Arts and Crafts Books

This is a wonderful resource book for the seasoned quilter. It is not for a beginner, but if you have been appliqueing quilts before, this book will make you smile.

The various themes of floral applique in this book are absolutely beautiful. You should think about FRAMING your finished product!

I love the flowers in this book. This will be my third applique quilt. It may look intimidating, but the author has included great illustrations and instructions. If you have done applique before, it will be easy. If this is your first, then jump right in and have fun. These flowers are really beautiful!!!

This is definitely the book for me. I DON'T have a green thumb but I do appliqué. I wish I had found this book last fall rather than now going into summer but the book will still be there come fall. Appliqué is something I love to do in front of the fireplace on a cool/cold night.

The first 25 pages are all about appliqué hot-to's and quilting basics along with choosing colors and fabrics. It is a chapter that very thoroughly covers all these points.

Then there are 10 different flowers to "grow" under your needle. Pillows and wall hangings make up the 10 patterns. While no quilts are shown, there is no reason you couldn't turn the patterns into quilts.

Each project begins with a paragraph about the flower and the finished size of the project. A materials and cutting list follow this. Simple construction directions are given with finishing suggestions. All templates are included. The more complex patterns come with color keys as well.

Grab some scrap fabric (this book will give you a way to use up those scraps you just can't part with), some template plastic, your ruler and cutting mat and this book. When you are done, you will have a "green thumb" to show for it!

Wonderful book detailing easy step by step instructions for learning drawn thread emboidery. Great pictures and diagrams. Would recommend this book to anyone wanting to recreate this form of needle art.

This book is a must for anyone who wants to learn drawn thread. It is easy to use and has some BEAUTIFUL patterns. Definitely worth the money.

This book is a must have for anyone wanting to learn or improve their drawn thread stitching! The author has used clear diagrams and beautiful patterns to demonstrate the different stitch types in this style of needlework. A Must Have!

I've done drawn thread work before, so I'm no beginner. I bought the book because I am a big fan of Patricia Bage's work. This book has beautiful pictures of the projects as well as step by step illustrations of the different stitches used in the project. I highly recommend it.

Enjoyed the book. Learned about furniture shopping. Especially good for people that live near the cities whose furniture stores she reviewed.

I recently purchased a new home and had decided that I wanted completely different furnishings. I had no idea where to start and Best Furniture Tips became an invaluable guide. It enabled me to understand various styles,furniture terminology, what to look for in a piece of furniture and information on how to negotiate prices.

I especially liked the advice and insights from some of the nation's top designers. Since I travel frequently the book was easy to take along and enabled me to check out design centers and stores in other cities in my spare time.

Litwin has a pleasant writing style that explains in easy to understand English all the furniture jargon and pricing structures which many times seem overwhelming to a buyer. I would recommend this book to anyone who is contemplating a furniture purchase. Armed with this, one can confidently enter any store and not feel like a babe in the woods.

One suggestion, buy her previous book, Furniture Hot Spots to find out where the really good stuff is.

As an Interior Designer I found this book an interesting read. I like to check out books written for the public to see what kind of advice is being given (there's a lot of bad information out there). This book offers insight into the furniture buying world of which the public is often unaware. Be warned, though, if you are used to bargain hunting this isn't likely to help you find a $50 sofa or $30 dresser. This is intended for people who want to buy better quality, long-lasting furniture. (she talks about good dressers starting at $1200 - for some people this may seem like a lot of money).

It is also most helpful for people who live near a city as she talks a lot about shopping design showrooms. One thing I did not see mentioned is that trade showrooms usually require that public shoppers be accompanied by a trade professional or at the very least have a legitamate letter from one (and an appointment) stating exactly what the client will be looking at. Many of these places will not offer assistance or pricing to the public without such. You'll need to investigate this prior to embarking on your shopping trip. If such is the case, your best bet here is to have a design professional aid in the process or you will have to pay outrageous retail prices. The Design Center usually offers these services (for a fee).

That said. She does explain a lot of terminology found in furniture buying as well as many pitfalls (one being that your average furniture salesperson's opinion varies markedly and can often be based on fabricated speculations). Ms. Letwin also offers an education on furniture styles for those who are interested.

If you are shopping for quality pieces that you plan to have for the rest of your life you may find this book helpful. It pays to be forewarned. For the price it can't hurt to get this book.

This book was such a great help. I use it as a source for everything, most recently for online antique shopping. I never would have known which stores to check out -- and to trust -- without the information I found in this book. It's great.

There are alot of the older patterns that you can no longer find.I have made several of the patterns in the book and one special one for a wedding present for my daughter. She loved it.

this is the perfect book for stitchers who like old fashioned romantic designs. the patterns are easy to read and the finished product is beautiful. lots of flowers and quilts in these designs.

You can't go wrong with any of Paula Vaughan's adaptations to cross stitch. They are all beautiful and even more beautiful when stitched.

It's such a beauty! Paula Vaughan's artistic expression is incredible! Must get a copy - even if you don't stitch. It's so beautiful just to look at!

