Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts: Basic Techniques for Sewing, Applique, Embroidery, Quilting, Dyeing, and Printing, plus 150 Inspired Projects from A to Z [Hardcover]

This Best Selling Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts: Basic Techniques for Sewing, Applique, Embroidery, Quilting, Dyeing, and Printing, plus 150 Inspired Projects from A to Z [Hardcover] tends to SELL OUT VERY FAST!!

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Potter Craft (March 30, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307450589
• ISBN-13: 978-0307450586
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 1.4 x 11.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  

Price : $22.43
You Save : $12.57 (36%)

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Customer Reviews

When the first Encyclopedia of Crafts was published a few years ago I, like many others, was disappointed because textiles were conspicuously lacking. This book begins to remedy the problem by addressing sewing and fabric crafts.
The book has three sections. The first discusses in detail techniques, materials and tools. While it is a good introduction and is close to encyclopedic when it comes to machine sewing, it is only an introduction, not comprehensive, when it comes to any of the other techniques (embroidery, patchwork, applique, dyeing, and printing) it describes. There is enough there to get you started and to do the projects, but if you know or are interested in the technique, you will want more.
The second part of the book has the projects. Fabric projects from many years of Martha Stewart Living are grouped together by type, so coasters, for example, has oilcloth coasters, machine embroidery coasters, and ones made from bleached and overdyed fabric.
The final section gives additional details on materials needed and the resources in the included CD (not in the review copy).
This is a Martha Stewart book and has all the virutes and vices that go along with that. The projects are stylish, inventive, and beautiful. But if you read her magazine, you have seen them before. The technique information is accurate but not complete. For example in the dyeing section it doesn't bother to say that you should NEVER use pots you cook in to dye in because these chemicals are quite toxic. To my mind this is a glaring omission.
I always feel when reading one of her books that doing any of these projects or techniques is just so easy that I can whip it up in an afternoon and get lovely results without any prior experience. But the world isn't like that. It bothers me, as a fiber artist, that she doesn't take the trouble to rate the projects so that I can figure out which ones are accessible to me.
Ultimately, I think this is a useful book as far as it goes. The information is sound, if incomplete, the projects are nicely explained and beautifully illustrated. But encyclopedic -- NO.
Now I need to wait until she has done enough fiber projects to do that volume, but that will be awhile.

Let me start by saying I am reviewing a black and white copy without the CD. This is important because I have the Martha Stewar's Encyclopedia of Crafts and color is very important. Just like the magazine,the presentation is a large part of why you want the book. You really can't get the full impact without color. Without the color and CD what am I reviewing? What I can see from the black and white version. So what do you get?
What you will get is a beautiful bound copy of sewing information that is readily available on her website and in many cases in her magazines. But here is the selling point, you get all in one place, in an easy to browse and use format. Everything is here - from the directions, tools to use to additional techniques and suppliers. So the second positive is you can recycle all those magazines you have laying around gathering dust because there is one project in each magazine you know you will get to one day. You can also stop searching the web for that project you remember from some show you saw long ago on cat play toys. It's all here in the book. To me, that alone might be the best reason to buy it.
Let me warn you this is more a crafter's book than a sewing book. It is not for the serious sewer who want to turn out Chanel inspired garments and probably a little boring for the experienced sewer. So why should you buy it? It depends on what you are looking for. I found the Encyclopedia of Crafts a great way to plan projects with my granddaughters who loved looking through the book at all the different projects. I'm planning to use the sewing book the same way. Seeing two little heads going throught a book and planning projects to do with Grandma, priceless.

 

Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts: Basic Techniques for Sewing, Applique, Embroidery, Quilting, Dyeing, and Printing, plus 150 Inspired Projects from A to Z [Hardcover]