The book also contains 3 larger paintings that demonstrate how to combine the elements learned into vibrant and inspiring landscapes Build up your skills in easy chunks, learning about form and composition, colour mixing, working with acrylics and capturing the drama of the natural world. The exercises are all worked at postcard size – ideal for a 6 x 4 inch (A6) watercolour pad. All the required tracings are included.Trade ReviewLandscapes in Acrylics by Barry Herniman is part of the Ready to Paint in 30 Minutes series from Search Press. Barry provides us with 33 basic studies covering all aspects and techniqus necessary to paint convincing landscapes in acrylics. There;s useful advice on what materials to choose, colour mixing, laying washes and clever tips. The 30-minute time limit concentrates the mind so that you are able to get straight on with learning, with each study focusing on a particular aspect of the landscape. The exercises are worked at postcard size to keep them manageable and all the required tracings are included to help you on your way. Three step-by-step demonstrations put all you have learned into practice. * Leisure Painter *Have you ever wanted to paint some beautiful natural scenery, but don't have a day to spend on it? Barry Herniman has created a beginner's guide to painting landscapes in acrylics, with 33 exercises to build your skills that each take just 30 minutes to complete! * Crafts Beautiful - Christmas Special 2020 *There’s something for everyone in this welcome addition to an excellent series. Barry covers trees, rocks, buildings, water, skies and even seas. Demonstrations use the watercolour technique, so you’ll be working on paper without impasto. I’ve yet to see traceable outlines that work on canvas, though I can’t see why it would be impossible. This isn’t just a good book within the series, though, it’s a very thorough grounding in landscape elements and techniques in its own right and something to consider even if you don’t want pre-drawn outlines. -- Henry Malt * Artbookreview.net *Table of ContentsTracings Introduction 6 Basic painting equipment 8 Tips and TEchniques 10 Preparing and mixing paint  12 Washes 14 Simple landscape 18 Distant hills 20 Using different surfaces 22 Misty scene 24 Rocky outcrop 26 Trees and skies 28 Winter trees 30 Green fields 32 Autumn trees 34 Summer sky 36 Moddy sky 38 Lakes and rivers 40 Flowing stream 42 Bridge 44 Quiet reflections 46 Stepping stones 48 Coastlines 50 Towering cliffs 52 White water 54 Beachscape 56 Rough seas 58 Evening on the estuary 60 Harbourside 62 Town and country 64 Country lane 66 Rustic barn 68 Successful shadows 70 Townscape 72 Country cottage 74 Doorway 76 Ox-eye daisies 78 Hills, Mountains and Snow 80 Hills 82 Misty mountains 84 Snowy lane 86 Wintry woodland 88 Lakeland River 90 Garway Village 92 Towards Achill Head 94 Index 96

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Book Synopsis'There’s no grandstanding or showmanship, just solid, honest instructions and demonstrations that produce solid, worthwhile results.' Artbookreview.net Paint convincing watercolour mountain scenes using just 3 colours, 3 brushes, a palette and a pad of paper. From only 3 affordable watercolour paints in red, blue and yellow you can mix a huge range of colours and paint beautiful landscapes you’ll be proud to hang on your wall. Starting from the simplest of mountain scenes, Matthew builds your skills as you progress through the 9 easy projects in the book, and by the end you’ll be amazed at what you have achieved. Clear instructions and step-by-step photographs show you how to add detail, shadow and distance to a scene, and there are numerous handy tips and helpful ‘jargon busters’ to help you learn the basic watercolour techniques. Before you know it, you’ll have acquired all the skills you need to paint your own wonderful mountain scenes in watercolour. Matthew uses French ultramarine, cadmium yellow and alizarin crimson and sizes 12, 6 and 2 round brushes.Trade ReviewAs a fan of Matthew Palmer, I already have his first book, “Watercolour for the Absolute Beginner”, so I was absolutely delighted to receive this new book. I spend a good deal of time in the Lake District, so this book was just perfect for me as it combined my joy of painting with the type of scenery I love. Although this book is aimed at the beginner, I also think it works well for the more experienced artist. Matthew has such a laid back, easy going style, he can make anyone believe in themselves, and find that inner artist. Using just three colours and three brushes, we are guided through a variety of projects (9 in all) from snow capped mountains to sunsets and lush green meadows. Every project is clearly explained and well illustrated. It is not just mountains, as Matthew gives tips along the way for painting trees, skies, reflections, rocks, buildings and even figures. The pages are dotted with tips, and jargon busters perfect for beginners. To summarise, this book is well thought out and simple to follow. It proves one can achieve great results without spending a fortune on lots of equipment. I think it would appeal to beginners and more experienced artists, and would highly recommend it. -- Linda Marie Williams * Customer review *The latest instalment in this user-friendly series is a worthy addition to the canon. Matthew Palmer is an intelligent and sympathetic tutor who carries his abilities lightly. There’s nothing too ambitious and he is happy to take a back seat and let the student work at their own pace. There’s no grandstanding or showmanship, just solid, honest instructions and demonstrations that produce solid, worthwhile results. It’s a Yes from me. -- Henry Malt * Artbookreview.net *Matthew's work is so distinctive. I can recognise his work a mile off. He has such a talent with colour. I am always amazed by the results I can achieve with Matthew's tutorials. His books and videos are so detailed, yet easy to follow. If you are looking to learn watercolour techniques I highly recommend you start with Matthew Palmer. I have several of his books, brushes and paints, they are all fabulous. A beautiful book. -- Nichola Welham * Customer review *Table of ContentsIntroduction Using the colours Using the brushes Projects Simple mountain Snow-capped mountain Mountain at sunset Scottish loch Alpine scene Across the meadow Lake District On the water Frosty night Transferring a drawing

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Book SynopsisThis complete beginner's guide to painting animals and birds is ideal if you want to learn to paint in watercolour but are short on time. Broken down into 32 quick and easy paintings measuring just 15 x 10cm (6 x 4in), this basic course will teach you all the skills you need to paint domestic and wild animals and birds, in home settings or in nature. Best-selling author Matthew Palmer shows you how to paint a diverse range of animals and birds, including a parrot, cat, dog, zebra, stag, cow and swan, and teaches you how to paint realistic markings, fur and feathers, and how to create faces filled with character and personality. Tracings are provided for all the paintings, including the three projects at the end of the book. Simply trace them off onto your watercolour paper and paint with confidence, without the need to make an initial drawing. Each painting takes just 30 minutes to complete and teaches you a different technique, so by the end of the book you will be equipped with all the skills you need to complete one of the three full-size projects: a King Charles cavalier spaniel, a snow leopard and a hummingbird. Trade ReviewHere’s an ideal subject for this nicely-maturing series. Matthew presents simple exercises that cover just about every type of animal and coat from hide to hair, fur and feathers (birds are included). Some of the backgrounds are plain, allowing you to concentrate on the subject, others include wider settings that provide context. Nothing is over-complicated, however, and the idea of working quickly on a single idea is never compromised. Each of the 29 exercises is accompanied by an outline tracing that allows you to get the basic shapes down quickly and you’ll be working at A6 size, so you won’t need to make elaborate preparations or clear a working space. 30 minutes is probably best seen as a target rather than a limit – if you want to spend a bit more time, that’s fine, just don’t get too tied up with details and land up over-working. -- Henry Malt * Artbookreview.net *Animals in Watercolour by Matthew Palmer is added to the Ready to Paint in 30 Minutes series and provides 29 postcard-size exercises that cover wild and domestic species and highlight fur, feathers, structure and features along with pre-drawn outline tracings to get you started. -- Henry Malt * The Artist *This book is a perfect introduction to painting with watercolours for those with little or no experience. The tracings that are provided make it simple to get started if you’re not confident at drawing freehand, and each of the 32 projects helps you to learn a new painting technique so you can gradually build on your skills as you work your way through the book. Everything is well explained and easy to follow even for novice painters. I hadn’t read any of Matthew Palmer’s books before this one, and I wish I’d discovered them sooner. -- Dawn Andrews * Amazon Customer Review *This is my first time trying out one of these books and I was incredibly impressed. Not only were the images great for practicing drawing the animals myself but the watercolour steps were broken down in a way that were easy to follow. I will definitely be trying the other books in the series! -- Dale Dow * Amazon Customer Review *Table of ContentsTracings, Introduction 6, Basic painting equipment 8, Basic techniques 10, Parrot at sunset 16, Bird in flight 18, Koi carp 20, Zebra 22, Swan 24 Key features 26 Cat’s eyes 28, Peering tabby 30, Curious kitten 32, Tiger 34, Dog’s eyes 36, Puppy 38, Highland cow’s muzzle 40, Cockerel’s head 42 Textures and markings 44 Penguin’s wing 46, African elephant 48, Lamb 50, Ram 52, Great tit 54 Portraits 56 Drawing a portrait from a photograph 60, Alsatian 62, Rabbit 64, Chimpanzee 66, Meerkat 68 Animals in the landscape 70 Cat on the lookout 72, Sheep in a field 74, Flamingos paddling 76, Penguins 78, Asian elephant 80, Stag in woodland 82, Robin on a branch 84, Stag in winter 86, Giraffe 88, ‘Max’, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel 90, Snow Leopard 92, Hummingbird 94 Index 96

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Book SynopsisBedtime bookworms will love snuggling up and listening to their favourite story in a cosy hooded blanket. Bring storytime to life as they act out the characters – will they be a goodie or a baddie, Little Red Riding Hood or the wolf? Lynne Rowe’s latest new book has ten fun, fairytale projects to crochet, including a deer, a dragon, a lion and a unicorn. Each blanket can be made in two sizes: for toddlers (age 2 to 4) and for young children (age 5 to 7). Along with crochet techniques, there are suggestions for varying the yarn colour to create a different character (changing a polar bear into a brown bear, for example) and you can choose between a rounded or a pointed hood. Lynne has also designed a strip of matching bunting to accompany each project. Every blanket tells a story, with pockets on the sides for snuggly paws and different tails. Perfect for unwinding for a bedtime story and animating the oral tradition of storytelling – little listeners, as well as their parents, will find themselves enchanted.Trade ReviewA step-by-step guide to creating magical gifts. When lock down hit in the UK I decided I needed to find something to occupy myself and so I turned to crochet. I'd only ever done a chain stitch before but after a few youtube tutorials and practice goes I decided I was ready for a proper project and my little boy requested a blanket for his bed. Well having spotted this charming book how could I say no? On opening the book you have a glossary of terms and abbreviations and it also gives both the UK and US terms should you need them before going on to explain the tools you will need and then the step by step technique guides. As a relative newbie to crochet I found these guides invaluable and a brilliant reference point should I get stuck at all. Each technique is broken down in to simple concise points with clear accompanying pictures. Every technique needed to create a magical blanket is covered from the very beginning slip knot to finishing touches like fringing. The actual patterns in the book are aimed at two sizes age two to four and age five to seven. This is my only criticism. I wish it gave options for bigger patterns because despite being 32 years old I'd quite like an adult sized Polar Bear blanket. Each themed blanket gives an skill level and is broken down into stages from the basic blanket, to the additional pieces like hood, decoration etc and all give really clear easy to follow instructions and where needed diagrams as well as close up pictures of those sections on the finished blankets so you can see what they are supposed to look like in detail. I really love that each theme has complimenting crochet bunting too which in many cases could be used as a stand alone item. There is a candy cane bunting that will make the perfect Christmas decoration! So for £12.99 you really get value for your money as it's not just 10 projects it's 20 and the possibilities are endless. The blankets are all beautiful designs and will make the perfect gifts for children in the family and I can't wait to look and see what other books Lynne Rowe has written. -- Dani Graves * Amazon *This book has excellent pictures to understand each stage of the pattern. I love that each blanket is accompanied with a pattern for making matching bunting. I also found it helpful to have suggested yarn options alongside the sample yarn details. I've started making the fish blanket and it's working up nicely even though it is my first ever crochet project. -- Sheryl Vickery * Amazon *Beautiful blankets and brilliant bunting. I love the concept for this book: snuggly blankets with fairytale themes. I can't wait to crochet the dragon blanket and am already wondering which designs my nieces and nephews would like most. I didn't realise until I got the book that as well as the 10 blankets, there are also 10 bunting designs. The blankets are based on the same corner to corner crochet stitch but there is more variation in the bunting, including triangles hexagons and snowflakes. The main blanket stitch confused me a little to start with, but a couple of rows into a swatch I'd worked out what I was meant to be doing. It is nice that the book includes both simple and more complicated projects. With the sections on tools and techniques, and the detailed instructions, this would probably be a good book for someone relatively new to crochet, but has lots of interest for more experienced crocheters as well. It is handy having the patterns in two sizes (age 2-4 and 5-7) and because of the way the patterns are written, you could make them in bigger sizes quite easily. Different blankets have different tensions listed so doing a tension swatch would be important to be sure of getting the blanket the right size. -- Ruth Wallace * Amazon *This book is fantastic for any corner to corner or graphgan crochet enthusiasts! Patterns are well written and easy to follow and if this is your first encounter with corner to corner crochet there is a helpful introduction at the beginning of the book to help you learn! Highly recommended! -- Harry Pople * Amazon *Lynne Rowe’s magical new collection of crocheted blankets has been inspired by her own children, who love to play-act and dress up. It’s clear as you flick through this collection of 10 whimsical patterns that Lynne has given each project a lot of thought and care, taking her inspiration from tales that we all know, children and adults alike! Patterns inside the book include animals, from the humble fish to the mighty dragon, or how about a stealthy, hungry wolf? Little ones can snuggle up as a polar bear or a unicorn, or how about adding a touch of royalty by dressing up as a prince or princess? You can crochet a fairytale wardrobe for every conceivable storytime and bedtime with this charming collection. Every blanket in the book is made using corner-to-corner (C2C) crochet for the basic shape, and can be made in two sizes, for toddlers and young children – Lynne, can we get an adult size too please?! The beauty of this construction means you get all the relaxing, mindful crochet you want with a simple repeating square or rectangle shape, along with the interest of adding details in colourful borders, adorable applique and the little details that perfectly finish a crochet project. The book starts with the basics needed to crochet any of the blankets, and each pattern then goes into further detail about the techniques and patterns needed to crochet the pieces you need to create your perfect blanket. Every pattern is written in UK terms, but if you prefer US there is a handy conversion table inside the back flap. Step-by-step images are clear and informative, and the photography throughout the collection is clear and inspirational, so if you can’t decide which hooded blanket to start with, take it from us simply have a go at them all! We love everything the Lynne designs and this book is no exception to that rule – if you ask us, this is probably her most exciting and enjoyable book to date, and you will love having it in your crochet library. * Crochet Now *There's nothing quite like wrapping ups someone you love in a homemade blanket, and this collection is certain to be loved by little ones and big ones alike! There are ten fantasy-themed children's blankets, inspired by Lynne's own children's love to play. Each blanket has a corner-to-corner base with a hood, and designs range from a vibrant Red Riding Hood and fringed Wolf with a jaunty ears, to fish with fins and gills and roar-some lion! The blankets all feature bunting patterns to create themed play areas. * Inside Crochet *Bedtime bookworms will love snuggling up and listening to their favourite story in a cosy hooded blanket. The book has ten fairytale projects to crochet. Each blanket has two sizes, for ages 2-4 and 5-7 years. There are ideas for changing colours to create different characters, so every blanket tells a story. * Machine Knitting Monthly *Table of ContentsIntroduction Tools and materials Basic techniques The projects Basic patterns: square Basic patterns: rectangular Polar bear Princess or prince Wolf Little Red Riding Hood Deer Festive elf Fish Lion Unicorn Dragon

