Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #986927 in Books
• Published on: 1979-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 548 pages

Customer Reviews

Book description
More than 1400 how-to-do-it illustrations 24 pages of photographs in full color.
With this book you can acquire the skills you need to create a dress (in the color and style you like best), tailor a suit, make gorgeous furnishings, do beautiful crochet, embroidery, and needlepoint designs, enliven a room at minimum cost, and fill your leisure time with creative and profitable activity. Even if you've never threaded a needle before.
This is a major revision and expansion of the book that has led its field for over a decade. It still covors the whole world of needle arts (unlike other sewing books). And it has added lots of new techniques that are especially popular now-crewel embroidery and needlepoint, for example. Macrame, the art of decorative knotting, is a current rage, so there's an entire new chapter on it. Almost all of the suggested things-to-make have been replaced with exciting new versions, each one illustrated with a picture showing how the finished item will look. Many also have how-to-do-it diagrams.
SEWING. Basic stitches; how to cut, fit, and finish a dress; lining, pleats, tucks, darts, pockets, buttonholes; tailoring; pattern alteration; solutions to unusual sewing porblems.
EMBROIDERY. Choosing threads and fabrics; over 50 basic stitches with countless variations; combining stitches; crewel embroidery.
QUILTING. Directions for piece-and-quilt-as-you-go, biscuit, pieced, applique, and crazyquilt patchwork quilts, with patterns; Italian quilting; stuffed quilting; caring for quilts.
SMOCKING. Directions for English smocking, preparation of material and suggested designs. Also mock and "box pleat" smocking.
NEEDLEPOINT. Types of canvas and designs; gros point, petit point, and other stitches; piecing, blocking, and mounting finished work.
RUG MAKING. Hooked, braided, canvas, and crocheted rugs; patterns for rugs.
KNITTING. Guide to yarns, needles, and size charts; key to knitting abbreviations; all the basic and decorative stitches; patterns for baby clothes, classic sweaters, dresses, suits. CROCHETING. Guide to thread, needles and crocheting abbreviations; basic and intricate stitches; patterns for baby clothes, dresses, sweaters, place mats, toys, other items.
TATTING AND NETTING. Discussion of shuttles and threads; chart of abbreviations; how to tat edgings, bootees, doilies, tablecloths; how to do netting.
MACRAME. Guide to materials and various types of knots; instructions and designs for belts, stoles, pillows, tassels, wall hangings.
HAND WEAVING. Instructions for setting up a loom, threading it, weaving; various types of weaving, including tapestry.
SEWING FOR THE HOME. How to measure, cut, and fit slipcovers, draperies, and curtains; how to make cafe curtains. Austrian shades, sheer curtains, pillows, and bedspreads.
MACHINE EMBROIDERY. General rules; designs; types of machine embroidery, including borders, applique, monograms, buttonholes.
MENDING AND CARE. Darning; patching; mending net and lace; reclaiming wool; care of laces, linens, synthetics, and leather.
GIFTS TO MAKE. Children's toys, aprons, tote bags, place mats, dog basket, dog coat, slippers for the entire family, hand puppets, and many other items.