Search results for ""Search Press""

Colour Demystified will banish the all-too-common confusion over the watercolour palette and give painters the confidence to experiment with colour mixing. This book demystifies colour, and helps artists understand how colour works in a highly visual way through the use of colour charts accompanied by examples, practical exercises, and analyses of watercolour paintings. Numerous artworks by a variety of contemporary artists are featured in the book, covering a broad range of subjects and palettes. Topics such as granulation, iridescence, staining strength, and transparent and opaque colours are explained clearly and simply, and there is practical guidance on colour relationships, using colour to create space, and how to be more creative with colour. Armed with a clearer understanding of colour and how it looks and behaves on paper, artists will be encouraged to be more bold and creative in their use of colour in their art.

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A beginner's step-by-step guide to creating beautiful silver jewellery. Silver Jewellery Making is a practical beginners’ guide to making silver jewellery. Seven step-by-step projects guide you through the core skills and techniques that will enable you to progress to making your own beautiful jewellery. The tried-and-tested projects have been developed by Machi and Janet, who have over 40 years of industry experience teaching others this amazing craft. The emphasis is on teaching good practice and acquiring the basic techniques and skills to give the reader a solid basis for developing their jewellery-making capabilities. Tools are introduced for each individual project, and their uses and correct handling explained. Troubleshooting tips explain how to overcome common problems that may arise. At the end of each project, there are examples of how the skills gained can be used to make other items. The book is perfect for those who wish to start jewellery making either on their own or as a supplement to beginners’ classes.

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Who 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.

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Adding 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.

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15 exciting, contemporary gingerbread projects! Traditional gingerbread goodies are given the modern treatment in this delectable book featuring 15 projects to make, eat or display. Sandra Monger is full of terrific ideas for gingerbread projects, from the traditional Christmas house, decorative gingerbread tiles and wreaths to a Norwegian kransekake delicately crafted from rings of gingerbread. The pièce de résistance is Sandra's gingerbread-embellished wedding cake, which will no doubt prove a show-stopper for any budding baker. If you're looking for some quick bakes Sandra's got you covered as it's also packed with fun gingerbread biscuits such as sharing squares, snowflake cookies and cookie favours. Make perfect treats to slip into lunch boxes, serve up to friends at tea, give as gifts or show off as your holiday centrepiece. There are recipes for traditional, coloured and vegan gingerbread. All the projects included in the book are accompanied by full-size templates.

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The blank page can be daunting, but 10 Step Drawing: Flowers offers an easy jumping-off point for any doodler to be creative. Featuring illustrated tutorials for drawing 75 irresistible flowers – from exotic wildflowers, to aquatic flora, garden posies and beautiful succulents – every image is fun and easy to replicate in ten simple steps using just a pen and paper. Handy prompts help the reader without giving them dry, prescriptive instructions, and every flower has its own distinctive character. 10 Step Drawing: Flowers is sure to encourage even the most nervous amateur artist to dust off their pen and doodle. Other titles in the series: 10 Step Drawing: Animals.

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Vivienne Cawson's luminous painting style and considered use of flat or patterned backgrounds gives her work a contemporary, beautiful feel all of its own. Published in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, as a celebration of their annual Orchid Festival, this stunning book teaches you how to paint a selection of orchids in watercolour. The book contains a thorough techniques section that guides you through Vivienne's decision-making, colour-matching and painting process. It teaches you how to capture form with speed and confidence, practise painting different leaves, flowers, and roots and create different textures with paint. The book contains exercises that will hone your skills and encourage your artistic intuition, followed by three complete step-by-step projects that feature a range of flowers in wild and still-life settings. The paintings feature touches of watercolour pencil and crayon, along with panels of gouache, which complement the delicate watercolours. The book is interspersed with images from the Kew Art Collection, showcasing the rich variety and beauty of this much-loved family of flowers.

