Create airy and delicate lace designs for table, bed, and wardrobe using the time-honored technique of Irish crochet. This handsome handicraft, known for its raised floral motifs and intricate background patterns, probably originated in the convents of Ireland, where diligent nuns prepared beautiful ornaments for use in church services. Today, this stunning form of lace-making has been adapted and simplified for dozens of day-to-day uses: decorating curtains, tablecloths, pillows, bedspreads, lingerie, collars, children's clothing, doilies, and more.
Rita Weiss, a noted needlework...

Few objects evoke the spirit of Christmas and a holiday atmosphere more effectively than light and airy snowflakes. Now, with this unusually extensive and comprehensive collection of patterns, crocheters can add exquisitely shaped "snow gems" to their treasure chest of festive ornaments.
Delicate snowflake patterns, infinite in form and amazingly symmetrical, are among the most popular designs with today's needleworkers. The 60 motifs in this collection, based on photographs of actual snowflakes from the book Snow Crystals by W. A. Bentley and W. L. J. Humphreys, include simple...

Here's an exceptional book that provides needleworkers with eye-catching patchwork projects that work up fast and easy. Veteran quilt designers and teachers Gwen Marston and Joe Cunningham have created 20 attractive little quilts that are perfect for experimenting with color and design. Considerably less intimidating than full-size quilts, these "quiltlets" -- ranging in size from 131/2 x 171/2 inches to 18 x 22 inches -- make ideal doll bed covers of lovely wall hangings. The 35 full-size templates help create a variety of captivating designs, including Tree Everlasting, Dutchman's...

Here's a rich treasury of heirloom-quality designs crocheters at every level of expertise will find irresistible. Dozens of lovely patterns all selected from hard-to-find thread company publications of the 1920s through the '50s enable needlecrafters to re-create exquisite designs that enhanced domestic interiors decades ago.
Included are patterns for tablecloths: an airy Summer Snowflake, the beautiful Sunburst Splendor, an elegant Enchantress, and a spectacular Florentine banquet cloth; placements and luncheon sets (the delicate Summer garden and the captivating Snow Crystal); a...

Bobbin lace is one of the oldest crafts, dating back to at least the sixteenth century and possibly earlier. During the eighteenth century, bobbin lace design and execution attained the ultimate in beauty and richness. The linen threads were incredibly fine and the consummate skill of the lacemaker wove them into unmatched works of art.
Modern lacemakers -- even beginners -- can learn this age-old technique with this easy-to-follow book. An accomplished bobbin lacemaker demonstrates step-by-step the techniques for creating beautiful lace edgings, doilies, collars, belts, bookmarks, and...

Developed by the Mikasuki-speaking Indian women of southern Florida around the end of the 1800s, Seminole patchwork has become a highly visible art form and genuine symbol of Seminole culture.
Distinguished by its bright, mosaic-like patterns, Seminole patchwork is created by sewing cloth strips into long, multicolored bands. These are then cut into segments, rearranged, and sewn into geometric patterns that produce a multitude of effects when combined into lengths of fabric.
This profusely illustrated guide to Seminole patchwork one of the first books on the subject offers complete...

This clearly written, lavishly illustrated guide to the age-old art of lace-making allows even novices to fill a treasure chest with lovely tatted designs.
Veteran tatting instructor Rozella Linden has included clear, step-by-step instructions that will help you create simple rings and picots for such projects as earrings, a small sunflower, and an ice crystal as well as chains for flower pins, a small rosette, a lacy square, and a snowflake ornament -- among other designs. Advanced tatters will find directions for completing elegant projects that include a tatted necklace (which can...