5 comments about Serge With Confidence.

1. This is a very good serger book. I think Nancy's books are so easy to read and follow along to make and complete any of your projects. I would recomend this book to anyone.



2. A good companion for the Serge with Confidence episodes on Sewing with Nancy. At this writing you can view the episodes for free on her web site and I imagine you could buy the DVD as well.
   
   Nancy is the spokesperson for Babylock and so the slant of the shows and the book are in that direction. I recently bought an Evolve and this is a nice addition to the Workbook. If you want to do the projects, be aware that some of them use the decorative Wave feature on the Evolve. Personally I am glad to see a book that isn't limited to the least common denominator of sergers, as there are so few of them that address coverstitch and chainstitch.
   
   One reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is that there is no index. The other is that knits aren't covered very well. Most information relates to wovens even though sergers and knits are a match made in heaven. I think there needs to be more about techniques common to most knit garments in RTW, not just in this book but in all of the serger books out today. A good discussion of bias binder feet has still to be written. Until then, sergers will continue to be viewed as an expensive way to keep your seam edges from raveling.



3. As always Nancy is the best with written information, photos, and just common sense for the sewing public. I love her.



4. Definitely a worthwhile book to have. It's good for any level of expertise. Great detail and worth every penny. It's a wonderful addition to my serger handbook. If you're just learning to serge, this is the book to get.



5. Just started reading it,but as with all her books, it is filled with sound advice.

5 comments about The Needlepoint Book: A Complete Update of the Classic Guide.

1. Every stitch ever invented and how to do each one in an all-encompassing volume. Perfect for finding new stitches to try on your own.



2. I purchased the first edition when I was learning to needlepoint. Now many years and moves later, I found the book was missing just when I wanted to start to needlepoint again. All I could remember was the green and yellow cover. No author name. No title. No publisher. What to do? Try Amazon.com. It was the first needlepoint book that came up. I remembered the author's name immediately when I saw it. What joy to find I can purchase an updated version of my lost treasure! This book is everything previous reviewers have stated. It contains a wealth of needlepoint knowledge and it should be the first book needlepoint novices purchase. They may not need to purchase any other.



3. This is a really comprehensive and well put together to help any embroiderer. However, I'm disappointed at the black-and-white photos of the stitches, which makes them harder for me to visualize. I would gladly have paid extra to have the photos of the stithces in color.



4. This was an excellent book on needlework when it first came out. Now it has been revised and updated and it is even better. She has included different and modern techniques as well as many excellent patterns of pictures to follow.



5. This book was advertised as a classic guide for all levels. I can only speak as a beginner, but the material I needed was covered well. Recommend this book without reservation.

5 comments about 101 Needlepoint Stitches and How to Use Them: Fully Illustrated with Photographs and Diagrams (Dover Needlework).

1. I ordered several used books from Amazon and was exceptionally pleased at their condition, the swift delivery and the product itself. Would recommend to anyone to order via Amazon



2. My book came in good shape, as described on Amazon. It did take a long time to get it - I imagine that is the vagaries of the US Mail.



3. Good book for beginners. Covers lots of stitches....wish it had more on finishing projects.



4. This book does an excellent job of explaining stitches. For the first time, I undersand how to do a basketweave stitch. That alone is worth the price of the book!! The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is because the examples of the completed stitches are in black and white. This and the chucky yarn makes it difficult to see the finished stitch.



5. I bought this book for a reference, and it is great. The examples are clear, and include suggestions for best use. I like to suggestions about materials, canvas, and needles.

5 comments about Feltique: Techniques and Projects for Wet Felting, Needle Felting, Fulling, and Working with Commercial Felt.

1. This book has wonderful color photos on every page with close-ups and good directions about how to complete projects. I haven't tried any yet, but the directions look easy to follow and comprehensive. There are a variety of smaller as well as more ambitious projects. Most of the projects involve creating your own felt through using the hot water technique with wool tops, but there is at least one using pre-made, store bought felt.



2. This book has easy to follow instructions and great inspiration projects. A great book for ideas and possibilities of the felting process.



