Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

As someone who has owned a sewing machine for years but has neglected to do anything with it, this book serves as a step by step guide full of encouragement.

The most basic projects include felt purses, handkerchiefs and potholders to more challenging projects such as dog jackets, patchwork/quilting and stuffed animals. Also of interest are projects that, as someone new to sewing, I never even thought of, such as notebooks and checkbook covers. For the most part the book is full of domestically useful projects: curtains, bed linens, napkins, placemats and upholstery. There are even several basic clothing projects: seersucker pants, wrap skirt, tube dress, sarong, etc.

It is a misnomer to lump this into Martha's "Encyclopedia of" series, as it's more of a basic sewing techniques coursebook with cd of templates and patterns (reviewers did not receive this cd).

This would be wasted on those advanced in the craft, but it would make a great gift for the beginner.

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.

Referring to this book as an encyclopedia is incredibly misleading. The instructional part of this book only takes up 90 of the almost 400 pages, and there are a LOT of pictures. VERY basic introductions to each of the six subjects are given, making this book, as far as a reference, suitable to one who has never sewn before or only done very small bits of handwork. I found the inclusion of the dyeing and printing sections to be interesting, yet somewhat ill-fitted, selections to accompany the other subjects and feel that the instructions aren't very in-depth. There are pictures of everything in this book, which I find to be a detriment. I mean, seriously, there is a photographic index of tools in the back, including pictures of items such as pins, needles, measuring tape, bottles of adhesives and an iron. That should be an indicator that this book is very clearly designed for the very beginner. On top of that, while my copy an advance black and white, I am sure the finished version will be in color and having all those pretty pictures will certainly contribute to the cost. To touch on the projects, these are definitely for beginners; basic stuffed animals, pillow covers galore, very, very simple projects that I think one could find instructions for with a quick internet search. My copy did not include the CD with patterns and templates so I cannot remark on that aspect of this book.

I can see this book making a nice little gift for someone who is just learning to sew but for any stitcher wanting to progress beyond the basics, this isn't the book for you. I am giving this book two stars from an experienced crafter's point of view, but would rate it closer to a three for someone who is a beginner.

Looking for sewing books to help teach my daughter more about sewing, this book is just the quality I'd expect from Martha Stewart.
The first part of the book is tools and techniques which explains the basic tools necessary for sewing and how to do the most essential techniques. This section covers machine sewing, seams, hand sewing and the 3 essential stitches you need to know how to do (running, back stitch and slip stitch), appliqué, fabric dye techniques like batiking and ombre shading, embroidery (including essential embroidery stitches), patchwork, and basic fabric printing using block printing methods.
After you get through that section comes the projects. The projects are mostly very simple projects that teach sewing basics in usable ways. The stuffed animals and hand sewn dolls will be my daughter's favorite. She does a lot of hand sewn dolls now.
The projects including clothing, dolls, pincushions, quilts and a great many other things. The techniques used to create the projects make it easy to customize them to suit your own aesthetics. Instead of a leaf sewing set, you could use an apple for your basic shape to make a sewing set for a favorite teacher.
Unlike a lot of other sewing books, this one has a lot of projects that are easily hand sewn which make perfect take along projects, and many of them use smaller amounts of fabric which means you could use old clothes and vintage remnants for the projects. I love machine sewing, but I'm trying to become a lot neater at hand sewing for it's portability.
My favorite project is probably the simplest one in the whole book. Rolled hem handkerchiefs. I can just see my daughter and I making these and hand embroidering them for friends.
There is also a wonderful section on aprons and I love aprons so much.
It will be a resource I know I'll refer to again and again. My mother was a dressmaker and I still feel I got a lot of good ideas from this book. For my daughter, she hates following patterns and the fact so many of the ideas in this book are very adaptable will make it wonderful for her.

If you've ever seen another of Martha's encyclopedic works on crafts or cooking, you already know what to expect with this newest volume -- a compendium of art and craft and information that's both complete and accessible, filled with projects ranging from embroidery to quilting, that will keep you busy for a long, long time.

While I got an uncorrected proof (via Amazon Vine, full disclosure), and didn't get to see the full-color photographs, the ones I did see (front and back covers) are amazing, as always, and even the black and white ones inside were clear and enough to illustrate that the techniques are presented very plainly and easy for even visual learners to understand and master.

Informationally, Martha doesn't ever disappoint. If there's a technique, say, fabric dyeing for example, that you want to know more about, just flip to the section and read away -- you'll come away knowing not only how to do it, but a bit of the history of dyeing, to boot.

I'll be picking up a full-color version just as soon as I can put this one down.

Beginning with the basics of sewing by hand and machine, _Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts_ progresses into an alphabetically organized how-to project book.

The beginning information on sewing techniques is intended for beginners through experts, and explains thread, fabrics, how to set up a sewing area, and important supplies to have (there are also recommended supplies in the back). As an experienced sewer, I found this information to be a bit basic, and also perhaps a little too authoritative at times. For example, the book advises to pre-wash fabric. However, there are plenty of quilters out there like me who prefer to wash cotton fabric after quilting to get even more of the puckering effect some of us prefer (quilters could debate this for years and still not reach a consensus). But even though some of the information is basic, it's nice to know there's a place to turn to when you forget that stitch you were an expert on the day before!

The projects in the volume include clothing, stuffed animals, a basic Waldorf doll with no face shaping, and even a few for the four-legged members of the family. A project that would no doubt become a beloved keepsake is how to turn children's drawings into three-dimensional stuffed animals. My favorite project is one for use with vintage handkerchiefs, and since there are reproduction hankies available, this is possible to do without ruining heirlooms. Some of the projects require printing out templates or patterns. I personally would prefer them to be separate and bound into the book.

