Editors Of D C: 12 books

This is a great bag for a hot summer’s day. The vivid colours zing against each other, and the sewed-on leaves add a pleasing three-dimensional touch. The stylish flare shape is created by decreasing the sides and bamboo rings are attached for added impact. Knitted in ever-versatile cotton yarn,...

Red and white samplers have been popular throughout sampler history, sometimes used to practise marking linen for future seamstresses and sometimes purely for decoration. Helen Philipps' own red and white home sampler is a more contemporary take on the Antique French style, with ultra-white linen,...

This elegant seed bead necklace, inspired by a 1930s example, was complicated to design but is actually extremely easy to make. The bead loops are simply added one at a time.

This wall hanging has a lovely naive folk-art quality. The scene, in fresh spring colors, is filled with birds flitting about and perched in the trees, with flowers and grasses embroidered beneath them. The techniques used include freezer paper applique, making appliqued stems for branches, easy machine stitching and quilting and some fun hand embroidery using thread and silk ribbon.

Even though you may be pushed for time in the run-up to Christmas, it is still possible to make beautifully detailed hand-crafted cards. Corinne Bradd has devised a simple production line technique to enable you to quickly create multiples of this intricate star-topped Christmas tree design. The materials listed for this project are sufficient to make ten cards in all.

From The Bag Making Bible by Lisa Lam Half the fun of making this cheerful bag is choosing three fabrics that all look fabulous together. Once you have chosen the fabrics you’ll find this bag just kind of makes itself! The more you piece it together (like a colorful jigsaw) the more you’ll want...

Cats are well-known for their curiosity, but giraffes? This pretty, prancing giraffe certainly has an inquisitive side to her nature, although she can be a bit jumpy and bound off if things go horribly wrong as a consequence of her investigations. Simple gathering is used to good effect here in creating...

What better way to keep ice-cold lemonades and fruit juices safe from pesky insects than crochet covers in acid lime green, clementine orange or the hue of homemade lemon squash? This project is also a great way to start working with beads. The pattern has been adapted with four designs, each using different sizes and styles of beads.

Eddie the Elephant is a gentle giant. He has big flapping ears to hear even the tiniest of sounds, but that doesn’t stop him from getting scared. The naughty little mice always try to make him jump, and when an elephant jumps, everyone knows! Eddie’s ears and feet are lined with pretty scraps...

These cute cookie-shaped toys make lovely decorations for the kitchen at any time of year. You could make Mr and Mrs Gingerbread, as shown here, or make a whole family and decorate each one in a slightly different way by using a variety of ribbons and other embellishments. You could also make padded gingerbread hearts and stars from the same linen to match the gingerbread family.

These flower corsages are a novel and attractive way to make use of your favourite fabric scraps. Color-wise, the sky is the limit.From pretty florals and funky retros to winter wools and velvets, you could make a corsage to coordinate with every outfit. These corsages look fantastic pinned on to...

AP French Language & Culture All Access Book + Web + Mobile Everything you need to prepare for the Advanced Placement exam, in a study system built around you! REA is the only publisher with an updated AP French Language & Culture test prep book geared to the new May 2012 exam! There...