3. FELTIQUE: TECHNIQUES AND PROJECTS FOR WET FELTING, NEEDLE FELTING, FULLING, AND WORKING WITH COMMERCIAL FELT provides detailed how-to information on creating and using felt from leftover yarn, unwanted knitting projects and commercial squares alike, offering nearly fifty projects ranging from hats and necklaces to blankets and baby clothes. An organization by technique allows beginners access to different felting methods and allows advanced felters to move quickly to intermediate processes. Any crafts or needlework library needs this.



4. This is an excellent book to use to review different felting techniques. The project suggestions are well presented and are good for generating your own ideas.



5. I have a few felting books, and this one is my favorite. What's so wonderful about it is this--several fiber artists contributed to the book so the book doesn't follow one person's style. The projects are varied and interesting and unique to each artist. They're also fun and doable and utilitarian (some). Great book--contemporary and relevant and, again, fun!

5 comments about Fashioning Technology: A DIY Intro to Smart Crafting (Craft: Projects).

1. I'm very happy I bought this book. I came to it as somebody who is interested in multi-media art and crafting, but with little experience of home made electronics. If you're as clueless as I was don't worry, the author starts at the beginning by providing pictures and descriptions of all the parts you will need, she gives a great introduction to electronics, and her directions are very clear. The projects in the book are varied and fun, but I was more interested in learning how they were made than actually making them. I was able to use what I learned from reading about her projects to make my own designs. At the end of the book there's a very useful list of suppliers of materials, without it I would have found it hard to track some of them down.



2. I picked this up at the library to check it out and was immediately impressed with it's accessible and easily understood explanation of how to read and use electronic components like resistors, capacitors, transistors and LEDs. Just about the best I've ever seen. I had to add this to my personal collection for that attribute alone. However, there's a lot of basic and easy to grasp instruction and information on materials and production techniques, too.
   
   There are plenty of projects in this book to get you started and if you're half-way creative and imaginative you should be able to springboard off them to come up with your own ideas.
   
   I wish more instructional manuals and books were written as clear and understandable as this one.
   
   Outstanding!



3. This book is a wealth of information for those looking to start delving into the world of 'soft circuits' and smart materials. It is for the beginner, and includes detailed information on circuits and parts, as well as explanations of the latest smart materials and their usages. In the last section of the book, there are easy-to-follow instructions on making a variety of projects that will inspire anyone on the possibilities for these materials.
   
   Happy crafting!



4. This book is the best introduction into basic electronics, basic sewing and the high class of e-textile technology. Want to know how textile resistors work? Want to see how the connect electronic components to textiles? Just check out this book, everything clearly described for beginners with lists of resources, overviews with easy explained electronic terms and principles. For he more advanced e-textile experts this book serves as excellent source of inspiration using many examples from clothing over accessories and toys to home decoration to show the potential e-textile technologies open up to creative minded DIY enthusiasts.
   
   It's a page turner for crafters looking for the unconventional, the unique and unexplored world of fashion+technology.



5. With 'smart materials and techniques you can make accessories, toys and more that light up, make sounds, or even move. Fashioning Technology is for any crafter who wants more than the typical range of stationary objects: a range of projects offer seasoned crafters techniques for blending easy electronics into projects, and provides clear direction and options for customization. Black and white and color photos throughout offer step-by-step and exciting options highly recommended for any library strong in crafts.

5 comments about Tiny Yarn Animals: Amigurumi Friends to Make and Enjoy.

1. While the patterns themselves look adorable when completed, the instructions, if followed exactly, will not let you make a what you see in the picture.
   
   I bought this book for my daughter. While not an expert, she is a fairly accomplished crocheter.
   
   Some of the explatives and comments issued by her while following these instructions were, shall we say, colorful. My daughter usually doesn't talk like this. With some analysis on her part, it was fairly easy to "fix" the patterns, but it should not have been neccessary to fix them. When you but patterns or instruction they should be complete. They should work the first time, and everytime when followed exactly.
   
   To the Author: Your directions need serious work. You may wish to have a few friends or associates "test" your instructions. If they fail, find out where and fix it, BEFORE you put it in a book.
   
   To the Publisher/Editor: Epic Fail. When publishing anything with instructions it is your DUTY to your readers to insure the instructions are accurate and complete. Try harder. Maybe even test things like this with a group of whatever {crocheters, knitters, etc} BEFORE you release.
   
