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Kate Pullen's BlogPosted by Kate Pullen Audiobook Reviews Here are some of the latest audiobook reviews:
Have you listened to any of these audiobooks and have any comments to make? If so, you are very welcome to leave a comment below and share your views with other readers! Posted by Kate Pullen The Man Booker Prize, one of the most long standing and prestigious literary awards, will be announcing the 2009 short list on September 9th. In an interesting move, for the first time extracts from this year's short list will be available to read and listen to via a mobile phone immediately the short list is announced. If people enjoy what they hear, they will be able to purchase and download the audiobook onto their phone. This service is being offered by GoSpoken.com. Do you listen to audiobooks on your phone? I'd love to hear about your experiences - you are very welcome to send me an email or leave a comment on one of my articles. I look forward to hearing from you! Posted by Kate Pullen Some great audiobook samples are available for free download from the National 2008 Year of Reading website. This is a good way to find out more about audiobooks and to sample some great spoken word literature. More information can be found on the 2008 National Year of Reading website. The free audiobook samples include:
There are lots of other websites that frequently offer free samples of audiobooks, if you know of any interesting offers do let me know so I can include it here. Posted by Kate Pullen This recording of Charles Darwin's Beagle Diary is narrated by Jo Stone-Fewings. The audiobook can be found at the Darwin Online website and the mp3 files are available for free download. There is also a lot of other information about the work of Charles Darwin on this website. Posted by Kate Pullen This abridged version of Hard Times, by Charles Dickens, is narrated by Anton Lesser. Fans of Anton Lesser will know of his excellent narration skills and be familar with how he brings a book to life. Hard Times, is a classic piece of literature, following the story of Thomas Gradgrind’s family and based in the fictional Lancashire town of Coketown. This audiobook plays for nearly 4 hours, and is free for download from the Naxos Audiobook website. Do you know of any other great free audiobooks? Simply send me an email if you have any audiobook related information that you'd like to share! Posted by Kate Pullen If you are a science fiction or horror author and have always fancied having one of your books recorded, take a look at the submission guidelines pages at specialist websites such as Pseudopod, Escapepod and Clonepod. Each website clearly states what it looks for in submissions and what types of books they are particulary interested in. These websites specialize in sci-fi and horror genres and offer a range of free audiobooks for delivery by both podcast and for play straight from the websites. If you have any news or information about any aspect of audiobooks that you would like to share, then please do feel free to contact me! Posted by Kate Pullen Simply Audiobooks have launched a new competition. The prize is a collection of audiobooks. The entry instructions are a bit sketchy and there is no deadline published however the website states that in order to enter people must "Share stories on the blog about your craziest commute, and we’ll select 3 winners..." More information can be found on the Simply Audiobooks website. While you are there, don't forget to check out the monthly free download. The free audiobook for July is Children's Hour. Posted by Kate Pullen Described by The Indepent newspaper as Dickens for a digital age, Scott Sigler has a dedicated and growing fan base. The books, such as Nocturnal, are available via the Scott Sigler website (scottsigler.com) via podcast or download and some are also available on Podiobooks.com. If thrillers and scifi are your thing then why not check this out - this could be just the thing to enliven vacation listening! Posted by Kate Pullen There are many great audiobooks available. If you are wondering what to choose for your next listen, why not take a look through some of these reviews for inspiration!
