5 comments about Thread Painting: Simple Techniques to Add Texture and Dimension.

1. This book is GREAT! I found the technique so easy to learn and very effective. I especially loved the cat portrait in the book, and as a cat lover (I have 9 cats at home), I thought I could "thread paint" a few of their portraits. I'm so pleased with the results that I'm going for all 9!



2. This book is wonderful! The instructions are so easy to follow. The creative ideas are endless. It definitely takes you to next level with quilting. The best part is, you don't have to be able to draw!!!!! You can feel the author's energy, it's contagious!



3. Kudos to Leni for her book. I have bought a panel and started thread painting. It is great. I am finally an artist.



4. Although I love the cat instructions, I found nothing else in the book that was good for me. I didn't like that it has all clothing things to make and not nice scenic or more animals, or even some flowers.
   Very disappointing book for me.



5. I am always interested in Thread Painting and one day I will devote me to trying this faboulous art. This book is inspiring me to being NOW.

No comments about Royal Jewels: From Charlemagne to the Romanovs.

5 comments about 18th Century Embroidery Techniques.

1. This is my favorite book, bar none. I know, weird, but I'm a fiber artist. The contents of this book take the mystery out of the "how'd they do that?" It explains clearly what and how embroidery, especially of royalty and the royal court, was accomplished. IF it was still clear as mud after I read it, there were pictures and drawings. The pictures, BTW, are amazing. The content, superb. The writing, clear and personal.



2. This book is well researched and presents clear detailed descriptions of a fascinating subject. I love the inserted quotes especially those from the ever chatty Mrs Delany. (I highly recommend the wonderful book by Ruth Hayden "Mrs Delany Her Life and her Flowers") The only reason I chose to give this book 4 stars rather than 5 is the lack of color photos of the garments. Too many of the items are represented by simple line sketches making them difficult to visualize.



3. This book has an abundance of photos of actual gaments to illustrate the various stitches. Anyone who loves this period of dress, and the details of fabric decoration that made the 18th C.costume unique, should have this book. Whether they are into making their own pirate coats, or just admiring the amount of work that our ancestors put into the highest fashions of the day, this is a valuable reference.



4. Gorgeous and fascinating! I love embroidery, so the history and reference in this book are especially interesting. Very good value.



5. This book was extremely useful to me, it really provides me a clear picture of the colors,textures and designs of that time.

5 comments about The Papermaker's Companion: The Ultimate Guide to Making And Using Handmade Paper.

1. I received this book as a gift and I really like it. I am a brand new papermaker and was able to use this book right away and make a recycled paper batch that looked great. The details about making a mould and presses really helped. I recommend this book not only because it has the basics but it also has intermediate concepts.



2. Finally, I found a book that isn't about pretty pictures and way out there techniques. This book is about making paper. Helen gives you all the nuances necessary to make paper on your own. This is a comprehensive, information-packed book that is THE must-have for any beginner or even intermediate. Too many books show us beautiful photos of great art work but neglect to give us those finer details that would make our efforts a success. This book shows you how to succeed.



3. I checked the Papermaker's Companion out of the library just for some basic information about paper making. I found myself referring to it so often that I renewed the loan. And again. Finally, I broke down and bought my own copy. The recipes and instructions are clear and fairly comprehensive. The book contains at least a basic explanation of everything from using recycled paper to making your own pulp from plants and leaves. The projects are interesting and clearly explained. This is a good reference book for experienced paper makers and a good beginner's guide for those just starting out. Although it does contain a few projects for kids, this book is more appropriate for older teens and adults.



4. This is a comprehensive little book for those who want to learn about making paper! The title says it all. It is pretty clear; both in its instructions as well as detailing the material needed. It can guide you through something simple that will leave you with a piece of paper so you can say "I did it" and its not for me. Or, help you set up a full studio so you can really get into making paper for art, for gift giving, for writing, for what ever purpose. If the latter becomes your passion, then you will probably have to move on to something more detailed for expanding your craft. This is a nice, basic beginner book, although not a "papermaking for dummies" level. Read it through, figure out where you want to start, and give it a try!