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Book SynopsisWreaths are not just for Christmas - they can be used to decorate your home all year round! Anna Nikipirowicz shows you how to create sumptuous crocheted wreaths and other decorations that will grace your home and look beautiful, whatever the season. There is a wide variety to choose from, including spring, summer, autumn and winter wreaths plus a gorgeous succulents wreath and Easter, Halloween and Christmas wreaths. These lovely yarny creations are festooned with flowers, leaves and other decorations such as birds, owls, pumpkins, stars, bunnies and foxes. If you love the look but don't want to make an entire wreath, Anna also includes other smaller decorations such as garlands and terrariums. There are also three delightful tiny wreaths to make, featuring a hedgehog, a mouse and a robin. Each main project has a smaller accompanying project to make, and if you love crochet, you’ll love Anna’s imaginative designs.Trade Review The best crochet books to find inspiration for your next favourite project There's a wreath for every occasion in this attractive crochet book with full-colour photography. Whether you'd like to make a Christmas wreath or one for your Easter crafts projects, there are some great ideas you can adapt so if you don't want to make the whole wreath you can still learn how to make the different components like leaves and animals. -- Momtaz Begum-Hossain * Prima *12 beautiful crocheted wreaths to make for all year round, with accompanying smaller projects. Wreaths are not just for Christmas - they can be used to decorate your home all year round! Anna Nikipirowicz shows you how to create sumptuous crocheted wreaths and other decorations that will grace your home and look beautiful, whatever the season. There is a wide variety to choose from, including spring, summer, autumn and winter wreaths, plus a gorgeous succulents wreath and Easter, Halloween and Christmas wreaths. These lovely, yarny creations are festooned with flowers, leaves and other decorations such as birds, owls, pumpkins, stars, bunnies and foxes. If you love the look but don’t want to make an entire wreath, Anna also includes other smaller decorations such as garlands and terrariums. There are also three delightful tiny wreaths to make, featuring a hedgehog, a mouse and a robin. Each main project has a smaller accompanying project to make, so if you love crochet, you’ll love Anna’s imaginative designs. * Mindful Crafting *Create sumptuous wreaths festooned with flowers, leaves and decorations. If you love the look but not the challenge, smaller projects such as garlands and terrariums are included. Each main project has something smaller and less complicated, so if you love crochet, you'll love it all. * Machine Knitting Monthly *With these 12 delightful wreath projects, designer Anna Nikipirowicz proves that wreaths are by no means only winter decor. Each design gives you step-by-step instructions for creation and construction, and each wreath is paired with a smaller project based upon the larger design. The succulent wreath (pictured on the cover) includes directions for a charming terrarium of crocheted succulents, while other wreaths are accompanied by necklaces, brooches, and pincushions. Every project is beautifully photographed, making the book a stunning, as well as useful, manual for any crocheter looking to up their decor game. * Interweave Crochet *A lovely book! 12 wreath designs and then a little mini project to go with each one. I like the fact that there are lots of small items that you could crochet as stand alone items - a lovely robin, a little fox and a hedgehog to name but a few, so if you don't want to make whole wreaths, there's still plenty to interest you. The instructions are clear, using photos to illustrate them, which I find particularly helpful. Think I'll get quite a lot of use from this book! -- Linda Jesuadian * Amazon *This book is a joy. The projects are lovely and the mini makes are really sweet. -- Joanna Austin * Amazon *This book is beautiful! It's packed full of gorgeous projects which can not only be used as the project themselves but also as the individual components. Cute little field mice, hedgehogs and vegetables are just a few of the beautiful items to find in this book. -- Penny Hassell * Amazon *Love this book, there are loads of clear instructions and pictures of each project. I really like the smaller projects which each of the designs, a great extra touch. I'm a beginner but there are still lots of the projects I can do and I look forward to improving so I can try those bigger designs. -- Jill Pointer * Amazon *Lots of lovely ideas that can be mashed up to make your own creation. I particularly love the mini wreaths with the cute animals on. The mini protects are fab to get you warmed up before you go whole hog and do a big wreath, good for stash busting too. I will definitely be making those for autumn. Lovely pictures, clear instructions, suitable for a confident beginner! -- Max Halls * Amazon *Lovely, well compiled book of projects for a wide variety of occasions and seasons. Detailed photographs for different aspects of each main project and little matching project. Well written instructions throughout. Can't wait to get started on some of these for presents later in the year -- Clare Eales * Amazon *Lovely selection of wreaths suitable for all seasons and all levels of ability. I would definitely recommend it. -- Jannette Roden * Amazon *Crocheted Wreaths for the Home is filled with colourful ideas and stunning creations. The book includes 12 beautiful wreaths to adorn your home that are designed to decorate your space and will surely be a talking point for all your guests. Designed for every season and holiday, the wreaths include an abundance of floral and foliage as well as hunting owls and oh so much more. Each project has full instructions and there is a technique guide which includes making tassels, pompoms etc, to finish your project. I loved the Summer wreath, you can make your own colour choices to give each design a personal or original look. Perfect for every crochet lover. -- Tracy Shephard * Amazon *Brighten your home with crochet with this new collection of beautiful wreath designs. There are 12 in total, taking you from autumnal leaves to Valentine flowers and birds, and of course holly and stockings at Christmas. Anna includes an introduction to wreath bases, as well as crochet skills such as Fair Isle colourwork. We love the idea of changing our home décor with the seasons. * Inside Crochet *This wonderful book proves that wreaths are not just for Christmas. They can be used to decorate your home all year round! Anna Nikipowicz shows you how to create sumptuous wreaths and other decorations that will grace your home and look beautiful, whatever the season. There is a wide variety to choose from including spring,summer, autumn and winter wreaths, plus a gorgeous succulents wreath and Easter, Halloween and Christmas themes, These lovely yarny creations feature flowers, leaves and other decorations such as birds, owls, pumpkins, stars, bunnies and foxes. * Craft Business *Whether you fancy a cheery robin, a stockings garland or festive Christmas wreath to decorate your home, or are planning a beautiful floral or colourful succulents wreath as a thoughtful gift, there's plenty here to inspire. * Inside Crochet magazine - Issue 130 *Table of ContentsIntroduction 8 Materials & tools 10 Yarn information 16 Abbreviations 17 The projects 18 Mini wreaths 20 Succulents wreath 28 Valentine wreath 34 Autumn wreath 38 Berry wreath 49 Easter wreath 52 Spring wreath 58 Summer wreath 64 Harvest wreath 68 Halloween wreath 78 Christmas wreath 84 Winter wreath 89 Techniques i-cord 94 waistcoat stitch 96 fair isle 98 closing an opening 100 crochet with wire 101 crochet with beads 102 making pompoms 104 making tassels 106 blocking 108 covering a wreath 110 attaching crochet to wreaths 111 Index 128

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Book SynopsisAdding other mediums to your watercolour paintings is a fantastic way to take your work in new, more exciting directions. However, the vast array of painting mediums and materials on the market can be daunting, especially for the beginner. This book introduces the reader to the range of media that is available, explains briefly and clearly how to use the materials and provides six step-by-step projects and inspirational finished paintings to encourage you to take a definitive leap into the exciting world of mixed media art. Author Alison C Board covers a multitude of topics in her work, and this book features flowers, animal portraits, dancers in motion, cityscapes and landscapes. She explores how to combine wet and dry media, and how to create vibrant collages from man-made and natural found objects. There are no mistakes in mixed-media artwork, and Alison encourages the reader to be unafraid and embrace the experimental.Trade Reviewi found this book from Alison C Board to be very inspiring. She takes you on a journey to explore a variety of watercolour and mixed media techniques and includes detailed photographed stages to guide you through 6 very different projects. I can see it will be a resource book I’ll enjoy dipping into to help further my knowledge & skills. -- Claire Harding * Amazon *There are no mistakes in mixed-media artwork, and Alison encourages you to be unafraid and embrace the experimental! Adding other mediums to your watercolour paintings is a fantastic way to take your work in new, more exciting directions. This book introduces the range of media that is available and will open your eyes to new and inspirational ways of creating. The book provides six step-by-step projects to encourage you to take a definitive leap into the exciting world of mixed media art, covering a multitude of subjects including flowers, animal portraits, dancers in motion, cityscapes and landscapes. Alison explores how to combine wet and dry media, and how to create vibrant collages from man-made and natural found objects. * The SAA *Mixed media is all too often an excuse for playing with technique to no specific end. Alternatively, it’s a footnote in a book about another medium – “you can always add a bit of gouache to create highlights” or “how about rolling up some cling film and seeing what happens?” Alison has made something of a career out of working with a huge variety of techniques and media and her armoury is huge. So huge, in fact, that if she wasn’t absolutely on top of it, this would be the messiest book ever, both in terms of results and organisation. She is, however, absolutely confident with her methods and this is a masterpiece. Its main merit is that it isn’t a technical book at all. Or, rather, it’s absolutely about technique, but only for creative ends. You don’t put paint on paper to cover up the surface, you do it to create an image that satisfies both you and the viewer. You might want to convey the tranquillity of a rolling landscape, or the play of light and colour in a flower or plant, but the point is that it’s all about the end result, not how you got there. A chef creates a dish that delights the diner and, if another chef admires the method of cooking, that’s just a sideshow. So, buckle up and prepare to be astounded. The projects here include flowers, landscapes, people and animals. Materials include both wet and dry media as well as accessories such as hessian, bubble wrap and even chicken wire to create texture. All these things you’d expect, but look at the results – they don’t scream “clever” at you, they invite you to study the inner character of the subject. Less is more, the invisible is the first thing you see. Oh, and by the way, the figure demonstration is of a dancer: the sense of movement Alison (a trained ballet teacher) gets into a static pose will just take your breath away. If you haven’t already gathered that I’m calling this the best book ever on mixed media, well, I am. * Artbookreview.net *A Beginner's Guide to Watercolour with Mixed Media encourages beginners to energise their watercolours by using other media, and takes the fear and confusion away from the often bewildering array of materials on offer. In this clear and practical guide, Alison shows readers what's available and how to use these painting mediums and materials, with six step-by-step projects to work through. Subjects include flowers, animal portraits, dancers, cityscapes and landscapes. * Leisure Painter *Table of ContentsIntroduction Watercolour Hellebore – Step-by-step project Dry media Riley – Step-by-step project Wet media Naomi – Step-by-step project Found objects Natural found objects Man-made found objects Poppies & Physalis – Step-by-step project Collage and text The West Side – Step-by-step project Surfaces and textures Towards Hod Hill – Step-by-step project Taking inspiration Index

