Books

A complete step-by-step beginner's guide to sewing, S.E.W: Sew Everything Workshop by Diana Rupp will teach you everything you need to know to be handy with a needle, machine needle and thread.

The bulk of this book is filled with techniques and lessons covering the sewing basics. Once your confident enough to get started, there are 25 projects to choose from including clothing, gifts, accessories, toys, stationery and homeware. Stitch a simple hobo bag, an elegant sew very pretty cardi, a cute unforgettable elegant, a chic cape mod, a breezy easy wrap skirt and even a canine couture coat.

Including ten paper patterns (estimated at $80) this book is a bargain for anyone wanting to learn how to sew their own wardrobe and accessories. 

You can pick up a copy of the book from Workman now >>

New Orleans cuisine is famous for being full of flavor, spice and passion and with My New Orleans, The Cookbook by John Besh you can bring the taste of Louisiana to your kitchen.

This heavyweight cookbook includes 200 recipes from Besh's beloved hometown, using regional ingredients and traditional Creole cooking techniques. Bake some King Cake for Mardi Gras, Louisiana shrimp & Andouille grits, seafood gumbo, hot spiced wine, Bourbon pecan pie, French toast and several hundred other recipes.

With a recipe to spice up any mealtime, it's time to bring some southern comfort food to your dinner table.

You can pick up a copy of the book from Andrew McMeel Publishing now >>

Scandinavian homes are iconic for their elegant simplicity and with Clare Young's new book Scandinavian Needlecraft you can learn how to make your own pieces of regional interior decor.

With 35 projects to choose from, you will easily learn how to stitch a piece of traditional decor, step-by-step. Embroider a crested bird chair pad, sew some felt baby booties, welcome Santa in with a hand-stitched Christmas stocking, cross-stitch a coat hanger cover and embroider a gingham heart quilt.

You don't have to travel hundreds of miles to bring a piece of Scandinavian chic in to your own home.

You can pick up a copy of the book from CICO Books now >>

Rich in history and tradition, Tartan by Jonathan Faiers explores the culture and importance of this iconic fabric, which is treasured by so many families across the world.

With so many varying designs and colours of tartan, the book studies the fabric through history, it's symbolism and importance, it's construction and how it has been used in the world of fashion. There's certainly a lot more to tartan than meets the eye.

This is a huge text book that would be great for anyone wanting to learn everything there is to know on the subject.

You can pick up a copy of the book from Berg Publishers now >>

If you're a fashion fan or not, 50 Fashion Designers You Should Know by Prestel, will let you explore the world of high fashion and expensive price tags, providing you with a crash course in to everything couture.

Featuring the 50 most prestigious, influential and iconic fashion designers from across history and around the globe, this book provides photographs, biographies and a timeline, so you can swot up and know your stuff. Showcasing the likes of Oscar De La Renta, Coco's successor Karl Largerfeld, Valentino, Ralph Lauren, Jean Paul Gautier, Stella McCartney, queen of British fashion Vivienne Westwood and many more.

With fashion and designers spanning the centuries, this title is a must have for any self proclaimed fashionista.

You can pick up a copy of the book from Prestel now. 

Crafting king, Mark Montano is back with another craft book of epic proportions, this time focusing on the home sweet home in The Big-Ass Book of Home Decor.

With over 100 projects to choose from, this gigantic book is sure to have something to brighten up any home. Create a table out of chopsticks, yarn wrap a branch ornament, make scrap-fabric door beads, stitch a gorgeous birdcage pillow, decoupage some comic book tableware, decorate an elegant butterfly chandelier, fabric wrap a mummy chair and, if you don't mind 100 years bad luck, create an eye-catching exploding mirror sconge.

 Full of quirky and original ideas, this is a must have for any home-loving crafter!

Check out some fantastic sample projects from the book.

You can pick up a copy of the book from Abrams Books now.

Why settle for cute or even super cute when you can have Super-Super Cute Crochet?! The follow up to Brigitte Read's previous title (of the same name minus one cute) promises to double the adorability!

Including patterns for 35 cute and fluffy friends, from the farmyard, aquarium, safari and beyond, create an African land snail, arctic fox, manta ray, percy pig, tortoise, anteater, duck-billed platypus, dragon and many more.

It's time to pick up your hook and cast on a zoo-load of super-super cute animals.

You can pick up a copy of the book from CICO Books now.