Best Children's Beadwork, Fashion & Jewelry Craft Books
Kids can sew too! Best of all, this practical, attractive sewing book features finished projects that look like they were actually made by children.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Unfortunately, so much of the sewing kits, books, and supplies are geared towards girls. Not only is it full of beautiful photographs that help teach sewing steps, I was pleased to see how many boys were included in the photographs--sewing just like their female counterparts."
"My 7 year old daughter loves this book."
"My daughter loves it and is always planning new projects to make."
"We can work on sewing projects together and the projects are easy enough for her to understand!"
"Grandaughter likes to sew things and this helped her make some projects."
"Such a lovely book!"
"Nice book but grand didn't really use it much."
"Fun projects."
With projects organized by yarn type and weight, you’ll be crocheting lacy shrugs for the springtime and heavy-duty beanies for the snowy winter months. There is no longer any excuse to point to a stash of unused yarn and say, “I don’t know what I’m going to do with these fibers.” Thanks to Durant, who pioneered the franchise of One-Skein Wonders, and her collaboration with Eckman (of The Crochet Answer Book, 2005, among many others), any needleworker can add another 100 possible projects to the ever-growing inventory of “gotta makes.” With classifications by yarn weight, which is an easy-to-use differentiation, the seven chapters offer at least one item in every conceivable craft category, including jewelry, home decor, belts, women’s wear, doll clothes, men’s scarves, toys, and baby apparel.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Particulars about the book: 1) All skill levels are covered, but most projects are geared more toward those who already know how to crochet, not someone just learning. :-) The side of the book's pages is color coded so you can find each yarn section quickly. 3) First rate photos. 4) The patterns are clear and the font is easy to read. Rounds are clearly labeled and helps are given for specific areas of each project. Keep in mind though that a satisfactory finished product will depend on the coloration of the yarn. 6) Charts are included for motifs and some of the stitch patterns. 7) A good variety of projects. Speaking of projects, here is how they break down: Home items (9), Jewelry/accessories (7), Scarves (13), Cowls (7), Shawls/Cape (3), Adult Hats (7), Shrugs (2), Baby items (16), Stuffed Toys (7), Gloves/Mittens (6), other head items (6), Purses/Bags (10), other containers (3), Doll items (2), Belt (1), Hanky (1), Slippers (1). So, as you can see, not just hats or scarves (yeah!)."
"Bought for a friend beginning to learn to crochet."
"Purchased 2 as Christmas gifts and once my aunt's and cousins saw them I believe I should have purchased at least 4 more."
"so many patterns I will not use - but ok."
"Also, those baby booties on the cover are stellar - I made a pair and they came out perfectly."
"The patterns are easy and fun to make."
With hundreds of detailed photos, this book covers tools and supplies, bead stringing and weaving, wire wrapping, and more. Detailed color photos demonstrate each step.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Interesting book with good techniques to follow."
"One of the pages was sticking out,& some corners were bent."
"Great book, easy to understand and read."
"youtube clips on jewelry techniques are better than examples in the book."
Best Children's Bead Crafts
Kumihimo Basics and Beyond presents techniques for creating all-cord braids and beaded braids, then teaches beaders how to transform them into finished jewelry. Rebecca Combs is the owner of Design & Adorn Beading Studio in Tucson, Arizona, and has been teaching a variety of classes in jewelry making there since 2008.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I own dozens of beading books, and this one is truly exceptional -- even the book design deserves an award! I am fairly new to 8-strand beaded kumihimo, and this book has clear and well-illustrated answers to all my questions, from selecting the right-sized cord and combining fibers, to braiding with large or multiple sizes of beads, to incorporating pendants and multiple focal beads on a braid."
"Have been waiting months for this book in hopes it would be an improvement over other kumi publications, and have not been disappointed."
"This is a newly published book and it is a must have for kumihimo crafters!"
"It is a great introduction to Kumihimo however once one method is introduced it is repeated multiple times."
""The jewelry designs in KUMIHIMO BASICS & BEYOND are the copyrighted property of the author, and they may not be taught or sold without permission. Let me start by stating that I'm a retired librarian and, I know a little bit about copyright protection and believe in it. No, you can't copy it, sell parts of it, use it as the basis for a class. In fact, I would be concerned, if I were you, claiming copyright on any of the designs you feature. What you did better than anyone was write and excellent tool for learning to do kumihimo."
"This is JUST what I was looking for in a book on Kumihimo."
"The directions are clear and easy to follow, but the variety in Kumihimo presented is limited to a very particular style and none of the ones shown are ones I actually want to do."
"This book gave me helpful suggestions about problems I encountered as a beginner which were the key to me staying with the weaving."