Have you listened to any of these books and have an opinion that you'd like to share? Use the 'comment' button at the bottom of each article to share your thoughts with other readers. Posted by Kate Pullen I enjoy listening to authors talking about their work. This often gives an interesting insight into their motivation and their writing style. In the interview which was included with the On Chesil Beach audiobook, Ian McEwan talks about how he approached one of the significant parts of the plot. This gave me a valuable insight into the story and really added to my enjoyment of the audiobook. Publishers, Simon and Schuster, offer a weekly podcast interview with a range of different authors and these make interesting listening. More information can be found on the Simon and Schuster website. Posted by Kate Pullen Freedomain Radio - home of ' powerful ideas for all lovers of the logic of personal and political freedom' is offering audiobooks and e-books available free of charge. Listeners and readers are simply invited to donate what they feel the books are worth after they have finished listening or reading - an interesting concept! More information can be found at Freedomain Radio. If you know of any free audiobooks that are currently being offered, do feel free to let me know so we can share this information with others. Posted by Kate Pullen The Book at Bedtime , on the BBC (British Broadcast Corporation), features an abridged version of a bestseller, fiction or non fiction book. This book is played over 5 nightly episodes, however can be listened to via the Listen Again function for 7 days after the program was recorded via the Internet. Anyone with Internet access can listen to the program regardless of where they are in the world. This week's book is Breath by Tim Winton, abridged by Sally Marmion and read by Richard Roxburgh. The BBC website describes the book as follows: "On the western fringe of Australia, a tragedy sparks memories for middle-aged paramedic Bruce Pike. As he witnesses a mother facing her son’s unthinkable death, he recalls his own youth, when he too took risks that could have been fatal and went far beyond the bounds of any reasonable behaviour." For more information on the latest book and the Listen Again feature, take a look at the Book at Bedtime page of the BBC website. Posted by Kate Pullen Telltale Weekly (telltaleweekly.com) offers a range of free and low cost audiobooks on a variety of subjects. The audiobooks are DRM free, meaning that they can be played on a variety of listening devices with no restrictions. The audiobooks are unabridged, and supplied in MP3, AAC, and Ogg Vorbis formats. Payment is by PayPal. Audiobooks under 15 minutes in length are free, others are available for a (relatively) small charge. The selection of books includes fiction and non fiction as well as radio drama. For more information take a look at the Telltale Weekly website. Posted by Kate Pullen Over at Wisconsin Public Radio, the new 'chapter a day' readings start today. The latest book is Never Surrender: a novel of Winston Churchill by Michael Dobbs, which is read by Karl Schmidt. More information can be found on the WPR Chapter a Day website. Michael Dobbs is the author of the House of Cards series of books about a fictional British MP (Member of Parliament). The triliogy featured plenty of parliamentary intrigue, political scandal with Frances Urquart. Michael Dobbs was once the Deputy Chairman of the UK Conservative party and he draws on this insight into the running of a government in many of his books. Posted by Kate Pullen Ann of Green Gables, by L M Montgomery, is the free audiobook for June from Simply Audiobooks. Ann of Green Gables is a children's classic and a great family listen and is ideal for the long summer vacation. To download the audiobook, go to the SimplyAudiobook.com website and follow the instructions. Free audiobooks such as this, are a great introduction to digital audiobooks. They are quick to download and simple to play on an MP3 player. This is also a good way to get youngsters listening to books and to demonstrate that MP3 players can be used for more than just music! Posted by Kate Pullen The June audiobook of the month from the Christian Audio website is The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan and narrated by Nadia May. At over 10 hours, this is a lengthy listen, making it ideal for long trips or to take on a vacation. This audiobook normally retails for nearly $26 and to access it for free, make sure you follow the instructions on the ChristianAudio.com website. This offer is valid until the end of June 2008. The Christian Audio website is one of the largest sources of Christian audiobooks on the Internet. The website offers a range of Christian audiobooks, including some of their own publications that are unique to the site. Don't forget to take a look around the rest of the Audiobook site at Suite101.com for other ideas for great audio entertainment and information about where to find free audiobooks of all genres. Posted by Kate Pullen The free audiobook of the month, for the month of June, from Learn Out Loud is The Madman by Kahlil Gibran, the author of The Prophet. This 45 minute audiobook is narrated by Antonia Bath. The audiobook is free to download from the LearnOutLoud.com website. The Madman is a collection of short stories and fabels that are written from the view point of the 'madman. If you are unfamiliar with the work of Kahlil Gibran, this short, free audio download is the ideal way to introduce yourself to a new author, or if you are already a fan then this is a great way to reacquaint yourself with an old favorite. If you know of any free audiobooks that we'd be interested in, then you are very welcome to email me via the 'contact me' button on this site! Posted by Kate Pullen Full information about the 2008 winners can be found on the Audie Website, however, here are some of the highlights: Fiction
Literary Fiction
Mystery
Classic