I'll start by saying that I LOVE Beth Russell's interpretations of Arts and Crafts designs in this book as well as her other two. She's chosen wonderful motifs and arranged them into lovely, unique needlepoint projects. I speak from experience, as I'm now working on my third project from her books, the orange border design shown on the cover of this volume, worked on large canvas to make a rug. I highly recommend all three books for lovers of needlepoint, other charted needlework, arts and crafts design, or William Morris.

This book is beautifully laid out and lovely to page through and read, but its loveliness is one of its downfalls: The charts are printed in full color, without utilizing symbols to indicate yarn colors. Although this choice makes the charts pleasant to look at, the subtle differences between yarn colors are sometimes very hard to see in the charts, making working from them difficult. I spent too much time squinting at the latest chart, making little pencil dots on it to differentiate between LIGHT grey green and MEDIUM-LIGHT grey green!

I'll be proud of the resulting product, and will forgive Russell's editorial choice. Do consider buying this book, but be prepared for some challenges in using it.

Beth Russell is a master at creating easy to follow charts for needlepoint projects. Her color changes are particularly easy to follow. Any figure, flower or section of her designs can easily be separated and converted for use wherever wanted.

I got hooked on Needlepoint books once I discovered it was much cheaper to buy your own wools and canvases. Not to mention you don't have to try and figure out where all the printed lines REALLY belong!

First let me say that Beth Russell is not necessarily the place for beginners to start. The designs are detailed, and the charts are detailed, and the canvas is usually smaller than, say, Elizabeth Bradley. For those needlepointers with some experience, however, you will enjoy the challenge of translating these beautiful Morris-inspired designs into art for your home.

Some of the best I've done include the Morris Lion (a wonderful medieval-looking lion with an ornate tapestry background), the orange pillow (on the cover), and the woodpecker tapestry

William Morris is well-known for his intricate designs and wonderful harmonies. He was also a dedicated designer for needlework of many types. In Beth Russell, Morris has found a faithful and dedicated translator of his work for today's stitchers. This book is full of wonderful designs and charts which allow you to create Morris designs for yourself. From the wonderful, enormous Raven tapestry, to the simple fruit pillows, this book is a treasure to dream over or stitch from

Nice book for those of us who love to do mosaics. Sometimes I need just a little more help being creative. The projects are ones that you have been looking for the instructions for. The book has great photographs and lots of ideas on where to get your treasures to mosaic. I really look for classy things and different things to embelish with mosaics and this book gets to the meat of what you need to accomplish your project. Sometimes I have the ideas but I'm not quite sure what it will really look like before I start. This book gets you ready to enjoy the projects that you make. It also helps you to personalize that project you created to be a fine gift your friends and family will treasure.

This book is very inspirational for those who have already done mosaics. It focuses more on the use of plates and seashells rather than stained glass and mosaic tiles. I really appreciated the author's informative text and pictures. I have read many of the mosaics books Amazon offers, and I keep coming back to this one for inspiration.
Half of the book is dedicated to generous use of seashells, so those of us in land-locked states may not be able to play along.

Beyond The Basics Mosaics presents more than 30 eye-catching mosaic projects best suited for intermediate-level crafters, but also accessible to beginners. From picassiete (break up old china and create motifs to add beauty to tables, walls, kitchen counters and more) to shard art (a free-form style that can incorporate almost anything into images) to shellwork (a distinct skill that can add splendor to box lids, picture frames and more), Beyond The Basics Mosaics describes techniques with explicit instructions, full-color photographs, tips on coloration, design and array, and much more. An excellent resource for crafting beautiful and memorable treasures, whether to decorate one's home or present as gifts.

I love this book! It contains many gorgeous pique assiette (recycled broken china) projects, as well as some using seashells. Best of all, the projects are beautiful but not overwhelming (i.e., a beginner should be able to master them), and they shouldn't take anywhere near as much time or money as most projects would, yet you'd be proud to give or display them.

This is the most complete button reference book I have ever seen. It is well worth the money. Beautiful pictures and informative price guides.

Button Collectors.....YES! This is the button bible! Yes, this is the best book to have! Great for the button pro or the button beginner! For years now, button collectors all over the world have been trying to get their hands on this book: THE BIG BOOK OF BUTTONS. Many have spent hundreds of their hard earned money on it through online auctions. Many have written to the publishers several times asking them to please re-release this out-of-print book. The publishers declared that "no, it is too expensive to re-print", or "no, we are absolutely not printing this book again". Guess what? Save your pennies! THE BIG BOOK OF BUTTONS: 3RD EDITION IS BEING RELEASED SUMMER OF 2006! Information is accurate, as some retailers are already taking pre-orders an entire year ahead of time. I would recomend getting it at Amazon where you are guaranteed. 3rd edition is expected to sell between 225.00 & 275.00. Book will now have all new updates, including some plastic buttons. If money is no object to you, go ahead, spend hundreds on the first two editions. Or wait to pre-order it at Amazon next year for less! --review written Febuary of 2005.

This is "THE BIBLE" of button collectors. It is a huge volume loaded with color plates and detailed descriptions of thousands of buttons. The most informative button collecting book available.