Best Children's Fashion Crafts
Rebecca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins offer 101 stylish projects that use a single yard of fabric to make clothes, accessories, baby items, and more. For both novice and accomplished sewers, this spiral-bound guide offers directions that are precisely, clearly, and buoyantly written as the authors share 101 sewing projects requiring only a yard of fabric, including apparel, toys, accessories (human and pet), dresser organizers, and stuffed animals. For each "recipe", the authors, in well-organized fashion, list necessary materials and then take the reader-crafter through clearly numbered, carefully explained directions to create a successful final product.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I've sewed for many, many years and always have a stash of leftover fabric."
"cute patterns and designs :)."
"So I thought this book would be a great way to make use of that type of fabric."
"I love all the sewing talk at the beginning--where they explain about french seams, seam rippers, fabric chalk, etc... You can use their patterns for something different than what they say it's for."
"The patterns are well illustrated, the book/package is well put together and the patterns are easy to use, however they have limited use."
"I bought this for my daughter-in-law who sews quite a bit and she said that it had a lot of patterns for things that she had thought about making but didn't have an idea of how to go about it."
"Good book with lots of quick projects."
"Fabric boxes ... really?"
Best Children's Jewelry Crafts
Kumihimo Basics and Beyond presents techniques for creating all-cord braids and beaded braids, then teaches beaders how to transform them into finished jewelry. Rebecca Combs is the owner of Design & Adorn Beading Studio in Tucson, Arizona, and has been teaching a variety of classes in jewelry making there since 2008.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I own dozens of beading books, and this one is truly exceptional -- even the book design deserves an award! I am fairly new to 8-strand beaded kumihimo, and this book has clear and well-illustrated answers to all my questions, from selecting the right-sized cord and combining fibers, to braiding with large or multiple sizes of beads, to incorporating pendants and multiple focal beads on a braid."
"Have been waiting months for this book in hopes it would be an improvement over other kumi publications, and have not been disappointed."
"This is a newly published book and it is a must have for kumihimo crafters!"
""The jewelry designs in KUMIHIMO BASICS & BEYOND are the copyrighted property of the author, and they may not be taught or sold without permission. Let me start by stating that I'm a retired librarian and, I know a little bit about copyright protection and believe in it. No, you can't copy it, sell parts of it, use it as the basis for a class. In fact, I would be concerned, if I were you, claiming copyright on any of the designs you feature. What you did better than anyone was write and excellent tool for learning to do kumihimo."
"This is JUST what I was looking for in a book on Kumihimo."
"The directions are clear and easy to follow, but the variety in Kumihimo presented is limited to a very particular style and none of the ones shown are ones I actually want to do."
"This book gave me helpful suggestions about problems I encountered as a beginner which were the key to me staying with the weaving."
"I teach Kumihimo and other braiding techniques and wish that this book had been around when I had first started learning how to braid."
Best Children's Fashion Books
Kids can sew too! Best of all, this practical, attractive sewing book features finished projects that look like they were actually made by children.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Unfortunately, so much of the sewing kits, books, and supplies are geared towards girls. Not only is it full of beautiful photographs that help teach sewing steps, I was pleased to see how many boys were included in the photographs--sewing just like their female counterparts."
"My 7 year old daughter loves this book."
"My daughter loves it and is always planning new projects to make."
"Such a lovely book!"
"Some fun ideas."
"Nice book but grand didn't really use it much."
"good instructions for beginner sewer."
"The pictures and instructions are perfect for a tween girl to follow."
Best Sewing
Kids can sew too! Best of all, this practical, attractive sewing book features finished projects that look like they were actually made by children.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Unfortunately, so much of the sewing kits, books, and supplies are geared towards girls. Not only is it full of beautiful photographs that help teach sewing steps, I was pleased to see how many boys were included in the photographs--sewing just like their female counterparts."
"My 7 year old daughter loves this book."
"My daughter loves it and is always planning new projects to make."
"Such a lovely book!"
"Some fun ideas."
"Nice book but grand didn't really use it much."
"good instructions for beginner sewer."
"The pictures and instructions are perfect for a tween girl to follow."
Best Children's Craft & Hobby Books
LEGO Chain Reactions is packed full of ideas, instructions, and inspiration for 10 LEGO machines that spin, swing, pivot, roll, lift, and drop. Our team of experts worked with educators and 11-year-olds to invent the machines, then wrote a book that teaches the skills (and some of the physics behind the fun) kids need to create their own amazing chain reaction machines. Includes a 80 page instructional book with Klutz certified crystal-clear instructions.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"A lot of thought and effort went into the chain reaction concepts and resulting projects. The chain reaction projects aren't that at all. They are challenging in my view mostly because of the need for precision alignment between the paper parts and the Lego motion actuators the kids assemble to create the Chain the Reaction. The greatest joy my grandson experienced (and it was great joy) was the moment the first project functioned properly for the first time after several complete and partial failures (just as his patience was wearing thin) and then joy again once the chain reaction was rehearsed and easily repeatable so as to show his parents without failure. In summary, it appears that, assuming success along the way, the complicated chain reactions are fun for children to assemble, challenging to make fully, reliably functional and thrilling once they work for that first time."