Non Fiction
For more information about the Audies, take a look at this recent article here at Suite101.com Audiobooks. Posted by Kate Pullen We've recently launched a 'comments' feature, and this allows users to leave comments at the end of an article. This is a great way to share your views about audiobooks and you are very welcome to use this feature to share your thoughts about audiobooks. At the moment the Audiobook site here at Suite101.com is very new, however over coming weeks you'll find new reviews, audiobook news and other information. If there is anything that you would like to read about or if you have any special requests for reviews then do let me know! Posted by Kate Pullen Sail, the latest bestseller from James Patterson has been released in audiobook format one month before the paper editition is published in June and is available through Audible.com and Audible.co.uk. In my review of Sail I mention the fast moving pace of the plot and the excellent narration. The narrators really bring the book to life and keep the storyline flowing. I was a little surprised by the sound effects and background music, at one state I was looking at my computer in horror as I thought I'd somehow managed to land on one of those websites with 'interesting' background music. Although the background music is occasional, I found it intrusive to start, although I did soon get used to it. If you have listened to Sail and would like to share your thoughts, you are very welcome to use the 'comment' button under the main review. I look forward to hearing from you! Posted by Kate Pullen Terry Pratchett is a much loved author and his books are hugely popular in audioformat. In a interview broadcast today on the BBC program 'On the Ropes', Terry Pratchett talks about his life and how he is approaching life after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The interview can be heard using the 'Listen Again' feature on the BBC website (click the button in the right hand column) - although it can only be accessed for 7 days from today. Terry Pratchett's audiobooks are recorded by Stephen Briggs and more information about this partnership can be read at Stephen Briggs website. Posted by Kate Pullen I confess to being a spoken word addict. I don't own a television, video or dvd player - my entertainment comes completely from the spoken word. Whether it is audiobooks, radio or podcasts, there is always something new to listen to opening up a whole new world of opportunities. Over recent weeks I have listened to classic fiction, learnt some new Spanish grammar, brushed up on my history, listened to the latest bestseller as well as being kept up to date on world wide events. I download audiobooks and podcasts onto a tiny listening device and take it everywhere with me. One of the joys of spoken word entertainment is that so much of it is free. Free audiobooks and podcasts are widely available (keep an eye on this blog for information about free audiobooks), and even paid for audiobooks can be found for very accessible prices. There are, sadly, many myths that still remain about audiobooks – they are expensive, poor quality, limited selection etc. Many of these are no longer the case – take a look at the article 6 Audiobook Myths Debunked for more information! Posted by Kate Pullen The Learn Out Loud website offers audio and video educational products. The wide range of items available on their website are broken down by categories and cover topics such as biographies, history, languages, politics, science and travel. The Learn Out Loud free audiobook of the month for May is Great American Presidents volume 2. This is a Wikipedia recording which means that it is the audio version of Wikipedia content. The running time of this recording is 2 hours and 45 minutes. Included within this volume are biographies of John Adams, Andrew Jackson, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. The download can be found on the LearnOutLoud.com website. There are many excellent sources of free audio content available on the Internet, whether this is a public domain version of a piece of classic literature, self help podcast or a short story audiobook by a bestselling author. If you know of any great sources of audio information or entertainment on the Internet that you'd like to share, do feel free to let me know. I look forward to hearing from you! Posted by Kate Pullen A Study in Emerald is an Hugo Award winning short story by bestselling author, Neil Gaiman and is available from HarperCollins in both audiobook and e-book formats as a free download from their website. As the title suggests, there is a nod to Arthur Conan Doyle's A Study in Scarlet with some surprising twists. Neil Gaiman is a prolific writer and his book, Stardust, has recently been turned into a successful Hollywood blockbuster. This is an enjoyable audiobook and is certainly recommended to people interested in Neil Gaiman's work, Sherlock Holmes fans and anyone looking for an unusual murder mystery audiobook. The free audiobook can be found on the HarperCollins website. More information about Neil Gaiman can be found on his website The audiobook is read by Neil Gaiman who has a pleasing reading syle. Authors reading their own work can sometimes bring an added depth and meaning to the words - another great example of an author reading his work is On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan. This review takes a look at On Chesil Beach in more detail. Posted by Kate Pullen The Audies are an annual celebration of the best audiobooks and spoken word entertainment from the previous year. This year's Audie award ceremony is May 30th, and this is when the winners in each of the 30 categories will be announced. More information about the Audie awards can be found in this recent Suite101 article. A full list of the nominations can be found on the Audies website. As you'd expect, there are nominations for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, read by Jim Dale, in the category of best male narrator and for packaging design. This was also nominated in the Audiobook of the Year category. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J K Rowling, set new records when it was released in July 2007 for audiobook sales. A phenomenal 225 thousand audiobooks were sold on the weekend of its release (source: Random House). Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is up against strong competition for the title of Audiobook of the Year. The other titles nominated include:
It will be interesting to see which audiobooks win this year's awards and which recording takes the title of Audiobook of the Year! Posted by Kate Pullen A Chapter A Day is a popular 30 minute daily program at Wisconsin Public Radio. This allows listeners to hear readings from a bestselling book in bite sized chunks. The latest book is The Poet of Tolstoy Park, by Sonny Brewer and read by Karl Schmidt. The readings from this book started on May 5th, 2008, however don't worry if you missed the first couple as the most recent 5 episodes are available in the Chapter A Day audio archives at WPR. The Poet of Tolstoy Park is the debut novel by Sonny Brewer and more informtation about the book can be found on the website of the publisher, Random House. Posted by Kate Pullen Simply Audiobooks are offering a free download of The Curious Life of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald and narrated by Michael Scott. This is the story of a baby born as an old man and who gets younger with age. The audiobook is a little over an hour long and is an easy listen. The free download can be found on the Simply Audiobooks website. To download the book, you simply need to enter an email address and the download starts straight away. If you have not tried downloading an audiobook yet, then short and free audiobooks such asThe Curious Life of Benjamin Button, are an ideal way to start with no commitment for further purchases and no cost involved. Posted by Kate Pullen If you are a Star Wars fan, or a fan of free audiobooks, you'll be interested in the free audiobook offer at Random House. To celebrate the release of the final audiobook in the nine-part series, Random House and Del Rey have joined together to make Betrayal, the first book in the Star Wars: The Legacy of the Force series available as a free audiobook download. This is a limited time offer and ends at midnight on May 13th, so hurry over to the Random House website now and start downloading! Other digital formats can be found at the Del Rey website including Kindle, pdf e-book and Sony Reader. Posted by Kate Pullen When looking for ideas for something new to do, taking a look at sewing and needlework from history can be a great source of inspiration. Needleskills in previous generations were highly prized and were practiced by people from all walks of life. Some people would undertake needle craft projects for recreation, although for the majority of people being able to sew was an essential part of life. There are plenty of places to find out more about sewing in days gone by. Museums and private collections can be a great source of information and today, many of these publish photographs and details of their exhibits online. Many of these items can be used as inspiration for contemporary projects - purses, clothes and household accessories are all great items to look at. Have fun! Posted by Kate Pullen One of the interesting things about sewing magazines is looking at the photographs of latest patterns and designs. It is really useful to look at the new designs from different pattern companies and see how the trends are looking for coming months. Sometimes, however, the photographs are so highly styled it is very difficult to make out the details of the pattern. On the other side of the coin, though, when the photograph demonstrates the pattern or the design in very simple ways and when the garment has been made with plain material to show off the pattern detail, the finished effect can be boring and put sewers off trying something new. Getting this balance right is obviously quite a challenge and can make a big difference to how we as readers see a pattern and what we think about it. A sewer often needs imagination to be able to see through a pattern as it is presented and imagine it when made in different materials or with special embellishments. One of the joys of sewing is this flexibility to be able to customize and adapt patterns and designs, however it is also nice to see the pattern as it was originally designed. Fortunately today there are other ways of finding out about great designs and patterns. Sewing blogs and websites often show photographs of finished projects and this can be a really useful way to get ideas for how patterns look when they are completed. This also gives a sewer an insight into the clarity of the instructions and the ease of which the project is completed. Another way that the traditional crafts and technology sit comfortably side by side. Posted by Kate Pullen Learning how to sew is easier than ever before. There many great resources to help a beginner sewer, as well as some great beginner sewing projects that are quick to finish, but certainly not boring. There are many websites and directories that offer a range of free sewing patterns of all descriptions. Other places where help can be found are on the video sharing websites such as YouTube, where many users have recorded and uploaded videos on a variety of sewing and needlecraft subjects. A quick search will provide an interesting range of results. Sewing guilds and other local craft groups are also a good place to find instruction and many sewers are happy to spend some time teaching someone a few basics. If there aren't any local groups then why not pop a note into the window of a store or community hall and see if there are any sewers or needlecrafters who will be willing to help. Sewing is such a versatile and adaptable craft, and knowing a few core basics will give you the foundation on which to build. Posted by Kate Pullen Keeping any work area tidy is a challenge. Just the sheer fact that it IS a work area and not a display area means that things are constantly being used. One of the joys of sewing and needlework is that the crafts are so versatile and varied and as such there is always something new to be doing. Keeping hold of odds and ends is also part of the fun - scraps of interesting fabric or old buttons and other notions create great embellishments for other projects. There are plenty of ready made sewing storage equipment that can be purchased from craft and hobby outlets, there are also lots of items that can be found around the house that are also useful for helping to keep sewing areas tidy. These include:
