No comments about Split-Diamond Dazzlers: Quilts to Paper Piece.

2 comments about Quilts in America.

1. a "must" for anyone interested in American art...or quilts in general. a consummate body of work that both surveys the topic and gets into details only when appropriately necessary. written with a passion and sensitivity that sheds new light on some very old cloth.



2. Quilts In America is a needlecraft treasury spanning nearly three hundred years of quilt history, techniques, patterns, and styles since America's colonial roots. Black-and-white and color plates illustrate a wide variety of historic quilts, while chapters discuss the evolution of quilts as both a practical craft and as folk art. Co-written by the director of the Textile Conservation Workshop in South Salem, New York, a nonprofit regional conservation laboratory devoted to rare and fragile textiles, Quilts In America is both an enlightening read and a reverberating experience especially for quilt lovers everywhere, and the vintage designs in the plates will prove inspirational for anyone interested in creating new quilts in historic American styles.

1 comments about Memories of a Lifetime: Shoes: Artwork for Scrapbooks & Fabric-Transfer Crafts (Memories of a Lifetime) W/CD.

1. All the books in this series are terrific, and this one is no exception. The images are clear, colorful, and varied. I like having each image printed on quality paper which can be cut out (images are printed on only one side of the paper) or used as a reference to what is on the CD. I love having the CD so that images can be collaged and resized. If you need a good libary of clip art, I recommend this book and others in the same series.

5 comments about Quilter's Computer Companion.

1. I must commend Heim and Hansen for taking such a complex world as computers and reducing it to concepts the average quilter can easily understand and follow. It is also a nice feature that this book encompasses both the PC world and that of the Mac usuers. A goodly portion of the book is dedicated to walking the reader through the processes Gloria Hansen used to design her award winning quilts. This will inspire many who have been daunted by the process. The authors analyze many of the software programs available giving insight to their use in design as only seasoned quilters could. They also discuss so many aspects of printing, scanning and the internet with a wondeful section of Internet Yellow Pages chock full of exceptional web sights from quilters from traditional, through contemporary to art quilters.



2. Since I bought this book (just several days ago) I have learned more about my computer in general, quilting, drawing and paint programs, and what I want, what I need and where to find it all, oh yes, and how to use it all than in the 4 or so years I have had my computer. I highly recommend this book as a source for all quilters who own computers.



3. This is THE book to integrate the art of Quilting with the skill of the Computer. Judy and Gloria have brought the high tech words into the realm of the everyday person.

   Hats OFF for a job Well Done. !!!




4. As a beginner quilter and novice computer user, I found this book to be well worth sitting up late last night, eagerly devouring the wisdom that Heim and Hansen have compiled. Using simple, concise directions and "down to earth" discussion, they have covered all of the topics that formerly cowed me into believing that I should've lived 100 years ago! Now I'm eager to integrate my love of quilting with the new love of computers and the information superhighway! The yellow pages of web addresses are especially useful to someone located in the wilds of Northern Maine. Often, internet access is my only contact with the outside world! A simple comparision of the available software programs have helped me to narrow my search for the next acquisition - quilting software!



5. I highly recommend this book to any quilter who has access to a computer. It's loaded with excellent tutorials, clear illustrations, helpful advice, tips, and gorgeous quilts. This book has kick-started my creative juices, and I find I'm referring to it over and over again. It's an amazing reference. Heim and Hansen are quite a team!

2 comments about Erte Fashion Paper Dolls of the Twenties.

1. This print is a complete rip-off. Costumes all duplicated through out the book.



2. I in fact got both this and the other one offered..for paperdoll and decoupage projects..the paper is first quality as is the printing and coloring..its just perfect for what I wanted to use it for.B.W.

No comments about Once upon a Christmastime.

1 comments about Weaving a World: Textiles and the Navajo Way of Seeing.

1. Like Lila O'Neale in her early twentieth century study Yurok/Karok Basket Weavers, the authors of this book, Willink and Zolbrod, have set about to "read Navajo rugs" through the eyes and minds of Navajo, mostly older weavers and their families. What we, the readers, get is a somewhat anecdotal filtering of ideas, recognitions, myth and oral history that indeed does lend surprising information about some of the designs.
   
   But, the real jewels of this book are the weavings themselves. Forty separate color plates show rug after rug, over half predating 1900, from the School of American Research Collections in the Museum of New Mexico's Laboratory of Anthropology in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Each is magnificent in its own way. Accompanying text relates a separate story for twenty-seven of them, organized into: The Mythic Memory; The Collective memory; Ceremonial Practices; Harmony and Disharmony; and A World In Motion.
   
   What I personally love about this collection is the insight into balance, detail, symbolic representation and the fact that each weaving is strictly individual. A great reference for weaver and collector alike, my only criticism is that there aren't more close-up photos.

1 comments about Rug Weaver's Source Book.

