No comments about American Indian Needlepoint Designs: for Pillows, Belts, Handbags and other Projects.

No comments about Dictionary of Canvas Work Stitches (Batsford Embroidery Paperback).

1 comments about Exotic Textiles in Needlepoint: Designs from Around the World.

1. Like many other stitchers, I love textiles of all kinds. I buy vintage embroidery at thrift shops, my floors are covered with oriental rugs, and I have a huge stash of fabric in the garage which I never use. Knight has taken her inspiration from all over the world to create this delightful book of needlepoint projects.
   
   The book is divided into broad geographical sections: Asia, Middle East, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Most sections have five projects in them, ranging from small (an Islamic Bookmark) to large (many pillows). There are unusual projects, such as a draught excluder, a pencil case and several bags. The book concentrates on wonderful projects and presents them well.
   
   Each geographic section begins with a two page introduction discussing artistic influences and fiber art in the continent. Each project has a full picture and several close-ups of portions of the stitching. The material list includes finishing materials and each project includes instructions about how to finish the design. A short introduction about each project is also included.
   
   This book has done an outstanding job of surveying a large subject, exotic textiles, and finding a selection of adaptations which will suit all tastes in needlepoint, from traditional to contemporary

No comments about The Glorafilia Needlepoint Collection.

3 comments about Donna Kooler's Glorious Needlepoint.

1. I have been an avid needlepointer for 20 years. I enjoyed this book because of the variety of designs and ease of the diagrams. There is alot packed into this paperback book. I find myself carrying it around with my needlepoint basket because its light and easy to use.



2. I really like this book-- the charts are easy to read, the color combinations work well, and the subjects are charming. I especially like the chicken and the rabbit, but all of the designs are on my to do list.



3. This book is excellent for cross-stitchers and needlepointers alike. The charts are printed in great colors and are enlarged so that you can actually see them. The projects in here are wonderful. They are very realistic looking. There are several pillows: a black and white hen with chicks, a beautiful rabbit with pansies, yellow primroses, roses and butterflies... There are footstool patterns and framed pictures. There are also 2 stockings and some ornaments. I was very happy when I opened this book having ordered it sight-unseen.

3 comments about Tapestry Collection.

1. Great mix of colours and designs to brighten any living room or to make the perfect unique gift for a friend or loved one.

   Gordon has a great talent and passes her wonderful charts on for all readers to share!




2. Jill Gordon has clearly surpassed her first book with this one... And in contrast to the first book, she has included charts for all designs- hooray!!! Another gripe people had about her first book was that she did not include amounts of yarn, however she does in this book. Another improvement over the first book is that the charts are in color and larger, which makes them much easier to follow.

   Needlepoint at the level takes concentration (no bland backgrounds here that are filled in with a single color), a wide range of yarn colors, and a goodly bit of time. In my experience, however it is well worth it. The comments that I get from friends who see the completed needlepoint are all overwhelmingly positive.

   There is wide range of nature inspired designs in this book. Some are tropical, others are from the savana, others are from formal gardens, all are beautiful. If I only had the time, I would do about 80% of them for my house, and I would do the others for people I love.




3. For those of you who want to stitch up these wonderful designs, you should be aware that the yarn used is from a UK company called Paterna. They also sell tapestry wool in the US under the name Paternayan. All of the numbers that do not start with a D are accurate, however the numbers that start with a D are only available from the UK version of the company. You will need to either substitute for them or order the yarn directly from the UK.

   By the way, if you have any problems, Jill Gordon is wonderful about answering e-mails. She seems to be a very nice woman...

No comments about Bugs, Butterflies, Birds & Blooms.

5 comments about Sins and Needles: A Story of Spiritual Mending.

1. The book and the art pictured in the book are overpriced. It's a good thing the Matersons can sell this art because their first attempt at book writing is disappointing. The moral of this story is that while it's good to save oneself from being a criminal others are just not that interested. I suppose the poor sales of the book are due to the fact that either a bad reputation will come back to haunt you or your karma will. Now, that's a high price to pay.



