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Book Reviews and New Releases
2009 and 2010 Releases
Book Reviews 2006 - 2008

New Releases from Interweave Press - Fall 2010

Eco Colour: Botanical Dyes for Beautiful Textiles (September, $40) by India Flint is a guide to ecologically sustainable plant-dye methods using renewable resources that take the path of doing the least possible harm to the dyer, the end user of the object, and the environment.

Botanical Sketchbook by Mary Ann Scott with Margaret Stevens (September, $24.95) is the story of one woman's journey from enthusiastic amateur painter to supremely accomplished botanical artist, told through the outstanding sketchbooks and paintings she produced for the Distance Learning Diploma Course run by the Society of Botanical Artists.

Around the World in Knitted Socks: 26 Inspired Designs (September, $24.95) by Stephanie van der Linden takes knitters on a journey through world cultures by foot in this collection of 26 original sock knitting designs inspired by global knitting traditions.

The Found Object in Textile Art (September, $26.95) by Cas Holmes offers a wealth of techniques and inspiration for incorporating found objects into textile work.

Drawn to Stitch: Line, Drawing, and Mark-Making in Textile Art (September, $29.95) is a practical guide to the uses of line in embroidery and textile art, presented as a series of exercises designed to explore line's potential and develop an artist's creativity.

Sewn with Love: Classic Patterns for Children's Clothes and Accessories (October, $26.95) is an eclectic and unique collection of 25 patterns and designs for boys and girls with a vintage influence; includes a CD-rom of full-size patterns

The Dressmaker's Handbook of Couture Sewing Techniques: Essential Step-by-Step Techniques for Professional Results (October, $26.95) offers sewists a guide to the sewing and finishing techniques that many dressmakers assume are either extremely difficult or only for professional fashion designers.

Wrapped in Lace: Knitted Heirloom Designs from Around the World (November, $26.95) by Margaret Stove is a collection of knitting patterns and techniques in the tradition of the legendary "wedding ring shawl," a large knitted lace shawl so fine and delicate that it can be drawn through a wedding ring.

The Jewelry Architect: Techniques and Projects for Mixed-Media Jewelry (November, $26.95) by Kate McKinnon offers jewelry artists instruction and inspiration for combining wirework, metal clay, beadwork, and traditional metalsmithing to create one-of-a-kind art pieces to wear.

Baby Blueprint Crochet: 25 Irresistible Projects for Little Ones (December, $21.95) by Robyn Chachula is a collection of 25 crochet projects for boys and girls, with patterns using the internationally-recognized method of crochet stitch diagrams instead of written instructions.

Knit Kimono Too: Simple Designs to Mix, Match, and Layer (December, $26.95) by Vicki Square is collection of 20 new knitting patterns flattering kimonos and Asian-inspired sweater designs.

Fresh Quilting: Fearless Color, Design, and Inspiration (December, $26.95) by Malka Dubrawsky presents 21 modern quilting projects using the authors signature intoxicating colors and unexpected palettes.

Weave, Wrap, Coil: Creating Artisan Wire Jewelry (December, $22.95) by Jodi Bombardier offers wire jewelry crafters innovative ideas for manipulating wire using a variety of techniques including weaving, coiling, wrapping, texturing, forging, and filing to create contemporary combinations.

Knitting in the Details: Charming Designs to Knit and Embelish (January, $22.95) by Louisa Harding shares unique and creative ways to add charming embellishments to knitted projects.

The Artful Bird: Fanciful Feathered Friends to Make + Sew (January, $24.95) by Abigail Patner Glassenberg offers step-by-step instruction for making handcrafted fabric birds using a variety of basic machine- and hand sewing, embroidery, and mixed-media craft techniques.

Quilting Line and Color: Techniques and Designs for Abstract Quilts (February, $28.95) by Yoshiko Jinzenji combines crafters enthusiasm for Japanese design with the modern quilt movement in this collection of nearly fifty quilt patterns.

Creative Wildfire

Creative Wildfire: An Introduction to Art Journaling Basics and Beyond
L.K. Ludwig
Quarry Books
$24.99
www.quaysidepublishinggroup.com.

Keeping a journal of your ideas, designs, daily activities and thoughts is a good way to hang onto those flashes of insight. It's a place to experiment or it can be a means of organizing and prioritizing projects. This book will show you how to start journaling or motivate you to improve your current entries if you already keep a journal. There are also interviews with established journaling artists with useful information on how they work.

knitting green

Knitting Green: Conversations and Planet-Friendly Projects
Anne Budd
Interweave Press
$24.95
www.interweavestore.com.