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Book SynopsisScreen printing is a print process involving the forcing of ink through a screen of fine material to create a picture or pattern. It has been around for many years, and has long been perceived as a specialist subject accessible only to professional printers and textile artists due to the high cost of the screens and inks. Recently, however, screen printing has entered the mainstream and the equipment and tools have become more affordable and accessible. In this Beginner's Guide to Screen Printing, Erin Lacy shows you how to make your own screen using an embroidery hoop and silk fabric, and demonstrates how to create beautiful designs that are easy to achieve. Discover how to print onto different surfaces such as wood, cork and fabric, and create twelve stunning, coastal and botanical-themed projects through bright and colourful step-by-step photography. The book includes templates and inspiration on how to design your own screen printing motifs.Trade ReviewWith well laid out content and index of projects, and a useful glossary, this book provides a friendly and reassuring introduction. The projects are varied and build in difficulty level as the book progresses. Several projects are practical, rather than just decorative. You will learn how to print with gradients, overlayed techniques, and repeat patterns. The text is thorough and informative, but also easy to understand. I felt anyone with an interest, from teenagers upwards, would find this book valuable. I was struck by the genius idea of repurposing embroidery hoops as printing frames. I also liked how the projects are all geared towards being able to wash your screens in a household sink and without any pricey specialist detergents. Perhaps some of the craft tools could have been labelled more specifically in the photographs, but the step-by-step photos used for the actual projects are clear and helpful. Similarly, the instructions are thorough. The list of tools and materials is not overwhelming, and they don’t seem offputtingly expensive. I appreciated the advice on selecting inks. This is something I’ve investigated in the past, but I’ve just ended up confusing myself. There are good tips regarding assessing fabric and shrinkage, and the interesting suggestion of using a vegetable steamer to fix the inks. There is also useful advice about equipment, surfaces, the positioning of objects, and tips on cutting out stencils. I particularly liked the method for printing a repeat pattern on fabric. With projects covering printing on wood and cork as well as fabric - along with the use of “found” objects such as leaves - this book encourages the reader to venture further than just printing a tea towel. Several pages of templates are provided – my favourites being a dragonfly and a shell. -- Sophie Hudson * Customer review *What can l say about this little but not so little book? It’s packed full of information and handy tip for screen printing to making stencils and how to use them. You probably have most of the materials needed at home with exception of screens and a squeegee. The templates at the back of the book are nice and are great for cutting and practice prints it also show how to print in 2 colours which is great as expected; great book and the pictures speak a thousand words - and can sometimes explain better than words. -- Anne Hill * Customer review *What Can I say? I got this book as I was super interested in screen printing! All the local courses to me were too expensive so I figured I would go for a book. The step by step guides are amazing. The templates are really useful! And I learnt so so much from all the tips and tutorials. -- Emma Brown * Customer review *I am really pleased with this book. It gives step by step guidance for the beginner and there are photos of each step which I find incredibly helpful as I can refer to them whilst working on my ideas. What I like most is that although it is a beginner's guide it is is not so basic as to be insulting and a short-lived read. I can see that I will be able to come back to it regularly as I learn more about screen printing. I had bought a kit and the instructions were neither clear nor detailed enough so this was just the book I was looking for. Would recommend to anyone and it is also not too expensive. -- Barbara Strange * Customer review *I thought the book was very informative for a complete beginner. It explains about everything you will need, how to make screens, what paint to buy and most useful, how to clean up. The stencils were a surprise in the back of the book. Overall this is a very good book and a nice addition to my craft book collection. -- Jan Hudson * Customer review *I have always thought of Screen Printing to be very difficult to do and very expensive to start doing. This book certainly takes you from the beginning and starting with easy things and not needing particularly expensive equipment. I like the personal way it is written with lots or tips and advice as you go along rather than straightforward do this and do that with no further explanations as to why. The author definitely is sharing her personal experience which is what makes the book so effective. There are lots of illustrations that clearly show you what and how to do things. I like the way that the book also includes templates for the project shown inside so that you can replicate those projects exactly as shown in the illustrations rather than have to make your own alternative patterns or templates. -- Zena Kate * Customer review *A great book with all the information needed to start your new hobby. There're some projects and patterns to use from basic to a little more intricate. Can't wait to try the dragonfly motif. -- Tammy Harris * Customer review *I got the opportunity to receive a free copy of this book in exchange for my review and I’ve got to say I am so happy I was able to! I had previously bought a screen printing kit from a craft fair but have been a bit stuck as to how to get started. I also wanted to make my own stencils but didn’t know where to begin... This book by Erin Lacy is a fantastic guide for beginners! It’s full of pictures and useful how to guides and each of the projects are well described and very cute. An added bonus was the wooden triangles and lilac printing paint that was included to try out the bunting project! In summary: I definitely recommend this book if you want to get started with screen printing it covers all the tools you need and some great projects to try out! -- Rebecca Ridyard * Customer review *Brilliant little book - well presented with loads of ideas for projects. Clear, easy to follow instructions, including photos of each step, with plenty of diagrams and designs to trace around. Perfect for anyone wanting to learn a new hobby. Would make a great gift. -- Sue Rowland * Customer review *Very clear instructions aimed for beginners, as the title states. I particularly like the fact that an embroidery hoop can be used to begin with whilst you are learning how to screen print. This book will provide you with invaluable skills whilst working your way through this book's activities and instructions, the addition of templates towards the back of the book is a huge help to start you on your way. I also love the section about creating your own designs, how wonderful to personalise your own work. -- Pamela Hainsworth * Customer Review *With over 300 illustrations in 112 pages, Erin Lacy's Beginner's Guide to Screen Printing takes you through 12 stunning projects of coastal and botanical themes in this perfect introduction guide. Erin shows you how to make your own screen using and embroidery hoops and silk fabric. This book also has templates and inspiration on how to go forth and create your own wonderful designs and motifs. * Simply Cards and Papercraft *Although primarily aimed at the craft market, this is such a good introduction to screen printing that it is worthy of inclusion in a journal aimed at fine art and work on paper. While it is true that this will mean a mental adjustment from working with textiles, the processes are much the same and little practice should be required to make this transition. What makes the book attractive is that it is based around 12 projects. This means that you are producing results while you work, rather than wading through a lot of technical information before you have anything to show. The danger, of course, is that it can be easy to skip over the necessary techniques, but the projects are simple and you should find that you pick the basics up fairly quickly. Simple projects and equipment keep investment to a minimum and make the whole thoroughly enjoyable. * The Artist *Erin Lacy demystifies the art of screen printing, with inspiring photography, beautiful projects and easy-to-follow techniques. You'll learn how to make a screen using an embroidery hoop and silk fabric, print onto different surfaces such as wood, cork and fabric, and create 12 coastal and botanical-themed projects with your printed designs. * Simply Sewing *Make your mark with this primer on screen printing. Even if you have never done any before you will soon be printing like a pro on not only fabric and paper but cork, wood and more. I’ve done some screen printing in the past, but not recently so was keen to see if the book was suitable for a beginner. Buying the kit is not cheap and one of the main concerns anybody has before taking up a new hobby is whether they will take to it or not, so laying out money on costly equipment is often the reason they don’t bother. The author of this book wisely suggests having a try first with an embroidery hoop, a sponge dabber and a silk habutai scarf; this is also a very portable way of doing it. After introducing the materials and tools the book goes on to explain how the process works from drawing, to cutting the stencil, attaching it to the screen, printing and fixing. This is a lot to take in, but it is broken down into sections and there are plenty of staged photographs with reassuringly short captions which make it all seem doable. If the drawing part is rather a challenge, not to mention rendering your art to make it suitable for printing you can use found objects like leaves and of course the templates at the back. The projects cover not only fabric items but postcards, wooden bunting, cork coasters and a card print for the wall. Fabric projects include a skirt, a bag, tea towel, table mats and a runner. Each one teaches a different lesson so you can amass useful and gift quality items while learning. The theme is mostly nature with an emphasis on the seaside as the author lives in Cornwall, and she sells her own range of paints for printing. At the back is a short gallery of items plus a handy glossary. I found this to be a very user (and purse) friendly primer on the sometimes rather daunting process of screen printing and look forward to taking it up again. -- Rachel A Hyde * MyShelf.com *Screen printing has recently entered the mainstream, with the necessary equipment and tools becoming more affordable. It has never been easier for you to explore a new discipline, printing your designs on surfaces such as wood, cork, and every stitcher's favourite... fabric! The ultimate companion on your crafting journey, Beginner's Guide to Screen Printing by Erin Lacy will guide you through the basics and introduce you to 12 attractive yet accessible projects. * Sew Magazine *Table of ContentsIntroduction Inspiration and ideas Tools and materials Before you print After you print Making a hoop screen Exposing: Working with resists Print production Repeats and borders Tessellations Multilayered screen printing Placement motifs Printing gradients Creating your own designs Templates and motifs Glossary Index The projects Botanical postcards Cork coasters Wood bunting Calico tote bags Swallow-print tea towel Feather-print fabric Feather-print skirt Printed cushion covers Dragonfly placemats Dragonfly table runner Shell motif beach blanket Pebble print

