Gourds + Fibers: Embellishing Gourds with Basketry, Weaving, Stitching, Macramé & More

by Ginger Summit, James Widess

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 diagrams illustrate each chapter, and creative uses of materials like pine needles, silk, leather, beads, and felt will inspire your own original designs. Accessible to beginners and full of possibilities for experienced weavers, basket makers, and gourd aficionados, Gourds + Fiber is not to be missed. Readers interested in related titles from Ginger Summit will also want to Gourd Musical Instruments ( 1626546215), Making Gourd Dolls & Spirit Figures ( 1626543380), Making Gourd Musical Instruments ( 162654333X), Gourd Pyrography ( 1626543402).

Genres: Nonfiction

146 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 2011

Reviews

[Shelli]

I'm not really the best person to review Gourds + Fiber: Embellishing Gourds with Basketry, Weaving, Stitching, Macramé & More for content, as I have never worked with these materials (specifically, gourds) in combination with the techniques and media in the book. Nor did I attempt to — it was just one of those books someone picked up for me at the library because they thought I'd like looking through it for the many photos of beautiful and functional pieces of art.

And indeed, the vessels created out of gourds in this book are stunning: some are purely decorative, others are supremely functional, some have very utilitarian styling, others are ornately decorated, with designs ranging from sleek and modern to echoes of traditional crafts from around the world. Some of the finished pieces were so striking, I wound up looking up several artists to see more of their work.

The instructions *looked* pretty good, but since I didn't actually attempt any projects, I can't evaluate them much!

[Eli Poteet]

im glad i read the intro bc i needed the encouragement to wade thru the crafts way beyond my comprehesion.

[Joan54]

Very informative book. I would like to read more of her books