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A new, up-to-date edition of the popular and comprehensive encyclopedia on knitting techniques by professional knitwear designers Lesley Stanfield and Melody Griffiths. Whether you're picking up the knitting needles for the first time, or want to learn new techniques to add to your repertoire, this encyclopedia has something for everyone! The Encyclopedia of Knitting Techniques is a comprehensive guide to basic and advanced knitting techniques, designs and styles. Containing more than 200 step-by-step instructions, charts, tips and examples of completed works, this fully illustrated guide is perfect for both beginners and seasoned crafters.

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This sumptuous and inspiring book, written by needlework expert Trish Burr and created in association with The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is a stunning, contemporary guide to embroidering flowers. All the reusable iron-on transfers needed are kept safely together with the book in an attractive hardback folder. Focusing mainly on long-and-short stitch and Trish's delicate, considered use of silk shading, the book contains all the clearly-illustrated stitches needed, and gives thorough advice on preparation and choosing fabrics and threads – including a handy thread conversion chart. The embroideries are reworkings of botanical artworks from Kew's Art Collection. There is one 'starter' project to encourage readers to try out the techniques, one large sampler containing 18 small elements that can be worked individually or as a group, and nine further projects – including a striking spider chrysanthemum, an elegant waterlily and an opulent magnolia. All the projects are shown step-by-step, with an order of work diagram given where appropriate. The enclosed reusable iron-on transfer papers offer embroiderers a fast and accurate method of transferring the designs - the transfers simply need ironing on to fabric so that the reader can start embroidering straight away. The templates are also included at full size at the back of the book. This stunning yet practical book is a must-have for anyone interested in capturing flowers in thread.

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This delightful book from best-selling author and knitting designer Sue Stratford provides patterns for 21 charming birds for you to knit. Featuring beautifully clear colourwork charts that make patterns super-easy to follow, you'll be amazed at how quickly and easily you can create your own flock of characterful knitted birds. Whether you choose a seagull, puffin, flamingo, bullfinch or parakeet, your bird will take on a personality all of its own and no sooner will you finish one than you'll want to start on another little feathered friend to keep it company. As well as the birds themselves, there are ideas for how to display them, and at the end of the book are instructions for a hanging nest, a felt nest box, branches, flowers and leaves, in addition to all the templates you need to make them.

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Embroidery 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.

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Papercutting 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.

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This 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.

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This 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!

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Hand-stitched Landscapes and Flowers is a beautiful exploration of the potential of embroidery in depicting the natural world. Katrina Witten, who is a regular on crafts channel Hochanda, uses no more than six simple stitches for each embroidery, plus delicate embellishments and an array of techniques and fabrics to portray pastoral scenes of fields, flowers and creatures with eye-catching three-dimensional effects. There are ten detailed projects to try, depicting, among others, a hedgerow, a bluebell-emblazoned woodland, sunflowers, a poppy field and a summer scene of buddleia, butterflies and bees.

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Learn how to use traditional watercolour techniques to produce beautiful, contemporary paintings that are full of light, colour and life. Packed with inspirational finished paintings and step-by-step projects, this engaging book teaches you how to use watercolours in their purest form, without the addition of any other media, to create art that has a radiancy and luminosity that cannot be achieved in any other way.

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Anna Mason’s vibrant, detailed and uplifting watercolours have earned her worldwide recognition. In this, her second book, she goes beyond flowers to explore her inspirations from across the natural world, including fruit, birds and animals. The book gives you a very personal insight into Anna’s way of working; with clarity and warmth she will help you find inspiration, choose scale and composition, see things correctly and work with discipline and flow until you produce fabulous work of your own. Packed with advice and inspiring finished pieces, this gorgeous book guides you through her method of working with four beautiful step-by-step projects: a blackberry, an autumn leaf, a sunflower and a garden bird. Each project contains a traceable outline. The book is suitable for beginners or for more experienced artists looking to refine their style or try new techniques.

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Leading 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.

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30 easy-to-make, stylish decorations all made from felt. The book includes templates, a comprehensive techniques section, guide to embroidery stitches and beautiful hand-drawn illustrations to accompany every project. The fabulous projects include mug hugs, hanging decorations, seasonal decorations, pillows, ornaments, wall-organisers, brooches, children’s toys and much more.

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The 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.

