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Texere Troon Aran Wool Felted Bag & Purse Knitting Pattern 004

£1.50

Here is a knitting pattern for a felted bag and purse using Texere Troon Tweed aran. The yarn is used double for the bag meaning you'll have it knitted up in no time and the little purse only uses one ball - so great, quick gifts. The transformation of the non-felted bag when you take it out of the washing machine is brilliant and the rigidity of the bag means it doesn't even need lining! All the shades of Troon are marled or tweedy, so even if you don't want stripes you could achieve a lovely textured effect with very little effort.
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China Blue 1237 - Destiny

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C4 Linen - Cerise Marble

£6.12

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Serenity Super Chunky by Wendy - 1708 Teal

£3.52

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In Action DVD - Jan Beaney & Jean Littlejohn

£19.99

In this 2-hour DVD, Jan Beaney and Jean Littlejohn share their thoughts and experiences of creating sketches through to beautiful textiles. Known around the world for their textile art and creative workshops, Jan and Jean demonstrate a variety of techniques including: fabric paints, dyes, embellishing, knitting, foiling, soluble film, hand and machine stitching. Educational and Inspiring,
IN ACTION is suitable for the beginner and professional textile artist interested in embroidery, quilting arts, surface design and fabric art. A perfect accompaniment to the "Stitchscapes" book as many of the pieces Jan and Jean work on are illustrated in the book. It's great to see how they have been created and see and hear the authors design processes and techniques in "real life".
Buy the book and DVD together and save £2.00
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Amica Thistle Ring - Candyfloss

£5.65

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Tassel Making & Braid Making

Shop Sections | Books & Patterns | Tassel Making & Braid Making

Sixty Sensational Samples - a Kumihimo Collection
Shirley Berlin & Carol Goodwin - A book full of kumihimo samples from a decade of sample exchanges. Compiled by two highly experienced braiders, exhibiting and teaching in England, Canada and the USA.
The samples showcased in this book were generated by groups of enthusiastic braiders interested in Kumihimo - the ancient art of Japanese braiding. Within its pages you will find 60 innovative explorations of Kumihimo, drawn from five different groups and contributed by 42 braiders from around the world.
Each sample has notes from the braider, editor comments, a full "recipe" and fully comprehensive diagrams.
Chapters include: Elegant Braids, Intriguing Structure, Use of Colour, Unusual Materials, Useful Braids and Braids with Beads.
"What a wonderful idea to share the samples made by the exchange groups, bringing to light the creative work of braiders that would otherwise have remained hidden. Hopefully this will stimulate the formation of new groups and encourage the existing groups to continue." - Roderick Owen. £20.00

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Chinese Braid Embroidery
Jacqui Carey - Braid embroidery (chan xiu) is just one of the many wonderful textile traditions found in China. This new book is intended as a snapshot of the technique, providing insights into its history and development.
It aims to record some of the practical knowledge that is traditionally passed down by verbal and visual means. As well as attempting to recover some of the skills of the anonymous makers.
The book is full of beautiful colour photography, some from Jacqui's trip to China and some from antique pieces in private collections.
The book looks at the history of various braid embroidery, examining techniques and materials used in the past and today. The two main chapters focus on making braids and then embroidering the braids onto surfaces. There are step by step instructions of how to make 17 different different braids and then a multitude of ways to apply them to the fabric to create the embroidery.
Another fascinating book by Jacqui that is a great read for anyone interested in the history of textiles. The versatility of the techniques will also inspire you to have a go yourself and use the braids to embellish your own work. £15.95

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Tassel Making Book
Tassel Making Book
Anna Crutchley - Revealing the secrets of how to make the world's most gorgeous fabric decorations using wooden tassel moulds, yarns and threads.
Anna is a teacher of textiles and she began designing and making tassels, fringes and cords in 1990. Her company also produces beautiful wooden moulds to use as the base for all the tassels included in this book - they will be available from our site very soon.
This is the definitive book on the beautiful art of passmenterie, with a contemporary approach to this traditional craft. Anna discusses the history and uses of tassels and cords then has a large chapter on the basics - such as tools and equipment required, yarn selection and a wide variety of techniques used.
There are over 40 projects which progress to become more challenging and encourage individuality in designs and allow the creative streak to run free with embellishments. The book is full of lavish and sumptuous colour photography showing how to make curtain tie-backs, decorative light pulls, simple key-tassels and to use smaller tassels on cushions, as accessories and hangings.
The book encourages you to experiment with threads and yarns, so some tassels and cords are smooth and silky, others are made from soft wools and others are made from textured linens and jutes, showing just how versatile tassels are whatever interior project you need to co-ordinate with. £14.99

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Japanese Braiding - The Art of Kumihimo
(previously published as Beginner's Guide to Braiding)
Jacqui Carey provides a fresh approach to kumihimo - the ancient art of Japanese braiding.
This book is a great "how to get started" book with clear illustrations. Ideal for beginners who can then progress onto "Creative Kumihimo" when they have mastered the basic techniques.
Beautiful colour illustrations and photographs and clear step-by-step diagrams guide the beginner through six projects which show how to make a variety of different braids.
There are tips on what equipment to use and advice on how to develop the projects, using a variety of patterns, colours and textures to create over 70 other braids.
The book gives ideas of finished uses of braids such as personalised curtains ties, ties backs, cushion and soft furnishing trimmings, spectacle cords, bracelets, necklaces and fashion accessories. Our braid kits are an ideal accompaniment to this book as they are a very basic version of a marudai. £10.99

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Braids & Beyond - A broad look at narrow wares
Jacqui Carey curated and designed the Braid Society Exhibition upon which this book is based.
From military braids, to mouse traps, antique to modern and handmade to industrial: how centuries of skill have turned a piece of string into a work of art.
Fully colour illustrated book of diagrams and photographs of how braids are made and used.
There are projects with detailed step-by-step instructions of how to get started with a wide range of techniques including twisting, knotting, knitting, weaving, tablet weaving, free end braiding, stand and bobbin braiding, loop manipulation, sprang and ply-splitting.
Included are introductions to where particular braids originated and how they have been made and used in the Sahara, Tibet, Peru, Thailand, Bhutan, Oman, China, Japan, Pakistan, India and Colombia. £7.95

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Shop Sections | Books & Patterns | Tassel Making & Braid Making