Category Archives: Needlework/Arts/Crafts

“Hand-Stitched Home” is a beautiful and informative book by Susan Beal. The book tells the history of the Pendleton company and has many projects to make using their and other types of wool fabric.

The author gives many tips on how to work with wool, including what types of wool work for certain projects (primarily based on the weight of the wool), how to wash it, types of stitches that work well, as well as the types of tools you will need to create the projects in the book.

(more…)

I have been making jewelry for a number of years but one technique that I have always been unsure of is working with wire. I have looked for a book that can provide me with a good foundation for learning the skills involved but, until now, I have not found one that works well for me.

“Bead & Wire Fashion Jewelry: A Collection of Stunning Statement Pieces to Make” is a fairly comprehensive guide to beginning to intermediate wire work. It lists the tools needed, shows them visually, and then tells how to use the tools, again showing visually how each step is taken. I learn both by reading and by seeing, so the way this book is set up is perfect for me. I can read each step, see how it is done, confirm that what I am seeing is what I am reading and then proceed to doing each step on my own jewelery.

(more…)

This is a book of adorable crochet basic dolls, clothing, and other fun child related projects. As a word of warning, if you have the author’s book from 2007 (“Toys to Crochet: Dozens of Patterns for Dolls, Animals, Doll Clothes, and Accessories”), you may be seeing some duplications. However, that book is out of print and is not available for Kindle. I also cannot tell if the patterns have changed at all in the intervening years.

As I do not own the prior book, these patterns are all new to me. The book is written with both English and US crochet terms, so the instructions look more complex than they are. It is easy to get used to, example: 1dc/1sc English crocheters follow the first term and US, the second. While there are no embroidery diagrams, the written instructions are sufficient for most to be able to make the simple stitches needed to add features, etc. to the toys. I like that the author suggests adding a button at the back of the doll/bear to help hold the clothes in place – great tip.

(more…)

The “Complete Photo Guide to Bead Crafts” is an excellent book for teaching children about beads, how to make certain types of beads and pendants, and how to string them on both fiber and wire. The book has 15 various projects which will appeal to girls and boys and it covers everything from pasta beads to stringing seed beads.

(more…)

Overall, I am impressed by the quality of this kit. The kit includes enough yarn to finish two classic Disney projects, specifically Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck and after that, you will need to purchase additional yarn, fiberfill, floss, and felt to finish more characters. The kit does not say exactly what size the yarn is but it seems to be at most a 3 in weight and it appears to be acrylic and/or wool rather than cotton. I have also purchased the Peanuts kit and the yarn in the Disney kit seems to be a better quality. The colors of yarn included are: white, black, dark blue, yellow, and red. The felt included is black, light blue, and white. The floss is black and white and appears to be cotton. Also included is a tapestry needle (for the floss), an inexpensive crochet hook in size 4.00 (US G/6) and fiberfill. There are also fairly detailed instructions including many diagrams.

(more…)

I purchased this in a local big box store and am impressed by the quality of the kit. If I could, I would give this kit a 4.5 star rating (explained in my review.) The kit includes enough yarn to finish three projects (Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and Woodstock), after that, you will need to purchase additional yarn, fiberfill, and black floss to finish more. The kit does not say exactly what size the yarn is but it seems to be at most a 3 and it appears to be acrylic yarn versus cotton or wool. Interestingly, the yarn in the Disney kit seems to be of better quality than that in the Peanuts kit. The colors included are: white, yellow, beige (flesh tone), light brown, and black. The floss is black and appears to be cotton. Also included is a tapestry needle (for the floss), fiberfill, and two inexpensive crochet hooks – a size 4.00 (US G/6) and and size 5.0 (US H/8). There are also fairly detailed instructions including many diagrams.

(more…)

I first learned to sew by hand when I was ten years old and in elementary school. Our student teacher that year had convinced our school principal that a good art project for the year would be teaching our class to hand sew felt dolls to be given to an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico. I remember how difficult it was to learn to sew such tiny little stitches as were needed to keep the stuffing inside the dolls. I soon learned to love our art period (only one hour three times a week) and to try to make as many dolls as well as I could.

(more…)

In “Felt Wee Folk New Adventures”, there are so many types of dolls – boys and girls. They are made with a variety of materials including small wooden beads for heads and pipe cleaners for arms, legs, and wings. Felt, however, is the primary material used for these dolls.

The author gives detailed instructions on how to photocopy her patterns and create templates (if you plan to make more than one or two of the same dolls.) As I am heavy into crafting, there wasn’t anything I needed to purchase before beginning a couple of the doll projects. I have already completed the first two I started and am ready to do some more.

(more…)