Furniture Books

Written by expert decoy caver Grayson C. Chesser and wildlife art expert Curtis J. Badger, "Making Decoys The Century Old Way" is a step-by-step guide to carving, painting, weighing and rigging, and using lifelike waterfowl decoys. Black-and-white and color photographs illustrate each phase of traditional decoy crafting, including basic carving patterns, and the easy-to-follow text walks woodworkers of all skill and experience levels through the process. This new and expanded edition of "Making Decoys The Century Old Way" is enthusiastically recommended for anyone with an interest in true do-it-yourself waterfowling and decoy woodworking.

This is a great book for someone just getting started in the art of carving decoys, from either cork or wood. This is the book I bought for my father to help get him started. With it's many photo's and step by step instructions, you'll be creating your own masterpiece in no time. Aside from being a great how-to book there is also wonderful information on: the history of decoys, how to use them effectively, and the love and enjoyment of spending a day on the marsh hunting over your own decoys. No contemporary carver can rely on one source of instruction or reference material, but this book ought to be in your arsenal if you are serious about carving hunting decoys. This book does lack somewhat, in full color reference material. There are other books with this information available. All in all a great book, especially for the beginner.

The book contains detailed, step-by-step instructions for making working duck decoys from wood or cork, with numerous photographs and illustrations. A number of scaled down decoy patterns are included, as are lists of tools and materials, special painting techniques, and other areas of interest. My only quibble with the book is that I found some of the "recipes" for mixing paint to produce certain colors to be somewhat baffling. Aside from this minor point, this is an outstanding book - great for beginning decoy carvers.

I eagerly awaited the arrival of this book. I had seen and read it at the library and fell in love with its detailed descriptions and inspiration rooms. At first glance I wondered how I could create any of the rooms that were shown, but I noticed how easily the directions were read and how clearly the patterns were printed. Wonderul book! Many thanks to the author! Bravo!

Among "How-To" books, this is a standout. Includes specifics on how to build everything from victorian parlor furniture to a palm-shaded island porch. Instructions are clear, patterns are already in 12-inch scale. Beautifully illustrated. A must for any miniaturist!

This book is chock full of great ideas and includes some more modern furniture..something that many miniature books are lacking. The directions are a bit difficult to follow and have to be read very carefully. Measurements are sometimes not correctly stated. If your unsure..make a paper pattern first. Final results will be much better.

This book has those things that are very hard to find: excellent plans for doll-sized furniture and good instruction on how to make them.

In a field with no published works on making fine doll furniture, this is a gem. Keep in mind that these plans are for 20-30 inch dolls. The basic information is explained, but some basic woodworking skills will be needed. The measurements are quite valuable and illustrated plans are good, and one should take note of the doll sizes that will match the scale. All the furniture plans are colonial reproductions. If time and care is taken using these plans, very fine heirlooms can be created for those little girls in the family.

I don't dominate English very well, but I am very easy of understanding and of carrying out the projects that he explains, everything it is useful and easy of carrying out

I've used this book as a reference on how to make clay tiles for roofing and flooring. It has other good tips on designing rooms, and information on making the furniture in the rooms. The furniture is way beyond my ability to make, but it's still a lovely book.

Venus and Martin Dodge have produced (what I feel) are the most beautiful books on the skills of making miniature scenes, dolls and accessories. My first project was the kitchen in this book. It turned out beautifully. I cannot stress enough how realistic their roomboxes are. Have a great time creating!

To start a dollhouse may seem discouraging for many people when you think about the time it takes to finish such a project. Here are the ideas how to do just one room box, but still create the atmosphere that you want in a miniature. This may inspire the beginner to really start with a project to try his/her new hobby, but it is also a great source for the advanced hobbyist to try for a real masterpiece. I can only highly recommend this book to everybody who is into 1/12 scale.

This is a very good book. It is specific enough to describe why you should build the furniture as drawn, and what details you need to pay attention. The book does not discuss in detail the wood choices, but it has straighforward blueprints for many kinds of furniture. This is my favorite book and I recommend it highly to fans of Shaker style furniture and woodworking hobbiests.

As a woodworker, I can say that Thomas Moser is a living legend in the world of furniture design. His thriving company is a testament to that. As a librarian, I am here to say that this book is invaluable to anyone interested in building Moser's furniture designs for themselves.