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Nothing is more adorable than a tiny pair of mittens for a new baby – and now you can knit your own for family and friends with these irresistible designs. Inside are 20 patterns in a range of colours and styles for boys and girls, from traditional stripes and cables to whimsical rabbits, frogs and ladybirds. Each design can be knitted in three different sizes suitable for 0-3, 3-6 and 6-12 month-old babies, with the option of including thumbs in the largest size. The patterns use small amounts of either baby- or fingering-weight yarn, and knit up quickly and easily using the clear, step-by-step instructions and full-colour charts provided. Each project comes with a list of the yarns and needles required and a stunning, full-colour photograph of the finished mittens, providing everything you need to create these gorgeous handmade gifts for babies.

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It can be difficult to find bag designs that really inspire you: you might want the shape and pockets of one combined with the size and handles of another. But how do you put all these different elements together to create your perfect bag? Let sewing superstar Debbie Shore equip you with all the techniques you need to create 12 beautiful, customizable projects, and then show you how to apply these techniques and ideas to create your own unique designs. The projects are wide-ranging, giving you plenty of ideas and techniques to try out, including a large, square-bottomed beach bag, a zipped, curved-top shoulder bag, an oilcloth tote, a pleated cosmetic bag, and a three-pocket cross-body bag with a magnetic fastener. Learn how to complete a range of techniques, from adding piping and making eyelets to inserting zips, adding handles and straps and creating a square bag base. What you create next is up to you! Mix and match techniques, fabrics and ideas to create a truly personal bag. All the techniques and stitches you need are clearly explained, and the projects can all be made on a basic sewing machine. The book is packed full of Debbie’s friendly help and advice, with all the projects shown using clear step-by-step photography and easy-to-follow instructions.

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Teddy bears are an iconic symbol of childhood. They are often our first and best-loved toys right through to adulthood, often passed on to our own children to enjoy. This beautifully illustrated, comprehensive guide takes you into the magical world of teddy bear making and shows you how to create your own traditional bear to hand down through the generations. The book begins with a short history of the teddy bear, followed by detailed information on tools, materials and essential bear-making techniques. There's guidance on finding design inspiration, and three complete step-by-step projects to get you started. There's then detailed guidance on how to create different eyes, ears, noses and mouths to give your bear a unique personality, and sewn outfits to dress them in. The book ends with notes on care and repair, ensuring your treasured creation will last a lifetime.

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The Embroiderers' Guild was founded in 1906 and has in its collection embroideries from all over the world. These wonderful works, which somehow survived through the ages, could be said to be one of the most important group of embroideries assembled in one place. Stitched pieces and fragments and were gathered together by early members of the Guild and inserted into portfolios that were circulated among members. Nature has always been a huge source of inspiration to embroiderers and this fantastic book showcases the Embroiderers' Guild's huge collection of embroidered flowers through the ages. Featuring full-colour photographs , items are shown in full and also with detail images to show off the flowers at their best. These wonderful embroidered treasures are as varied as wall hangings, children's dresses, bridal bags and samplers, some of which date back to the 17th century. The images are shown with extended captions. Collected from many different countries, this is an opportunity to see fabulous works that are very rarely seen in public.

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This title is the third in the successful theme-based Stitched Textiles series. It contains a comprehensive techniques section, six beautiful step-by-step projects and galleries of inspirational pieces that are vibrant, contemporary, and beautifully executed. Very much aimed at the contemporary textile artist, this beautiful book is designed to inspire and encourage and contains all the information a beginner needs. Birds are an enduring theme in art and textile work and this book will appeal to any textile artist interested in exploring their design possibilities. It features a range of birds including much-loved garden blackbirds, characterful chickens, cute and curious puffins and cheeky seagulls. Fresh and innovative in its approach, it covers the design process itself, from inspiration to final design, and provides information on the materials used and step-by-step demonstrations of a whole range of techniques including dyeing, using dissolvable fabric, using found objects, piecing and stitching.

