Experiment with stitch, fabric and thread to create your own unique textiles. This inventive book is a treasure trove of over 40 inspiring practical exercises, a rich and creative exploration of fabric and stitch, and a fascinating all-round read. Elizabeth Healey's approach to sewing is that it should be fun, and not like a chore or an exam we need to excel in. Her aim is to simply encourage you to pick up a needle and thread and get sewing! The exercises draw inspiration from around the world: create corded works of art inspired by Milton Glaser's iconic Bob Dylan poster; create bold embroidered African masks; layer up and cut away to create Mola applique; use bleach and fabric paint to create Aboriginal dreamtime lizards; create knotted works of art inspired by ancient Mayan counting systems; embroider varsity cross-stitch letters or try out decorative Japanese book binding. Alternatively, try a host of other techniques such as quilting, printing, dyeing, couching tumbled crockery, creating pleats and puckers and needlelace. Packed with stitch galleries and bursting with slow sewing ideas, the book also contains 'behind the stitches' features: illuminating insights into sewing movements such as Boro textiles, Gee's Bend quilting and Dorset buttons.

Fall in love with boro & sashiko stitching 30+ authentic stitch patterns, 9 projects. Combine hand stitches to create dramatic, unique designs and learn to embrace imperfection, admiring the utilitarian beauty of every stitch. “Shibaguyz” Shannon and Jason Mullett-Bowlsby invite you to try your hand at boro, the traditional Japanese art of mending and quilting, and more than 30 authentic sashiko designs. Stitching lessons are true to tradition, inspired by historical works by Japanese masters. This guide in sashiko and boro includes patterns, stitch how-tos, and needle-threading and knotting tips. Put your handwork to good use with 9 contemporary projects like a sashiko sampler wallhanging, reversible knot bag, or a kimono-inspired jacket! With step-by-step instructions, even beginners can embrace the art of visible mending. Hand sew 30+ authentic sashiko patterns with best-selling authors the Shibaguyz Recreate the traditional art of boro (mending textiles) with 9 useful projects from jackets and bags to home decor Read stitch charts, mark fabrics, and thread your needle with tips from the pros

Discover the art of slow stitch fabric journaling with this practical guide to creating a fabric journal from textile artist, Jessie Chorley. Learn how to stitch your own stories in fabric and thread to create a hand-stitched journal. Jessie encourages readers to collect special pieces of fabric, threads and other ‘treasure’ and explains how to combine these precious items with techniques including simple patchwork, hand embroidery and applique, to create a unique, hand-stitched book to treasure forever. There are step-by-step instructions for how to make the fabric journal measuring 20cm x 20cm (7.8in x 7.8in). Jessie explains how to create your own seasonal story throughout the book so you can chart your year and mark any memorable occasions or events that you want to include, making it a wonderful memory book for a loved one or a family heirloom to be passed from generation to generation. The central theme of the project is the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, and there are four seasonal hand drawn motifs on iron-on transfer paper that can be used as the basis of the designs. The four seasonal motifs are accompanied by four further motifs which are intended for the inside and outside covers. Jessie then explains how to fill in and embellish these designs using a variety of her favourite stitches, threads, special notions, treasures, and keepsakes. As well as sewing techniques including scattered applique as a form of drawing and simple patchwork. In addition to the full-page templates there is a large selection of smaller motifs for readers to use throughout their books. These include Jessie’s signature alphabet and number motifs which can be used to mark people, places, and dates. Journal With Thread is suitable for all skill-levels – if you are a beginner you can follow the instructions very closely to make a beautiful book, however, if you an experienced maker, you can use it is as an inspirational guide to creating your own fabric journal, packed with Jessie’s beautiful artwork templates. This guide is about having fun with mark making with needle and thread and creating your own unique fabric journal.

Creating unique textile art using vintage cloth and embroidery to tell a story and preserve memories Vintage cloth, found objects, embroidery, layered cloth and hand-stitching are all artfully combined by Tilly Rose to create unique textile artworks that tell a story, record a special event, or preserve, display and celebrate a memory of a special person or place. Tilly describes how to create these textile artworks using scraps of fabric, thread, lace, ribbon, buttons, beads, photographs and other found items that readers either already own or have sourced from elsewhere. The projects take various forms, including cloth journals, lavender hearts, hoop art, framed collages, wall hangings and miniature quilts, and involve a variety of easy techniques that are explained through step-by-step demos at the start of the book. These include layering and collage, hand embroidery, creating your own fabrics, transferring your designs to cloth, stamping on cloth, appliqué, embellishing, patchwork, quilting, free motion embroidery and photo transfer. Create a textile artwork using fabric and items from your wedding, a child's first birthday, a Christening or your honeymoon, or even family heilooms that can be cherished in a new way. The whole focus of the book is on inspiration and experimentation - encouraging the reader to be creative, collecting and sourcing materials of special significance and incorporating them into textile artworks that become treasured keepsakes.

Be productive without sacrificing peace of mind using Lazy Genius principles that help you focus on what really matters and let go of what doesn't. If you need a comprehensive strategy for a meaningful life but are tired of reading stacks of self-help books, here is an easy way that actually works. No more cobbling together life hacks and productivity strategies from dozens of authors and still feeling tired. The struggle is real, but it doesn't have to be in charge. With wisdom and wit, the host of The Lazy Genius Podcast, Kendra Adachi, shows you that it's not about doing more or doing less; it's about doing what matters to you. In this book, she offers fourteen principles that are both practical and purposeful, like a Swiss army knife for how to be a person. Use them in combination to "lazy genius" anything, from laundry and meal plans to making friends and napping without guilt. It's possible to be soulful and efficient at the same time, and this book is the blueprint. The Lazy Genius Way isn't a new list of things to do; it's a new way to see. Skip the rules about getting up at 5 a.m. and drinking more water. Let's just figure out how to be a good person who can get stuff done without turning into The Hulk. These Lazy Genius principles--such as Decide Once, Start Small, Ask the Magic Question, and more--offer a better way to approach your time, relationships, and piles of mail, no matter your personality or life stage. Be who you already are, just with a better set of tools.

Jane Davenport creates the ultimate art journal for mixed-media artists.

In Crete during World War II, Alenka, a young woman who fights with the resistance against the brutal Nazi occupation, finds herself caught between her traitor of a brother and the man she loves, an undercover agent working for the Allies. May 1941. German paratroopers launch a blitzkrieg from the air against Crete. They are met with fierce defiance, the Greeks fighting back with daggers, pitchforks, and kitchen knives. During the bloody eleven-day battle, Alenka, a young Greek woman, saves the lives of two Australian soldiers. Jack and Teddy are childhood friends who joined up together to see the world. Both men fall in love with Alenka. They are forced to retreat with the tattered remains of the Allied forces over the towering White Mountains. Both are among the seven thousand Allied soldiers left behind in the desperate evacuation from Crete’s storm-lashed southern coast. Alenka hides Jack and Teddy at great risk to herself. Her brother Axel is a Nazi sympathizer and collaborator and spies on her movements. As Crete suffers under the Nazi jackboot, Alenka is drawn into an intense triangle of conflicting emotions with Jack and Teddy. Their friendship suffers under the strain of months of hiding and their rivalry for her love. Together, they join the resistance and fight to free the island, but all three will find themselves tested to their limits. Alenka must choose whom to trust and whom to love and, in the end, whom to save.