5. book is well written and covers all the basics pretty well. onecan get stqrted making paper by following guidelines in this book. addresses most needs and covers method well.

5 comments about The Macrame Book.

1. I have been doing Macramé for quite some time and recently I have started to teach it as well. I own a number of Macramé books and I still think this is the best book for beginners to start out with. The illustrations for how to tie the knots are the best that I have seen and there are hundreds of ideas for projects.



2. Yes, this book is an excellent basic book, for people who are just knitting their first knots, which in this book are clearly explained, drawings included. So beginners, this is an ideal book. The book also offers instructions for some projects (not instructions for all of them), which could be inspiring. However, I think these projects belong to traditional art (folk art, I mean); they are not fashionable. Perhaps the challenge is to create up-to-date clothes from the basic knots.



3. I really enjoyed this book on macrame. I learned a lot and find that many of the techniques which I had thought were difficult are really quite easy once you get the hang of it. My sister and I go through this book together and have a lot of fun. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in this hobby.



4. The expanded illustrations of knots are very clear, and the art gallery and the examples are inspiring. I particularly liked the suggestions for combining macrame with other techniques.



5. As soon as I opened the cover I knew this book was perfect. On the front and back inside covers there are the pictures and how-tos for every knot for quick reference. It's full of great works of art for inspiration and easy in depth instructions for each knot later in the book. It is definitely what I was looking for and then some. I highly recommend it. :)

5 comments about Organizing Your Craft Space.

1. Excellent in case you don't know how to organize in a small space. I already had the same ideas as in the book but found a few more to make my craft room cleaner and not so messy.



2. This is a good book for organizing several different types of crafts. It includes Scrapbooking, Quilting, Beading and other crafts. The book helps you recognize alternative sources for organizing besides the organizing products on the market.



3. I was terribly disappointed with a book with such a beautiful cover, but the pretty pictures continued inside with no real organizing information.



4. Many people think that you don't need to be organized to create art. For these people, art happens naturally by grabbing canvas and paint and "doing it". However, if you ask any artist, you'll find out that this isn't always the case. I know for a fact that if my studio isn't clean and tidy, all my tools and materials organized and out where I can reach them when I need them, I cannot work on any project. A disorganized workspace tends to stifle my creativity and leaves me feeling like I cannot do anything.
   
   What prompted me to purchase this book was the idea that it focused solely on how artists, from scrapbookers to quilters, can organize their space to maximize their time spent on creating their art. I also liked how it went into a multitude of art styles, rather than focusing on just one art. If you've always wanted to organize your art space or create a perfect place for starting a new craft, then this book is for you. Like most craft-related books on the market, Packham writes for art women but don't let this fool you. There's a lot of information that can be used for artists of all ages, men and women alike.
   
   Organizing Your Craft Space begins by assessing your art space needs. Packham includes many lists and questions that cover your available space, what tools and things you use to make your crafty items, your color preferences and objects that might help store your items as well as look pleasing in your space. She explains that these questions are central to uncovering what is the best fit for your artistic needs. She even recommends that you keep a space journal and fill it with diagrams of your room, all the items you use in your art and any things you need to purchase for your room (like plastic containers, furniture or tools). Keeping a journal of this sort gives you a written record of what gives you the freedom to create and what sorts of things and colors you want to fill your creative space. She also defines the different types of storage styles and suggests many helpful tips and tricks for keeping your space free of clutter and trash. For artists whose craft space aslo doubles as a guest room, Packham gives advice on how you can accomidate both in the same space with minimal effort.
   
   The rest of the book details storage and organization by art type. These chapters include stained glass and mosaics, rubber stamping, scrapbooking and other paper arts, beading, yarn crafting and quilting. Packham discusses various needs and organizational styles that can be used to suit each craft-form. She starts out by listing a few short questions about the art and materials you use and then goes into explaining how these items can be stored or contained to maximize your time spent creating art. Each chapter includes an over abundance of pictures that show different ways to contain and organize your craft space. At the end of a section, Packham showcases one or more guest artists and their real-life working spaces. She tells us about their space, challenges and solutions, as well as showing us what these artists use to contain their tools and the methods they use to keep them focused on making art.