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Book SynopsisIn this fun and practical introduction to patchwork and quilting, well-known TV personality Sarah Payne leads you through a series of techniques to build up your skills. Each chapter includes a number of different-sized step-by-step projects, including quilts, cushions, tote bags and table runners. Sarah discusses different shapes (squares, circles, triangles) and different techniques (appliqué, piecing blocks and curved piecing) in turn. She also includes information on basting, layering, quilting and binding, as well as pre-cuts. Filled with guidance and helpful tips and tricks, this book will equip you with all you need to know to get started on your quilting adventure. Put your skills into practice and at the same time create beautiful projects to keep or give as gifts.Trade ReviewA really useful book that takes you through what you will need to get started on patchwork projects. It teaches patchwork skills through projects which are well illustrated with plenty of ‘tips’ to help you on the way. The book is mainly suitable for beginners, but anyone interested in patchwork would find it a worthwhile addition to their library. -- Barbara Allan * Customer review *I am new to quilting and found this book an excellent starting point. It clearly covers the basics of tools, fabrics, techniques, hand or machine sewing and even how to choose colours that complement each other for a lovely project. I really like the way this book leads you through all the quilting projects, with lots of colour photos showing step by step what your project should look like! There are 15 lessons and each lesson makes a new project, starting with a straight forward bag made up of squares and progressing and introducing more complex shapes. I think this is a perfect book for anyone wanting to have a go at quilting. I can't wait to make a start on my first quilting project. -- Lorna Cox * Customer review *This is an excellent book to teach all the basics of quilting, especially if you don’t attend a class. Instructions are clear and well laid out, with helpful pictures throughout. Sarah takes the quilter through choosing equipment and fabric to building up skills gradually as you go through the book. There’s also plenty to interest a more experienced quilter, for instance the instructions on the various methods for making flying geese are brilliant.There’s a good range of different sized projects to make and a couple of fun ways to use up scraps. A really great introduction to patchwork. -- Anna Wheal * Customer review *Sarah Payne's Quilt School is a must have book for those wanting to start patchwork and quilting. She starts at the beginning and covers the essential tools - not forgetting to mention that fabric scissors should only ever be used for fabric! She guides the reader through the basics, with clear pictures showing the techniques for cutting accurately, sewing with a machine or by hand and pressing. The projects are well thought out, with clear instructions, aided by clear photographs. Each project is presented in the form of a lesson, and includes tips to help you improve your technique. There are very clear examples of different methods for creating flying geese units, how to create a flanged border, bordered binding and flanged binding. One aspect that I particularly like in this book is the double spread about the disappearing 9 patch; it shows how different the block looks in the final layout, when different colour combinations are used. If this were not enough, the book contains a section for using the scraps that the reader will have left over after finishing the other projects in this book. This is a genius addition, as patchwork and quilting will produce a plethora of scraps! Sarah Payne is my kind of quilter - finding ways to make things easier on the quilter. This book should be on the bookshelf of everyone who wants to start or improve patchwork and quilting. It would not be out of place on the bookshelf of more advanced quilters, as it contains ideas and techniques (especially for binding) that I've not seen before. -- Christine Hutchins * Customer review *This is an excellent book for anyone new to patchwork and quilting, or for anyone looking for inspiration and new ideas. The instructions are clearly explained in step by step description and photos, with lots of top tips included. I've made a start on the cover quilt as it's a fantastic project that will help me to use up my scraps. I'd highly recommend this book. -- Sazzie Jessop * Customer review *I'm a great fan of Sarah Payne, she's a great teacher so I was looking forward to this book. I had wondered whether it would be too basic, I'm not an expert, but equally not a beginner quilter, but was not disappointed at all. A beginner would find it extremely helpful, but there's plenty in it to interest those of us who are past that stage. The illustrations are photos not drawings and I find that much clearer to follow. For each technique there's a project, ranging from bags, cushions, quilts and more. Sarah also explains how to use rulers and acrylic templates for cutting and there's also a bit which tells you what you can cut from a fat quarter of fabric, very useful! A lovely book to look through but also a very useful book too! Would definitely recommend! -- Linda Jesuadian * Customer review *I just love this book. It's suitable for beginners and beyond, something for everyone. Well set out with beautiful colour photographs to go alongside the writing. Very easy instructions for all the projects. I am certainly going to make the circles quilt. I would recommend this book to any sewer/quilter. -- Bev Hackleton * Customer review *Sarah Payne's lovely book leads you through the very beginning, the tools you will need, fabric wadding, thread, right through to caring for your completed projects, with lots of things to make in between. It is very well illustrated with lots of nice, clear photographs, including plenty of close ups. Much clearer than diagrams, I find. Whilst this book is suitable for beginners, it will also grow with you so that you don't outgrow it too quickly. -- Pat Darlington * Customer review *An introduction to patchwork and quilting especially suitable for beginners. The introduction covers equipment, technical terms and rotary cutting. The designs begin with squares (a simple tote bag), but progress to real projects. A shoulder bag with Flying Geese blocks and a quilt with several alternative layouts and interesting borders are introduced early. The final objects are a delightful elephant cushion and a scrap quilt using all the leftover pieces. The final section gives clear advice on hand and machine quilting, binding, labelling and caring for the quilts. There are excellent photos and instructions throughout. It is my Book of the Month. * British Patchwork & Quilting *I recently got the opportunity to get a look at Sarah Payne’s Quilt School: New ways to start patchwork and quilting. I have really enjoyed looking through this book and it even inspired me to make a table runner! With the holidays coming upon us I feel this book is perfect for anyone who wants to make some beautiful gifts that will not take weeks to make. The book is set up with good introduction information for anyone interested in starting to quilt and it also has information that can likely be helpful to people who are already familiar with patchwork and quilting. The pictures are wonderful and detailed. In her Introduction she illustrates various tools and materials as well as basic techniques. Then with the different Lessons there is additional material that speaks to those particular lessons. The lessons are broken down into types patchwork and quilting. There is a section on Squares, Triangles, Circles and then just basic scrap projects. In the section on squares the first project is a shopping bag which I love. Who doesn’t need more shopping bags! Throughout this section there are several projects that are generally quick and easy. She also presents a beautiful and simple approach to the disappearing none-patch quilt which is really fun. She has many beautiful photos that take you through what different layouts will produce. I am going to have to play with that on my next project. She moves on to triangles and, again, there are numerous wonderful photos of different projects. There is a little quilted purse, a pillow, a wall hanging, a quilt and then this little placemat that spoke to me. While I have quilted for decades I am no expert and generally have used paper patterns. I have never utilized a ruler to make 60 degree triangles! I am sure everyone else knew this but I was excited. I even used that trick on a construction project I was working on! I changed her suggestion for size to accommodate a piece of furniture I have. I made mine narrower and longer. Then I hand quilted with black in my very simple primitive hand quilting style. With her section on circles she has that classic Drunkard’s path, which I always have loved. She provides a pillow pattern which is nice if someone wants to try simple circles. She demonstrates different ways to sew circles, with applique or sewing in, and has a beautiful circle quilt out of batiks. The last section is about scrap use and there is a wonderful scrap quilt, also pictured on the cover of the book. I love the elephant, which appears in many pictures throughout Payne’s work. Overall I really enjoyed this book and found many fun and simple projects that have inspired me. I really think there is a little something for everyone in this book. There are quilted items someone can make in one day or items that may test your skills and teach you something new! -- Julie Rogers * Mr X Stitch *This bright and colourful book is an ideal introduction for those starting out on their patchwork and quilting journey. The essentials about tools, fabrics and basic techniques are covered in the introduction. This is followed by sections on Squares, Triangles, Circles, and Beautiful Scraps. Guidance for layering, quilting and binding are given at the end of the book. Within each section there are a number of ‘Lessons’, which present instructions for a variety of projects that build on your skills – some of the patterns can be varied to use differentsized blocks or pre-cut fabrics. Handy tips to achieve the best results are scattered throughout. A range of construction methods are also introduced in projects that include bags, cushions, runners and wallhangings as well as full-size quilts. * The Quilter *In Sarah Payne's Quilt School (RRP £12.99), the well-known TV personality leads readers through a series of techniques to build up their skills. Each chapter has step-by-step projects for a range of items including cushions, tote bags and table runners. The author also discusses a variety of different shapes and methods. * Craft Focus *I have been watching Sarah Payne on TV for quite a while and love her zest for all things stitchy. So, when I heard that she had written a book I was very excited. Ms Payne has not disappointed me. From beginner to advanced sewist, everyone will take something from this book, whether it be a new skill or a fabulous idea. The book is sectioned in 'lessons'. So from beginning to end, each project introduces a new skill. With simple language, easy instructions that are in written and visual format and brilliant hints and tips, there is no reason why you would not get a professional finish to your very usable project. Quilts, bags, runners and cushions are all included, and each step is easy to follow. The bright glossy pages showcase the projects and the colours 'pop' giving you so much inspiration and they will definitely boost your creativity and imagination. I loved this book, it has a wealth of information of fabric, fat quarters, thread and gives expert advice on what you will need for your sewing journey. -- Tracy Shephard * Amazon *Table of ContentsIntroduction 6 Materials and tools 8 Basic techniques 20 Squares 26 Lesson 1: Simply squares shopping bag 28 Lesson 2: French braid table runner 32 Lesson 3: Turned four-patch bed runner 36 Lesson 4: Disappearing nine patch quilt 40 Lesson 5: Snowball pillowcase 44 Triangles 47 Lesson 6: Half square triangle bedspread 50 Lesson 7: Jacob’s ladder quilt 56 Lesson 8: Ohio star cushion cover 62 Lesson 9: Flying south for the winter wall hanging 72 Lesson 10: Quilted handbag 76 Lesson 11: Placemats 82 Circles 86 Lesson 12: Drunkard’s path large cushion cover 90 Lesson 13: Circles quilt 95 Beautiful scraps 98 Lesson 14: Elephant cushion 100 Lesson 15: Quick strip quilt 106 Layering 108 Quilting 110 Binding 119 Labelling and caring for your quilt 124 Conclusion 126 Resources 127 Index 128

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Book SynopsisWho knew just two fat quarters can be used in so many ways? For the birthday that's on the way, or a festive holiday that needs more sparkle, conquer that pile of odd fat quarters you've stashed away and make 16 fun gifts for your loved ones – from children’s clothes and toys, to bags and make-up pouches. Start off with an easy-to-follow crash-course on the essential techniques you'll need – from adding a zip and bias binding to creating patchwork. Then, jump straight into your stash and get stitching! Each project includes inspiring photography, instructive hand-drawn illustrations and heaps of handy hints and tips from popular best-selling sewing expert, Wendy Gardiner. Ideal for sewists of all abilities, this is the ultimate, affordable stash-busting project book that will get you making practical, colourful items too.Trade ReviewThere's a wide variety of gifts and toys that can be created quickly with supplies that you're almost certain to have in your stash at home already. Wendy Gardiner's Take Two Fat Quarters: Gifts is chock-full of ideas for quick and easy treats that can be whipped up in no time using just a few fat quarter and remnants from your sewing box. we love the look of these cheery read and green festive crackers. -- Sew Magazine * Sew Magazine *Who knew just two fat quarters could be used in so many ways? For the birthday that’s on the way, or a festive holiday that needs more sparkle, conquer that pile of odd fat quarters you’ve stashed away and make 16 fun gifts for your loved ones; from children’s clothes and toys, to bags and make-up pouches. Start off with an easy-to-follow crash-course on the essential techniques you’ll need; from adding a zip and bias binding to creating patchwork. Then, jump straight into your stash and get stitching! Each project includes heaps of handy hints and tips from popular best-selling sewing expert, Wendy Gardiner. Ideal for sewists of all abilities, this is the ultimate, affordable stash-busting project book that will get you making practical, colourful items too. * Mindful Crafting *Part of a fantastic series that uses leftover fat quarters to create fun, colourful projects, this book is a great way to make the most of your stash without the need to buy more fabric! The guide starts off with an easy-to-follow crash-course on the essential techniques you'll need - such as bias binding and creating patchwork - then jumps straight in with toys, bags, children's clothes and plenty more. * Sew *I loved this book. Great ideas and well written instructions and great pictures. It gave me inspiration and the belief that I could do it. It explains different techniques including putting in a zip and free motion embroidery. A great book for all. -- Jan Hudson * Amazon *When I saw the projects on the front of the book, I actually thought there was no chance of me being able to create the gifts, they looked very technical. However, I tried. In fact, the book is very well planned out. The steps are easy to follow and you don't have to be an advanced crafter! Despite being a great way to use leftover fabric, the gift looked like a great quality, store bought product. This book is amazing for those who love to give a bit extra as a gift while using up old fabric and therefore not putting them on the scrap pile! -- Dale Dow * Amazon *The details are clear and very concise, pages are colourful and even give me great ideas of my own. Materials are easy to find in craft stores and inexpensive. I highly recommend it! -- Summer Dickens * Amazon *A beautiful looking book with a good range of gift ideas. I like the patterns in the file at the back, makes everything so much easier. The pictorial steps to making the projects are good and clear as was the start of the book with all the "how to" information. Can't wait to make the scissor keep on page 53. -- Sue Dawson * Amazon *Lovely book to either give as a gift or keep for personal use. Easy to follow instructions and techniques with lovely colourful photographs to follow. -- Mandy Horton * Amazon *I think this is a very good book, it's easy to follow instructions are great, it has 16 different projects to make, with 2 full size template sheets. Perfect for beginners and upwards, with step-by-step guides to all the patterns. Great for using up your fat quarters and small pieces of left over materials. -- Susan Warren * Amazon *If like me you have more than few fat quarters then this book will be one for you. The projects are cute, colourful and useful and as the title suggests, ideal for gifts. From toys to children's clothes there is something for everyone. I loved that,was design has a contrasting fat quarter that not only compliments the project but it also gives it an added quirkiness and depending on your fabric choice it will be pretty or retro. This book is perfect for beginner sewists, as the projects are quite simple, that said, there are many useful techniques that will advance your sewing skills. There are full sized pattern sheets included, and with easy instructions, accompanied by visual step by step hints and tips, so you really cannot go wrong. Highly recommended by me! -- Tracy Shephard * Amazon *Like many quilters I have an ample stash of fat quarters, and this book is ideal for starting to use some of the stash. The book contains 16 projects, which make ideal presents for a wide range of recipients. To start with, there is a page that describes what a fat quarter is. After this, there is double page spread about what materials you will need for the projects; this section explains how and why the materials are used, which is useful for all projects, not only the ones in this book. There is a comprehensive list of the essential tools, including measuring, marking and cutting tools – again, this is valid for most sewing projects. The next section in the book is Techniques. This section is accompanied by colour photos with instructions. One part covers seams – including French seams, which sound tricky, but are actually very simple, and give a neat and professional finish to a project. There is advice on different ways to finish seams, and which way is more suited to different fabrics. The section then goes on to detail patchwork and quilting techniques, free motion embroidery, and appliqué. This is followed by adding trims, using twin needles and decorative stitches, as well as adding piping and bias binding and adding a zip. This section is one that I will be referring to regularly, and not only when making projects from this book. The main section is the one dedicated to projects. The project title double spread shows the finished project, gives a list of what you will need, and instructions for the preparation for the project. There then follows step-by-step instructions for making up the project, including diagrams and photographs. Some projects include ideas for adding other elements to the finished project. Throughout the book there are tips included, giving suggestions for altering the project, or or guidance on resizing a project. These tips are useful for many sewing projects, not just the ones in this book. What makes this book stand apart from many others, is the inclusion of two full sized pattern sheets in the back of the book. It is a great change from seeing patterns printed in the book itself, which sometimes requires enlarging the pattern. All in all this is a great resource – and one that I will be making good use of again and again. -- Christine Hutchins * Amazon *Absolutely loved this book. From the moment I received it, I was engrossed. In fact I started my first project from the book on the first night. Beautifully presented with full instructions for everything, along with patterns and amazing photographs that really inspire you. The book is suitable for beginners or experienced as everything is so clearly explained and set out. It covers tool and techniques as well as the projects so you just can't go wrong. -- Caroline Lewis * Customer Review *Table of ContentsINTRO 6 WHAT IS A FAT QUARTER? 7 MATERIALS 8 TOOLS 10 TECHNIQUES 14 - seaming 16 - patchworking 18 - quilting 21 - free-motion embroidery 24 - appliqué 25 - using twin needles 26 - decorative stitches 27 - adding trims 28 - adding piping & bias binding 30 - adding a zip 32 THE PROJECTS 34 Two-Tone Tote Bag 36 Cosmetic Pouch 40 Make-Up Kit Roll 44 Super Summer Shorts 48 Scissor Keep 52 Pin Cushion in a Cup 54 Sleep Easy Neck Cushion 56 Sleep Eye Mask 58 Tablet Case 62 Retro Purse 66 Flying Geese Lunch Bag 72 Tots Trapeze Dress 76 Christmas Crackers 80 Stitch-and-Flip Zipper Pencil Case 84 Two-Tone Teddy Bear 88 Vintage-Style Christmas Stocking 92 INDEX 96

