Crafts and Decorative arts

Learn how to make two types of Japanese knives: a tanto (dagger) and a hocho (chef's knife) following traditional techniques. With step-by-step images and clear instructions, this how-to guide covers acquiring iron ore, building and using a bloomery furnace, forging the blades, fitting the blades with handles, and sharpening the blades with water stones.

This do-it-yourself book for stylish handbags features 25 projects with more than 500 illustrations. Sewers of all skill levels will gather the information they need to create many kinds of bags, from casual to romantic, as well as ideas for jazzing up your old bags. Handbag styles include clutches, totes, makeup cases, and a roll-up pencil case.

From basic leatherworking techniques to the professional-level tips you need to make your project its best, this how-to book will walk you through the steps to produce two top-quality welted sheath designs: a welted sheath with attached belt loop, and one with belt clip and protective strap.

With 142 photos and these short, step-by-step lessons from a master Chinese calligrapher, you can enjoy the basics of the beautiful characters of Chinese. Begin by learning the history and traditions of this art form, and the techniques of using the "four treasures": the brush and other basic tools. Learn the correct body position, and how to hold the brush.

With easy-to-follow guidance and more than 175 photos, this book helps mosaic artists meet the challenge of creating 3-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.

Nearly 500 photos of artwork with personal insights from 78 of today's most noteworthy artists show the tremendously broad range of possibilities that working in three dimensions can offer. In conjunction with the other two books in this acclaimed series, it invites readers to re-examine fiber art through a multifaceted contemporary lens.

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.

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 combine tradition and high tech to weave the thread, fabrics, and stunning designs that are so coveted in today's fiber art world.

Featuring 450 full-color photos and 241 of the world’s foremost narrative jewelry makers, this book showcases the best of what today's makers, ranging from newly graduated students to the luminaries of the jewelry world, have to offer us: jewelry that's designed to evoke a range of thoughts and feelings. Do you have a piece of jewelry that offers a story?

Paracord handle wraps are popular with respect to survival knives and tactical knives. They rest comfortably in your hand, they're slip-proof, and they're impervious to moisture and temperature fluctuations. In an emergency, the wrap can often be undone and then you have a practical rope at hand.

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 fascinating luminosity of colors from plants can be easily transferred to wool, silk, or other materials at home. Necessary materials, mordanting, the preparation of fibers and dye sources, and different dyeing methods are described in detail. This richly illustrated book also shows how the dyed materials can be felted or turned into woolen pictures.

Narrow bands woven in colorful patterns are a centuries-old part of Baltic craft tradition. The double-slotted heddle makes patterned band weaving quicker to learn and easier to do, and this is the first book that offers beginners instructions for using it. The craft doesn't involve bulky equipment—all you need can be stored in a shoebox!

Renowned textile artist Meredith Woolnough creates replicas of nature using a delicate system of tiny stitches. Her artwork is breathtaking, and now for the first time Woolnough offers crafters and fiber artists a lesson in how to use the "organic embroidery" technique.

Designed for modern makers looking for a book that will continue to inspire them as their skill grows. Lindsey Campbell, the weaver behind the popular blog and brand Hello Hydrangea, teaches more than 30 techniques plus 17 stylish projects for beginners to intermediate-level weavers.

This long-awaited guide serves as a tool to explain the general principles of natural dyeing, and to help dyers to become more accomplished at their craft through an increased understanding of the process.

These beautiful cards invite you to pick up your brush and release your own creativity and imagination. Kristy Rice’s joy-focused approach to watercolor art has won the hearts of fans worldwide, and with this Artisan series set of cards, Rice offers ways for all levels of painters to make “art for joy’s sake.

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.

The history, legacy, and boundless creativity of weavers over the centuries is the base in this helpful guide for new weavers, seasoned tapestry artists, and enthusiasts. Tapestry weaving is an art form that has been around since antiquity, and these insights from renowned artist Jean Pierre Larochette offer 30 traditional techniques built upon weavers' centuries of work.

Throughout marbling’s long history, people have been captivated by both its apparent simplicity and its extraordinary complexity. Get to know and enjoy marbling's beauty in this guide from paper artist Freya Scott, whose enthusiasm for the craft is highly contagious.