Highly recommended
I was very impressed with The Home Guide to Craft – it covers so many crafts, ideas, and projects that it will keep an enthusiastic crafter busy for years. This book is compiled by Katherine Sorrell who is the features editor of Homes & Gardens magazine in the UK, and includes the expertise and instructions contributed by 30 other craft writers – each an expert in their particular field, such as Tracy Kendall, who owns a wallpapering business and contributed to the stencilling and screen printing sections, and jewellery designer Amanda Doughty on the art of silverwork.
Sorrell begins by saying, “Whether you want to perfect a single technique or dabble in a variety of projects, you’ll discover that half the fun of craft is simply discovering just how creative you really are.” This book certainly whets the appetite for exploring the creative outlet that crafting provides. Crafts included are stencilling, screen printing, cyanotype, silk painting, shibori, felt making, weaving, beadwork, basketry, paper making, ceramic painting, glass painting, mosaic, gilding, silverwork, soap making, plastic work, and acrylic moulding. In addition, traditional crafts like knitting, crochet, embroidery, and quilting are approached from a beginner’s point of view – making it ideal for teaching a newcomer.
There are two projects included for each craft, sixty projects in total, complete with step-by-step instructions and matching high quality photographs of the process and the finished item. The designs in most cases are contemporary in look and will suit a range of tastes. Some of the needlework and paper crafts are slightly more rustic.
The reference section at the end of the book includes instructions on how to knit, crochet, and make a printing screen, and includes an embroidery stitch guide. Templates for the patterns used in the projects are given with enlargement instructions where necessary.
This is a sturdy book at 400 pages, and, although I would have preferred spiral binding to have the pages lying flat while following instructions, the middle pages and first few front and back pages remain open quite well. The rest would require a paper weight or book holder to keep it open at the appropriate place.
I love this as a coffee table book because of it’s square shape and elegant cover art. The photographs (by Howard Sooley) of the step-by-step instructions and finished projects are beautiful and very professional.
The Home Guide to Craft is available from Amazon.com