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Book SynopsisWho could resist these loveable toys and their babies? De-stress by snuggling up with Mabel Bunny and her friends – oversized crocheted toys, perfect for giant cuddles and little hands. Not just for children, the soft, chunky yarn and floppy limbs will appeal to all, so make them for yourself or give as gifts (if you can bear to part with them). Mabel makes a great reading companion and at about 70cm tall from head to paws, the animals sit comfortably on a shelf or at the end of your bed. As well as fifteen different animals to crochet and love, including a dragon, a polar bear, a red panda and a pig, you can also make a mini Mabel, octopus and koala, which are 30-40cm tall. The projects are pitched at beginners to improvers and are suitable for someone who has mastered the basics of crochet. So be inspired, choose a pattern to start and be prepared to fall in love with this collection of adorable toys.Trade ReviewI am barely a crocheter, but I am wholly smitten with this book. This book answers the question, what happens if you crochet animals with big yarn? The answers is adorable, cuddle-sized, animals. The critters look like large scale amigurumi, happy, friendly friends. Using chunky yarn and a US 11 hook, you can make any one of the fifteen animals in a night or two. The book opens with a how to on he crochet stitches needed for the animals and techniques on how to assemble your parts. The animals, a bunny, lamb, dragon, octopus, puppy, and many others range between 25”-27” tall, a perfect armful. The bunny, octopus and koala all have babies that are about half the size, and use the same pattern with smaller yarn and a finer hook. The patterns are very straightforward, and are worked in pieces to be later sewn together. The photography helpfully shows any bits you might like to see up close before making, like toes, ears, tails, and any special stitches. Grab this book, yarn and hook and you’ll soon have a flock of animal friends to keep or give away to anyone that needs a snuggle. -- Jillian Moreno * Knitty.com *One for all you multi-crafters, this super-cute crocheted oversized toy bible by Claire Gelder is a must for makes with the 'aww' factor Measuring 70cm from head to paw, Claire's book guides you through how to create each animal and the extra details such as the signature heart patch for each of the 15 adorable toys such as Teetee the dragon, Florence the red panda and Doris the sloth, all perfect gifts to yourself or a loved one any time of year. * Simply Cards and Papercraft *Written by Claire Gelder, Mabel Bunny & Co features 15 crochet projects made from soft, chunky yard. Subjects include a dragon, polar bear, red panda and pig, as well as three mini-makes. The book is aimed at beginners and improvers, and retails at £12.99. * Craft Focus *This is a lovely book. The patterns are easy to read with the added bonus of being written in both UK and US terms which will be helpful for lots of crocheters. The animals are super cute and will be well loved by any child. I'm currently struggling to choose which one to make first! -- Penny Hassell * Customer review *This book is gorgeous - it is laid out with very clear instructions (set out clearly in both US and UK crocheting terminology) and has excellent photographic diagrams of how to make all of the stitches required to make Mabel and her family. I firmly believe that these animals could be made by someone who is very new to crochet right through to well established crocheters. Mabel & Co are made using a super chunky wool which produces some surprisingly large toys! I hadn't realised the size of them until I opened the book (probably a couple of foot in height if held up to let the legs dangle). I really think this is part of their charm, and stands them apart from other crochet toys, but I am sure that if a smaller wool was used, they would come up just as well (just smaller!). Also, the chunky wool and hook size will help less confident crocheters produce something lovely as it will be much easier to see the stitches you are creating as you go. Overall, this book looks great and I cannot wait to start making Mabel and her family! -- Lizzie Copeland * Customer review *Love the book so much. In many ways the patterns are similar to other animal patterns but I made the dragon and had a lot of fun with the little twiddles that make the pattern unique. Following the instructions was easy (all written, not diagrams, in clear text, sensibly sized). I think following the patterns is great but am also going to enjoy adding my own twists! Love how the individual digits look! I recommend this book wholeheartedly! Also instructions are given in US and UK format (UK in brackets), so easy to follow if you struggle with the nomenclature! If you like the creatures get this book and play! -- Gill Colling * Customer review *A truly stunning book with very clear directions and lots of photographs to guide you with the how to do. Which one of the animals to choose is virtually impossible as all 15 are so gorgeous, and all the patterns are clearly written with easy to understand terms. A real asset and inspiration to any one who loves to crochet and a book that is so well written and lovely to work with. Thank you I am tending toward working up a dragon, or maybe Mabel, which one to choose ? -- Alice Monique * Customer review *A very appealing book with extremely clear instructions for how to actually do all the necessary crochet stitches, how to crochet each animal, how to complete each animal and lovely little finishing touches to make each animal even more special. A perfect book for both beginners and those more experienced at crocheting. I was also intrigued with the connection with Dragons' Den. Certainly to be recommended. -- Wendy Harvey * Customer review *Fall in love with these oversized toys, then crochet them all, including three mini versions. De-stress by snuggling up with Mabel Bunny and her friends oversized crocheted toys, perfect for giant cuddles and little hands. There are 15 different animals to crochet and love, including a dragon, a polar bear, a red panda and a pig, you can also make a mini Mabel, octopus and koala, which are 30-40 cm tall. So be inspired, choose a pattern to start and be prepared to fall in love with this collection of adorable toys. * Craft Business *15 loveable animals to crochet using chunky yarn Fall in love with these oversized toys, then crochet them all, including three mini versions. Who could resist these loveable toys and their babies? De-stress by snuggling up with Mabel Bunny and her friends oversized crocheted toys, perfect for giant cuddles and little hands. Not just for children, the soft, chunky yarn and floppy limbs will appeal to all, so make them for yourself or give as gifts (if you can bear to part with them). Mabel makes a great reading companion and at about 70cm tall from head to paws, the animals sit comfortably on a shelf or at the end of your bed. As well ad fifteen different animals to crochet and love, including a dragon, a polar bear, a red panda and a pig, you can also make a mini Mabel, octopus and koala, which are 30-40cm tall. The projects are pitched at beginners to improvers and are suitable for someone who has mastered the basics of crochet. So be inspired, choose a pattern to start and be prepared to fall in love with this collection of adorable toys. * Hot Brands, Cool Places *I have such a lovely book to share with you today. Mabel Bunny & Co. is a truly delightful collection of crochet animals that are just waiting to become your friend. If you have any little people in your life (or just fancy having an extremely huggable crochet pal yourself) then this book is perfect for you. They are designed by Claire Gelder, who has created her own business, Wool Couture, and also got investment from two of BBC TV's Dragons' Den investors in order to pass on her passion for all things crafty to future generations. Claire has her own range of chunky yarn which you can use to create the animals, but of course you don't have to use that. I like the idea of using yarn of different thicknesses and adjusting the hook size to make a whole family of creatures. Claire actually does this with three of the patterns but there's no reason why you can't do it with all of them! The book includes lots of information on tools and materials as well as a comprehensive guide to techniques with some excellent photo tutorials. So even if you are a beginner crocheter, there's no reason why you can't have a go. There's also some really helpful advice on how to bring the animals to life. If you've made a soft toy before, you'll know how important it is to get the features looking 'just right'. Claire holds your hand through the making up process so you're guaranteed to be happy with the results. There are 15 different animals in the book, all designed to be soft and floppy, perfect for hugs and cuddles. There are three levels of difficulty in the book, indicated in a fun way with bunny symbols. It's very hard to pick a favourite, they are all so adorable and tactile. I just want to reach into the pages of the book and give them a hug. But here are a few that have caught my eye in particular... Once I get all my Christmas gift making out of the way, I'm going to be stash diving to make my own polar bear, she is just too irresistible! You are never too old for a hug in my view! Mabel Bunny & Co. is a really lovely book that would make the perfect gift for a crocheting friend, or for you to make your own collection of cuddly creatures. The book is written in US crochet terms (with UK terms in brackets) and is available at bookshops as well as all the usual online sellers. You can even buy kits to make some of the animals from the Wool Couture website. * The Exploits of Josie Kitten Blog *Launched on September 1, 2019, Claire's first book, 'Mabel Bunny & Co.', boasts 15 loveable animals, including dragons, lambs and alpacas, to crochet with chunky yarn, plus a fabulous foreword by 'Dragons' Touker Suleyman and Tej Lalvani. -- Angela Sara West * Craft Business *Claire Gelder used craft as therapy during periods of darkness. She teamed up with her sister Ali in 2016 and a year later won the support of two investors on the BBC's Dragon's Den, and her luxury crochet kits and soft merino yarn have won the hearts of many a crafter since. Claire's first book introduces some snuggly new crochet characters hooked up in gorgeous Cheeky Chunky yarn making for some really luxurious giant amigurumi. The softies include a beautiful dragon as well as farmyard friends and exotic animals. * Inside Crochet *Table of ContentsForeword by Touker Suleyman and Tej Lalvani 6 Introduction 8 Tools and materials 10 Techniques 16 Meet Mabel’s family 36 Mabel Bunny & baby 38 Lilly Polar bear 44 Ruby Elephant 50 Walter Zebra 58 Trevor Arctic fox 64 Florence Red Panda 70 Oliver Octopus & baby 76 Stitch Puppy 82 Gabriel Alpaca 88 Doris Sloth 94 Clarence Pig 98 Lionel Lamb 104 Matilda Koala & baby 110 Kielder Red Squirrel 116 Teetee Dragon 122

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Book SynopsisEnter into the whimsical, crocheted world of Eleonore & Maurice, a talented designer who blends pastel yarns with delicate floral fabric to make truly adorable amigurumi creations: plush animals with little accessories, as well as sweet cushions. The combination of the calming pastel cotton yarn and the delicate floral designs give beautiful results. These cute creations include a cat cushion, a bird family, a hedgehog, a rabbit and a reindeer. The crochet patterns are clear and easy to follow and the sewing element is minimal, including items such as fabric bows, belts, ears, tails and collars. Make them for yourself or as gifts for family and friends. Everyone is sure to love these beautiful crocheted creatures. The soft colours and splashes of floral fabric make them perfect companions that children will love.Trade ReviewThese adorable, gentle-looking creatures are sure to bring a smile to anyone's face! From a cosy cat cushion to Jacques, "a most unusual goat", these 16 sweet amigurumi are full of personality and just asking to be cuddled. There's an extra treat, too - the designs are all finished off with some delicate Liberty Tana Lawn fabric for some simple sophistication, from a quirky hair bow to fun bird wings or a stylish dress. We especially love the colourful Mikki the Hedgehog, with individually made "spikes" in a range of pretty shades. * Inside Crochet *A beautifully detailed book, full of wonderful patterns. The combination of crochet and fabric makes these gorgeous patterns that little more special. The tutorials are clear,and everything you need to know is included. Perfect for beginners and seasoned crafters alike. * Customer review *It's a beautifully illustrated and well photographed book. There are very clear instructions on how to crochet with accompanying pictures. The projects themselves really are incredibly cute and again, the pictures are beautiful and clear to make out. The instructions to crochet are very clear and easy to follow. The projects themselves are suitable for beginner to more advanced and the start of each project tells you the skill level. The projects include the use of fabric for small parts of the project such as a little bow or ears. It's very simple and can all be hand sewn. Overall the book is a real pleasure to read and the images make it all very pretty. * Customer review *The 16 cute amigurumi animals range from an easy cat cushion to a slightly more challenging hedgehog. Each animal is beautifully photographed and there is an introduction to crochet at the front of the book, so even confident beginners can tackle the patterns. UK crochet terminology is used throughout, with conversions for US readers, and templates are provided for the fabric additions. I'm looking forward to crocheting my way through the book! * Customer review *Enter into the whimsical, crocheted world of Elenore & Maurice, a talented designer who blends pastel yarns with delicate floral fabric to make truly adorable amigurumi creations: plush animals with little accessories, as well as sweet cushions. The combination of the calming pastel cotton yarn and the delicate floral designs give beautiful results. These cute creations include a cat cushion, a bird family, a hedgehog, a rabbit, and a reindeer. The crochet patterns are clear and easy to follow and the sewing element is minimal, including items such as fabric bows, belts, ears, tails, and collars. Make them for yourself or as gifts for family and friends. Everyone is sure to love these beautiful, crocheted creatures. The soft colours and splashes of floral fabric make them perfect companions that children will love. * Hot Brands Cool Places *Table of ContentsMaterials 4 How to crochet 6 Mina the cat cushion 10 Ola the bee 14 Bird family 16 Princess Fleur 20 Vania the tomcat 24 Albert and Anna 28 Mikki the hedgehog 34 Jacques, a most unusual creature 38 Lucie the koala bear 42 Martin the rabbit 46 Mimi the mouse 50 Bertie the furry bear 54 Edward the reindeer 58 Templates 62