5. I really like this book. It has wonderful photos of the best craft rooms in existence. Great little quizzes to determine your decorating/organizing styles. Nice tips sprinkled throughout to help you plan your own. But the parts of the featured craft rooms that I would like to duplicate - I will have to do a few hours of research for a purchasing source. A "Where to Buy" section would make this book a 5 star! Or at a minimum, brand names of the items used in some of the rooms that were clearly not furnished through garage sales (so that I could just google them!). As it is, it is just a coffee table book since there isn't much more than nice photos in my opinion.

5 comments about The Complete Book of Birdhouse Construction for Woodworkers.

1. Don't expect to open this book and start building birdhouses right away. There are very few diagrams or pictures, mostly detailed discussions of bird house attributes. This is not the book for children or first time builders since the author assumes the reader is already a woodworker. However, careful reading will reveal a lot of useful information, making this a welcome addition to my "how to" library.



2. At first I thought I had purchased a bulletin, because the book is not very substantial, but upon examining the book, it contains some valuable tables on the proper dimensions of the bird houses (depth, width, height, material, hole size, etc).



3. I gave this as a gift to my daughter. She was delighted with it so now she and I have our summer project of making birdhouses.



4. Not that many designs. The designs included are limited to birds for certain regions of the USA.



5. Three dollars and fifty cents! I bought it for the reference information mentioned in my review title, i.e., entrance hole sizes by species, along with nest height. For $20, that would be a big one or two stars. For $3.50, that's a solid 5 stars! This is not a pretty backyard birdhouse plan book! It's a short, to the point treatise on what birds like and need.

5 comments about ReadyMade: How to Make [Almost] Everything: A Do-It-Yourself Primer.

1. I'd never read their magazine before, but I was hoping to find some serious projects. The only decent content was the history of the materials (paper, wood, metal, glass, plastic) examined. And that was far from worth the price.



2. I've purchased a few copies of ReadyMade magazine at the newsstand and enjoyed some of the ideas in those issues, so I went ahead and ordered this book, thinking it would contain more of the same. Big mistake.
   
   I feel confident advising everyone reading this review that there is nothing (yes, I mean not one thing) in this book that you will want to display in your home. A stack of empty laundry detergent bottles (totally undisguised) as a coat rack, anyone? When you picture your dream home, does it have cardboard FedEx shipping boxes (again, totally undisguised) hanging on the wall to hold your CD collection? Didn't think so.
   
   I will say that the book's copy is quirky and entertaining, and there's a lot of great trivia in here about the history of various materials, but I didn't buy the book because I wanted to know the history of paper-making; I bought it thinking it contained good project ideas.
   
   Bottom line: If you're living in a homeless encampment, there are things in here that will look great in your place. If not, don't waste your money on this dog!



3. This book appears to provoke profound ambivalence. However, for me, it was pee-in-your-pants funny and extremely inspiring, in the creative sense. In my review of the magazine by the same name, I said that it leads one to view the built environment in new and wonderful ways. The same holds in this case. In the reduce-reuse-recycle scheme, it makes an absolutely compelling case for creative reuse. This has two major benefits: (1) it helps overcome mindless consumerism and (2) it makes one a more appreciative and thoughtful person. Excellent outcomes. I recommend it highly.



4. As a reader of ReadyMade magazine, I was expecting similar projects in this book. I borrowed this from the library instead of buying it. I'm glad I did. I won't bother mentioning the same things other reviewers did, most statements I agree with.
   
   If I were still in college living in that dorm room or even in my first apartment, I do not doubt this book would provide endless ideas for my decor. I can guarantee the beer can wall divider would've amused me and my roommate to no end had we thought of making one for our dorm room.
   
   Aesthetically speaking, the book design and layout are perfect, but the contents... are kind of "ghetto". If your dorm/ apartment/ home has that edgy, rebel, ultra modern, youthful look, the items would probably fit in just fine.
   
   The projects are relatively inexpensive and most parts can be acquired by cruising down the streets or at the thrift store to pick up homeless furniture and materials.
   