Thomas Moser's furniture, influenced heavily by the Shakers and Moser's own desire to create lasting quality, has become nearly a style unto itself. This book is his attempt to give amateur woodworkers the ability to copy his designs for their own homes.

What I really like about this book is that is spends zero time covering the basics of furniture building. To a beginner, this book might seem too sparse to be useful, but to anyone who has successfully built a piece of fine furniture, this book stands as a guide to producing many classics. With over 70 projects included, all with measured drawings and excellent attention to detail, this is a treasure trove for those who appreciate Moser's artistry. Though this book is not new (the designs in the book are mainly from the 70's and 80's), every one of these projects is still "in style" due to the classic Shaker influences in his designs.

I highly recommend this book to all furniture makers who want to copy a Moser piece and to any library wanting to collect in this area!

Modern furniture makers will enjoy the detailed measured drawings and the 320 pages of content. I would classify the designs as not shaker but Danish Modern with a twist to Contemporary design. As traditional cabinetmaker's we find the designs too refined toward Modern and the furniture looses the feeling of richness and spontaneity associated with American Colonial Furniture. In all, a bunch of good lessons in furniture design!

With no embroidery experience, I have been able to recreate some beautiful period pieces from this book. We are presented with an excellent range of Georgian items; from firescreens to stair carapets to samplers. They are surprisingly easy to do; just a little time consuming. I urge everyone to abandon any plan to buy a ready made carpet for your dollhouse; creating your own will be so much more satisfying!
I did have a problem finding the suggested monocanvas (18) in Australia, but substituted 22 with no real problems. Maybe they are a little larger that is strictly authentic, but I am very fussy with my dollhouse and it hasn't bothered me!

This is my first time order the miniature books from here , normally , I read the miniature books from Japanese issue . But after I received the books from here . I changed my mind at all ! Especially this book give me many many wonderful idea to make the quilt , rug , carpet ..etc I love it at all ! Don't miss it ! U will love this book ever !

Given that the Regency period (Australian Colonial where I'm from) is my favourite, perhaps my opinion is completely biased. But out of all of Warner's excellent books, this one is my favourite. I believe it has designs of greater variety than her others and they are truly beautiful. They are also versatile - I have items made from this book in all of my houses, which include an 1830s Sydney mansion, an Australian Victorian decorated to the Federation (1900) era, a modern Melbourne townhouse, a San Francisco Victorian with Arts & Crafts interiors and an English Georgian mansion! The projects range from simple crewelwork cushions that will take an hour to gorgeous carpets that may take months to complete.

Warner uses DMC threads, popular amongst most miniaturists - except for me, and I have found the patterns straightforward to adapt to my preferred Danish Flower Thread, Gumnut Yarn Daisies and DMC Medici, as Warner does not use an enormous colour range of similar hues. She does, however, use enough colours to maintain the detail and give a convincing miniaturisation of full-size items. This also means that most stitchers with limited experience can attempt these patterns assured of turning out a quality piece of needlework. Although sizings are given for fabric of different counts, I have found the carpet designs don't work as well on the 32 (or finer) counts I prefer - the finished carpets end up the size of mats, rather than the area rugs the designs are quite clearly meant to be. So if you are comfortable working in, say, 20, 22 and 24 count, these patterns are perfect for you. The wide variety of projects - curtains, bed and wall hangings, cushions, carpets and footstools are some - means that everyone is bound to find something they feel confident to tackle.

This book is amazing!!! I can't believe how easy it is to use. This book is written in step by step instructions that anyone could follow. Who knew that so many repairs could be done with many of the everyday materials found in our own homes. Repairs can be done quickly and easy on the wallet. This book is a definite must for anyone who owns furniture.

This book is a great guide to home furniture repairs. It is easy to read, and easy to reference... with many helpful tips. The book is a must have for both professionals and first time repairers. The repairs are simple, and easy to do with household items... all with professional results. There is no other more inclusive book of furniture repairs available. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in doing minor, or major repairs to their furniture.

I think a reader is better served by Brian Hingley's "Furniture Repair and Refinishing" q.v.

This book covers a lot of material but lacks in the quality. There are a few small black and white photos and line drawings. Consequently, many of the repair techniques are described in text only. Some topics are glossed over (burn ins covered in 2.5 pages of text) and others in great detail (55 pages of wicker, woven seats and bamboo furniture).