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Want to learn how to crochet? Make a granny square! The simple techniques have lasted for decades and now they are trendier than ever. With endless colour and size variations, creating these squares is fun and easy. They can be used like building blocks and combined with other squares to make original projects and gifts or used to embellish larger items. This book will show you how to create twenty different squares, including flower patterns, interpreted in different colours and yarns to create a kaleidoscope of effects. Also included are projects that show you how to make the squares into a simple baby blanket, arm warmers, a purse, a pin cushion, a mug cosy and a stylish pair of boot toppers. DMC yarns as well as fancy yarns are used, all of which are readily available, and both US and UK crochet abbreviations are used throughout.

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A detailed and practical guide focusing on the traditional methods of icon painting and its rich history. With all you would ever want to know, from the materials you need and how to prepare a panel to adding inscriptions and finishing off. Part of the icon’s symbolism is transmitted in the techniques used to create it and this is explored throughout, with in depth information, step-by-step demonstrations, invaluable advice and many superb examples of finished icon paintings.

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Where do you find inspiration for an abstract painting? How do you start? What materials should you use? Are composition and perspective important? These questions and others are answered in detail in this impressive book, with a clarity that guarantees success. Whether you want to purely abstract your ideas, thoughts and feelings into colour and mood, or whether you want to base your pictures on subjects that interest you, such as landscapes, flowers, or music, you will find much to guide and fascinate you here. Rolina van Vliet is an enthusiastic teacher, and she offers a brilliant insight into what makes good paintings, with 50 stunning projects, each accompanied by expert tips and a full palette of exciting and fun techniques. With help on what materials to use and how to use them, she includes many photographs illustrating different ways to create smooth, textured, collaged, vibrant, powerful and atmospheric abstract art. Beginners will love the way Rolina encourages experimentation - there are no rules, and more experienced artists will find much here to inspire them.

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Dogs can be a pleasure to draw, whether they are dignified, elegant, cute or scruffy. Suzie Hodges shows you how to capture the character of a great selection of popular dog breeds. This delightful introduction to drawing dogs completely demystifies the drawing process. It shows how images can be built up easily, from initial geometric shapes right through to the finished animals. Susie Hodges includes a good selection of popular breeds and she uses a helpful two colour method that clearly shows every line and curve of the step-by-step pictures. Even absolute beginners will find themselves creating great drawings when they use this book and there is much to inspire more experienced artists too. An invaluable guide for anyone interested in this subject.

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Susanna Wallis demonstrates how to create wonderful pictures and three-dimensional objects using wool and simple needle felting techniques. Learn how to make charming cards, pictures, jewellery, a bird and even a figure from wool.

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Explore the world of Bobbin Lace with this book, which takes you through simple Torchon ground pieces to scarves, purse and bags. Bobbin lace may look complicated when you see a pillow set up with dozens of bobbins, but it will seem far less daunting when you realise that only four bobbins (two pairs) are in use at any one time, and there are only two moves – twist and cross – that you can do. While the basic lace stitches are common to all types of bobbin lace, different lacemaking traditions developed different ways of putting these stitches together. Bruges lace, for example, uses less than a dozen pairs of bobbins and a relatively coarse thread to create curved braids and flower-like motifs which are linked to form the fabric; on the other hand point ground laces, such as Chantilly or Bucks Point, are worked from one end to the other in fine silk or cotton and may need a hundred pairs or more.

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Make 20 stunning flowers and floral arrangements in felt.

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A collection of vintage-inspired floral designs to embroider, love and cherish.

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Make 20 beginner friendly works of rock art - all you need is paint, a brush and a pebble!

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Packed with everything you need to know about creating super-sweet chibis, this step-by-step guide contains 40 ultra-cute figures and animals, bursting with personality and fun. Each of the step-by-step sequences includes a basic line-work drawing you can copy, scan or trace, so that even the complete beginner can get started straight away. Learn the basic styling and simple visual tricks you need to create this ultra-cute world; discover how to simplify and exaggerate, how to draw out the distinctive elements that will make your figures unique; and discover how to create a collection of lively characters, small in size but big in personality!

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Crochet Peter Panda and his amigurumi friends: 10 quirky animals to brighten your day.

