Best Book + Materials Combo?
November 8, 2022 11:48 AM Subscribe
I'd like to give my friend a really fantastic, beautiful "all about xyz" book, and include in it the tools and materials needed so they can follow along and learn themselves. Can you please recommend best-in-class how-to books, and the best "good enough" materials they would need to get started and complete their first project?
My friend is constantly picking up new skills and hobbies. They are a self-confessed dilettante and have a whole basement room filled with incomplete projects. Since I have known them in the past few years, they have dabbled in:
- Flower arrangement
- Pumpkin Carving
- Painting stones
- piano performance
- vlogging
- woodworking
- sign making
- tap dance
- linocut printmaking
- pastry making
- Bonsai
- tye-dye
- birdwatching
- sidewalk mural art
They told me that the wish they could do more of the DOING and less of the thinking about doing, but they get stuck in the decision mode of deciding (A) which expert to turn to, (B) which project to start, (C) the quantity and quality of materials to purchase.
I am hoping to help with A, B, and C by purchasing them a respected and high-quality how-to guide for them to follow that includes several specific projects, and enough materials or tools to complete a few projects.
Thanks so much for any recommendations you may have!
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My friend is constantly picking up new skills and hobbies. They are a self-confessed dilettante and have a whole basement room filled with incomplete projects. Since I have known them in the past few years, they have dabbled in:
- Flower arrangement
- Pumpkin Carving
- Painting stones
- piano performance
- vlogging
- woodworking
- sign making
- tap dance
- linocut printmaking
- pastry making
- Bonsai
- tye-dye
- birdwatching
- sidewalk mural art
They told me that the wish they could do more of the DOING and less of the thinking about doing, but they get stuck in the decision mode of deciding (A) which expert to turn to, (B) which project to start, (C) the quantity and quality of materials to purchase.
I am hoping to help with A, B, and C by purchasing them a respected and high-quality how-to guide for them to follow that includes several specific projects, and enough materials or tools to complete a few projects.
Thanks so much for any recommendations you may have!
A note about MeFiGiftGuide2022: These next two weeks, we are collecting questions on ask.metafilter.com that help people find fantastic holiday gifts that show love for friend, family, nature, and our global community. These questions, tagged with #MeFiGiftGuide2022, will be collected into an FPP on Nov 24, the night before Black Friday, to spread our community’s love and wisdom across the universe (or at least to the hearts of our future MeFi members).
If you’re new to MetaFilter, why don’t you join? It’s $5 for a lifetime membership, and that $5 is mostly to keep the spammers out. If you end up buying something based on what you read, why not donate to MetaFilter as part of our November Fundraiser Drive.
The best crewel embroidery kits I’ve ever used come from the Crewel Work Company. Expensive, and no companion book, but there are online courses and other resources.
posted by Mizu at 12:43 PM on November 8, 2022
posted by Mizu at 12:43 PM on November 8, 2022
I like this book on making decorative paper covered boxes: Amazon link, or the Hollanders bookbinding store sells it directly and you could also get them book board and pretty papers there or a literal kit . Looks like they will have many of the needed craft tools; maybe add a bone folder and PVA glue.
Nice gift idea!
posted by clew at 12:46 PM on November 8, 2022
Nice gift idea!
posted by clew at 12:46 PM on November 8, 2022
While there isn't a full book, Sublime Stitching has full embroidery kits and really sets you up for projects.
Wool and the Gang does kits for knit objects, and I would pair one with Vogue Knitting or maybe Knitting Without Tears. The book won't link directly to the project, but it should give them some information about stitches and problem solving. I've seen some knitters say the WatG kits are too expensive - they are expensive, but I haven't found them much more expensive than buying the yarn without a kit.
