Craft Focus - April/May 2020 (Issue 78)

91 BOOKS MAKING SOFT DOLLS Steffi Stern £16.99 9781912480050 Hawthorn Press What is it about dolls that captures the imagination of children and adults around the world? Steffi Stern’s Making Soft Dolls answers this question and highlights the enduring power of these toys when they are used for therapeutic purposes. The book also features detailed instructions on how to make 10 Waldorf dolls, with a comprehensive guide to buying and upcycling materials. From simple rag dolls to more complex creations, Steffi’s book will enable readers to create giftable designs that will be loved for generations. MENDING LIFE: A HANDBOOK FOR REPAIRING CLOTHES AND HEARTS Nina Montenegro and Sonya Montenegro £19.99 9781632172525 GMC Distribution Mending Life offers a beautifully illustrated yet practical toolkit for repairing clothes and other belongings. The book is filled with heartfelt stories celebrating sustainable lifestyles and explores how mending can be a healing practice in our everyday lives, as well as a small act of rebellion in a world where possessions are often thrown away without thought. Readers will learn basic skills such as patching, and decorative flourishes like sashiko stitching. Ideas include everything from darning socks and mending sweaters to repairing a torn bedsheet or down jacket. CIRCUS EMBROIDERY Susie Johns £14.99 9781784945473 GMC Publications Crafters can relive the excitement of the circus with Susie Johns’ new book. It features 12 delightful projects making use of motifs and embellishments seen in circuses of the past, from strongmen and acrobats to clowns and ringmasters. Stitchers of all abilities can try their hand at a needle case, greetings card, child’s dress, cake band, cushion and phone cover, each decorated with delicately stitched performers engaged in awe-inspiring acts. Artist and designer Susie Johns has written dozens of craft books about knitting, crochet and sewing, many of which are available from GMC Publications. HOW TO BE AN ARTIST Jerry Saltz £10 9781781578001 Octopus Books As chief art critic for New York magazine, Jerry Saltz is often approached by artists seeking his advice on improving skills and getting started in the industry. Expanding on a story that first appeared in New York, How to Be an Artis t is filled with practical inspiration, including rules, prompts, exercises and tips designed to break through creative blocks, ignite motivation and conquer bad habits. Sewing Sewing Embr oidery Art S U S I E J O H N S E M B R O I D E R Y M O R E T H A N 2 0 0 M O T I F S T O S T I T C H ! susie johns embroidery Y Y £14.99 /US $ 22.95 Susie Johns isanartistanddesignerwho haswrittendozensof craftbooks, including KnittedPets,KnittedWoodlandCreatures, How toEmbroider,FatQuarter:Bags&Purses and FatQuarter:Vintage (GMCPublications). Herpatternsanddesignsappear regularly in craftmagazines in theUK, suchas Let’s Knit,Sew and Let’sGetCrafting, and shehas writtennumerouspatterns for suppliers such asDMC.Shehasalsodemonstratedvarious craftson television. Susie studiedFineArtatTheSladeSchool andwenton topursuea career inpublishing beforebecoming freelance.Alongsideher writing career, she teachesdrawingand paintingata localadult education college. Shealso runs classesandworkshopson knittingand crochetandhasbeen involved in anumberof textile-based communityprojects inandaroundLondon,where she lives. TofindoutmoreaboutSusieandherwork, visit: susieatthecircus.typepad.com ,or follow heron Instagram,@susiestitchschool AlsobyGMCPublications: Sashiko ISBN: 978-1-78494-487-2 FatQuarterVintage ISBN: 978-78494-421-6 Early 20thCenturyEmbroideryTechniques ISBN: 978-1-86108-820-8 ISBN: 978-1-78494-547-3 9781784945473> Relive the childhood excitement of a travelling circus arriving in townwith thisbeautifully stitched celebrationof traditional performers and their awe-inspiring acts.Packed fullofnostalgicmotifs andprojects influencedby circuses of thepast,youwon’tbe able to resistgetting into the carnival mood andpickingyour favourite memberof the troupe to stitch. w w w . g m c b o o k  . c o  CircusEmbroideryCvr .indd 1 06/01/2020 10:41