I loved reading this book-the great knitting designs included are such a bonus! Many different sustainable fibers are discussed with patterns appropriate to the fiber. Several patterns are to help you live a greener life, but they also are fun and fashionable. If you want to knit a sweater so you can turn down your thermostat, this book will help you choose a yarn that has been manufactured in the most earth-friendly way.

String Felt Thread

String Felt Thread: The Hierarchy of Art and Craft in American Art
Elissa Auther
University of Minnesota Press
$29.95
www.upress.umn.edu.

This is an in-depth study chronicling the advance of string, felt, thread and fabric from the "low" world of craft to the "high" world of art in the 1960s and 1970s. Several contemporary artists and their work are profiled. The book also discusses the social dynamics that determine how art has historically been defined and valued.

textile art

The Complete Photo Guide to Textile Art
Susan Stein
Creative Publishing International
$24.99
www.quaysidepublishinggroup.com

This book will become an invaluable reference guide for over 40 different textile techniques. It starts with a section on color theory and fabric selection, then quickly moves into surface design techniques including using dyes, image transfer, painting on fabric, resists, screen painting and many more. The last section includes techniques for stitching, weaving and felting. Included here are cut fabric weaving, chenille, texturizing fabric, thread painting and several types of appliqué. Many resources are included for hard-to-find materials.

New Releases from Krause Publications - January, 2009

Simple Stained Glass Quilts, Daphne Greig and Susan Purney Mark, $24.99
Fuse It and Be Done, Barbara Campbell and Yolanda Fundora, $24.99
The Dressmaker's Technique Bible: A Complete Guide to Fashion Sewing, Lorna Knight, $29.99
Beautiful Embroidered and Embellished Knits, Jane Davis, $22.99
100 Applique Motifs: Projects, Techniques, and Templates, Debra "Ismoyo" Green, $19.99
Crochet That Fits: Shaped Fasions without Increases or Decreases, Mary Jane Hall, $22.99
Jelly Yarn: 20 Cool Projects for Girls to Knit and Crochet, Kathleen Greco and Nick Greco, $19.99

If you can't find these titles at your local bookstore or craft store, visit their website at www.krausebooks.com or call them at 800-258-0929.

Start Spinning
Everything you Need to Know to Make Great Yarn
Maggie Casey
Interweave Press
$21.95

This book is a very comprehensive teaching tool. I am not a production spinner, but I do a lot of spinning and I also do a lot of spinning workshops for children. Until I saw this book, I would have said that you can't teach youself to spin from a book but I might just be wrong. Spinning is a very tactile, hands-on skill and it does help to have someone actually show you the steps. But this book is very thorough and easy to follow. From the first chapter, "Start with Wool", this book explains everything in what I think is the right order and in a way that you can understand without actually seeing the process. The pictures show each step and don't leave anything out. There is an excellent chapter on spinning wheels that shows and describes each part of the wheel and shows you how to make adjustments to get the right amount of tension and twist when you spin.

Once you've mastered the basics, the book continues with more advanced techniques: it shows you how and why to ply yarn, it tells you how to spin a consistent yearn (believe me, this is helpful if you actually want to use the yarn you spin) and it demonstrates the difference between "woolen" and "worsted". There is a brief section on using your handspun yarn which will help motivate you to spin just a little more so that you can finish a complete project. The book recommends (as do I) learning to spin with clean, carded fleece. The amount of labor needed to clean and prepare a fleece may make you loose interest before you get to spinning. Once you've learned to spin, Appendix 1 of the book tells you how to buy and prepare a fleece from shearing to finished product. Appendix 2 has some very helpful tips on spinning wheel maintenance. When you take up a craft such as spinning or weaving you quickly learn that you need to know how to make repairs to your equipment. There is no spinning wheel repairman in the yellow pages! Fortunately, most spinning (and weaving) equipment is well-built and will give you many years of care-free service. Happy Spinning!

Stitch Graffiti

Stitch Graffiti
Unexpected Cross-Stitch
Heather Holland Daly
Interweave Press
$21.95

This is another comprehensive book by Interweave Press that will either get you started in cross-stich or will add to your enjoyment of a craft you have already discovered. All the basics are covered expertly in an easy-to-understand fashion. Then we get to the good stuff! There are twenty-five separate projects that are presented in a clear straight-forward fashion. Each project is illustrated with a picture of the finished project, a chart of the project (that is large enough to see without a magnifying glass!) and with the "Important Stuff" - fabric, thread, stitch density, stitch count, design size and extras. The projects range from whimsical to contemporary to ethnic-looking designs and include pillows, bags, framed wall hanging, clothing embellish ments and jewelry. Also included is a charted alphabet and numbers page, a brief stitch glossary and a list of sources.

EAST COAST ARTISAN, 18685 Main St., #101-438, Huntington Beach, CA 92648, PH 203-981-4334, Email EastCoastArtisan@aol.com