For acrylic painting, I would get them Learn to Paint in Acrylics with 50 Small Paintings, these paints (6 is sufficient, 12 is good, more is always nice), these brushes (I am very amateur and don't care much about brushes), and these mini-canvases.
posted by quadrilaterals at 12:56 PM on November 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
Wool and the Gang does kits for knit objects, and I would pair one with Vogue Knitting or maybe Knitting Without Tears. The book won't link directly to the project, but it should give them some information about stitches and problem solving. I've seen some knitters say the WatG kits are too expensive - they are expensive, but I haven't found them much more expensive than buying the yarn without a kit.
For acrylic painting, I would get them Learn to Paint in Acrylics with 50 Small Paintings, these paints (6 is sufficient, 12 is good, more is always nice), these brushes (I am very amateur and don't care much about brushes), and these mini-canvases.
posted by quadrilaterals at 12:56 PM on November 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
Book: Slöjd in Wood
Tool: A Morakniv 120
That’ll teach someone to carve if they have the will.
posted by DaveP at 2:44 PM on November 8, 2022 [3 favorites]
Tool: A Morakniv 120
That’ll teach someone to carve if they have the will.
posted by DaveP at 2:44 PM on November 8, 2022 [3 favorites]
I blow glass and if you have some $ to spend on this person you cannot go wrong with the beginners kits from Mountain Glass Art. They are a great company with lots of dedicated customer support and resources for learning and their kits come with all the stuff a person needs to start playing with hot glass.
A kit for soft glass beadmaking is the easiest.
Borosilicate (hard) glass kits are $$$$$ but also excellent. Your person would need a very well ventilated and fire safe work area. Add a sampler pack of colored glass for sure.
The ultimate beginners book with all the best lesson plans and photos for teaching yourself how to make all the shiny glass things you want to make is Glassblowing by Homer L. Hoyt.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 4:15 PM on November 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
A kit for soft glass beadmaking is the easiest.
Borosilicate (hard) glass kits are $$$$$ but also excellent. Your person would need a very well ventilated and fire safe work area. Add a sampler pack of colored glass for sure.
The ultimate beginners book with all the best lesson plans and photos for teaching yourself how to make all the shiny glass things you want to make is Glassblowing by Homer L. Hoyt.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 4:15 PM on November 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
The Ashley Book of Knots and two small lengths of cord
posted by athirstforsalt at 4:35 PM on November 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by athirstforsalt at 4:35 PM on November 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
This is an incomplete recommendation. I suggest materials and resources to do with tracing family history. If your friend is in the UK, I would suggest a subscription to the UK Census online, to the British Newspaper Archive, and one or more of the books linked here, which are usually nicely produced with lots of pictures. A subscription to this magazine would be good too. And you could consider genealogy software. But I suspect that you, and perhaps therefore your friend, are not in the UK and therefore I don't know what the relevant publications and resources would be.
posted by paduasoy at 11:15 AM on November 9, 2022
posted by paduasoy at 11:15 AM on November 9, 2022
I am late to this but Fire Mountain Gems has gorgeous beads and beginner kits, as well as books. I gave my youngest 2 lbs of big beads and elastic stringing cord and some random findings and we have made many things out of that. They also have good video classes you can sign up for.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 3:39 AM on November 22, 2022
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 3:39 AM on November 22, 2022
Jewelry chainmail: For books, Chain Maille Jewelry Workshop by Karen Karon and Modern Chain Mail Jewelry by Marilyn Gardiner are both good. The Ring Lord has some kits for creating chainmail, including jewelry, like a graduated Byzantine choker.
posted by carrioncomfort at 11:42 AM on November 22, 2022
posted by carrioncomfort at 11:42 AM on November 22, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
- Respect the Spindle by Abby Franquemont. I read this as a new spinner and it was my favorite.
- A drop spindle. You could get one, e.g. from Abby's store (probably the medium Pushka), though I'm sure you can get cheaper ones that aren't handmade in Peru, or DIY one. I went overboard and designed a turkish-style spindle for 3d printing - many local libraries have 3d printers now.
- Wool roving (you can start with other fibers, but wool is probably easiest). Local craft stores or yarn shops may have a handful of options, or you could order a few oz of various colors online.
posted by sibilatorix at 12:39 PM on November 8, 2022 [3 favorites]