2. I thought that this book was very well written and quite captivating in that I never put it down until all was read. A peek into a personal life can be very educational and enlightening and I truly believe that this book has helped me to better understand lifes many possible ups and downs and just how important both freedom and love are in a persons life. I very much look forward to the next book by the Matersons and hope that it is soon! I wish them the best in their new life and a hearty pat on the back is in order!



3. My good sense tells me that writing this book made the Matersons feel better about themselves. My mind tells me to thank God I never went the way of abuse or criminal activity. My experience tells me we all have a life story to tell. Reading this book showed me most of us do not tell our story to make money or a movie. If the Matersons want money and fame here's some advice: try fiction or learn how to write without being so self-serving.



4. Ray Materson was born with the gift of being an artist- a person highly sensitive to pain and to pleasure who could convey these feelings to others. Even when locked up in a jail cell, with nothing to work with, he created his own materials- ironically one of them being a needle (a paraphernalia of the drug trade) and sock threads to create incredible stunning detailed works of depth and beauty of a definite style, snapshots of memory overflowing with feeling. Fortunately an appreciator, who was to become his soulmate and wife, came along and tells his life story with its suffering and its pleasures.
   The glossy pages show the embroideries at their very best. This book is a MUST read for all interested in art as a whole, particularly in embroidery, "Outsider Art", "Raw Art", in teaching, and in realizing how important artistic expression is and how important it is to be there for others as an Appreciator.



5. I enjoyed this book because it is a story about real life. It is an unexpected and very atypical story about a person whose life is, for some time, dictated by the disease of addiction. It was a difficult book to put down because the story is compelling and so human.
   
   It is likely that the negative reviews of this book stem from an inability of the reviewer to appreciate the struggle of addicts and the people in their lives and/or an intolerance for folks who write that aren't "writers". Materson is an outsider artist and this book, like his art, lack pretense. It's a great story.

1 comments about Candace Bahouth's Romantic Needlepoint: 20 Needlepoint Designs Inspired by Love (Romantic Needlepoint).

1. Shortly after I bought this book, I ran out and got threads to make five projects from it, ranging from a Renaissance heart-shaped pillow, to an Klimt-inspired evening bag. Using love as the theme, Bahouth ranges over the world of art from ancient Eygpt, Greece and Rome to popart. The designs are wonderful, imaginative, and easy to stitch. Her sources of design and her innovative style will stretch your imagination

2 comments about Kaffe Fassett's Glorious Color for Needlepoint & Knitting.

1. This is a reprint of the original Glorious Color, which was a groundbreaking knitting book. Kaffe Fassett, a London-based artist, discovered that he could use a rainbow pallette of yarn as well as paint to express his particular artistic ideas. The rest is knitting history.

   Kaffe also pioneered a new type of "less technique, more design" knitting. He uses cut strands of yarns to create wonderful repeating patterns of circles, tumbling blocks and multicolored stripes. The ends are woven in as he goes along --or not. Finishing on the back is not so important; getting a wonderful colorway and exciting visual pattern is the objective.

   Likewise, the shape and structure of the garment is not the focus although I really like the swing of the long coat and the shape of the peplum-styled jacket. But Kaffee Fassett is first and formost a colorist and painter, not a designer of couture. So the patterns are better for inspiration and finding your own path than for being followed with the exact yarn and exact pattern. But these patterns can be made successfully, and most people who've made them report that it has been an exciting adventure.

   In summary, I'd recommend this book if you like to design your own knitted garments, if you want color and pattern inspiration and new ideas, and if you just like to read gorgeous books. If you want couture and shaping, or knitting instruction this is not the best book on knitted garments.




2. I met Kaffee Fassett for the first time through the first edition of this book, and my knitting life totally changed. From then on I have seen colors and patterns everywhere, and love to blend and mix colors in my knitting.

   The book is a great pattern book, but even greater book for inspiration. Filled with color pictures there are so many wonderful items to look at you hardly get time left for knitting.

   Fassett started from scratch when he learned to knit, and he shares his way to become a master with us. And with his explanations everybody can become a knitter, everybody can become an artist.

   Good luck with your colors and needles.

   Britt Arnhild Lindland