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Tunisian crochet has experienced a great revival in recent years – a surge in popularity that is showing no signs of slowing down. Anna Nikipirowicz outlines a wide variety of new and unique stitches in this beautifully produced reference work. This Tunisian crochet stitch collection offers classic and new stitches, designed to keep needlecrafters of all skill levels occupied for years to come. Tunisian crochet produces a fabric that is similar to a knit but worked on a hook. It’s a lot quicker, combining the best of knitting and crochet, creating a dense, durable fabric. Packed with 150 stitches for beginner and intermediate to advanced, you can start with basic stitches which are organized into themed sections. With actual-size swatches, you can see straight away if you are getting it right. It also includes charts and step-by-step photo instructions. The Tunisian Crochet Stitch Dictionary is designed to get crochet fans discovering new stitches and creative ways of working crochet.

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Capture the spirit of a cosy Nordic Christmas with eleven crocheted decorations to create. Nordic Christmas Crochet is a mix of classic and modern-style Christmas decorations, based on the simple, natural, Nordic aesthetic that characterises Krea Deluxe, the company owned by Heidi and Pia, the authors. The book is full of beautiful, styled photographs of the crocheted decorations in situ on a Christmas tree, in the window and around the home, all the time giving a very personal touch to the festive season. Each project is accompanied by clear instructions, and templates and diagrams are also included to aid the reader in the creation of these exquisite embellishments, which include: stars, drums, pennants, birds, mistletoe and Christmas trees.

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Create 24 stunning festive decorations – all made using simple macramé knots and 100 per cent recycled materials. Start by learning 24 key knots and 8 beautiful patterns, all shown clearly using step-by-step photography. Key safety advice is given, as well as helpful tips for working with large pieces of macramé, knotting from an irregular-shaped support and keeping an even tension. The 24 projects range from stunning tree and table decorations, to statement wreaths, charming gift tags and cute garlands – perfect to create a stylish, cosy Christmas at home, or to give away as enviable gifts! Each project clearly explains which knots to use, the difficulty level, how long the project will take, and photographs of the steps are provided as necessary. The projects are easy to follow, genuinely desirable and, best of all, really simple to make!

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This is origami at its most simple and elegant. With a special focus on photographic step-by-step instructions, this book makes it easy to create over 50 different paper projects, from sea lions to sailing boats. Detailed illustrations show exactly how and where to place your hands at every step and projects are given a difficulty rating for ease of reference. Simply follow the diagrams and watch origami creations of all kinds come to life at your fingertips. Brought to you from the Parisian boutique of Adeline Klam, this book is full of beautiful designs, fun toys, useful tips and paper surprises of every shape and size.

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This is a clear, comprehensive guide to colour mixing in the three most popular mediums: watercolour, acrylics and oils. This portable, pocket-sized companion introduces simple colour theory and colour wheels, with templates provided so that readers can paint their own. The Colour Mixing Companion then shows the reader how to mix the perfect colour in all three mediums through a vast array of swatches and explanations of colour relationships. There is vividly illustrated guidance on complementary, warm and cool colours, tone, using a limited palette, dull and bright colours and factoring in local colour, followed by an array of essential colour mixes using widely available paints. The Colour Mixing Companion is a beautifully presented and practical guide to understanding and mixing colours; artists from beginners to more experienced painters will find this a handy, comprehensive guide. The contents of this book have been compiled and refreshed from the hugely popular Colour Mixing Guides, which have sold 40k copies globally.

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'This is botanical illustration at the highest level.' – The Artist Christabel King is the foremost botanical artist at the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, world leaders in the study and preservation of plant species. Here she shares her passion for depicting plants, both in scientific illustrations and in looser botanical art. This inspiring guide covers everything you need to know: choose a subject and create a vibrant composition; accurately sketch, shade and colour leaves, flowers, cacti and more; finally, press and preserve your own treasured specimens. A chapter on travel drawing gives a flavour of the author's worldwide experience, and there are many of her beautiful plates from the prestigious Curtis's Botanical Magazine. There is a helpful section on suitable subjects for beginners and a glossary of terms, to get you started in the beautiful art of botanical illustration.

