Complete Craft: Making Beautiful Projects at Home

by Katherine Sorrell, Howard Sooley (Photographer)

Complete Craft contains over 60 unique projects, each specially devised by a leading practitioner in the field to be easily completed at home. Over 900 stunning photographs and clear step-by-step instructions demonstrate how to achieve the best results, no matter the level of the crafter's experience. All the projects, from table linen and jewelry to handbags and bowls, are practical as well as desirable, and while many of the techniques are traditional, the results are fresh, elegant, and contemporary.

Genres: Nonfiction, Crafts

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Katherine Sorrell is an experienced freelance writer specialising in interior design and lifestyle. She contributes regularly to a range of leading national magazines and newspapers, and has written 20 books. While creating beautifully written copy is her priority, she is also a firm believer in fulfilling a brief, hitting deadlines, being nice to clients and using apostrophes in the right places.

Katherine loves craft, food, films, magazines, beaches, good design, animals, reading and anything vintage.

Reviews

[Shelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

This huge, glossy coffee table book provides instructions for about two classy, refined DIY projects in each of 30 different categories, including such esoteric skills as ribbonwork, cyanotype, gilding, basketry, and shibori, as well as perennial favorites knitting, papercraft, soap making, mosaic, stenciling, and quilting. Nearly all are suitable for a rank beginner (although sewing is required for some projects), but nearly all also require a significant outlay for purchases – this isn't crafting with stuff you already have around your house, nor are materials purchased for one project likely to be useful in another. But it's a nice sampler for those who would like to make simple, elegant, and functional items for household use (aesthetically similar to Martha Stewart) – and who have a bit of disposable income.

The instructions are good and the copious photographs helpful; the low rating from me is simply due to a difference in taste. To me, the Martha Stewart aesthetic is dreadfully dull and bland, but I know that will be a huge draw for others!

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this because her style is so much more modern than most DIY crafting books. The pictures are great and the types of projects are more the kinds of things I'm interested in, and chooses simple projects that look great. Most of them don't seem like they would take more than a couple of hours. I would consider buying this.

For my sake, I'm going to write all the types of projects in case I want to use this as a reference.
Stenciling, Screen printing, Cyanotype, Silk Painting, Shibori, Knitting, Crochet, Hand embroidery, Machine embroider, QUilting, Applique, Complex textiles, Felt making, Using felt, Weaving, Ribbonwork, Beadwork, Basketry, Paper making, Papier mache, Papercraft, Ceramic painting, Glass painting, Mosaic, Gilding, Silverwork, Wirework, Soap making, Plastic design, Acrylic molding, and Templates

[Bayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the projects in this book are quite nice, but there is nothing really unique that stands out. A good starting place for a casual, classy crafter.