On the positive side, there are a great number of techniques that are hard to find elsewhere, such as repairs to bamboo, metal, outdoor and rustic furniture.

My impression of this book is that it's meant for quick fixes for someone who is either turning over used furniture inventory or needs a quick repair around the house.

This book is aptly named and is loaded with "Kids' Stuff". Projects include a cradle, toy chest, a block wagon, and a 1/16" scale model of the New Yankee Workshop, and more! I just got this book yesterday and will be getting started this weekend on the marble roll which I know my 2 year old will just Love! If you have a child or know one you want to make really happy get this book and get to work!

I received this as a gift, and I'm simply not equipped to produce any of the six pieces included. I don't have the tools, or the time, and the previous reviewer is correct that - if I *did* have the tools and time - I'd probably want to buy the plans for the projects.

That said, if *you* have the tools and time, and particularly if you're crafty and know what you're doing with wood and tools, there are six fantastic projects here that would suit a wide range of ages, something to keep you (and, then, your child) busy through various stages of their development.

This book presents a very nice collection of Norm Abram's kid-related projects, and the text and photos are a great help to actually building any of the projects. Having built the cradle project, though, I'd certainly recommend purchasing the set of plans that goes with each project . The plans are indespensible.

Beth Fox gave a fabulous and serious review above, and I'll add to it just to say that almost all of the photos in this book were taken from one photographer, so it's really just one person's limited view of the fashion from that era.

But it's very, very entertaining nonetheless.

For a short time the bureaucrats who ran East Germany decided to bring some style into their lives, hiring professional photographers and models to represent fashion and socialist achievements. OFF THE WALL: FASHION FROM EAST GERMANY 1964 TO 1980 documents these daring images, adding a set of intriguing color photos rarely seen in the West to the chronicles of world fashion history. Some of the Republik's most daring fashion experiments come to life under the hand of photographer Gunter Rubitzsch, who hired local models and chose socialist-inspiring backgrounds to display fashion.

"East German Fashion"? Get your migraine pills and get ready to stare open-mouthed at some of the most blinding creations of the "Workers' and Peasants' State."

My interest in East German fashion was piqued by reading sociological surveys of East Germany and watching the movie "Heisser Sommer," where you can see some of that fashion at its not-quite-worst. East Germany differed a bit from other Warsaw Pact states in that the rulers attempted to provide their subjects with more consumer goods than found elsewhere. Whether this stemmed from the rulers' professed belief that socialism should improve the lives of ordinary people, or their fear that the knowledge of West German standards of living would make the populace restless, is not important. What is germane is that East Germany had more consumer products than other eastern-European countries (although this is damning with faint praise) and the rulers paid some attention to providing "fashionable" clothing.

The question, of course, is: what is "fashionable"? The clothing in this book was clearly an attempt to ape the wilder western fashions of the late 60s and early 70s. However, the clothing is much more cheaply made, and it shows: patterns do not match at the seam line, the colors are garish, and the execution of design is poor. Luckily (for the citizens of East Germany) this was considered to be cutting-edge fashion, and not day-to-day wear. This stuff is far worse than what you would see in a Sears catalog of the same era.

But this is really not a book for the tiny niche who are interested in the fashions of East Germany. If you really care, see "Fashioning Socialism: Clothing, Politics and Consumer Culture in East Germany," by Judd Stitziel. This book is a side-splitting look at the worst of the worst of 1960s and 1970s Communist fashion, with more orange than any one person can stand. I was rolling on the floor laughing my a** off. For $10, you can too.

I like this book and give the authors high marks for their thorough explanation at the beginning of supplies and their uses/applications. The projects are very lively and fun. Lots of color and dots. Most use the stencils also designed by the authors but one can duplicate them free hand or pick similar themes at a craftstore. Most of the projects I would do but the last few that had to do with modifying terra cotta plant pots into functional art I could do without. Overall its a good book.

I love, love, love the ideas in this book - all of the projects are very lighthearted and fun. I only wish they had given the measurements of the wood pieces they painted on - there are no specifics for the painted trays, etc. Also, many of the projects need additional purchases such as stencils, which are pretty expensive on the website info they furnish. But, the projects are cheerful and bright - and really cute. They give very detailed directions for painting on metal, wood, clay pots, etc. You'll be motivated..........

It was exactly what I was looking for. I had seen some of it on Carol Duvall Show so I know what I was getting.