Improv quilting, in which quilt designs emerge organically as fabric is cut and stitched, is simple, popular, and fun. In this book, expert quilter Patricia Belyea offers improv instruction and shares her appealing Quilt Manifesto of five simple rules. While providing quilters with a starting point, the fifth rule of the Manifesto, "Break any rule you like," opens the door to creative freedom. (However, the solid instructions allow even the rule-breakers...

"In The Art of Kumiko, you'll learn smart techniques for cutting all the parts and joinery required to create these designs using methods that combine the accuracy and efficiency of modern woodworking with the precision of hand tools. You'll learn how to incorporate Kumiko in both furniture designs and as stand-alone panels that pay homage to this centuries-old craft."--Page 4 of cover

Sōetsu Yanagi is often mentioned in books on Japanese art, but this is the first translation in any Western language of a selection of his major writings. Bernard Leach, a renowned British potter, was a friend of Mr. Yanagi's for fifty years.

"An important, but often overlooked, part of the world of Japanese arts and crafts is the array of beautiful, stylized motifs that have traditionally been used to decorate a huge range of objects. Snow, Wave, Pine takes a close look at some of the most classic of those patterns, enabling the reader to recognize and appreciate these motifs wherever they appear, and providing inspiration to anyone interested in design or arts and crafts. The first half...

"The Japanese sense of beauty is condensed in the traditional pattern. The patterns are classified into two groups; one of them is the figures inspired from nature such as plants, animals and phenomena; the other is abstract patterns such as geometry and auspicious omens. Ukiyo-e, Kimono and craft products will also be introduced in this book."--Publisher description.