The best Needlecrafts & Textile Crafts books: Reddit reviews

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Thanks for the support everyone. The pattern is from the "Pusheen: A Cross Stitch Kit" which can be found on Amazon (Pusheen: A Cross-Stitch Kit https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0762492279/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_lRpjCbKZRXW0E).

Kit is Pusheen: A Cross Stitch Kit, available on Amazon here. I haven't cross stitched for a couple of years now, and I wanted to start out with something a bit smaller. Really happy with the way this turned out. If anyone has any advice please let me know!

i got the pattern from amazon i really like for the price and good for beginners (obviously)

I work at a big chain bookstore and we carry them! They’re tiny little boxes and at my store they’re kept on an acrylic spinner with other small boxes, mostly collectible things. Also I did a quick search and found this on amazon and I’m pretty sure it’s the same thing :)

I did this in 14 count black cloth, and used pink floss for the flowers instead of red like it asked for. I got the pattern from a book on Amazon called "50 F*ucking clever designs for your sassy side"

Subversive Cross Stitch: 50 F*cking Clever Designs for Your Sassy Side https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1576877558/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_L3KZCbXWZXPQM

My first time finishing, and it’s these cute Pusheens! Finishing sucks, and my fabric was too thick to fit in the frame, so I had to cut the back, fit the fabric in, and then tape the back on. The backs to these are atrocious, but I’m pretty happy with the fronts. Let me know any tips or tricks to make it easier in the future!

I got the patterns from the pusheen cross stitch kit. You can find it on amazon

Rosey Grier

After playing at PSU and in the pros, he was a bodyguard for RFK, TV show host and actor, recording artist, ordained minister, and he wrote a book on needlepoint.

Thank you very much 😊 The unicorn is from this book - Animal Friends of Pica Pau by Yan Schenkel

Pusheen: A Cross-Stitch Kit https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0762492279/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_33Q9SG5NER6YWB36DQRT

The instructions are clear and I think the size of each pattern is perfect for beginners!

Happy cake day!

I think you need to get yourself this pusheen cross-stitch kit! It’s super cute and looks like it would be a great first cross-stitch to try out! Also, it’s only $9.90 so if it’s something new your trying out it’s not too expensive 🤷🏻‍♀️

I went googling and geeked out (and may have also squee'd) when I saw these.

Star Wars Crochet

creepy and cute

Also check out the Edwards Menagerie and Crochet ever after in Amazon.

Thank you very much! Here's the link to the book on Amazon for anyone interested. :)

Mods informed me my original list got deleted for posting the pattern with the picture.

I did this in 14 count black cloth, and used pink floss for the flowers instead of red like it asked for. I got the pattern from a book on Amazon called "50 F*ucking clever designs for your sassy side"

Subversive Cross Stitch: 50 F*cking Clever Designs for Your Sassy Side https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1576877558/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_L3KZCbXWZXPQM

Oohh I finished this one last week from a kit I got off them as well. Currently doing this one I received yesterday, and have a few projects lined up too. They are indeed very calming and the cute results make me happy too!

according to your introduction, you like to crochet! i’m getting into crocheting, too! i think you might like a cute critter crocheting book since you love animals, too! it’s also on sale, YAY FOR SALES!

Crochet Cute Critters: 26 Easy Amigurumi Patterns https://www.amazon.com/dp/1641522305/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Pr6tFb2QGWNGM

i also have it on my wishlist, too. wink, wink. 😉😂

thanks for the contest!!! ❤️

my wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2SJOC7ZMI1B3L?ref_=wl_share

I used the Star Wars kits myself but Ravelry has a ton... otherwise Star Wars Crochet (Crochet Kits) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1626863261/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ArtRBbZPV2B7C

But you can get it around 15 with some looking

Rosey Grier, one of the best defensive tackles the NFL has ever seen, would take offense at your father's characterization of textile arts as being "for women only." My parents had this book, and I'm gonna ask Dad if he still has it.

https://www.amazon.com/Rosey-Griers-Needlepoint-Men-Grier/dp/0802704212

I basically just went cover to cover through a book called the Crochet Stitch Dictionary. Took about a year.

If anyone wants a closeup of any square/pattern, lmk and I can take a pic! 😊

David Page Coffin — Shirtmaking: Developing Skills for Fine Sewing (Taunton Press) — published in 1998, still in print. The “definitive resource” — tons of good information, excellent presentation. One of my all-time favorites.

