Two ancient practices, gourd decorating and the fiber arts, come together in this one of a kind book. Instructive and educational, Gourds + Fiber presents a fresh and exciting take on gourd decoration with techniques borrowed from the fiber arts like stitching, twining, coiling, plaiting, and lacing.

In addition to a thorough and engaging history of the relationship between gourds and fiber, this book includes 30 projects with clear step-by-step directions that walk you through the prep, design, and creation of beautiful gourds. Color photographs and...

Naturally resonant and aesthetically appealing, gourds seem ripe for music making before they're even plucked from the vine. Once they're hollowed, dried, and cleaned, it's easy to see how gourds can be transformed into a drum, shaker, banjo, flute, and more. From water drums to guiros, rain sticks to lutes and pipes, gourds have been used to make joyous, vibrant music for centuries. And now you can make gourd instruments of your very own

In this fun and instructive book, authors and gourd artists Jim Widess and Ginger Summit provide step-by-step instructions for building...

Making Gourd Dolls and Spirit Figures honors and explains the ancient and vibrant art of crafting figures from gourds. Beginning with a fascinating lesson on the history of gourd dolls and their traditional significance in a variety of cultures around the world, authors Jim Widess and Ginger Summit embark on an educational and inspirational tour of all things gourd doll. They weigh innumerable design considerations ranging from fundamental choices like gourd shape selection (natural, deformed, or molded?) to advanced techniques for creating articulated joints, marionettes, stacked...