Finishing Techniques for Crochet: Inspiration, Projects and Techniques for Finishing Crochet Patterns with Style

Description

Master the art of adding borders and embellishments, construction and fastening ideas, as well as embroidery and other decorative techniques, with step-by-step guides and clear, practical illustrations. Includes ten projects for garments, accessories and articles for the home, with full instructions on how to customize them to your own individual style. Plus a handy directory of 20 borders, edgings and frills.

Betty Barnden is a freelance needlecraft designer who studied furniture design at the Royal College of Art (where she made her first tubular knitted chairs). Betty has designed knitting patterns for companies such as Sirdar, Patons, Jaeger and King Cole. Her knitwear, embroidery and crochet designs have appeared in many magazines over the years, and she has also designed embroidery projects and kits. Betty regularly contributes to Sewing World magazine.

Finishing Techniques for Crochet is a wide reaching book, covering many of the basics of finishing crochet items plus projects and other techniques. The book is broken down into sections. These are Construction, Additions, Fastenings, Creative Touches, Directory of Trims, Adaptable Projects and Crochet Basics. Each section explores in detail different techniques that can be used to give a professional looking finish to a garment. In addition to essential techniques such as blocking, Betty Barnden explains how to add collars and pockets, attach zips and decorative techniques such as adding borders or trims. There are 8 projects included within Finishing Techniques for Crochet. These include simple and quick to make projects through to more complex projects such as a lacy jacket. While having complete projects may seem a little at odds with the main focus of the book, each project has been selected as it highlights and uses several of the techniques described early on. The difficulty level for each project is given so crocheters can pick projects that are best suited to their experience. Techniques and projects are clearly illustrated with good quality photographs and charts. This helps to explain tricky techniques or concepts. The clear photographs illustrating how to fit a zip into crochet, for instance, helps to explain this important technique.-About.com Finishing a garment is of utmost importance. No matter how well you have made the garment, if you cannot sew it up neatly, it will look a complete mess. This book has everything you need to give a professional finish to crocheted garments. You can also discover how to adapt a pattern, find new fastenings. The book includes patterns for garments and how to customise them. There is a useful stitch directory and over 40 borders, edgings and more. It's a neat little book.-KarenPlatt.co.uk This book includes all the inspiration, projects and techniques we need for finishing crochet patterns with style. We learn how to give a professional finish to garments and accessories and master the art of adding borders and embellishments. Betty shows us construction and fastening ideas, as well as embroidery and other decorative techniques. There are step-by-step guides and clear practical illustrations. There's also information on making a blocking board; shoulder pads and Dorset buttons; adding beads; making tassels, fringes and spirals plus crochet basics for beginners. The book includes 10 projects for garments, accessories and home comforts, with full instructions to customize them to our own individual style. There's also a handy directory of 20 borders, edgings and frills. It's an absolute 'must have' for anyone who crochets or would like to learn.-Machine Knitting Monthly You have made your crochet project and the task is almost done - but perhaps there is something lacking? A pretty edging perhaps, or maybe another kind of embellishment? Then there are different kinds of fastenings to consider and of course the actual act of making up - Enough to fill a book in fact, which is why this one exists. Take your pattern from plain to pretty with these techniques to individualize as well as giving a neat, professional look. Reading the ten golden rules that start this book off is a good idea before embarking on any project, and despite the book not being aimed at beginners there is then a section on what you need to crochet, reading ball bands, buying hooks etc. This is very much a book for intermediate level upwards, but some of this might well be useful "revision" for anybody who tends to think of patterns and stitches rather than the little details that easily get forgotten. The first section on construction takes you through those essentials such as assembling, fitting and shaping that make the difference between a good, tailor made garment and a poor piece of work. Then you can learn all about adding things like collars, pockets and edgings, different fastenings and extras such as tassels, pompoms, flowers and embroidery. Perhaps the most surprising inclusion is another section entitled "creative touches" which shows you how to do things such as combine yarns, add stripes, working pictures, felting and other more advanced techniques. These are not finishing as much as additions to work into a project before you begin, and finally there is a section of adaptable patterns so you can try out your new skills. Each one has a "be your own designer" section giving ideas, and you can choose from a scarf, bag, hat, jacket, cushion, rug and more. At the end of the book is a refresher course on crochet giving basic instructions, amply illustrated with captioned photos of all the things a beginner needs to learn, plus a handy glossary. This is perhaps a book to get when you have made some basic things and are getting bored - it will provide you with plenty of food of thought with future projects.-Myshelf.com It's all very well knowing how to crochet, but if you don't finish off your projects properly then you won't make the best of all your hard work. This book is loaded with information to help you add individual touches to projects, including pockets, flowers, tassels, borders, embroidery and fastenings. It's an in-depth resource for those who are serious about crochet and want to learn more. But it's not all instruction, instruction, instruction. At the end you'll find 'Now bend the rules!', a section for crocheters who've learned the ins and outs and who are now ready to progress and try freeform crochet. All experienced crocheters should give it a go - it's really good fun!-Knit Today From tips for assembling your project to borders to make edgings stand out to fastenings for crochet garments, this handy book will make sure your work has a professional-looking finish. The 'Creative Touches' section guides you through interesting techniques like combining yarns, filet crochet, woven crochet and surface crochet, plus crochet intarsia and beadwork. There's an indispensable directory of patterns for edgings and trims as well as clear pointers on stitch basics and simple patterns.-AllAboutYou.com