Buttons have been made from almost every known material. Their study provides insight into fashion trends, the clothing industry and social history in general. This book introduces an array of these treasures from the past, to show the variety of materials and the intricate design and workmanship incorporated in the making of the button.

The humble buckle is an often-taken for granted fastening, yet its usefulness and sturdiness has ensured that it has survived from ancient times through to the present day. The author provides a comprehensive typology of buckles, from the earliest designs to the most recent uses. With detailed records of the types of buckles from different historical periods and listings of museums where they can be found, this book offers the re-enactor essential guidance for period costumes, and provides...

With this book in one hand and a brush in the other, you can learn how to create different finishes and effects with paint to change everyday rooms and furnishings into something special, all for the price of a pot of paint. The first section of the book tells you everything you need to know before you start - how to prepare surfaces properly, choose the right paint for the right place, use the best tools and select a colour scheme that will work with the room in question. 50 different tec...

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER AND OFFICIAL COMPANION TO THE HIT BBC SERIESBBC’s The Repair Shop is a place where Britain’s most skilled and caring craftspeople rescue and resurrect items that owners thought were beyond saving. Their shared love of craft has helped hundreds of people recover and relive cherished memories, and inspired millions to rediscover their own prized possessions. The skill required to properly restore those items may be beyond most of us, but there are small th...

From the Booker Prize winner and national bestselling author, reflections on gardening, art, literature, and lifePenelope Lively takes up her key themes of time and memory, and her lifelong passions for art, literature, and gardening in this philosophical and poetic memoir. From the courtyards of her childhood home in Cairo to a family cottage in Somerset, to her own gardens in Oxford and London, Lively conducts an expert tour, taking us from Eden to Sissinghurst a...

Botanical Illustration is an introduction to the marrying of art and science in the aesthetic and accurate portrayal of plant material. This book builds on the work of illustrators of the past, ranging from Elizabeth Blackwell, whose drawings helped to release her husband from debtors' prison, through to the exceptional scientific drawings of Beatrix Potter. It deals with the practical art and the related botany of the subject. Introduction to basic botany; preparation of plant material fo...

Packed full of tips for the aspiring watercolourist, its handy format makes it ideal for quick reference either in the studio or out in the field.Contents include:essential tips on all the basic watercolour techniques, plus helpful advice on sketching and drawingguidelines on painting skies, backgrounds, foregrounds, the main subject, trees, details and shadowsclear and straightforward step-by-step instructions for painting a complete landscape in ...

After moving from the Barleywood garden where he hosted BBC Gardeners' World for seven years, Alan Titchmarsh set up home in an old farmhouse a few miles down the road, and went about planting his own private eden away from the public eye. In this horticultural memoir Alan finally reveals all about this secret garden, explaining with his trademark warmth the personal stories behind its design and evolution. Accompanied by beautiful photographs taken by Jonathan Buckley throughout ...

A thorough look at antique restoration and craft woodwork. These days I mostly manufacture and sell online, there seems to be a keen interest in the historical nature of the subject and products. If anyone buying the book has a specific question or would like a PDF version then get in touch. Kd.

This book is designed to be a quick and handy reference point , a mini-helper for all those odd gardening jobs. We all lead busy lives and the garden areas of our home are often the first thing that gets neglected. You don’t have to spend countless hours tending to every new green shoot, when just a few sensible steps can make an amazing impact on any tired garden.Based upon personal experience, common sense and handy tips passed on to me from amateurs and professi...

The author of Servants tells us what made British households, of all sizes, shine.British estates were known to be the epitome of cleanliness with their white-glove perfection. Through her meticulous research on servants, Lucy Lethbridge gleaned much knowledge about how these homes were made to gleam over almost two centuries, from the Victorian through the Edwardian years and beyond. The majority of household tasks were done with basic ingredients like le...

From one of our greatest science writers, this biography of a beech-and-bluebell wood through diverse moods and changing seasons combines stunning natural history with the ancient history of the countryside to tell the full story of the British landscape.‘The woods are the great beauty of this country… A fine forest-like beech wood far more beautiful than anything else which we have seen in its vicinity’ is how John Stuart Mill described a small patch of beech-and bluebell woodland...