Want to get into crafting, but don't know where to start? We've rounded up the what's what of craft books set to inspire your mind – and fingers – throughout the next year. Victoria Joy picks the ones you need to pre-order before casting one more stitch, threading the needle, filling the piping bag – you get the gist.
Lazing on a Sunday Crafternoon by Eliza Muldoon (out March 2014)
£12.08 pre-order price, amazon.co.uk
If one of your new year's resolutions is to become a crafting queen but your dexterity is more Edward Scissorhands than Kirstie Allsopp, this will be right up your street. Each of the 52 projects have been designed with children in mind so if you can look past the sometimes-cheesy intros, it provides a great initiation into the world of craft. It's also perfect to get stuck into on a hangover day (once the nausea has subsided).
Vintage Quilt Revival: 22 Modern Designs From Classic Books by Katie Clark Blakesley, Lee Heinrich and Faith Jones (out February 2014)
£17.12 pre-order price, amazon.co.uk
Ever since we openly sobbed our way through Susan Sarandon's final scenes in Stepmom, a multi-squared obsession has been niggling away somewhere in the back of our minds. If the same can be said for you, and you want 2014 to be the year you make Jackie Harrison proud, this book is unashamedly faithful to the traditional method of quilting but demonstrates how to update it with modern fabric and designs. Our only issue is whether we'll have the willpower to stop after an appropriate amount of squares.
Simple Makes series: Fresh Prints by Christine Leech (out April 2014)
£11.76 pre-order price, amazon.co.uk
So you nailed sewing, knitting and sugarcraft last year, and now you're after something a little different. Let craft author and blogger Christine Leech introduce you to the world of at-home printing with 20 easy-to-pull-off-but-still-look-seriously-impressive projects with explanations and how-tos of the main techniques. The best thing about it is that the finished products are all things you can legitimately feature around your home without looking showy, while waiting for guests to ask the all-important question; 'Where did you buy that from?'
Mollie Makes: Weddings by Mollie Makes
£9.99 pre-order price, amazon.co.uk
We say 2014, you think wedding prep. But if you're planning to hail yourself as a DIY bride, you'll need this craft bible by your side. The established how-to magazine has selected over 20 projects that will add fabulous personal touches to your big day (and save you cash too) and presents them in this hardcover book. There's inspiration and ideas for hand-made stationery, paper flowers, vintage décor - the lot.
To Knit or Not to Knit by Elvira Woodruff
£10.36 pre-order price, amazon.co.uk
Long gone are the days where knitting was as sure fire a way to send you to sleep as a cheeky Valium – just ask Elvira Woodruff. The children's book author has turned her attention to the wooly stuff. This collection of knitting-related essays and tongue-in-cheek answers to common casting-on problems, interspersed with real patterns, will put a wry smile on your face as your hands make magic with those needles.
Little Book of Book Making by Charlotte Rivers
£13.59 pre-order price, amazon.co.uk
You know the love you feel for a yet unopened diary or notebook, filled with unknown promise and excitement? Imagine feeling that love for yourself, people. Stationery queen Charlotte Rivers has stepped up her game from printing and letter-pressing to bookmaking, touching on techniques like concertina binding, page marbling and cover embellishment. Stationery porn just got craftier – and you're invited to get jiggy with it.
A Beautiful Mess Happy Handmade Home by Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman
£13.18 pre-order price, amazon.co.uk
Whether you've got a South West London shoebox to call your own or the landlord has given you free rein in your rented house, it's worth burying your head in this gorgeous picture book before pulling out the big guns at B&Q and Hobbycraft. Craft bloggers Elsie and Emma are on a mission to champion the homemade. We love their good-looking, space-saving ideas.
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