These are just a few ideas - take a look around your house and I am sure you will find plenty more! Posted by Kate Pullen With Easter now behind us it is time to start thinking about summer projects. There are so many great things to sew it is sometimes difficult to know where to start! Beach bags, summer clothes, light weight scarves or shawls, picnic blankets and outdoor table settings are all popular projects. Other quick summer projects include sunglass cases, travel wallets, passport cases - to name just a few! Now is the time to start planning so this means looking at websites and through magazines looking for ideas and projects. Planning ahead means that fabric and other items can be purchased with plenty of time left to sew the project before the summer arrives. Many stores have their summer lines in, and there are lots of wonderful lightweight fabrics available which are great for summer projects. Sewing and needlework magazines are starting to feature summer projects and reviews of summer patterns, and these can be a great source of inspiration! When planning summer sewing and needlework projects it is also useful to consider a couple of small projects that can easily be slipped into a bag for a bit of quiet stitching during a day out. Cross stitch and needlepoint are good projects that are easy to carry around, as are small pieces of embroidery. I wish you luck with what ever your summer sewing plans are! Posted by Kate Pullen With Easter just days away, it is not too late to sew a few holiday themed decorations. Egg cozies, of course, are great for Easter. They are quick and easy to make and a few can be sewn from odds and ends of fabric. Egg shaped motifs can be cut from fabrics and sewn onto plain napkins and table runners to give an Easter theme to table decorations. These can be decorated with some additional embroidery or perhaps some beads for added sparkle. Easter bunnies are also quick and easy to make. With a bit of creative thought, templates can be found all over the place – cookie cutters, clip art or children's coloring books all have images with strong bold lines that are ideal for sewing patterns. These can be quickly sewn and stuffed to make cute little decorations. These are also a fun project for children and ideal for them to work on over the holidays. Easter egg dye is also good fun and when you have finished coloring easter eggs, dyes can be used to dye fabrics and yarns. The main thing to remember when using easter egg (or other dyes such as food coloring or KoolAid) is that protein fibers such as wool and silk work best. Cottons and other vegetable fibers do not take this type of dye so well. However a great holiday project would be to try some different dyes and fabrics and see what effect is achieved. Happy Easter Holidays! Posted by Kate Pullen I spent a pleasant few hours in a craft store recently, browsing the aisles and looking to see what is new and exciting in the world of needlecraft. The shelves were packed with fabrics, notions, books and patterns as well as a full range of supplies for many other needle crafts. What better way to while away a few hours! It was exciting to see the wide range of kits and packs available for many of the different sewing craft disciplines. As well as cross stitch kits, there are also kits to make soft toys, embellishing kits, packs for quilting, kits of supplies to make hooked rugs - to name just a few. Many of these kits provide all the supplies that are required plus instructions making these a good way for beginners to try a new craft. Kits can often be found on sale and these offer excellent value for money. Seasonal kits are sold at the end of a season, for instance Christmas kits sold off in January, however if there is nothing that will date a kit (for instance a date) they can be used the following year - or even given as a present. Some kits are targeted specifically at youngsters and in craft stores these are stocked either in a specific section for children or along side other kits. In general stores sewing kits for children can often be found in the toys or activities section. Posted by Kate Pullen One of our regular writers, Christine Mann, has published three new quilting articles that will make interesting reading for quilters. These can be found following the links below: Quilting is such an interesting and varied subject. Quilters produce a whole range of work from the most intricate and detailed work, through to pieces that are quick and easy to make. Inspiration from History When looking for inspiration for quilting and other needlecraft projects, many needle crafters look to the past for inspiration. Many museum and galleries have wonderful examples of needlework that were stitched and created many years ago, in fact examples of needlework exist in many important historical collections. Looking at the work that was produced all those years ago often makes me think of the lives that the people would have lived then. Sewing, however, was a necessity and not a pleasure therefore people would have had to have sewn in very difficult circumstances. The combination of poor light and poor eyesight would have meant that many people were almost working by feel and touch. We