Crafted: A compendium of crafts: new, old and forgotten

by Sally Coulthard, Louise Lockhart (Illustrator)

Crafted is a celebration of craft in the 21st century – a definitive visual guide to all things handmade. Featuring 80 of the most popular and well-established crafts, Sally Coulthard explores their history, materials and techniques as she offers a deeper insight into some of your favourite crafts and provides inspiration for both new and ancient creative pursuits.

After an introductory section covering the culture of craft (its definition, why it matters, history and community), the main body of the book consists of beautifully illustrated entries on 80 of the world's most established crafts. The scope is encyclopaedic and covers Paper, Paint & Pen (for example bookbinding, calligraphy, stencilling, globemaking, marbling), Textiles (crochet, furrier, knitting, leatherwork, macramé...), Metal (including enamelling, farriery, gilding, jewellery making...), Printing (etching, letterpress, lino printing...), Clay, Glass & Stone (beadmaking, pargeting, stained glass etc), Wood, Reed & Willow (including basketmaking, pyrography, spoon carving and marquetry) and Wood, Willow & Nature (for example candlemaking, driftwood sculpture and soapmaking).

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

Published March 19, 2019

About the author

After studying Archaeology & Anthropology at Oxford University, best-selling author and designer Sally Coulthard has spent the last twenty years designing, making and writing about homes, craft and outdoor spaces. She sees no boundary between the rules that govern good interior design and those which are needed to craft a spectacular studio or glorious garden.

Keen to make good design accessible, she’s written over twenty books about restoring houses, designing interiors and outdoor living. From garden styles to craftsmanship, creating workspaces to building sheds, Sally’s books inspire, encourage and equip readers to take on projects of their own.

Sally is a passionate advocate of rural living and regularly writes about nature and her experiences of smallholding deep in North Yorkshire countryside, including her ‘Good Life in Country’ column for Country Living magazine.

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, this isn't a 'how to' guide but a book about all the crafts you can possibly think of and several you probably can't. Historical information about the crafts, facts about when they were first documented in print and the origins of the root words of the craft processes.

Nicely presented with attractive screen print illustrations. A nice book to look through, a good one to get from the library, despite being a keen crafts person not one I'd want to keep or read again.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a Beautiful book. Inside & out. Really interesting bits of information on crafts that tie the whole collection together. each illustration is colourful & inspirational. A gorgeous book that you won’t want to gift away!

[Shelley Dayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book does not teach you how to craft anything. Instead, it teaches you the history of crafts in digestible, one-to-two-page essays. Because of this book, I have picked up a new, endangered craft: nalbinding. Even got my own nal. Had to import the thing from Estonia, but hey, got it done. It's two-toned applewood, and a thing of beauty.

The book gave me an appreciation for our ancient ancestors, who worked out how to weave a basket, line it with clay so it would hold water, and turn various materials into clothing that fit and warmed better than the skin off yon beast.

It's an eye-opening, sometimes mind-blowing, enjoyable read.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a beautifully done book--full color, lots of good information. It gives one to four pages on all kinds of different crafts/art media and resources for where to find more information. Great for reading in short bursts (while one is taking care of business, for example...).

It won't teach you how to do any of the crafts, but it will let you know what's out there. Overdue fines being what they are, I didn't read it cover to cover, and it's not worth $30 to own.

[Ashley 🫧✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely interesting. Coulthard gives an overview of the history of a handful of artisan crafts. This book is very educational, expect to read lots of dates. This book challenged my assumptions on what I thought life for the predecessors of modern humanity was actually like. This book appears to have been very well researched and was informative while remaining engaging. Thank you for this unique experience.

[Shawn Thrasher · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I thought was going to be a "how to" sort of book actually is a history of different kinds of crafts and handicraft. Thoroughly enjoyed this, and learned much. I sure do like the writing of Sally Coulthard, I have yet to be disappointed.

[Suzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a visually beautiful book, and provides a fascinating insight into different crafts - I particularly enjoyed learning about the archaeological evidence surrounding some of them, and their evolution over time. The illustrations are a real highlight

[Rosie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great reference book encompassing crafts new and old - who knew there were so many! Wish there were a few more examples and reference points to find out more info.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent record of craft.

[Jacq Calvert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but factually sloppy. There were multiple points where it misstated dates or contradicted itself, and some outright false statements.