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From best-selling author and crafting queen Claire Gelder, this gorgeous mini guide is packed full of knitting know-how, practical illustrations and comes with four simple projects. Perfect for complete beginners, Claire clearly explains everything you need to know about knitting: how to read a ball band, how to get tension correct, how to choose needles and yarns, how to cast on and how to read abbreviations and knitting patterns. It is structured as a simple three-step course that will help you progress from bronze to gold as your skills and confidence grow. Start with the basic stitches and simple joining, build up a few more stitches for your collection, then finally add in some simple shaping and some pompoms. Before you know it you'll be knitting a garter stitch scarf, herringbone stitch blanket, a loop stitch cushion and a pompom hat. Filled with positive affirmations and beautifully illustrated, this wonderful book is a perfect introduction to knitting for a complete beginner.

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This charming book contains 25 characterful little birds to crochet in amigurumi style! These cute and colourful tiny birds, including a peacock, swan, owl, toucan, penguin, flamingo and even a mini egg, can be crocheted with small amounts of yarn and are perfect for using up your stash. Each of the little fun birds can be used as keychains, baby mobiles, bag pendants or simply to make and collect! Clear and easy-to-follow crochet techniques and diagrams make it easy to get started.

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These are definitely not your usual granny squares! Bursting with colour and ingenuity, these exciting and adventurous crocheted blocks, designed by Celine Semaan and Leonie Morgan, will really get your creativity flowing. With more than 40 bright and contemporary designs, blocks are the best way to try out new stitches and colour combinations. There are also four gorgeous projects showing you how to combine your granny squares into larger items, including a blanket, cushion and wall hanging. A useful colour section will help you to select fabulous colour combinations, and all the granny square patterns have written instructions, charts and photos showing the stitch detail.

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If you want to draw dogs but don’t know where to start, this is the book for you! 10 Step Drawing: Dogs will help you turn simple shapes into beautiful dog drawings in just ten steps. Each drawing starts with easy, geometric shapes and simple guide lines, and the dogs are drawn in a variety of poses that typify the particular breed. Each drawing includes a helpful colour palette so readers can easily find the right colours to finish their drawing. There are even instructions for adding simple details to give each creature its own personality.

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Create sweet and memorable gifts for your lucky giftees, and crochet 20 adorable amigurumi-inspired covers for all their chocolate treats! In this delightful little project book, crochet a whole array of cute cozies to suit even the trickiest of recipients – from a happy snowman and a cheeky monkey through to a smiley stegosaurus and a graceful kokeshi doll. There are three different cozy sizes to choose from – a larger one for orange-sized chocolate treats, a medium-sized cover for small chocolate eggs, and a tiny cover for bite-sized goodies such as truffles and round, hazelnut-filled confectionery. The cozies require very little yarn and are quick to make, perfect for last-minute scrap-busting presents. These are wonderful petite gifts to crochet for any festivity – birthday parties, Easter, Christmas, Halloween and more.

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From the authors of Needle Felting for Beginners, awarded BEST CRAFT BOOK in The Craft Business Awards 2021. The Woolly Felters – Roz Dace and Judy Balchin – bring you another fun-packed needle felting book, this time with dolls that are vibrant, quirky and full of character! Learn how to sculpt fairies, kawaii characters, a royal family, and even yourself or your friends. There are ten varied projects, each with needle felted clothing, hair and accessories. Roz and Judy provide practical ideas for designing your own dolls, familiarizing you with the basic doll to get you started and including an accessible 'help me' section for reference. Techniques like creating an inner core, working with a partial or full armature and both wet and dry felting are also covered. The dolls have a range of props such as a bag, spectacles, a toy rabbit, and even an armchair for Knitting Nigel to sit in! What makes these dolls so appealing is the expression and character they exude, and the authors show you how to capture this. Learn how to create realistic figures or more exaggerated caricatures, as well as how to inject personality through your choice of features, hairstyle, embellishments and pose! Enjoy mastering this beguiling craft under the expert instruction of two award-winning authors.

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