   To those who feel I wrongly acuse the author of failure, follow the instructions EXACTLY as written. Do not assume, do not add. See what your results are.



2. I've made 2 amigurumi stuffies now. My first from a book titled Crobots: 20 Amigurumi Robots to Make and the other from this book. The Tiny Yarn Animals book pales in comparison to the Crobots: 20 Amigurumi Robots to Make book. Tiny Yarn Animals had instructions for making each part but didn't not mention how much to stuff the parts or how to even put it all together. The lack of instructions on how to put the parts together has left me hesitant to try another pattern. I also ran into a stitch that I hadn't heard of before sctog, which was defined as 'single crochet two stitches together.' I haven't run into this stitch before and was a bit frazzled that it didn't come with a clearer explanation. In the end I assumed I just had to decrease which worked out just fine. I would not recommend this book to someone who has a hard time figuring things out from photos or is new to crochet. I'm sure if you're an avid amigurumi maker you can probably figure this stuff out pretty easily.



3. The amigurumi animals are very cute. I am looking forward to making quite a few for myself and as gifts. The book was in very good shape.



4. The directions are simple and easy to follow. Probably you will need some guide from those who knows how to crochet for the first time doing it. The result was exactly the same as pictured. It is small and cute. Just nice to hold in your palm. Love the tiny little animals!



5. The animals in the book are really tiny. But the patterns are easy to follow.

No comments about Scandinavian Needlecraft.

5 comments about The Secrets of Needlepoint.

1. I met the author, Dominique Siegler-Lathrop, in her shop, Tappisseries de la Bucherie in Paris and this lady really knows her stuff. This is an excellent reference book with wonderful photos and examples of all the various needlepoint stitches - I wish I had this book when i first started needlepoint.



2. That is the only way I can describe what I have learned from this book. The instructions are excellent, as are the diagrams and photos. The technique she has developed and presented allows the stitcher to create beautiful, completed designs more quickly and with better finished results than I have ever experienced before. As a person who has been practicing needlepoint and canvas embroidery for more than 30 years, I thought I had it all figured out, at least most of it, but then I discovered this book. Last spring , while on an extended visit to Paris, I wandered in to Ms. Siegler-Lathrop's shop, Tapisseries de la Bucherie, and was greeted warmly by the author and given an impromptu lesson. I purchased the English version of this book, and it has become my "stitch bible". Buy this book! You will not be disappointed!



3. The Secrets of NeedlepointThe stitches are very clear and prescise. I can refer to this book without hesitation. Another book to add and keep in any needlework collection!



4. As someone who loves all different types of needleart forms, this book completely changed my way of thinking about needlepoint. Her illustrations are concise and easy to understand. She also has a fantastic website!



5. Dominique Siegler-Lathrop lives in Paris, France where she owns and operates her shop "Tapisseries de la Bucherie". Her speciality is tapestries made with hand-dyed wools and many of her designs are historically accurate. In The Secrets Of Needlepoint, she draws upon her many years of experience to provide the needlecrafter with her own proven method for making beautifully executed needlepoint tapestries on both monofil and penelope canvas. Readers are treated to 99 different stitches that are diagramed and illustrated; basic and advanced principles of design; handy tips and techniques; and sound advice for selecting equipment and supplies. The Secrets Of Needlepoint is an impressive and very highly recommended contribution to any personal or professional needlecraft instructional reference book collection.

3 comments about Arts & Crafts Needlepoint: 25 Needlepoint Projects.

1. I'm a big fan of Arts & Crafts architecture. I've made pilgrimages to the Gamble House in Pasadena and the William Morris museum in London. I've collected books on arts and crafts textiles, bungalow homes and more. So, given that I also like needlework (though my main theme is quilting), how could I resist a needlepoint book in the same genre? Well, for several years I _could_, because I am a rank beginner.
   
   On the other hand, I found a copy of Beth Russell's Arts & Crafts Needlepoint book on sale, and figured that I could use it as "inspiration" even if I wasn't up to actually doing one of her pieces (needlework without preprinted designs can scare me). I already knew that her work is beautifully designed; during that trip to London, I purchased a 6" version of her Morris "strawberry thief" needlepoint kit. (And it didn't turn out half bad! All mistakes are my own ineptitude, not hers, I assure you.)
   
