Fabrications: Over 1,000 Ways to Decorate Your Home with Fabric [Paperback]

Katrin Cargill (Author), James Merrell (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1999

With over a thousand decorating tips and ideas and twenty-two do-it-yourself projects, this book is a discriminating home decorator's must-have. Its step-by-step diagrams, easy-to-follow instructions, glossary, and extensive directory of suppliers gives readers the savvy and inspiration they need to transform their living spaces into beautiful homes.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Sew until your heart is content. This is the first book I pick up if I am about to give a room a quick face lift. When I cannot bear to look at that old sofa for one more minute, I can find a way to make a cover for it in just hours. I have used it to cover dining room chairs for unexpected dinner parties and whipped up a bed duvet for the guestroom in just one day. I will not let anyone borrow this book from my library. Sorry. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Bulfinch (April 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821225901
• ISBN-13: 978-0821225905
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,371,551 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Expert Advice > Katrin Cargill
  • #73 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Interior Design > Upholstery & Fabrics

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Really nice photos and inspirational, but not easy to follow, October 24, 2000

By 

Kim Unertl "kimz0519" (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fabrications: Over 1,000 Ways to Decorate Your Home with Fabric (Paperback)

This book is really a beautiful book. The pictures of fabric being used in various rooms in houses are all very nicely done and the use of fabric is really stunning. Unfortunately, while pictures are nice when it comes to projects with fabric, instructions go a lot further than pictures of the finished product. There are approximately 10-15 projects that actually have instructions in this book. Everything else is just pictures of really nice applications of fabric.

How are the projects with instructions? Of the projects that actually have instructions, the majority of them look really neat. Unfortunately, I think many of them would be difficult to complete because the instructions are fairly weak. Little to no assistance is provided on how to customize the project.

Who is the audience of this book? This book does not seem to be a good fit for beginning sewers or even those with a moderate level of experience. I think expert sewers might be able to use this book more readily because they would be able to transform the pictures into action. To me, this book is actually more of a coffee table book than a real project book and not really practical. Good inspiration value, low ability to apply your inspiration value.

Also, the part that I disliked the most about this book was the section devoted to curtains. Yes, this is a major area that people want to work on for home decoration BUT there are so many books out there dedicated to just curtains (including a really wonderful one by the same author) that the section in this book on curtains seemed really pointless.

If you are a really experienced sewer and need inspiration OR if you are having someone else decorate your house for you and want ideas for an expert to implement, this would be a really good book for you. If you are a beginning sewer, this book will probably overwhelm you by giving you lots of really great ideas that will be too hard for you to implement or figure out how to implement.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great to spark the imagination!, July 31, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Fabrications: Over 1000 Ways to Decorate Your Home With Fabric (Hardcover)

Great ideas to spark the thought processes, I refer to it often to get my mind to think in a different way to solve decorating issues. The projects do run the spectrum in difficulty but I do believe that sewing skills should be intermediate for most.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth every penny., August 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fabrications: Over 1000 Ways to Decorate Your Home With Fabric (Hardcover)

Not only is this book beautifully done, but also, the fabric projects are well-presented and easy to undertake. Projects range from storage solutions to elegant interior decorating projects one can do with fabric. I would recommend this book to interior decorators (amateur or professional), seamstresses and upholsterers, and to those with an interest in textiles and their various uses in the home.