Just about the best all around guide for the serious button collector.

This book has great visuals and is full of information. Nice patterns and lots of techniques, great fabric selection tips and materials lists. Detailed cutting and sewing instructions. Overall a great book!
Thanks

The patterns in this book are so charming and give off such energy that they need to be made again and again. The directions are clear, the photographs are great, it is hard to know which quilt to make first! I love it!

There is such delightful energy in this book, in the reading of it, and in the process of creating from it. I find this book to be the perfect mix of directions (how tos) and lots of creative jump off points (why nots)... It's like having a very special secret garden all of your own that the author helps you discover.

I have a large black & white fabric stash and this book had some great ideas on using my fabrics. I really like the directions and instructions; easy to understand and follow.

Jerry Pallotta, a.k.a. "The Alphabet Man," has once again written an entertaining book for children. Coupled with Biedrzycki's illustrations, "The Boat Alphabet Book" is one of Charlesbridge's best offerings. This book is a must for any student (or teacher) studying water travel.

Thank you Jerry Pallotta and David Biedrzycki for putting together a wonderful book about a subject near and dear to me. I saw the review in Parade magazine and I couldn't wait to get the book!

I purchased this boat book for my nephew based on how the book was rated age wise, which was for 4 to 8 year old children. This book is packed with so much wonderful knowledge on different kinds of boats! I just, believe that a 6 year old would get so more out of the book. This book could be used for younger boat lovers if you just read the why type of boat it is and move on, I don't really see my nephew sitting down and paying attention. Plus most are boats he's not familiar with or would ever see here in Florida. The art work is well done and looks very realistic.

Here is a list of the boats featured in this book.
A - Aircraft Carrier
B - Barkentine ( tall ship)
C - Canoe
D - Dory
E - Electric boat ( submarine)
F - Ferry
G - Gondola
H - Hydrofoil
I - Icebreaker
J - Junk ( Chinese Junk boat)
K - Kayak
L- Lightship
M - Minesweeper
N - Nao (possible Spanish word for boat, no one knows for sure)
O - Ocean Liner
P- Paddleboat
Q- Quffa (basket boat found on the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers)
R - Reed Boat
S - Steamboat
T - Tanker
U - Umiak ( a traditional woman's Eskimo boat)
V - Viking Ship
W- Windjammer
X - Xebec ( 3 masted ship)
Y- Yatch
Z - Zodiac

Update on my review: I had to change my prior review because I gave this book to my nephew and he ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! We happened to be at a restaurant for a family breakfast and painted on the wall happened to be a cruise ship( Ocean Liner in the book) we looked at that page and he was absolutely fasinated during the whole breakfast! This will definately be a book he will grow into especially on some of the boats he does not know about. The age range for this book is correctly rated.

This book has brightly colored, interesting illustrations to engage a tiny tot. It is a rhythmic and engaging alphabet book for the slightly older child. And it is a tightly written informational book on boats for the gradeschool age child. A winner that grows along with the youngster. We couldn't resist buying one for both of our grandchildren.

This book, translated from the French, is beautifully beguiling in its phrasing. Relates the history and techniques of the production and embroidery of exquisite linens. Photographs are handsome and even the dust cover is worth framing. Makes a great reference book as well as entertaining reading. One of my all time favorites

This seductive book is more than an excellent history of fine linen. It is a sensuous and seductively, elegant book! The author, Francoise de Bonneville give the reader more than a lesson on the history of textiles. She presents us with some of the most extrodinary examples of bed linens, tablecloths and napkins. Apart from the excellent section on the social history and care of fine linen, she presents detailed information about the various types of linens used, fibers, color, and weaves. The must sumptous commissions were the set of bedsheets created for American Heiress Barbara Hutton. These pink sheets were made out of silk and trimmed with point de Paris lace, fouteeen inches wide, Which was made by d'Porthault & Co. Examples of the two major Italian linen firms, Frette and Pratesi are also well represented. I agree with my fellow reviewer. This is an excellent gift for a bride; but don't be surprised to learn that men would be just as likely to buy this book as women. It is worth every Dollar!

This book, written with a forward by the Porthaults (who better to comment on fine linens?), is wonderful and I highly recommend it, price notwithstanding. This book is translated from the French and inlcudes: a history of linens, from chintz to damask; a glossary of embroidery stitches and styles with notations of illustrations throughout the book; and photographs of the finest linens in the world (including many made by the Porthaults). This book is very large and would make such a lovely gift for anyone who collects linens or who does fine embroidery.

Linen was once an elegant showing of a family's wealth. This book is filled with the history of linen. It is throughly documented with detailed indices. Translated from French, the details provided and pictures are glorious. Turning the pages is a true historical lesson in how linen was created, embellished, and used during times past. The use of lace and embroidery is stunning. I marvel at the complexity of the designs and when I sit with my needle and thread under a magnifying glass and high powered lamp I am in awe of the early needleworkers toiling away without the assistance of these tools. The book soothes me and transports me to another time. This is one of my favorite books in my personal library.