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Book SynopsisTypically associated with frilly hankies and flouncy collars that are time-consuming to make and invariably white, the 30 projects in this book span the colour spectrum and make use of a range of media including paper, fabric, thread and even concrete! This original and exciting guide to lace is a visual feast of 30 inspiring step-by-step projects. It includes in-depth features and fascinating asides relating to the history of lace and it will encourage you to experiment and inspire you with handy tips. The projects use bobbin lace, needle lace, needle weaving and drawn-thread work, all of which are clearly illustrated for beginners. Some projects feature techniques such as using concrete and papier-mâché; some feature ready-made lace, either entirely, or as something that can be added to. Trade ReviewThere are tired old stereotypical ideas of lace that this book merrily sets about challenging and blowing apart. Elizabeth Healey takes lace in all sorts of directions, making for an unexpected and entertaining journey. Throughout stories are interwoven giving not just historical context but bringing the skill to life. Although it’s Elizabeth’s refreshing definition of lace that is the real triumph. Certainly, she pays proper respect to the tools and techniques: bobbin lace, tatting, net darning, needlelace and more are covered. But it’s when the projects start that the fun begins: using a soldering iron to make a paper-lace bowl and embroidering spray painted leaves run alongside a magical set of fairy wings and an heirloom scarf fashioned from happy memories. By dipping into other skills and inspiring creative experimentation, Elizabeth’s book offers so much more than was ever expected and becomes even more appealing. You’ll never think of lace in the same way again! * Stitch *This book is beautifully presented with a wealth of detailed instructions to inspire creation of an enormous variety of lace designs. Coloured photos and line drawings of clearly laid out techniques add to the quality of the book. -- Diane Whale * Amazon Customer Review *A great book for someone new to lace making but ready to explore projects using lace. As an enthusiastic embroiderer I like the variable ideas for lace making additions to new projects. The basics are covered with clear and easy to follow illustrations. Whilst the creative ideas may be quirky and in some ways involve abstract concepts they can be incorporated into many other pieces of work. I’m excited about the opportunities to experiment with button shapes, tatting ideas, silhouette designs and vintage patterns for example. Lots to incorporate into possible wall hangings, garments or ornamental objects. A great book for the lace making beginner but who’s also someone who’s ready to explore and expand on ways to get creative with lace. -- Christine Plimmer * Amazon Customer Review *This feast of 30 inspiring step-by-step projects includes in-depth features relating to the history of lace. Bobbin and needle lace, needle weaving and drawn-thread work are all clearly illustrated for beginners. * Machine Knitting Monthly *Beautifully photographed. Lots of different ideas using lace both old and new. Suitable for all abilities. Recommend that you buy this book and get inspired to make beautiful things. -- Rosemary Hydes * Amazon Customer Review *Good clear instructions to a range of interesting and new patterns. -- Vicky Reynolds * Amazon Customer Review *I am a complete beginner when it comes to crafting with lace, but loved a lot of the project ideas in this book. There is 30 to choose from. There is a wonderful introduction at the beginning of the book, which was great for me as a beginner, which goes through all the tools like needles, pins and threads etc. It is recommended to invest in a basic sewing kit to begin with. There is also sections on bobbin lace basics, tatting basics, net darning, embroidery basics with easy to follow diagrams. I found the information quite easy to digest and quick to pick up the concepts paired with the diagrams. There is various templates for some of the projects at the back of the book. Not all of the projects would be things I would jump to make, but there is lots to choose from and some of the projects I particularly like are: Shirtwaist buttons (needle lace buttons) Fairy Wings Paper Lace Bowl Skeleton Leaf Fan I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in lace wanting to be inspired! -- Charlotte Geoghegan * Amazon Customer Review *Getting creative with lace is what this book is all about. There are 30 projects using lace, whether that be handmade, shop bought, vintage or scraps. The designs of each project in this book are both unusual and unique. I love the quirkiness that is incorporated in the projects and I think this adds to their beauty. It is well worth reading this book before you dive into any of the projects. There is a lot of information and the illustrations do help with the understanding of working with lace and lace making in general. There are templates included, and I just reading the stories about lace that is littered throughout the book. This interesting book is quite appealing, and whatever you think about lace in general be prepared to have a change of thought. -- Tracy Shephard * Postcard Reviews *Table of ContentsIntroduction 6 The basics 8 A basic sewing kit 10 Tools for making lace grounds 12 Bobbin lace basics 14 Preparing bobbins 14 Cross and twist braid 15 Cloth stitch 16 Whole stitch lace 19 Double whole stitch lace 24 Tatting basics 25 How to hold the needle 25 Making a double stitch 26 Making picots 26 Rings 27 Chains 27 Joining picots 27 Joining in new threads 27 Split rings 28 Net darning 29 Embroidery basics 31 Needlelace stitches 31 Drawn and pulled stitches 34 Freestyle embroidery 37 Found & made 38 Something old, something new 40 Visible mending 44 Fish motif 46 Little green fingers 50 Peggy-Sue 52 Shirtwaist buttons 56 On the button 60 Teneriffe lace 62 Wall hanging 66 Torchon headband 70 Rag doll Tattiana 72 Floating cloud 75 Fairy wings 78 Reimagined 82 Paper lace bowl 84 Low-sew lace bowls 87 Gold leaves 88 Moths to a flame 92 Shadow boxers 94 Shadow play: Black Queen 96 Red queen 100 Skeleton leaf fan 102 Lace impressions 106 Sailor boy 110 Twisted lace 112 Printed ephemera 114 Templates 118 Further reading 127 Index 128

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Book SynopsisExquisitely detailed and sumptuously worked, Michele Carragher’s embroidered art is breathtaking to behold. This comprehensive insight into her work guides you from her initial ideas, right through to the finished, astonishing pieces of work, collectively titled Trace. Rich in symbolism and drawing inspiration from throughout history, the book contains three created, embroidered artefacts: a lavish glove, jewelled bodice and Japanese-style hair pin. From these she extracts a narrative which becomes the basis for three embroidered artworks, exploring themes of human duality and our behavioural effects on society and the planet. The book begins with an immersive, exquisitely photographed gallery tour of all the pieces, showcasing Michele’s work in incredible detail. Following on from this, each artefact and artwork is discussed in detail, giving insight into the working process, creative choices and techniques used. Michele has worked for many years in the film and TV industry, including as Costume Embroiderer for HBO's Game of Thrones, and HBO's 2005 Emmy award winning production of Elizabeth I. The last chapter of the book features a selection of images from her inspiring catalogue of work.Trade ReviewScrumptious! That was the verdict when I showed this book to my ‘Beyond Stitch’ friends. This is not a ‘how to’ book. It’s a ‘wish I could’ book, according to my friend Jane, a book to delight and inspire and provide an escape from the news and the weather. There are many full-page photographs and close-ups which allow the reader to appreciate the work that has gone into the production of the pieces. I think the cover wins the ‘Best Cover of all Time’ award. Lots of details of the hummingbird shown are contained in the book. Most of us will be familiar with the materials that Michele uses but she gives us new insights into the effects we can achieve with them. The first fifty pages are mostly shots of three art pieces and, while there is a degree of repetition, it is useful to be able to view each piece from many angles. This section is followed by ‘The Artist’s Insight’ in which Michele describes how to find inspiration. She is a big fan of museums and I’m with her there. She says that with her costume work, she delves into the past to give her insight into a character’s background. Anyone who has seen her Game of Thrones costumes will know how well she succeeded. The next section of the book describes in detail three artefacts: a ‘gauntlet’, a stomacher and a hair ornament. The first of these is an Elizabethan-inspired jewelled and embroidered glove and I love the fact that she not only made the love but placed it on a beautiful background suited to the period. There are descriptions here of the process of making the glove, not step-by-step but sufficient for an avid stitcher to pick up lots of ideas. You will find many fascinating insets in this section of the book, describing how she has used these techniques for costumes in cinema and television series. The next piece described is a poor fallen robin with amazing wings formed using real feathers on a needle-felted base. ‘All That Glitters’ is a piece depicting a dappled glade with a marten’s head. There is a description of the techniques used. For instance, the use of a glided ‘cage’ placed over a base and covered with stitching, gives an amazing effect. For this Michelle uses traditional goldwork techniques, as you can see in this close-up photo. Her photos show the detail really well. Throughout the book, there are delightful little panels headed ‘Working Insights’ which tell stories about how she came to discover techniques used for particular series and pieces of work. There are further descriptions of pieces, all wonderful. The jewelled ‘skeletons’ of birds, shown below, deserve special mention and the delightful Kingfisher, shown on the cover, gives the reader the chance to explore, in close-up, the techniques used. A final section on costumes from the Game of Thrones series is the icing on the cake. All through writing this review, I was thinking of my late friend Jane Lemon who produced such amazing goldwork pieces. Although she could work to strictly traditional guidelines for her altar frontals, Jane’s ‘off-duty’ work and three-dimensional pieces were ahead of her time. Jane would have loved this book, just as much as I do. -- Maggie Grey * WOWBooks *Trace is a comprehensive insight into Michele’s work, it guides you from her initial ideas, right through to the finished, astonishing pieces of work, collectively titled Trace. Rich in symbolism and drawing inspiration from throughout history, the book contains three created, embroidered artefacts: a lavish glove, jewelled bodice and Japanese-style hairpin. From these she extracts a narrative which becomes the basis for three embroidered artworks, exploring the theme of duality. * Customer Review *Exquisitely detailed and sumptuously worked, Michele's embroidered art is breath-taking. This comprehensive insight into her work guides us from initial ideas to finished pieces. Michele has worked for many years in th film and TV industry, such as costume embroiderer for Games of Thrones and the Emmy award-winning Elizabeth I. The last chapter features images from her inspiring catalogue of work. -- Machine Knitting Monthly * Machine Knitting Monthly *What a gorgeous addition to any costumer or designers library! Exquisite photography. Michele walks you through her work with interesting detail. As a profession tambour beader and designer/seamstress for tv, film and live events let me assure you this book is a must have. -- Janet Gershenfeld * Amazon Customer Review *I love this beautifully illustrated and inspirational book. It made me immediately want to get get out my embroidery equipment! The book is divided into three sections. The first contains many stunning photographs of Michele's amazing artworks. The middle section is called "The Artist's Insight" and details the author's development of ideas and the creative process. I particularly enjoyed reading about the materials and methods used. The final section covers some of the fabulous TV and film costumes Michele has worked on, including the stunning Game of Thrones costumes. The whole book is beautifully illustrated and, I think, a "must have" for anyone interested in embroidery and costume. -- Beverley Chamberlain * Amazon *"WOW!" An exquisite coffee table book which you will pick up again and again, each time finding a new aspect to focus on. A book to give a little lift to your mood and stay in the memory. You may win the draw but it would be a very special Christmas gift. Even if you are not an embroiderer as an artist you will love this book. The photography of these unbelievable gorgeous embroideries is quite breathtaking, described as a gallery tour and obviously involved a great deal of thinking to achieve the final results. It features three lavish artefacts. A great deal of research went into producing each artefact, visiting museums and reading history to influence the final designs. The process is beautifully explained and a joy to read. Michele Carragher is a contributor to the exquisite costumes, made for the "Game of Thrones" and gives an insight into the conception and making of costumes for this popular series. All beautifully photographed. Each costume featuring the embroideries involved, plus a description of input from other very talented artists. I found the reading quite fascinating, leading me on to read more about the materials used to achieve such amazing results. This really is a very, very special book quite the most spectacular book we have ever had for our review. * International Journal of the Guild of Silk Painters *This book from beginning to end is full of stunning embroidery and excellent photography. Unusually it starts with a gallery of the artworks - All that glitters, Entropy and Conscience. These are beautifully photographed and show Michele's work in incredible detail; the more you look the more you see. Museums have been a source of research and inspiration for her work. Using this knowledge Michele explores the symbolism and context of artefacts in relation to their place in history and their relevance today. Unable to use original pieces she has created three artefacts The Hand, The Heart and The Head. Each of these is the centre of a tableau from which a narrative for the embroidered artworks develops. The artefacts and artwork are discussed in detail in the book. Every page contains excellent photographs which support the text that gives an insight into Michele's working process, her creative choices and techniques used. The descriptions that follow give an impression of the artefacts and artworks, which can only be appreciated by looking at the book. The Hand is a jewelled, embroidered glove from the Elizabethan period (1558-1603) sometimes referred to as ''The Golden Age'. At this time a beautiful gauntlet glove could symbolise a love token, an object to gain favour or to grasp power. The glove for this piece is of tan leather embellished with an embroidered cicada motif set in a stitched and beaded cuff; all worked in shades of brown, copper and turquoise. The glove is set above hexagonal tiles embroidered with flowers and moss. Three-dimensional flowers 'grow' from this base to the glove which is holding a dandelion seed head. As a contrast to the richness of the glove in the foreground of the tableau is a small fallen robin. From this artwork, All that glitters was developed. It has as its centre a golden jewelled marten's head. The eyes on the head are made from synthetic London blue topaz and as you look at them they seem to look back at you! A forest floor has been created from cutwork foliage, amongst this is nestled the head with three-dimensional cicadas and stitched sycamore seeds. Michele describes this marten's head as 'an ostentatious display of wealth, the trace left behind of a life lived and passed from one generation to the next; a self-serving inherited wealth.' If you look very carefully at the photographs of this piece you can see a bony spine - all that is left! The Heart artefact is a richly decorated stomacher on a corset of pale blue silk crepeline. Three jewelled bows that include small grey freshwater pearls, vintage sequins and Swarovski beads adorn the stomacher. The completed piece is suspended against a dark brown background over a blood-red carpet with very realistic created dead sparrows laying on it. Style and decoration on the stomacher suggest the great wealth of the French court which is a complete contrast to the sparrows; a scene evocative of the French Revolution. Entropy is the artwork that comes from The Heart. This is a complex piece of work well-conceived and executed. Red is the predominant colour; it is the colour of desire and blood. Against a background of the dark thunderous sky are two exotic birds. Each of these is half a bird needle felted with added stitch and feathers used for detail. Tiny red beads are added to the neck to represent the blood of the French Revolution. A stone heart is held by the birds surrounded by stitch and beads. The reverse of this scene is very different. Agaibst a blood-red background are two jewelled skeletal birds which have been made to fit inside the half birds but are displayed on their own. These birds symbolise how wealth stays with those who have it. Beaded and stitched fireworks enhance this scene. The idea of the French revolution is followed through in this piece as it is effectively in two pieces that reference the guillotine. The final artefact is a Japanese hairpin (kanzashi) which symbolises The Head. It is from the late 19th century and this was a time in which Japan was being influenced by the West and its traditional society and environment were changing. A kanzashi is a love token, Using mostly purple, browns and splashes of orange the centrepiece for this one is a beautifully embroidered three-dimensional butterfly that sits on top of jewelled flowers. The pin is displayed with the pin pushed into a frozen lake of embroidered organza against a dark fabric backdrop with more three-dimensional butterflies that look as if they are flying away from the pin. The tableau for The Head is dark and symbolises clouded vision and a loss of moral conscience. The development of ideas for the artwork Conscience continues the Japanese themes with Michele taking inspiration from the stitched layers of Boro textiles. This tableau is dark with a background of stitched layers to represent starlings in flight. A cleverly coloured base of Perspex with stitched outlines of sycamore leaves on organza form a deep dark lake. The central focus of this artwork is a kingfisher which appears to be coming from the lake. The bird is a vivid streak of colour against its dark surroundings and symbolises a brief movement of hope that impacts on one's conscience. This forms the cover of the book. The final section of the book looks at Michele's costume work. Again the photography of costumes and embroidered details is excellent. A wonderful range of design and styles from delicate ribbonwork and beaded flowers on dresses to heavier pieces that decorate armour can be seen on the Game of Thrones costumes. The close-up photographs make you appreciate Michele's talent for design and her skill as an embroiderer. Trace is a book with many layers. The initial inspiration and thought-provoking ideas, original creative designs resulting in exquisite embroideries are all brought to life with amazing photographs in this very-well presented book. Much of Michele's work is raised embroidery with more contemporary techniques. The book contains many ideas a keen embroiderer could try for themselves. It is a very original and refreshing book and needs time to read and enjoy the visual impact it has through its photographs. I enjoyed this book. It deserves a place on your coffee table to look at and admire the skill and talent of Michele Carragher before it gets lost on a bookshelf. -- Carol Winter * Book Threads *Table of ContentsThe artworks 6, All that glitters 8, Entropy 20, Conscience 40, Introduction 50, The artist’s insight 54, Artefact insight: the hand 56, Artwork insight: all that glitters 74, Artefact insight: the heart 88, Artwork insight: entropy 102, Artefact insight: the head 118, Artwork insight: conscience 126, My summary 134, Costume embroidery gallery 136, My history 138, Acknowledgements 174

