Crafts
Threads of treasure : how to make, mend, and find meaning through thread
Sara Barnes
746.44 /Barnes
Crafts
"Learn to make embroidery a way to treasure your life as you create three personal projects supported by the guidance, stories, and advice of fourteen modern crafters"--
How to embroider texture and pattern : 20 designs that celebrate pattern, color, and pop-up stitching
Melissa Galbraith
746.44 /Galbraith
Crafts
"Channel your love for the outdoors and build your stitching skills by learning how to embroider stunning textures, patterns, colors, and 3D elements in this must-have guide for both beginner to advanced crafters! Featuring 20 step-by-step embroidery projects of beautiful landscapes, desert canyons, unique flora, and more, How to Embroider Texture and Pattern is filled with vibrant embroidery patterns inspired by wanderlust that will challenge and grow your skills as you bring these beautiful outdoor scenes to life. Also included are easy-to-follow tutorials for over 20 need-to-know embroidery stitches, plus guidance for incorporating fabric prints into your projects to enhance the design, textural and 3D embroidery instruction, how to transfer a pattern, and other fundamental techniques. Have fun with color, create rich textures, and feel confident as you stitch your love for nature."--Publisher marketing.
This is a gorgeous eye-catching book for the semi-seasoned embroiderer who wants to step up their texture game and get inspired by some stunning landscape patterns. It's a great book to borrow from the library before ultimately deciding it might be a great reference book to own! I maxed out my renewals because I wanted to keep referencing the beautiful stitch styles! -Mari
Two color quilts : 8 inspiring designs
746.46 /Two
Nonfiction, Crafts
I want to try making all of these quilts! They're beautiful, simply presented, and easy to follow for semi-experienced and newer quilters like me. If you're in need of some sewing inspiration this might be the book for you! -Casey
Mega guide to drawing manga
Samantha Gorel
741.50952 /Gorel
Art / Art History, Crafts
The essential guide to drawing manga figures. Ideal for seasoned comic artists or complete beginners, this fantastic book is packed with clear instructions and inspiration for drawing manga figures. It begins with the basics and contains galleries of body parts, expressions and hair styles to inspire and encourage the reader, along with step-by-step guides to mastering fundamentals such as anatomy and hands and feet. A range of profiles, characters, genders and ages is included. Build up skill through drawing and inking and then experiment using different colouring media - including markers, watercolour acrylics and pencils - to achieve outstanding results.
I love drawing. I love manga. Now I can draw manga. Check out this book and so can you! -Mykle
The legend of Iron Purl
Tao Nyeu
jE Nyeu
Picture Books, Crafts, Humor, Mystery
Armed with a pair of knitting needles and her trusty ball of yarn, mysterious hero Iron Purl must use her knitting superpowers to defeat her nemesis, Bandit Bob, who causes mischief and mayhem wherever he goes.
Yarn crafting caregivers will delight in Tao Nyeu's hilarious and adorable The Legend of Iron Purl. -Casey
The katha chest
Radhiah Chowdhury
jE Chowdhury
Picture Books, Read Woke, Crafts
Asiya loves to visit Nanu's house and rummage through her katha chest filled with quilts that tell stories about the bold and brave women in Asiya's family.
I love this new picture book about the intersection of family history and handicrafts, best shared in lap-sit sessions poring over the lush illustrations. -Casey
Fairy houses : how to create whimsical homes for fairy folk
Sally J. Smith
635.967 /Smith
Nature, Nonfiction, Crafts, Gardening
Create the ultimate fairy houses, made with natural materials - just the way real fairies build their homes! Have you ever seen a real fairy house? Not the ceramic ones you purchase, but a real fairy house made from natural elements? Well, now you can build your own miniature magical abode - the perfect addition to your garden. Revealed in Fairy Houses for the first time are the step-by-step instructions for constructing exquisite fairy houses, explained by master fairy house architect Sally Smith. From her home on the edge of the Adirondacks, Smith has been creating one-of-a-kind fairy residencies for years. She uses natural artifacts such as butterfly wings for stained-glass windows, twigs for window frames, and birch bark for walls. Smith reveals her building secrets in Fairy Houses. Readers begin their fairy house project by flipping through an inspiration gallery, deciding what kind of house they wish to create and considering where in nature they'll put it. From there, readers learn about building materials (found and natural), on-site fairy house construction, how to light a fairy house, and how to incorporate stonework into the design. All of Smith's secret tips and techniques are then showcased in a series of step-by-step photos, making fairy house creation easy. The ones featured in Fairy Houses were designed especially for this book and are meant for longer-lasting installations. With this book, fairy houses move beyond "cute" and into beautiful nature-woven works of art. When you're through, you'll find yourself in an enchanted land where a Lord of the Rings-esque mood is magically evoked.
This beautiful book is just the whimsy I need on this rainy day! It's a nice hardcover loaded with colorful photos and helpful instructions. I have ZERO crafty skillz, but that doesn't stop me from looking at this cute mini houses made from bark, sticks, and leaves that you can stumble upon in your backyard. -Melody
Unicorns, dragons and more : fantasy amigurumi.
746.434 /Unicorns
Crafts
Designs submitted to the annual design contest at www.amigurumipatterns.net.
More cute gifts to make! I love these amigurumi patterns, and am looking forward to working up some stuffies this fall. -Casey
Fairytale blankets to crochet : 10 fantasy-themed children's blankets for storytime cuddles
Lynne Rowe
746.434 /Rowe
Crafts
Bedtime bookworms will love snuggling up and listening to their favourite story in a cosy hooded blanket. Bring storytime to life as they act out the characters - will they be a goodie or a baddie, Little Red Riding Hood or the wolf? Every blanket tells a story, with pockets on the sides for snuggly paws and different tails. Perfect for unwinding for a bedtime story and animating the oral tradition of storytelling - little listeners, as well as their parents, will find themselves enchanted.
Gifts you can make! These fairytale inspired blankets are adorable and cozy for the upcoming winter. -Casey
Mending life : a handbook for repairing clothes and hearts
Nina Montenegro
The act of mending strengthens not only the object we are repairing, but ourselves as well. The Montenegros encourage us to cherish our things by repairing them rather than discarding them. By changing our consumption habits, small mends here and there will extend the life of our garments and other household items. They introduce basic techniques such as patching, but will have options to take it a step further with decorative sashiko stitching. You'll also learn how to darn socks and mend sweaters, bedsheets, and down jackets. -- abridged from information provided
Everything about this title is thoughtfully done. I'm looking forward to spending some time with a few beloved garments during this re-read. -Casey
I follow the author's online presence "Brown Paper Bag," which is a curated appreciation of artists. We seem to have similar tastes when it comes to fiber arts, particularly, and I really enjoyed this anthology of unique embroidery artists. Usually I just flip through the photos in art books, but I really enjoyed reading the artist profiles as well in this one. All of the thread styles are so different from each other, sewers and stitchers will truly appreciate the variety of art showcased in this book. -Mari