Crafts and Decorative arts

Learn to make leather creations that you and your family and friends will love to use. From a cuff bracelet to mittens, a protective tablet case, or a smartphone case with a secret pocket to hold a credit card, all projects radiate an appealing style and boast clever design features. What makes it easier? All the projects are made using your sewing machine. You'll discover that sewing leather can

This artistic, inspirationalguide to wearable art shows you how to nuno-felt patterns and texturesinto luxurious fabrics like georgette, chiffon, and silk, then designgarments to feature them. Using only hand friction, soap, and water, bond wool and silkfibers together to create lightweight, one-of-a-kind clothing andaccessories. Fashion designer Jenny Hill's striking, comfortablehigh-end garments

Unplug yourself—and any children in your life—and enjoy the art of weaving at the small-scale level with the fun, accessible potholder loom. Familiar to many from their childhood, simple square potholder looms hold stretchy fabric loops that are woven to create practical gifts or handy trivets for your own kitchen. There are a world of designs that you can create with your color and pattern choice

Bookworms derive great pleasure from the simple act of reading. But what happens when a book is old or damaged and no longer in a fit state to be read? Through 20 do-it-yourself projects, Upcycling Books: Decorative Objects gives your tattered friends a new lease on life. With simple techniques and common household materials, you can upcycle an old atlas, dog-eared comics, or an obsolete set of en

Weaving the shape, not just shaping the cloth! Now, for the first time, handweavers have the tools and techniques to allow them to weave the 3-D shapes they want, on their own looms. Three new techniques are at the core of this exploration: weaving expanded areas, weaving dense areas, and weaving with infinite tensioning. By showing the benefits of challenging every aspect of the weaving process a

Embellishments and accessories are on trend in the artisan fashion world, and macramé is the perfect method for creating contemporary garment embellishments. This book introduces the materials, the knots and techniques, and how to choose the best combinations for various style needs and garment enhancements. Then, enjoy 17 projects—very accessible and doable, but with high-fashion impact—to add fi

In an invitation to expand and liberate your creative voice in floral design, Jenny Thomasson (AIFD, PFCI, EMC) generously unfolds her artistic process that has made her a rising star in the industry through 40+ beautifully shot compositions. The delicacy, intensity, and cyclical temporality of flowers mirror our deepest emotions—making them a potent source of inspiration and innovation. In over 2

A colorful guided tour from an expert, enabling weavers, textile lovers, and art lovers to notice and appreciate what tapestries can do and how they do it. This guide from expert tapestry weaver and historian Sidore gives how-to strategies enabling weavers and nonweavers to notice and appreciate the meaning of these artworks. You'll discover much to enjoy in photos of more than 300 tapestries from

Zero waste is key to Maria Sigma's renowned weaving designs, and here she shows beginners—and more-accomplished weavers too—how that philosophy can transform what you weave. Enjoy learning the basics of both heddle loom and frame loom weaving and succeed at six guided projects you'll enjoy adding to your home and wardrobe, while also learning how Sigma has built her practice on sustainability. "Wi

Stitch a modern crochet garden with this adorable project book from popular pattern designer Amy Gaines! If you love flowers, succulents, cacti, and crochet, this is the book for you! Inside, you’ll find 22 beautifully designed projects that are simple enough to make in a day and stylish enough to display or give as gifts. The book is organized into two main themes: flower projects and succulent p

Explore the reaches of your imagination by combining art, craft, and mathematics to create the age-old geometric form of the polyhedra. More than 50 projects use just one center point to create shapes that are folded symmetrically and build upon each other. With easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions, you can construct models from regular polygons, including equilateral triangles, squares, pent

Once ideas and images come to mind, the next step in weaving your tapestry—interpreting these into effective compositions—may be challenging. Learn here, in ways that relate specifically to tapestry art, the design basics you need to make your best work. Renowned master weaver Scanlin offers more than 60 step-by-step "explorations" that lead you from understanding design concepts in your head to u

Ready for a haunting good time? Want to learn to make your own tombstones and cemetery, turn your child into a mummy, create Monster Mud, and more? You’ve come to the right place! When the living set out to haunt houses, they scream for a unique look and feel. They want to create a spooky memory for visitors coming to party or trick or treat. With a bit of theatrics and light—and layers and layers

This yearlong workshop guides you through 52 weekly lessons that not only improve your technical skills but refine your personal style, preferences, and expression. The first half of the year focuses on learning and polishing the building blocks—such as line, perspective, and shading—while the second empowers you to make choices and question “methods.” Each week includes an introductory quote from

Enjoy cross-stitching your favorite people and create high-quality, fun, personal works of art! Stitch up all the most important people in your life with this one-of-a-kind method that solves technical challenges for you but thrives on your creative input—only you know how to bring these characters to life. Using the PixlPeople method, select from a huge swath of elements that go beyond generic pa

Pliable, ephemeral, and easily manipulated with simple tools, paper is a medium with which the artist can form three-dimensional shapes quickly through precise folding and cutting. With precise information on the whys behind 3-D paper sculpting and its methods, plus hundreds of stunning photos of his works, acclaimed artist and designer Richard Sweeney shows how the basic principles of form making

Learn to create bold, modern paper flowers from an award-winning professional in the field. Laura Reed's detailed, colorful paper creations are works of art, and her guide inspires you to make floral designs that bring immediate joy as well as permanent beauty. Paper flower making is an accessible craft that uses simple tools and humble materials, and Reed’s methodical approach is perfect for begi

A fresh and enticing introduction to the art of millinery, blending modern design and refined techniques with trusted traditional methods. Clear and concise, this book has been compiled with all budgets and a variety of skill levels in mind. Explore core millinery materials through a series of techniques based on a single wooden block and sculptural, hand-sewn, flat-patterned hats. Learn how to pu

Apply your creativity large scale, using your favorite mediums or a new one, to give your space big impact. These 14 projects, some easy and some more challenging, use a wildly creative range of techniques including manipulated paper, found-object repurposing, laser cutting, casting, stickers, origami, and even cardboard taxidermy. First comes helpful guidance on getting your basic skills firmed u

This project book is less how-to and more "dive right in!" Here are 27 inspired ways to add colorfully crafted inspiration to your decor, your wardrobe, everyday accessories, and your artistic gift-giving needs. For those who are newcomers to the punch needle world, and for all who have learned the skills and are ready for new, one-of-a-kind projects that really excite their creative style! Includ