As a _Martha Stewart Living_ reader, I have to admit to recognizing a lot of these projects from the pages of the magazine (and the website). I don't know how many were gleaned from its pages, but certainly at least a significant number of them were. Some people may find it nice discovering all of their favorite projects in one spot, but it may be a disappointment to people like me who have already seen these before and already used the ones we were interested in. It's a bit odd to open up a brand new book, as I did, and find out it contains more than one project in it that you have already made, and plenty you have rejected for one reason or another!

I would mostly recommend this volume to people who are new to sewing and aren't subscribed to _Martha Stewart Living_ magazine. It contains a lot of projects to get people started and practicing, and enough of a selection that most people should be able to find just what they want or need.

Once upon a time I sewed all sorts of crafty things and then I quit.

When I saw this book I grew excited to actually pull out my sewing machine and give some of these projects a try. The appeal of this book reaches various levels of ability and commitment.

Some of the projects are instant gratification (good for a rusty sewer!) and also great projects to help your child learn to sew and craft. Things like the drawstring pouch, the child's oilcloth apron, and pie weight hand warmer would be great projects to do with children.

There are also more involved projects for the more advanced sewer like the quilted dog jacket, Roman window shades or a state bird embroidery quilt.

I am itching to make the menswear mice, constructed from brightly colored suiting and shirting fabrics. Also very appealing to me are the felt baby shoes and slippers. They would make a perfect baby shower gift.

There are some very clever ideas for reusing a discarded item. For example, the book shows how to turn an adult shirt into a darling girl's dress, or how to make tuxedo shirt into a clever pillow.

AND... I just have to say I have made the rabbits in this craft book out of old cashmere sweaters and they are beyond adorable!!

The book has a lot of extras. It comes with a CD for accessing all the patterns to copy. Amazon did not provide this to reviewers of the pre published copy so I can not attest to how well it works. But you can find some of the templates at marthastewart.

The book has an illustrated tools and materials list so there is no guessing about what is needed for the projects.

An excellent 'how to' section guides you through the crafts: 'how to patch a hole,' 'how to make piping,' 'how to make quilted fabric.'

The book is 400 pages of fun.

I have been searching for a good sewing book to assist with technique for things like cushions, curtains, etc. Despite the title, this isn't it. While the projects are nice (if a little conservative), the instructions are poor. The pictures are the lovingly photographed final results. This is a little indulgent and common to far too many craft books. Pictures should be instructional - some things are poorly conveyed by written instructions. These tutorials skim over complex or puzzling processes with an airy 'bind the quilt' etc. I expected better.

Some of us as very young children remember making doll clothes on the old treadle sewing machines, while others cut their teeth on much more sophisticated machines. Passion for sewing, however, didn't differentiate machines and many of us spent hours having a great deal of fun working on an assortment of projects. Martha Stewart's passion for sewing began as a young girl and she, her sisters Kathy and Laura, "would all become proficient seamstresses." Not all of us became proficient, but finding a new "craft" project can be exciting. I was pleased to see this book come out because, as we all know, one or two page patterns can be quite pricey and in comparison the hours you'll get poring over this book will make it into a bargain.

The beginning of the book can serve as a brush up on the basics and for the `tweens and teens it will be a perfect starting point to learn about sewing. In this section you will learn about:

* An assortment of fabrics, their uses, characteristics, and composition (solid cottons, patterned cottons, silks, linens, wools, and specialty fabrics)

* The types of threads: when to uses them, their composition, quality, weight, how to select the proper color, and the advantages of using good-quality thread

* How to set up your sewing area in a "convenient, comfortable," and easy to navigate manner

* Essential sewing accessories (pin cushions, needles, a measuring table, magnetic pin dish, magnetic hanging rack, etc.)

* Basic sewing techniques (sewing supplies, fabric preparation, basic stitches, the parts of your sewing machine, sewing a basic seam, sewing corners and curves, seam-finishing techniques, etc.)

* The basics of appliqué

* The basics of embroidery (supplies, handwork, basic stitches, cross-stitch, the French knot, the running stitch, Japanese sahiko, ribbon-embroidery, machine embroidery)

* Quilting and patchwork (choosing supplies, fabrics, machine quilting, patchwork, how to appliqué and echo quilt, and how to repair a patchwork quilt)

* The basic techniques of dyeing fabric (supplies, how to hand-dye, bow to batik, how to fade and overdye fabric, and how to create an ombré pattern)

* How to print designs on textiles (basic fabric-printing supplies, stamping on fabric, block printing, and stenciling)

Once you have brushed up on techniques or have learned them, there are 150 A to Z projects to choose from. Any that need patterns are on the enclosed CD and include "full sized clothing patterns as well as template that can be easily produced on a home printer." Many of these projects struck my nostalgic fancy because they instruct the reader on things like embroidering handkerchiefs, one of my favorite things to buy at flea markets or antique shops. These can be done "with a few basic embroidery stitches." This was a WOW project for me! Another one, of course, was the basic canvas tote. If you are going green, you'll want to make loads of these to carry your groceries or books in. Then you can dress them up with suggestions in the "four embellished-bag projects" section. Personally, I love this book. There are lots of "rainy day" activities, brush up techniques, and ones I'd like to explore and share with friends. This book, that will satisfy a wide range of people from the beginner to the proficient seamstress, is one you might want to add to your craft wish list!