1. This is a very useful book for anybody who is new to weaving rugs. Each chapter is written by a weaving artist/craftsperson who specializes in a particular weave structure for a specific type of rug. There are patterns with drafts and guidelines and tips for mastering the required techniques for each type of rug. Occasionally, an author might deter a beginner from attempting a rug, considering that some of the material is difficult to work with. It is up to the newbey whether or not they wish to go ahead and weave that rug, anyway, particularly those rugs requiring linen warps. There is a rug for everybody in this book and a rug for every part of the house. The colour photo illustrations are very inspirational and there is a nice little bio of each author.

5 comments about Knitting Pretty.

1. the concept for this book is fantastic - a knitting book for beginners that provides row by row instructions all written out very clearly with no abbreviations. the photographs are beautiful but it was an immense disappointment to find that out of the 30 projects in the book, 7 of them have absolutely no photograph of what they look like. how could you choose to do a pattern that you have no photograph or even a line drawing diagram of??? especially if you are a beginner (which i was when i bought this book), which this book is geared toward! worse, there are no diagrams for the finished projects at all except one. the one project that does have diagrams for it has no measurements on it. the early chapters in the book are hit and miss with the illustrations for the basic techniques. i agree with the other reviewers in that many of the projects are pointless - the knitted paperweight/rock cozy (can you imagine the dust this will collect?), the simple square (uhhh, it's called a gauge swatch), the beer cozy (yuk - wet, itchy acrylic, just what i want to hold in my hand)... the beginner's projects are good though: the garter stitch bookmark and dishcloth (both useful), and the garter stitch "plain old scarf" which you can choose to make a solid color or striped. these three projects are good to learn on and the instructions could not be more clear. i would not have been able to do them though, had i not had another knitting reference book to show me how to do the knit stitch, cast on, bind off, and all those other good beginner techniques.



2. but don't hold your breath. I liked the concept of a book with a variety of good basic patterns in it, as I am a kind of advanced beginner. So I ordered this despite the fact that I knew it lacked come pictures.
   But the lack of pictures for the most intriguing-sounding projects is just inexcusable.
   
   So I emailed the publisher, and suggested that they provide a *website* with pictures of the pictureless projects, since presumably the projects were actually knitted, and someone must have a picture or two. The customer service folks emailed me right back that they were sending my suggestion along to the editor in charge, and I mentioned that otherwise I would be adding my voice to the chorus of negative reviews, but I have not received a response.
   
   So I'm joining the chorus. For heaven sake, the bookmark is intended to be a beginner's first project, but instead of showing us the bookmark, they show a book with just the tip of the bookmark sticking out! We know what books look like!! We need to *see* the *knitted bookmark,* you sillies! And it just goes on from there. Plain hat--ok, here's a picture. Amazing sculpted hat? You guess what that might mean. Come on, what were you thinking? They even describe the colors of non-existent projects in non-existent pictures. "Sky-blue blanket." But you have to go outside and look at the sky, I guess, because you won't see it in the pages of the book.



3. This purchase was for my Daughter-in-law and she just loves it. I bought one for myself several years ago when I first started knitting and have made some wonderful projects. The company dish cloth is a great one and now I am making a baby blanket with the same pattern (size 11 round needles with 126 stitches at the largest part). It looks great!



4. I was initially discouraged from buying this book after reading the spotlight review above, which proclaimed it to be "the weirdest book ever."
   
   That review couldn't have been more misleading. If you are a beginning/intermediate knitter, I think you will find much to enjoy in this book. I dog-ear pages when I'm interested in a pattern, and I have dog-eared almost every page in this one.
   
   To name a few: the hats, mittens, slippers, change purse, cell phone cozy, skiing headband, shoulder bag, simple sweater (knit from the top down, in the round, no seams!) and daring halter all look fun and eminently wearable.
   
   If anything, this book is better than "Speed Knitting" by the same author, which received more positive reviews.



5. Unlike so many knitting books, I found at least 6 projects here that I could do and WOULD do! I loved the idea of the snake scarf, the headband and the tube top. They were simple but something that someone would actually like to receive as a present. The patterns were quite clear.
   
   A few things I didn't like---there were not pictures of every project. I really find it hard sometimes to think what a knit project will look like without a picture. Also, for a book that mainly features projects for beginners, there were WAY too many patterns that used double pointed needles. I have been teaching myself knitting for the past few years, and the one area I find impossible to master is using DPN. This might be just me, but I've heard others say the same thing. I don't think it's the kind of technique to use that much in book for early stage knitters!

1 comments about Granny Squares-Nanny Squares: New Twists for Classic Crochet.

1. Granny Squares with a Victorian twist. Excellent colourful pictures for each item listed. The patterns are easy to follow with clear diections stating suggested materials. The book also gives detail stitch instruction with easy to follow pictures for the less advanced crocheter. The patterns are unique using different yarns and textures. Not only does the book include afghans but pillows, tablecloths and several ideas for home decorating. This is a wonderful book for any person who enjoys making afghans.