I found the book Stitch and Bitch by Debbie Stoller helpful, it walks you through the basics with some easy exercises, and she's pretty funny too!

https://www.amazon.com/Stitch-n-Bitch-Knitters-Handbook/dp/0761128182

It's from the book "Animal friends of Pica Pau". It's pretty cheap considering how many patterns it contains, can't recommend it enough, honestly, she uses some interesting techniques and the finished pieces always look so good. I'm not usually one to buy pattern books because I rarely like all the patterns but I not only loved every pattern in this book but the second book also and I've my eye on the third book which was recently released too, they're brilliant!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Animal-Friends-Pica-Pau-Characters/dp/9491643193

Oh they are from books. I really recommend them. Here’s the first book,

https://www.amazon.com/Animal-Friends-Pica-Pau-Characters/dp/9491643193

And second

https://www.amazon.com/Animal-Friends-Pica-Pau-Characters/dp/9491643355

This was one of three designs from this kit by Running Press.

The good: The designs are super cute! They provide enough materials to do all 3 designs. The materials are okay - about what I would expect with a not-very-high-end kit.

The bad: The instructions are not great. The "how to cross stitch" section is just paragraphs of text, spread across teeny tiny pages, with no diagrams! They also say to stitch with 1 strand, which seems wrong (I used 2, although more on that in a moment). On the pattern pages, the grey and the dark brown are hard to tell apart, and the legend just says "Color 1", "Color 2" etc. Would it have killed them to say things like "Light Grey" and "Pink"?

The ugly: The needles!! This kit came with 2(!) needles... both of them wildly inappropriate sharps with tiny eyes that are nigh impossible to thread with ONE strand of floss, much less 2. Unfortunately I was on vacation and did not have any other supplies with me. I persevered and double-stitched with a single strand, but it was aggravating.

On the bright side, if the point of cross stitch is to pass the time, I guess I got extra value! At least I didn't stab myself and bleed all over Pusheen.

This book, Shirtmaking, is how I learned to make my own shirts.

My favorite counterargument to that

Note: the author, despite (or in spite of?) the feminine name, was an NFL football player in the 1970's when the boomer conservatives consider the sport to be at it's "manliest" because of how brutal the game was and how player safety was an afterthought.

Crochet Cute Critters: 26 Easy Amigurumi Patterns https://www.amazon.com/dp/1641522305/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_XKXMJJ56TZGCDKHF40T4

Unicorns, Dragons and More Fantasy Amigurumi: Bring 14 Magical Characters to Life! (1) (Unicorns, Dragons and More Amigurumi) https://www.amazon.com/dp/949164324X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_KRPRMPRQMWFSYH4EVS9J Theses were my starter books for stuffed animals. They have some really simple patterns and the first one shows you how to sew the pieces together

I don’t have a list, but when I was learning I got the Crochet Stitch Dictionary by Sarah Hazell and it was tremendously helpful! It has photos, written instructions, and charts of a ton of stitches of varying difficultly! I still flip through it when I can’t choose a stitch for a project. It starts with the basics like chain, single, half double, etc, so it helps when you’re just starting (or getting back into)

Here’s a link to it on Amazon Canada. I’m not sure of its availability outside of Canada, sorry!

Good luck! I’m sure your mother will love whatever you make! Wishing her a speedy recovery!

I would recommend this book. I have a small stack of men's shirt patterns, but I haven't made any of them yet so I can't really recommend any particular one. The one's I've made were from patterns pulled from existing shirts.

As for whether or not it's foolish, I certainly don't think so. I'd start with an inexpensive fabric and make a toile or two, figure out the fit and any alterations that may be needed, but I'd also suggest finishing them as practice. There are quite a few ways to turn collars and to attach them, so I'd make a few of those for the practice and to see what works for you. You'll probably also want to test the buttonholes and such on scrap fabric.

The way you finish the seams and small details and how much you press as you go will really determine the difference between looking professionally made and looking home made. If you can encase a seam or fell it, it'll almost always look and feel better than overlocking no matter what the pattern says. If you don't have one, buy a good iron.

Unicorns, Dragons and More Fantasy Amigurumi: Bring 14 Magical Characters to Life! (1) (Unicorns, Dragons and More Amigurumi) https://www.amazon.com/dp/949164324X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_YWT0Y446PTGQK7R1N37Z

I actually saw it randomly at Michaels and bought it there but I found this link for it on Amazon.

Pattern from Crochet Cute Critters

It was a request from my mum for her friend who is due to have a baby soon. Mum provided the yarn so it's from her stash somewhere. I used a 3.5mm hook instead of the 5mm the pattern calls for and worked in a continuous rounds rather than joining them like the pattern said.

I love him 😄