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Book SynopsisPacked with key skills and friendly know-how, this essential guide is ideal for anyone taking their first steps into dressmaking. The latest title in Debbie Shore's Sewing Room Secrets series, this essential guide is packed with key skills and friendly know-how and is ideal for anyone taking their first steps into dressmaking. It covers the important basics such as: how to read and adjust a pattern; how to choose, mark and cut fabric; how to add zips, pockets and buttons; how to adapt old, misshapen or over-sized garments, and how to do some basic mending – all shown step-by-step. This book is a toolkit designed to equip you with all the dressmaking skills you need; it contains ten inventive projects for you to try your hand at using your own pre-loved clothes, and gives you all the knowledge you need to make your own clothes from scratch using the pattern of your choice.Trade ReviewI just adore Debbie Shore books. They are informative and give practical as well as technical advice. Perfect for the beginner but also ideal for the advanced sewist, Debbie Shore holds your hand and enables you to make a wearable and beautiful garment. This book is a brilliant addition to the collection, and if like me you collect them all, you will also know that they are the books that you frequently go to for your ideas and inspiration. Her tips are brilliant and the visuals are truly a help. There is no jargon with the instructions so you will know exactly what to do and what you need. -- Tracy Shephard * Amazon *If you're looking to develop your sewing and dressmaking skills, Debbie Shore's latest release is a perfect place to start. Her Sewing Room Secrets: Essential Skills for Dressmakers not only feature 10 projects to try your hand at, she also gives you tricks for altering and upcycling garments you already have in your closet. * Crafts Beautiful *Before opening this book, I expected it was going to be a beginner’s guide to working with commercial patterns. This is very useful, but there are quite a few of these already on the market, so what’s new with this one? A better description is that this is a beginner’s guide to making garments for the 21st century dressmaker. Not only does it give helpful tips for working with patterns, it also tells you how to upcycle clothes you already own or have bought from charity shops and how to make repairs. You don’t even have to buy your fabric from fabric stores. I was instantly hooked by all this. Starting from scratch is great, but what about all the resources already in existence? Looking after our planet should come first whatever we are doing, and this is very much a book for the modern, responsible crafter. The book starts by having a look at what tools and supplies you need to purchase before embarking on your new hobby. What machine feet and needles you require, sewing box basics and choosing a machine. Learn about fabrics and different types of interfacing as well as how to choose garments in charity shops for repurposing. Measure yourself, decode pattern terminology and learn the basic skills such as cutting out, pattern positioning, what symbols mean and fabric preparation. The rest of the book contains several projects that teach you more skills as you make them from putting in elastic to pockets, closures, and appliqué. Draft your own basic pattern for a loose-fitting kimono jacket, attach a skirt to a jumper and make a sweater dress, make a skirt from a man’s shirt, and use a length of cloth for a simple wrap skirt. Mend your own jeans and make a poorly fitting blouse fit by adding some darts. This is dressmaking with the lid blown off, freed from rules and too much reliance on brand new resources. I’m not a beginner but I have a lot to learn from this book. This book is highly recommended for anybody who wants to learn dressmaking the modern way. -- Rachel A Hyde * myshelf.com *Table of ContentsAbout this book 5 About me 6 my quick tips 7 dressmaking essentials 8 Tools & equipment 9 Fabrics 20 Fabric terminology 23 Interfacing 24 Threads 25 Dressmaking know-how 26 Pressing vs ironing 27 Measuring yourself 28 Choosing a pattern 31 Understanding pattern symbols 32 Cutting your pattern 34 Transferring pattern symbols 36 Cutting fabric 38 Making a toile 39 Machine stitches 40 Special stitches 42 Darts 43 Seams 44 Hems 46 Project Kimono Jacket 48 Bindings 50 Zips 52 Closures 57 Project Tunic Sweater Dress 60 Pockets 62 Project Shirt Skirt 64 Project Old to New Joggers 66 Shirring 70 Sewing elastic 71 Project Sweater Skirt 72 Project Wrap Skirt 74 Project Circle Skirt 76 Project Off-the-Shoulder Top 78 Appliqué 80 Project Child’s Shirt Dress and Headband 82 Project Batwing Dress 84 Make it fit 88 Mend it 92 Index 96

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Book SynopsisFrom around 1875 to 1950, Dutch fishermen wore sweaters with characteristic knit and purl stitch patterns, sometimes cable. These jerseys, known as ganseys, became an intrinsic part of the identity of the Dutchmen who wore them. Many of the children in these fishing families wore ganseys too, and numerous photos have been discovered in recent years of schoolchildren dressed in the knitwear seen on their fishermen fathers. Stella Ruhe returns with over 40 sweaters to knit from 30 different Dutch villages – this time, for your little ones to wear and ramble in. Based on the original designs shared by families and discovered in archives, Stella has created recreations of these historically important garments for our contemporary life that ooze classic style with modern minimalism. With these designs, you are offered not only a chance to pay homage to the women who lovingly knitted the jumpers and to share in a beautiful Dutch tradition, but also give something for your child to treasure for years to come. The sizes of the ganseys run from 1- to 14-years old, but can easily be adjusted to any child’s size by following Stella's straightforward measuring instructions in her chapter on knitting know-how. In the same chapter you learn that every gansey is a standard shape, meaning the beauty of each sweater is in the variation of pattern motifs and finishing details, which varies from village to village. In the gallery of knitting designs, each jumper is accompanied by knitting charts – the pattern repeat clearly shown for easy garment adjusting, a diagram of the jumper and styled, modern photography. With a wealth of fascinating background information and historical photos of the original designs alongside every design, this is an inspiring book for the ambitious knitter looking for unique, classic knitwear, and a brilliant read for anyone interested in craft, culture and heritage.Trade ReviewOver 40 sweaters for boys and girls are included in this very interesting book. Not only does this book give you several designs to knit, it also includes the history of the 'gansey' and the villages but also an insight of child labour, education and the life pre 1900. The traditional gansey is knitted with no seam, so double pointed needles will be needed. The amount of yarn needed depends on the size of the garment. The sweater sizes range in age from 1 to 14 years. The patterns are stunning, and all centred on the sea, boats and fishing. The modern photography alongside old photographs bring to life the days of then and the children of today. They merge together beautifully. The history of fishermen was most interesting, their way of life was hard and the small children on board the fisher boats had life even harder. A lot of research has gone into this book and it is a brilliant and intriguing read as well as a fabulous project book for knitters. -- Tracy Shephard * Postcard Reviews *These 40 sweaters are based on the classic jumpers of Dutch fishermen. They use original designs shared by families from 30 fishing villages and discovered in archives. Gansey sizes run from one to 14-years and each jumper has knitting charts, clear pattern repeats, diagrams and modern photos. It's a superb read for anyone interested in craft, culture and heritage. * Machine Knitting Monthly *If, like me, you enjoy knitting ganseys for small people (or even for grown-ups) and getting a buzz out of exploring the history behind what you knit, you will have great fun with this book. In addition to over 40 gansey patterns, there is a wealth of vintage photographs and information relating to children involved in the fishing industry in the Netherlands between 1860 and 1950, making this a really good read even if you never knit any of the patterns. Instead of detailed written instructions for each pattern Ruhe provides a generic description of the T-shape construction of Dutch ganseys, tips on choice of yarn, tension gauges, etc. and a charming description, with illustrations, of the cultural significance of common motifs and patterns. Instructions for each pattern include the particular size, measurements, suggested materials and a chart of the motif/pattern used. The colour scheme for the charts makes them easy to read. A comprehensive size chart is provided as part of the general knitting information, so it is easy to adapt the instructions to any age range. In addition to appealing to seasoned knitters, this book would be a good choice for fairly new knitters wishing to move to the next level of difficulty. The simple T-shape of ganseys and basic knit/purl motif construction lend themselves to projects for improving knitters. -- Gerry Pocklington * SlipKnot *Following her two books of adult patterns recreating authentic Dutch fishing ganseys, Stella Ruhe brings us more than 40 handsome, textured sweaters for children aged one to 14 years. Each charted design is accompanied by vintage photographs of the original piece, and fascinating historical details about the gansey knitting tradition in the Netherlands. * The Knitter *Table of ContentsForeword 4 The gansey 6 - Origin 8 - Knitting 9 - Designs and dating 10 - Work wear 10 - Practical sweaters 11 - Myths 12 - Boys and girls 12 Child labour and compulsory education 14 - Industrial revolution 15 - Protests 17 - Child protection laws 17 - Schooling and compulsory education 18 - The situation today 19 - Developing countries 19 Children in the fishing industry before and around 1900 20 - From father to son, from mother to daughter 22 - Social relations 23 - Poverty 25 - Food and drink 28 - Education 29 At Sea 30 - Fish culture 31 - On the luggers 32 - On the longliners 36 - Mental and physical well-being 38 - Food 38 - Besomming 39 - Stop box and clothing 39 Knitting 42 - Sagathy 44 - T-model 44 - Yarn types 45 - Amount of yarn 46 - Tools 46 - Techniques 46 - Sizing 47 - Stitches used 47 - Tension (gauge) 47 - Motifs and patterns 48 - Basic sizes 50 - Chart and sketch 50 - General knitting instructions for ganseys 51 - Knitting in the round 51 - Flat knitting 53 - General information 53 North SEa Coast 54 - Den Helder/Huisduinen 56 - Egmond aan Zee 58 - Zandvoort 60 - Noordwijk 62 - Katwijk 64 - Scheveningen 69 - Pernis 73 - Vlaardingen 76 - Zwartewaal 80 - Middelharnis 82 - Colijnsplaat 84 - Yerseke 86 - Arnemuiden 90 - De Paal 94 Major rivers 96 - Charlois 98 - Woudrichem 100 Wadden Sea Coast 104 - Terschelling 106 - Harlingen/Het Bildt/St. Jacobiparochie 108 - Wierum 112 - Paesens-Moddergat 114 Zuiderzee Coast 116 - Wervershoof/Medemblik 118 - Volendam 120 - Durgerdam/Ransdorp 123 - Bunschoten-Spakenburg 126 - Harderwijk 130 - Elburg 132 - Urk 134 - Lemmer 136 - Stavoren 138 - Workum 140 Word of Thanks 142 Credits 143

