THE SEARCH PRESS BOOK OF TRADITIONAL PAPERCRAFTS by Janet Wilson
Search Press - 2000 - Compendium of five earlier books
ISBN: 0855329289 - Large Format PB
How-To Papercrafts
Lots of holiday projects for all year and makes a grand present

Reviewed by Rachel A Hyde, MyShelf.com
Buy a US Copy

If you want to try your hand at papercrafts, or you already enjoy them and want to expand your knowledge here's all you can handle! In the UK the leading designer in this field is Janet Wilson and using her exhaustive knowledge has written five books on parchment craft, quilling, stencil embossing and paper pricking. Now Search Press have combined them all in one large but reasonably-priced whole for a whole lot more fun!

As an experienced craft designer and teacher of the subject I know all about what the difference is between a gallery book that looks good on a coffee table and one you can actually learn from and this is very firmly in the latter category. It is profusely illustrated with pictures of the finished items, staged photos of the work being done and diagrams to trace although it is perhaps a pity that so many of them need to be enlarged for those who don't have a computer and don't live near anywhere with a copier. It is all very clear and easy to follow including the section on what you need to assemble before you start. One bonus about Search Press books is that you can write them for a list of stockists (although these are generally in the UK) or visit their website at www.searchpress.com and read it from there.

Anybody who reads the simple instructions ought to be able to make anything in this book without too much trouble and the projects are beautiful - lots of flowers, holiday decorations and cards and inspiration from other cultures although if you want masculine ideas or have a taste for the cute or comical then you might have to look elsewhere. But this aside the instructions are so good it is easy to learn how to do the crafts that most readers will soon be hunting down their own inspirational matter and striking out for themselves.

This is a beautiful and motivating book that would make an ideal purchase right now, as Christmas isn't very far away or even a gift for a "crafty" person for the festival of your choice.