"The Lego pieces supplied are mainly specialty pieces, to complete the machines. so your choices are - (a) buy the book, if you know the recipient has an extensive supply of excess Lego (b) buy the book, and the additional Lego you need (c) buy the book and get creative around what you can substitute for the additional required pieces - (book stacks are suggested in place of the towers, but I think would be unstable and difficult to get the components to align sufficiently for the machine to work)."
"Wow!"
"The second project requires 4 2x1 bricks, 10 3x1 bricks, 6 4x1 bricks "from your collection"."
Best Children's Art Books
Kids will be imagining their own humorous conversations with crayons and coloring a blue streak after sharing laughs with Drew Daywalt and New York Times bestseller Oliver Jeffers. This story is perfect as a back-to-school gift, for all budding artists, for fans of humorous books such as Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Sciezka and Lane Smith, and for fans of Oliver Jeffers' Stuck , The Incredible Book Eating Boy , Lost and Found , and This Moose Belongs to Me. Praise for The Day the Crayons Quit Amazon’s 2013 Best Picture Book of the Year. Move over, Click, Clack, Moo ; we’ve got a new contender for the most successful picture-book strike.” – BCCB , starred review. * “This colorful title should make for an uproarious storytime.” – School Library Journal , starred review. * “These memorable personalities will leave readers glancing apprehensively at their own crayon boxes.” – Publishers Weekly , starred review. The conceit is an enticing one, and although the crayons’ complaints are not entirely unique (a preponderance centers around some variation of overuse), the artist’s indelible characterization contributes significant charm. A final spread sees all things right, as Duncan fills a page with bright, delightful imagery, addressing each of the crayons’ issues and forcing them into colorful cooperation.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"That's because I used them to light the fire used to heat all the food you dropped on the floor during dinner and then fed it to your little sister because, as you know, we don't waste food around here. No matter your age, you will identify with the characters, they will probably remind you of your family, your coworkers and your friends. In case you're wondering, some of my other favorites are: The Three Little Pigs, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Small Pig, Where the Wild Things Are, I Want My Hat Back, Pete The Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, We're Going on A Bear Hunt, The Cat in the Hat."
"She loves to have books read to her, but this is one of the only times my short-attention-span kid has asked for the same book twice in a row and the first time a book as inspired such a burst of creativity."
"Our older grandsons have a lot of fun voicing the letters written by "Red", who even has to work on holidays (i.e. coloring Santas, Valentines), "Purple" is going to "completely lose it" if Duncan doesn't start coloring inside of the lines soon, "Beige" (who is "BEIGE and PROUD!"). ), who claims to be very happy with his work, congratulates Duncan on his coloring career, but wants to inform him of the bickering between "Yellow" and "Orange" over who gets to be the color of the sun, with "Yellow" and "Orange" writing separate letters each stating their case along with documented proof, "Blue" is overworked and now just a stub who can't even see over the box railing any longer, "Pink" believes she's experiencing discrimination because she's "a girls' color", while "Peach" is completely unwrapped ("I don't even have any underwear!"). But the amazingly colorful picture Duncan creates - allowing each crayon to stretch beyond their typical usages - ends up earning him an A for coloring and an A+ for creativity!"
"My young one loves it and frequently asks for the "crayon book" but the humor is perfect for older kids and parents too."
"Great book."
"My 5 and 7 year old want to read this every night since we received it."
"My son would laugh 😂 every time I would read it to him."
"Probably not one I'd love to read out loud every single night but we really enjoy it from time to time."
Best Crafts for Children
Kids can sew too! Best of all, this practical, attractive sewing book features finished projects that look like they were actually made by children.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Unfortunately, so much of the sewing kits, books, and supplies are geared towards girls. Not only is it full of beautiful photographs that help teach sewing steps, I was pleased to see how many boys were included in the photographs--sewing just like their female counterparts."
"My 7 year old daughter loves this book."
"My daughter loves it and is always planning new projects to make."
"Such a lovely book!"
"Some fun ideas."
"Nice book but grand didn't really use it much."
"good instructions for beginner sewer."
"The pictures and instructions are perfect for a tween girl to follow."