Exquisite Embellishments For Your Clothes

'Exquisite Embellishments for your Clothes' contains 47 projects which introduce the reader to a variety of techniques for working with specialty threads, sequins, lace, appliques, and more."

It takes a fabulous top to top off an outfit perfectly--and these smart and trendy choices are right at the height of fashion. Plus, they’re simple to sew, with each project building on the one before so novices can progressively develop their skills-including seaming, adding darts, setting in sleeves, and inserting a neckline flounce or collar. Newcomers, or those who feel a little rusty, can begin with the mock-wrap blouse or an extremely easy-to-make pullover tank with topstitching. Ponchos remain cool as ever, and the lightweight version here showcases wonderfully interesting fabric. A jacket with contemporary cropped sleeves goes smoothly from a day at work to an evening out.

Have you ever seen a fabulous pillow in a boutique or catalog and thought: "I wish I could make that”? Fortunately, you can! Pillows are one of the easiest home decorating items to sew, and these 15 styles will appeal to today’s hip readers. A short introductory course provides all the basic skills--seaming, installing a zipper, stitching buttons and buttonholes, adding flanges--and then it’s time to sew. Start simple with a knife-edged square pillow, move on to a boxed cushion with piping, and create a bolster to showcase a fabulous fabric. Each project builds on the one before, so readers progressively develop a repertoire of skills. Many of the pillows feature popular embellishments such as ribbon trim, appliqu�, and embroidery.

With their charming, simply irresistible projects, the Pretty Little series has made a huge splash with crafters. And this newest entry is sure to become one of the biggest hits ever, because every woman knows that you just can’t have too many darling, stylish purses! These 30 clever and adorable little carryalls range from cute cell phone cases and wallets to daytime purses and glam evening bags. They come from a pool of wildly creative designers, and showcase the latest trends in fabric, design, and embellishment: every one is unique, colorful, modern, and playfully feminine. Who wouldn’t love the sweet heart-covered pouch with a smiling face on the front, plus tiny felted hands and feet? Or the bold and bright petite wool tote that sports a bouquet of felt flowers? And that’s just the beginning of the crafting fun, because there’s so much more, including a vintage linen clutch featuring a pretty ruched front. Of course, as always, the entire book looks as stunning as the individual projects, with beautiful color photos throughout, plus patterns and templates.

Patchwork--the piecing together of many different fabrics--is back! And it’s making a splash on fashion runways, in the hottest magazines, and on the coolest indie craft blogs. No wonder, because patchwork gives stitchers an exciting way to make use of their old fabric scraps; in effect, they’re designing new material by creating original combinations of patterns. Thanks to a pool of talented designers and this new entry in the popular Pretty Little series, anyone can pick out some fabrics and get started. Thirty projects showcase a variety of creative ideas, including funky ornaments, a silk scarf, star pincushions, a yoga-mat carrier, and much more. An introduction teaches the basic techniques, and all the projects appear in full-color, close-up photos.

20 of the best contemporary designers have created 43 projects using wire and the diversity of beads available, and the results are truly inspiring. From funky to eclectic, their designs reflect a range of inventive techniques and can be worked with simple hand tools (no soldering required). An introductory chapter presents the necessary supplies and material, along with the basic techniques.

Aprons can be seen everywhere, from upscale catalogues to trendy stores. What's more, today's versions are so incredibly cute, they're no longer relegated to kitchen wear.

"Creative ideas to dress up greeting cards, gift packages & more"--Cover.