   For those of use with slightly more permanent, quasi-furnished dwellings, the projects might not blend in as well. I don't see a TIDE bottle coat rack looking great next to... well.... any of my furniture.
   
   Since Amazon didn't list the projects, I will. They are as follows:
   
   Hardcover photo frame
   FedEx (triangular) Cardboard Mailer CD rack
   Poster-Tube Magazine tree
   Phone Book coffee table
   Shopping Bag woven rug
   Shoe box Shoji Screen
   Jewel Case wall mural (this is a pretty nifty idea for those pesky cases)
   Take-out Chandelier (colander plus clear plastic silverware)
   Water bottle chaise lounger
   No-sew messenger bag (featured everywhere)
   Stacked TIDE bottle coat rack
   Clothespin Doormat
   Pallet Bike Rack
   Chopstick Clock
   Drawer unit storage
   Door Mirror
   Veneer Lampshade
   Hubcap fountain
   Coat hanger wine rack
   Wall of beer cans room divider
   Ladder shelving
   Water bottle chandelier (glass bottles)
   Plexi Post-it board
   Window Frame light box
   Martini glass bird feeder
   Lampshade from old sweaters
   Denim dog bed
   Lace doily fruit bowl,
   Carpet kid chair
   And loads of other small projects...
   
   Any of those sound appealing to you? I'd suggest borrowing the book from your library first if you're not 100% sure the projects are for you.



5. This book is not a how to book. The beginning of the book tells you more that it is a way to get YOU to think about how to reuse materials. It has sections for each type of material, paper, plastic, metals.
   So if you are looking for a huge how to do-something, this book is not for you. But if you want to see some ways to reuse stuff and stimulate your own creative mind, this book definitely would be interesting to you.

5 comments about Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning (Teach Yourself Visually Consumer).

1. This is the book that I will now be recommending for my spinning students. It has photos of every technique along with clear descriptions and explanations. It covers beginning spinning to a variety of more advanced novelty yarns, and shows how to work with a great variety of fibers including wool,silk, alpaca, and wild fibers. The photos are most helpful.



2. This book had a lot of potential - great spinning teacher, big publisher, professional layout and photographer - but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The overall impression I had was that of a spinning class for beginners where the teacher says "Spinning is a great hobby, you can do this, and this, and this, and this, it's really great - well, sorry, I don't have the time to explain HOW you do it, but you'll figure it out". There's supposedly a little bit of everything, but for a beginner the explanations are just not detailed enough (and even for me, with some years of experience, the "rainbow pot" didn't work out). Now, that's just the general impression, but there's also a number of specific points to criticize.
   
   First of all, pictures are not very good. The "closeup" shots of yarn and fibre are not close enough and the pictures don't always go very well with the text: The different types of spinning wheel (bobbin-lead, scotch tension, double drive) are illustrated with full frontal shots of the wheels - you can see pedals and drivewheel, but not even guess how drive band and brake band are running - which is the only important thing. The only picture (in this chapter) that does show the drive/brake band arrangement is that of a scotch tension wheel right next to the headline "bobbin-driven wheels". Page 77: "The hooks on most flyers are offset, which makes it easier to fill the bobbins evenly. You move the yarn from the hood on the right side to the hook on the left side, from one end of the flyer to the other" - for that to work the hooks need to be on opposite sides of the flyer arms (so that both rows of hooks are visible - or invisible - at the same time when the flyer is horizontal) and this is NOT the case on the wheel that's shown on this page. On page 140 we have a picture of a skein of angora yarn and the text says "Do you see how much bigger the yarn is now that it's fulled?" No, we don't - there's no "before" picture.
   
   So, don't buy the book for the pictures. Well, normally I wouldn't anyway - but the title is "Teach yourself visually..." - and the motto "Read less - learn more". Which implies that you are supposed to learn from the pictures...
   
   Textwise, the technical information on spinning wheels is unclear, incomplete or just plain wrong. Examples: Page 15: "A bobbin-driven wheel is the fastest of the wheel types, but it doesn't offer you much control" - what's that supposed to mean? Spinning wheel speed is a function of the transmission ratio between drive wheel and whorl (a concept that's never mentioned anywhere), and incidentally the bobbin-driven wheels I know are all on the slow side. Page 16: "You have more control on a double-drive wheel than you do on a bobbin-driven wheel, but less speed" and finally the flyer-driven wheel is "the slowest of the three types". What is that supposed to mean?
   
