Crafts and Decorative arts

Master furniture craftsman Craig Vandall Stevens takes you from novice to advanced woodworker with this illustrated guide to marquetry, a technique where different colors of wood veneers are carefully cut to fit precisely together, forming a single sheet of veneer.Explore your creative potential and learn the essential elements of marquetry: using a fret saw, sawing your own veneers from solid woo

With a fascinating variety of American Indian rings from the southwestern United States shown in more than 350 color photos, this book provides a design history of these rings, beginning with pre-contact artifacts and continuing through to contemporary artistic innovations. The text surveys key developments in Native American ring design; materials and methods of construction; definitions for hist

This new reference book examines the common features of quilts made by the Amish in America and the Welsh in Britain. More than 90 images show colorful combinations and design repertoire that provide a possible cross-cultural link. Today Amish quilts are seen both as an art form and a symbol of the values they hold near and dear: controlled order, simplicity of design, and discreet ornamentation.

This comprehensive, technical guide offers the distiller pretty much everything there is to know about distilling fruit brandies. Raw materials, fermentation, mashing, alcohol determination, clarifying and filtering, and storage are all presented in great detail through text, diagrams, and photos. Each and every aspect of distilling is presented, including timing, yields, detecting distillation er

Crackle is a surprisingly versatile weave structure with exciting design potential. This book offers a comprehensive explanation of drafting the crackle weave structure and weaving classic crackle. Tools and tips for independent designing add extra depth to your study of crackle. Explore crackle’s flexibility with a myriad of treadling variations, including an in-depth discussion of polychrome tec

For the first time, a book has been written that explains all the tools and techniques necessary for successfully building models with brass. The detailed text is illustrated with over 320 color photos.

Patchwork is a fascinating technique and this new method takes away the fear of “cutting away” without a ruler, using a rotary cutter freely and naturally! After an introduction to free-form cutting, you will learn about the approaches and various scopes of design for free-form strip piecing, the log cabin pattern, and the carpet pattern. Quickly enjoy success with 19 models and ideas for small, e

The history of quilts, their makers, and usage is an important part of our country's heritage presented here in full detail through 330 vintage photographs. Books on quilt history have, to date, included only a few photos of quilts. This in-depth collection, most of which has never been seen before, date from 1855 to 1955. Each vivid image provides commentary on quilting specifics, photography, co

Sarah Coventry became a household word by selling beautiful, inexpensive, costume jewelry direct to the consumer and remained in fashion for more than 60 years. This in-depth look at the history of their designs contains more than 1,000 color images and engaging text. It begins with the unsigned years of 1949-1963, covers the cardex years of 1954-1965, includes the catalog years of 1966-1984, and

With easy-to-follow guidance and more than 175 photos, this book helps mosaic artists meet the challenge of creating3-D substrates. It explains various approaches to issues ranging from reaching the needed levels of density and strength to applying tesserae to coils, twists, and spheres. Professional studio mosaic artist Latimer offers a behind-the-scenes look at her experiences with six of her sc

Nearly 500 photos ofartwork with personal insights from 78 of today's most noteworthyartists show the tremendously broad range of possibilities that working in three dimensions can offer. In conjunction with the other two books in this acclaimedseries, it invitesreaders to re-examine fiber art through a multifaceted contemporarylens. Both established artists and emerging artists whose work isattra

There is much discussion among artisans when it comes to improving the cutting behavior of tools quickly and permanently, but the debate is settled here, where expert engineers and master craftsmen prove the benefits of sharpening blades and tools using methods based on time-tested Japanese water stone grinding techniques. Learn through detailed instructions how to get perfect edges on your chisel

More than 300 colorful photos and behind-the-scenes details reveal the fascinating story of Japan's cotton and indigo, and their enormous contribution to fiber arts worldwide. Learn how Japan and its top fabric designers, quilters, scientists, and artists combinetradition and high tech to weave the thread, fabrics, and stunningdesigns that are so coveted in today's fiber art world. Take a tour of

This comprehensive, full-color guide features dozens of images of slings from various cultures, both ancient and contemporary. Slings had great significance in many cultures, particularly in the Andes, and were often used as both prehistoric weapons and herding tools. The book shows novice and experienced braiders how to make 50 designs, from 8 to 32 strands, on a braiding card or with a braiding

An accessible and easy-to-use guide to the principles and elements of jewelry design, this resource helps jewelry makers of all skill levels take their designs from good to great. Instructor and expert Loretta Lam offers guidance on working with a wide array of materials, along with exercises to help you explore new design concepts before applying them to your work directly. Dozens of stunning exa

Techniques and projects for using a gel plate--inexpensive and simple--to elevate collage, art journaling, and mixed-media works.

Gel plate printing, an accessible but often-overlooked tool, gives artists of any level a way to add exceptional qualities to their work. Here, mixed-media lovers learn over 25 techniques for enh

This natural-dye-recipe boxed set can be used as a stand-alone resource or as a supplement to The Art and Science of Natural Dyes by Joy Boutrup and Catharine Ellis. Packaged in a high-quality quick-reference box, 84 cards include 36 formulas plus 133 full-color swatch cards for exact color comparison.The cards are conveniently organized for ease in the studio. The set includes: The Dyes, Indigo,

The first guide taking punch needle crafters to intermediate and advanced levels with expertly explained techniques, exciting projects, and inspiring examples by 26 Oxford Certified Instructors.

For punch needle lovers who want to reach the next level of skill and enjoyment with their craft, Amy Oxford, the inventor of the

This is unquestionably the greatest book on knots and rope work ever published, yet it is a valuable reference for anyone from eight to eighty. First published in 1939, it quickly became—and has remained for more than a half century—the classic in its field. Truly comprehensive in scope, this encyclopedia begins with a history of knots and rope making and proceeds into the how-to of tying and of m

The process of designing jewelry is carefully explained. This second book follows the tremendous success of the author's book The Art of Jewelry Design: Principles of Design, Rings & Earrings. It has taken the combined talents of three top jewelry designers, including a professor who teaches their skill to jewelry students, to create this beautiful and practical step-by-step format.This volume pre