Crafts and Decorative arts

Collectible porcelain Christmas plates have been made in Denmark by Bing & Grondahl since 1895 and by Royal Copenhagen since 1908. These and their many other popular commemorative series, including Mothers' Day, Jubilee, and Childrens' Day plates, have been cherished by generations of people all over the world. This is the first book to bring all the plates together in one beautiful, organized ref

This comprehensive new book celebrates over 550 top quality handbags by leading and unknown designers the world over, dating from 1759 to 2004, with detailed information to describe their outstanding qualities. These carefully selected handbags are arranged by their primary materials and chronologically within each chapter, for easy reference and interesting comparisons. Here fine leather, fabric,

This book beautifully illustrates the wide range of artistic innovation and techniques expressed in vitreous, or “hard,” enamels on metal. More than 30 experienced enamelists share their specialized knowledge for using cloisonné, plique-à-jour, champlevé, and basse-taille techniques on silver, gold, foils, and metal clay to make jewelry, vessels, portraits, and more. Works from an additional 55 ar

This wonderful new resource, featuring more than 525 color photos of over 1,500 dolls, traces the history of commercially made miniature and dollhouse-size dolls – families, household help, community professionals, nationally costumed, and storybook characters. Dolls made of wood, cloth, china, parian, all-bisque, painted-over bisque, paper, cardboard, plastic, rubber, composition, celluloid, and

Follow the saga of this remarkable fiber from seed to woven fabric. Learn about flax cultivation, processing and spinning, natural and synthetic dyeing, and weaving and finishing linen cloth. 233 color photos and 156 black and white photos and drawings reveal the characteristics of linen and emphasize its practical use. An inspirational chapter includes 15 articles by Canadian and American weavers

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.

Protect that beautiful hand-forged knife you’ve just completed or keep your favorite piece of cutlery close for daily use with a leather sheath. From basic leather working techniques to a completed sheath, this how-to book will walk you through the steps to produce your own fixed-blade knife sheath. Choose from four different designs, each presented in detail, including a sheath with folded belt l

This beginner-level guide explains, step-by-step, how to make a fixed-blade hidden tang knife and a matching leather scabbard. Used by hunters and fishermen the world over, hidden tang knives have tangs that are completely hidden by the handle material, which makes for a more comfortable grip on the knife. Knifemakers will find the 200+ photos and diagrams, the tools and materials lists, and the d

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

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. The process is further detailed with images

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. They’re made with a variety of styles, including lo

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. Each part of the process, from making the first sketch to completing the final leather treatment, is explai

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. Then practice calligraphy in the Kaishu