   To my great surprise, this book is a better introduction than I expected. I haven't actually done any of the projects, so perhaps I'm speaking with misplaced self-confidence, but her how-to photos make it clear how to do a tent stitch and the instructions on "mounting for framing" have me halfway through getting that older project onto the wall. I'm not promising that I'll zoom through any of these projects, but Russell makes me *want* to.
   
   Her idea of Arts & Crafts designs is primarily William Morris, along with William deMorgan and their contemporaries. These don't incorporate many American adopters of the movement (such as Greene & Greene, though there's one Tiffany window-inspired design), but that's okay, because her stuff is beautiful. If I *don't* use this as anything except an "ooooh, pretty!" coffee table book, that's fine.
   
   Among the designs are three variations on the strawberry thief, two Lodden versions, Acanthus, Bird & Lily, a trellis design from Morris' garden at Red House... well, lots of choices. If you're a William Morris fan you'll recognize them.
   
   The projects themselves range in size from fairly small -- several are 12-14" square -- to pretty darned large (a rug that's 75"x48"). They are well photographed, both in their final form (such as chair upholstery) and in the actual pattern (though I'm obviously less trustworthy on the details). The material list includes everything you need for the project (size 20 tapestry needle, 14-count single canvas, Appleton crewel wool: light blue green (641) 1 skein...) and the "order of stitching" points out a few things to watch for ("you will find there is room for seven rows...").
   
   It's a lovely book. Obviously it's more than suitable for any needlepoint fan, but anyone who is interested in the Arts & Crafts movement will enjoy this book, too.



2. This book is a new edition of "Victorian Needlepoint". It has new pictures, and more importantly, new computer-generated charts. If you have seen the old one, the charts were hand drawn and indecipherable in places. This edition provides clear charts so you don't have to guess which color is used, or where the stitches fall. And the designs are beautiful and timeless. I have the old edition and just got this one...a must have for needlepoint fans!



3. Boy, was I angry when I got this book. It's "sold" as a new book but in fact, it's a softcover version of an older book. AND, they changed the title!! This book merits NO star but the system doesn't allow you to select 0.

5 comments about Treasury Of Crazyquilt Stitches.

1. This book is by far the best one I have ever found. There are so many stitches in it you will have ideas for years to come. It is an amazing inspiration. I take it with me whenever I stitch.



2. This book has been a great investment. The stitch combinations listed in the book have given me lots of ideas for my own seam treatments. I also have Carole's Dream a Seam templates, so I'm using them in combination with this book.
   This is not an entry level book, meaning she does not show you how to do the different stitches. So, if you are a beginner you should probably look for a different book if you need detailed instructions and how-tos. Instead, this is more of an encyclopedia of stitches and stitch combinations meant to educate and inspire. There are also many great motif designs in this book.
   I really recommend this book for the mid-level and up stitcher.



3. I consider this book to be the bible of crazy quilt stitches! I've been studying crazy quilts for years wishing there was a way to harness all those wonderful stitches scattered all over the Crazy Quilts. Carole Samples did it!! In the book she broke the stitches down into a few simple stitches to start, by studying her book soon you can accomplish any stitch. I can't even explain how exciting it is to own this book!



4. This is more of a reference book Mostly with drawings on brown paper making the stitches hard to see and no actuall instructions to guide you if you have never done them before. There are Many more books better for first timers Such as "The Magic of Crazy Quilting" by J Marsha Michler. It has nice black & white Drawings and color photos showing the stitches. THEN maybe this book will be helpfull...if you can get past the brown colored paper and black drawings. CHECK THIS ONE OUT OF THE LIBRARY FIRST! There is a book called "The Embroidery Stitch Bible" by Betty Barnden. It is a Nice 250 page Full Color Spirial Bound Book Just Loaded With Stitches For All Types Of Projects. A worthwhile investment if you do other things besides just quilting.



5. This book is one of the best on the market for Crazy Quilt stitches. It shows not only the traditional stitches but how to combine different stitches to come up with a new design. It is outstanding, I can't say enough praise about it. It is a must have if you crazy quilt.