Amazon.com: Printing by Hand: A Modern Guide to Printing with Handmade Stamps, Stencils, and Silk Screens: Lena Corwin, Thayer Allyson Gowdy: Books

Product Description

It’s the natural inconsistencies—the accidental differences between one finished piece and another—that make hand-printed fabrics, papers, furniture, and works of art so interesting. The quirks are what show the maker’s intimate involvement in the process, and it’s that unique quality that first attracted textile designer and illustrator Lena Corwin to hand-printing.

Even though decorative prints are more in vogue than ever, there was until now no up-to-date hand-printing guide—no single source explaining the tools and materials that are used today, or reflecting a contemporary aesthetic. Corwin has given us that guide.

Using step-by-step instructions and up-close photos, Corwin teaches crafters everything they need to know to master stamping, stenciling, and screen printing, from making their own printing devices to trouble-shooting when plans go awry. Her inimitable collection of projects ranges from stamped stationery and simple-to-sew pouches, to stenciled tote bags and furniture, to screen-printed bed linens and upholstery fabric. There’s even a silk-screened dog bed. The author has created original artwork for each project (full-size patterns are included in an envelope at the back of the book), so that every crafter can achieve the same beautiful results. Or maybe not quite the same. Remember: It’s the subtle differences that make hand-printing so special and alluring.

About the Author

Lena Corwin is a textile designer and illustrator based in Brooklyn. Among her clients are Marithé + François Girbaud, Calvin Klein, Jill Stuart, and Elle Decor magazine. She also illustrated Stewart, Tabori and Chang’s Kids Crochet and Kids Weaving.

Thayer Allyson Gowdy is a San Francisco–based photographer whose work has appeared in magazines such as Real Simple, Health, and Country Living, as well as Stewart, Tabori and Chang’s Knitting Nature and Knitting Lingerie Style.

Product Details

Spiral-bound: 144 pages
Publisher: STC Craft/A Melanie Falick Book; Spi edition (August 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1584796723
ISBN-13: 978-1584796725
Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 9.2 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #9,447 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in these categories: (What's this?)
#1 in Books > Home & Garden > Crafts & Hobbies > Stenciling
#1 in Books > Home & Garden > Crafts & Hobbies > Rubber Stamping
#2 in Books > Home & Garden > Crafts & Hobbies > Printmaking

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	83% buy the item featured on this page: Printing by Hand: A Modern Guide to Printing with Handmade Stamps, Stencils, and Silk Screens 4.9 out of 5 stars (18) $18.15
	5% buy Lotta Prints: How to Print with Anything, from Potatoes to Linoleum 4.2 out of 5 stars (15) $13.57
	4% buy Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing: Patterns and How-To for 24 Fresh and Easy Projects 4.2 out of 5 stars (51) $16.47
	4% buy Doodle Stitching: Fresh & Fun Embroidery for Beginners 4.6 out of 5 stars (48) $10.17

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silk screen(10)

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printmaking(8)

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Customer Reviews

18 Reviews

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.9 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you ever wanted to know about hand printing., September 19, 2008

By	L.A. in CA - See all my reviews

This book turned out to be even more helpful and inspiring than I had hoped for. It answered many questions relating to different varieties of simple hand printing techniques such as: which inks, papers, and fabrics are best suited for each project; how to create stencils; how to transfer designs, how to repeat a pattern, how to work with screens, and on and on. There are many color photos showing step-by-step procedures. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. A lot of the printing projects are done on simple, natural fabrics like linen and muslin.

The book itself is a spiral-bound, soft-cover book within a hard cover shell. This allows you to lay the pages flat so that you can look at them hands-free as you work.

I love this book. I was already familiar with many types of printing such as linoleum and gocco, but I still learned a great deal. So I would have to say this book is for novices and experienced alike.

I guarantee you that you will come away from this book inspired and ready to create.

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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aesthetically beautiful, but brilliantly written too., December 30, 2008

By	E. Walters (Tasmania) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Lena Corwin has created a book that was more than i could have hoped for. As a novice in the printing game, I was pleased to discover that she has broken down the fundamentals of various forms of print mediums into easy to understand steps that anyone could follow. The topics covered in depth include stamping, stencilling and silk screen printing, and she has provided several projects in each category (and none of them daggy nanna style projects!), complete with templates and artwork to kickstart your printing. You can make quilts, linen, artwork, stationery, stencil walls, and make upholstery fabric. Photos are clear, aesthetically beautiful and serve to illustrate the methods described. I would fully recommend this book to novices and more experienced printers alike.

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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, September 6, 2008

By	M. Williams (Utah, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is fabulous! The projects all vary in skill level and time allotment. Lena Corwin gives step-by-step instructions so detailed anyone could follow. Lena's patterns are so fresh and beautiful. I would recommend this book to anyone.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book and Great Projects!
This book is an excellent guide for beginners or anyone who already has printmaking experience - there's very helpful charts that guide you through ink / paint mixing for... Read more

Published 13 days ago by Leah Riley

5.0 out of 5 stars Great project ideas
This book is full of great ideas for projects. I made the mistake of reading it while in the car during a trip. Read more

Published 20 days ago by D. Zetterlund

5.0 out of 5 stars What more could you want? A perfect book.
I was moderately interested in this book and had it on my wish list. Somebody gave it to me for my birthday. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Rachel Whelton

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you need to know
Lena goes above and beyond the basics of just creating your own prints. She also discusses other details such as sewing or constructing a chair cushion or a dog bed. Read more

Published 3 months ago by graphic designer

5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful even if you are an experienced printmaker
Like others, I found the book inspiring. Perhaps more importantly I learned new tricks and techniques that are relevant to someone working at home (me! Read more

Published 3 months ago by Emily H.

5.0 out of 5 stars Print 101
The book is thorough, interesting, well written, fabulous photographs, with that cool spiral binding which makes craft books practical. Read more

Published 4 months ago by S. Fishburn

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear consice instructions get you creating right away!
We got this book to create personalized napkins for our family. After reading this book we carved stamps and stamped, created, exposed and used a silk screen and generally had a... Read more

Published 5 months ago by Nadine

5.0 out of 5 stars New Favorite Craft Book!!!
I LOVE this book! She has SUPER great instructions and great pictures to go along with it. There is such a WIDE variety of printing styles and techniques that she thoroughly... Read more

Published 5 months ago by db

5.0 out of 5 stars awesome!!!
I am in love with this book. it is very well made, the moment I read it I wanted to go get all the materials to try every single item described in the book. Read more

Published 6 months ago by Gogce C. Kayihan

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Projects
This book is filled with amazing projects that are not only beautiful, but fun to do. I have already printed my own lampshade and did it all for less than $10! Awesome! Read more

Published 7 months ago by Christopher Grayson

› See all 18 customer reviews...

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