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Book SynopsisFill your home with original, professional art - and learn to paint at the same time. This innovative new series is a poster book, an art pad and a step-by-step painting book all rolled into one! Each of the five A3 posters are ready to pull out, frame and display. In addition, you can enjoy the calming pursuit of painting each of the pictures yourself using the pre-printed outlines - so no drawing required. The large, landscape format of the book allows each stage of painting to be clearly and comprehensively explained with an innovative annotation approach. Simply pull out the simple, stage-by-stage tutorial pages and pin them to your easel, then paint directly onto the watercolour outline for fantastic results. In this title, Country Scenes, learn to paint a range of inspiring landscapes: journey to a tranquil New Forest stream, a rolling Tuscan hillside and a snowy mountain river, and enjoy 5 masterclasses in landscape painting. Trade ReviewIf you have always wanted to try your hand at painting but don’t know where to start, Search Press has come up with an innovative solution with this new series. Inside this large format (A3) book are five sheets of watercolor paper with outlines printed on them plus fully illustrated tutorials and a brief overview. Work through the projects and you will have a set of five elegant landscapes for your walls. I love this idea; surely the best one yet that Search Press has come up with for total beginners. It keeps the budget down as you don’t have to buy the paper, just the relevant paints and brushes listed, plus primer to prime the paper and some masking fluid. There are even suggestions as to further economy such as using an old plate instead of buying a palette and using an old brush rather than buying a masking tape version. At this time of year you could imagine that this book plus a few of the necessary items would make a wonderful present for a would-be artist. Subjects include a river in winter, tranquil clearing with a church and bluebells, a summer stream, farm in Tuscany and my favorite scene of a meadow in spring with blossoms, trees and a stream. Each picture is shown full sized to give you an idea of what it can look like completed, although it suggests that you can use the outlines for your own interpretation too. Instructions are in color and show up to four stages of the relevant painting with arrows to short sections of text telling you what to do next. This is a good approach to a practical task and eliminates ploughing through pages of text and encourages you to get on with the actual painting. You don’t even have to stick to watercolors, as these pictures can also be completed using pastels, colored pencils or acrylics. At the front there are tips on priming, using masking fluid and how to use the book. It is also ideal as a refresher course or for anybody who can already paint but wants to try a new medium, or a new subject. In short, I can recommend this new series to anybody who wants to have a go at painting without too much startup expense but plenty of foolproof instructions. More titles please! If landscapes aren’t your thing or you still have some blank walls to fill, the other title in the series is Flowers. This follows exactly the same pattern with five floral studies of tulips, irises, sunflowers, roses and poppies. ISBN:9781782217558. -- Rachel Hyde * myShelf.com *Search Press's new series, Paint Pad Poster Books offer a poster book, art pad and step-by-step painting book all in one. Country Scenes shows you how to paint landscapes, and each of the five pull-out A3 posters can be framed and displayed. The stage by stage tutorial pages can also be pulled out so that you can access the information easily, painting directly onto the watercolour outline for quick and satisfying results. The landscapes include the River Esk, a blossom meadow, the short cut tutorial, farm in Tuscany and New Forest Stream. * Leisure Painter, March 2020 *Table of Contents- Introduction to the book and some general instructions - 5 pull-out posters - River Esk tutorial - Blossom Meadow tutorial - The Short Cut tutorial - Farm in Tuscany tutorial - New Forest Stream tutorial - 5 ready-to-paint outlines on watercolour paper

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Book SynopsisNapkins add a touch of elegance and sophistication to your dining table and this book is a wonderful source of inspiration to help you decorate and customize your home with taste and creativity. Napkins are functional as well as decorative, and there are 40 imaginative designs to choose from, each explained through clear, step-by-step instructions and illustrations. There are folds to suit every occasion from a smart dinner party to a family barbecue, weddings, picnics and more. Gain all the skills, techniques and expertise you need to create stunning, contemporary table decorations to a professional standard.Trade ReviewEvery time I go to a fancy restaurant or event, I always admire the beautifully folded napkins. Well... now I can re-create the designs at home for myself. I always thought they were difficult to achieve, but with a bit of practice and patience, this book shows the techniques required to fold and tease the napkin into something simple, delicate or even a bit more adventurous. 40 folded napkins are created. Every event is catered for and there is one for every mood. I discovered there is also something mindful about folded fabric, I loved the learning process and this is a book that makes it easy. Functional and decorative, these creations are a work of art. -- Tracy Shephard * Postcard Reviews *Good variety of ideas and the instructions and diagrams are really clear. You really can't go wrong. -- Heather Haigh * Amazon Customer Review *This book is just bursting with ideas! The instructions are easy to follow with colour photos and clear diagrams. There's a napkin for just about every occasion and they look fabulous. -- Jen J English * Amazon Customer Review *Napkins add a touch of elegance to a dining table. Each of the 40 designs includes step-by-step instructions and illustrations. Create stunning table decorations to a professional standard, especially at Christmas. * Machine Knitting Monthly *Table of ContentsIn all simplicity 4 Fold it flat 6 Pretty points 8 Cutlery pouch 12 Cravat points 16 Flat knot 18 All tied up 20 A touch of romance 22 Chic wallet 24 Precious star 28 A must-have 30 Evening wear 40 Lipstick 44 So glamorous 48 Square fold 50 An elegant twist 54 Small talk 56 Minimalist 60 Pretty in pleats 64 Rising star 68 Love hearts 74 Pretty heart 76 Hearts uplifted! 80 Heart strings 82 A good heart 84 Oriental style 88 Fan 90 Chopsticks 92 Kimono 96 Sash style 102 Furoshiki 104 In the garden 106 Lotus flower 108 Tulip 112 Rosebud 114 The beating of wings 116 Acanthus leaf 124 City chic 126 Special delivery 128 Open book 132 Pocket square 136 Dressed for dinner 140 Business lunch 144 Sea air 146 Small fry 148 Double knot 154 Hoist the flag 156 Ahoy there! 158 Acknowledgements 160

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Book SynopsisEmbroidered Birds and their Habitats explores the author’s fascination with birds and the ways they interact with their surroundings. The book is divided into three parts: Part 1 covers the basic requirements of what the reader needs, including design requirements, embroidery materials and additional equipment. It also includes a section on research and choosing a suitable bird and its habitat, and information on drawing up a design related to the bird and its placement in the wider landscape. Part 2 explores processes and techniques used in designing and working more complicated elements through two projects. These guide the reader through the entire process, from inspiration through to working design. The reader learns techniques for layering the background and stitching; picking up all the skills and techniques needed to complete a hand-stitched, low-relief panel. This includes elements embroidered both on- and off-frame. Part 3 includes further examples of the author’s embroideries, and drawn designs that could be used in future works. This section also includes information on finishing the work (mounting and framing), a stitch glossary, reference section and acknowledgements.Trade ReviewEmbroidered Birds and their Habitats is divided into three parts, Part one covers the basics for getting started, from choosing a suitable bird to how to draw up the design. Part two takes a look at the processes and techniques involved in creating your own designs. Part three showcases examples of the author's own work. Plus there's info on finishing and framing, a stitch glossary and a handy reference section. * Stitch *Beautiful birds, no complicated jargon or ‘impossible’ stitches. It’s a great book, no complicated jargon or ‘impossible’ stitches, with clear and concise guidance throughout. The book covers so much more than how to embroider birds, it walks you through everything needed to create your own artwork. The author’s love of birds and nature is reflected throughout the book – the birds shown are native to Australia however this in no way detracts from its use. It’s hard to choose a favourite embroidered bird from the book although the Forest Kingfishers (page 15) are so striking, and the colouring and texture of the tree branch and Grey Strike Thrush (page 50) is amazing. If you like birds and nature you will love this book. -- Mandy Strahand * Customer Review *I was particularly interested in this book as I love nature, the seasons, garden birds and also love embroidery. I was attracted by the front cover that immediately grabbed my attention and I was not disappointed. The format was very clear, beautiful photographs, clear instructions with useful advise and tips throughout. There was information how to research habitats, useful resources and how to draw and get started. I particularly found this informative as I am a beginner with drawing and has given me confidence to try. I watch my garden birds every day. I would consider this book for an advanced level however I know all the embroidery stitches in the stitch glossary and how to build the picture is very clearly explained. I loved the idea to create a stitch sampler and will definitely do this. I highly recommend this book, it is beautifully researched and designed, very inspirational and will be an invaluable reference book. -- Margaret Hitchins * Customer Review *Beautifully produced, this book focuses on hand embroidery rather than machine, which makes a refreshing change. There are chapters on how to sketch out your composition and design your project, with ideas for utilising photos as an aid. Samples of finished work are scattered throughout, rather than just at the end which I really liked. There are hints and tips on choosing fabric to enhance your work. Then come three very detailed projects, again interspersed with stitch ideas for the birds and habitats, full of photos, text and diagrams. So comprehensive that following a project through would be like a private workshop with the author. Finally, there's a section on framing up your work, examples of finished work and a stich guide complete with diagrams. I really do love this book, which I received for review, and can't wait to try some of the techniques. It's a joy! -- Christi Poulsom * Customer Review *Are you fascinated by birds? Embroiderer Judy Wilford was too. Choose your favourite bird, learn about its habitat and draw up a working design. Get inspired by two completed projects and discover how to layer and stitch your own background. There's even a section on how to mount and frame your pieces. * Sew Magazine, April 2023 *Table of ContentsPART I - Overview of embroidery Introduction 6 Equipment and materials 10 Resource and research 20 Design 28 The order of work 50 PART II - Projects and techniques A Brief Flash of Red – Red-browed firetail finch 56 The Nestlings – Rose Robin 100 Natural elements of a landscape 118 PART III - Inspiration and reference Studio folios 128 Finishing the work 142 Master works 148 Stitch glossary 154 Bibliography 159 Index 160

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