are very lucky, in these days of new technologies, to have the range of options that are available to us – and I will try to remember that next time I moan about not quite having the right sewing gadget or the perfect supplies for a particular project Posted by Kate Pullen Taking good photographs of cross stitch is useful it you intend to record copies of your work. This can make a great archive to look back on and also remind you of work that you have done. Taking good quality pictures is also useful if you intend to send examples of your work to magazines. Sending examples of your work to magazines can be a great way to let people know what you are working on. Many magazines encourage letters and photos from readers. An interesting development that has grown in popularity over the last couple of years, is the number of magazines that also have interactive websites. This means that they have discussion boards and forums and encourage readers to communicate both with the magazine team and also with the reader community. This is a useful facility for people looking to exchange news and views with like minded people. Posted by Kate Pullen Adding some embellishments to an item is a good way to customize it and create something unique. This is demonstrated in 49 Sensational Skirts by Alison Willougby, where one simple skirt design is transformed by the creative use of embellishments. While some of the designs might be a bit wild for every day wear, the book certainly whets the creative appetite. So many garments can be given a new lease of life with the addition of some embellishments. Just a few beads or perhaps a spot of embroidery can transform a plain garment into something a little special. This can be a great way to explore new techniques without committing to a major project that may have a huge financial or time investment. Part of the key to adding embellishments is having a stash of useful things to call upon. Some people might call this rubbish – odds and ends of materials, cast off buttons and zips, discarded garments etc – however for the creative sewer or needlecrafter these are absolute treasures! Keep a look out at garage sales, thrift shops and charity stores for ‘useful’ treasures. Piles of useful items can be found that can be used for a whole variety of embellishment projects. It is surprising what the creative sewer can turn their hands to! Posted by Kate Pullen Sewing can be a very 'green' craft. Old and discarded pieces of fabric can be recycled and sewn into new objects and given a new lease of life. It is also possible to make items that replace disposable objects such as grocery bags. Making fabric grocery bags are an ideal way to combine sewing with helping the environment. Fabric grocery bags can be used time and time again, thus reducing the amount of waste that goes into land fill. Fabric carrier bags are a great project for sewers of all experience levels and are a good way to practice new techniques. Other recycling sewing projects include working with old jeans which provide a good source of strong fabric. Many sewers also like the fact they have control over the fabric used. Organic fabrics, for instance, are great for baby sewing projects and in these days of constant product scares and recalls it is reassuring to use certified organic fabrics. Posted by Kate Pullen I was delighted recently to talk to Horst from Horst Couture and I have recently published the interview. Horst makes the most fantastic one of a kind gowns from felt. If you think of felt as being a thick, clunky fabric think again! Horst's work uses the best features of felt, keeping it light and airy, with a drape that allows it to hang well against the body. Producing one-of-a-kind garments needn't always mean creating these wonderful garments. After all, most people have few opportunities to wear such gowns. Sewers, however, can add their own unique style to clothes and accessories. Even if you don't create an outfit from scratch, some clever embellishments or adding some decoration can transform an otherwise mundane garment into something special. Adding some applique or embroidery can bring some additional flare to a jacket or coat, and there are plenty of other ways that you can stamp your individuality on an outfit., for instance using needle felting techniques. It is wonderful to find out more about how designers approach their work and I hope to talk to more designers in the future. Posted by Kate Pullen Valentine's Day gives us the ideal occassion to give normal sewing projects a romantic touch. A few handmade hearts, perhaps embroidered, cut from felt or even heart yo-yos are excellent for popping onto napkins and other table dressings, to give the table a romantic touch for a special meal. They are also perfect for adorning cards, giving them a handmade touch. Cross stich and needlepoint patterns are also readily available in heart shaped or romantic themed patterns. Many of these can be found freely on the Internet and include: Happy Valentine Stitching! Posted by Kate Pullen The Jane Austen center in the glorious Georgian city of Bath in south west Englandhas an interesting and informative website. Hidden away in the pages are some little gems for sewers and needlecrafters. These free sewing projects include a pattern to make a needle case, a ribbon embroidery project and a Jane Austen themed wall hanger. During the regency period the ladies of the house spent much of their time creating hand crafted works of art. It is interesting to see projects inspired by this era. Posted by Kate Pullen Two Suite101 writers have recently published some interesting quilting articles giving more in depth information about different aspects of this exciting craft. Christine Mann has written about: Connie Krochmal has written about : We'll be taking a look at other aspects of quilting over coming weeks and months. In the meantime I hope you enjoy these informative articles. |
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