The Complete Idiot's Guide Big Book of Needle Arts and Craftsis the quintessential reference book for needlepoint, embroidery, quilting, sewing, knitting, crocheting, and more! With 800 pages of information and projects, this book is the ultimate how-to! Includes patterns for making afghans, hats, window treatments, pillows, and more!

Some of us take pride and pleasure in our needlework skills, while others of us have been drawn to sewing crafts but haven't been confident enough to try them. Happily, this book is a gold mine of instruction and inspiration for everyone, whatever your level of skill.

This guide is for anyone who is interested in learning or re-learning the art of embroidery or needlepoint. Containing a history of needlecrafts, as well as an updated look at its uses for your home and wardrobe, it explains how to deal with such concepts as color, balance, scale, and texture, and how to incorporate your own personal syle. Everything you need to know about the art of embroidery, including needle and thread types, materials, stitch types, frames, techniques, enlarging or reducing designs, monogramming, and project ideas, is in this book.

Here is the ultimate reference for all styles of artistic hand stitching! No matter what design style you favor, this book gives you the tools to express yourself with needle and thread. Detailed technique instructions with clear charts and photos teach hundreds of stitches for embellishing clothes, gifts, accessories, or home decor. Simple projects let you try your hand at each method and inspire you to create your own designs. Needlework methods include: Creative embroidery Crewel Silk ribbon embroidery Bead embroidery Cross-stitch Needlepoint Learn one method or learn them all! With The Complete Photo Guide to Needlework, you will know how to choose the best needles, threads, and fabrics for any project. Get abundant stitches at your fingertips with this essential guide that you'll turn to again and again.

Easy-to-follow diagrams and simple instructions enable even beginners to create a host of striking Native American designs. Color-coded patterns for buffalo, kachinas, eagles, and more will add delightful ornamental touches to T-shirts, lend distinctive touches to handbags, headbands, and belts, and enhance cushion covers, table linens, and other household accessories.

The bead is imbued with history, a compact record of human ingenuity and creativity. Beads are, quite simply, beautiful. One of the great things about beading is that it can be extremely easy or very complicated, according to how much time or patience one is willing to give to it. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Beading Illustratedgives readers all the skills they need to do many of the different kinds of beadwork made all over the world. Included are hundreds of step-by-step instructions and simple samples to make for each technique, more advanced projects, and finally resources to broaden beading knowledge and crafting expertise. Readers will learn how to make their own beads from wood, clay, or found objects; understand the intricacies of fasteners and clasps; design their own beaded jewellery; work with wire and assorted threading techniques; bead on fabric and fibres or looms; and more!

Hundreds of budget-friendly projects include edible homemade goodies, holiday decorations, toys, musical instruments, and gifts made from wood, metal, glass, leather, clay, and found objects.