   Then, what are we supposed to learn from sentences like this one: "If you have the wheel-maker's instructions, it should tell you how to replace the bobbin. If you do not have the instructions, every wheel should have some way to take the flyer off so that you can replace the bobbin" (page 70). By the way, nowhere is mentioned that the whorl on the double-drive wheel usually unscrews clockwise - that might have been a piece of useful information. Regarding information that's just plain wrong, here's one example: "Remember to put the drive band on the big end of the bobbin if you are using a scotch brake and on the small end if you are using a double drive" (page 71) - wrong! for scotch brake operation you put the drive band on the FLYER whorl and the brake band on the bobbin whorl!
   
   Another peeve: Judith McKenzie McCuin mostly avoids traditional spinning terminology and anything that might make spinning seem technical. Instead of "drafting" she uses mostly "stretching", instead of "S- and Z-twist" "left and right twist (and I like her explanation with the thumb - but would it really have hurt to mention that other sources use S and Z?), there's no mention of spinning wheel ratios, twists per inch or wraps per inch...
   
   I've given the two stars only because the book does seem nice, with an easy to read layout and lots of color pictures, and might create some interest in spinning - I just hope that beginning spinners will then take a class or get another book before being too discouraged by this one. Books I'd recommend are: For explaining how a spinning wheel works: Alden Amos Big Book of Handspinning. For learning how to spin: Lee Raven's Hands on Spinning (spindle and wheel) or Connie Delaney's Spindle Spinning from Novice to Expert, or Patsy Zawitoski's videos. For novelty yarns Diane Varney's Spinning Designer Yarns (includes a chapter on chemical dyeing) and/or Patsy Zawitoski's video, for natural dyeing Jenny Dean's Wild Color.



3. It was great in that it touched on so many areas and I hope that Judith will write a much more detailed in-depth book with lots of pics someday.



4. Aube's Maple and Red Oak Top Whorl Drop Spindle This is an excellent introduction to hand spinning. The book covers kinds of spindles, kinds of fiber and how to card it, and a good visual guide on how to use the spindle. It is very thorough and as stated above a very good beginner's guide to hand spinning. The spindle above is a good illustration of the type of spindle that is used to teach the novice how to spin with a top spindle. The author also introduces and explains about bottom whorl drop spindles.



5. 
   I found this is a great book for the beginning spinner. It covers both wheel & spindle spinning which is very helpful. It allows you to get a feeling for the basics.
   
   The pictures help to illustrate the text in the book. Though as always, I wish there were more images as I find I learn best visually.
   
   It certainly can't replace having someone to help you learn. But if you can't find a spinning group in your area, this is a great way to start.
   
   I also found that because it goes over different fibers and how to spin them, it will be useful beyond just the beginner.
   
   Given the amount of space devoted to pictures, do not expect this to cover everything. But I found that is was the best purchase I could have made as a beginner. I reference it again and again.

5 comments about Hair Wraps (Klutz).

1. I am a girl (...), and this book is great! I learned how to do many designs! I now have my own hair wrap business and do hair wraps at craft fairs! I also have the Quick Wrap from Conair. I make over 20$ a day doing hair wraps! it is great!



2. I have read this book and although I have not done a hair wrap yet, I am a hairdresser and can tell that the directions are very easy to follow and the pictures are great of the finished product. I am very happy that I ordered this book, I would recommend this book.



3. This was a present for 10 year old grandchild and she loved it.



4. This is exaclty what you would expect frm a klutz book. Easy to follow concise instructions. Easy instructions and easy to do are not the same thing, this is a very time consuming activity. It takes a bit to get the hang of it and then a good little bit of time to do the entire wrap. Granted my girls have very, very long hair. If the idea looks fun to you then you will like the book.



5. very clear instructions with lots of pictures. text is large font and easy to read. purchased for my 11 year old daughter. She enjoyed it, though she hasn't tried to actually make any hair wraps yet.