Almost a year to the day the first Encyclopedia of Crafts was released, fans of the fabulous crafts by the busy elves at Martha Stewart Living have a new book of projects to inspire and delight, this one devoted to fabric and sewing. The book is out today and I'll be getting my copy shortly! In the meantime, here is the official write-up. Whether you just bought your first sewing machine or have been sewing for years, Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts will open your eyes to an irresistible range of ideas. A comprehensive visual reference, the book covers everything a home sewer craves: the basics of sewing by hand or machine, along with five other time-honored crafts techniques, and step-by-step instructions for more than 150 projects that reflect not only Martha Stewart’s depth of experience and crafting expertise, but also her singular sense of style. Encyclopedic in scope, the book features two main parts to help you brush up on the basics and take your skills to a new level. First, the Techniques section guides readers through Sewing, Appliqué, Embroidery, Quilting, Dyeing, and Printing. Following that, the Projects A to Z section features more than 150 clever ideas (including many no-sew projects), all illustrated and explained with the clear, detailed instructions that have become a signature of Martha Stewart’s magazines, books, and television shows. A chapter on doll making.A chapter on wall décor. Beautiful photographs, as always This CD comes with the book, containing printable and downloadable PDF templates and patterns for the projects in the book. This is the splash page on your screen once the disc is loaded. An enclosed CD includes full-size clothing patterns as well as templates that can be easily produced on a home printer. Fabric, thread, and tool glossaries identify the properties, workability, and best uses of common sewing materials. And, perhaps best of all, when you need it most, Martha and her talented team of crafts editors offer you the reassurance that you really can make it yourself. The projects are as delightful as they are imaginative, and include classic Roman shades, hand-drawn stuffed animals, an easy upholstered blanket chest, a quilted crib bumper, French knot-embellished pillowcases and sheets, and Japanese-embroidered table linens, among many others.With gorgeous color photographs as well as expert instruction, this handy guide will surely encourage beginners and keep sewers and crafters of all experience levels wonderfully busy for many years to come. Photos by Laura Normandin, MSLO
After seeing behind the scenes images from So It Goes Magazine's sixth issue last month, the fashion glossy shares a look inside the issue. First up, an
Martha Stewart’s Giant Kitchen Sink Cookies With Unsalted Butter, Granulated Sugar, Light Brown Sugar, Large Eggs, Pure Vanilla Extract, All Purpose Flour, Coarse Salt, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Old-fashioned Rolled Oats, Coconut Chips, Dried Apricots, Dark Chocolate, Dried Cherries, Pecans
Photos from Martha Stewart Through the Years
After seeing behind the scenes images from So It Goes Magazine's sixth issue last month, the fashion glossy shares a look inside the issue. First up, an
Martha has prepared thousands of delicious desserts for readers, audiences, and guests. We wondered: Which are her absolute favorites? We asked, she answered. Learn just which cookies, cobblers, and cakes she adores most.
Martha's Vineyard's only oceanfront resort, located along the shores of South Beach, The Winnetu is the ultimate luxury New England getaway destination.
Go inside Martha's first-ever home, Turkey Hill, a farmhouse in Connecticut. Take a tour of the beautiful property here.
One doesn't have to wait until spring to enjoy the beauty of springtime blooms - just force some bulbs indoors. Forcing is the process of speeding up a bulb’s development by simulating the conditions of winter and spring - it's a way of fooling Mother Nature and tricking the bulb to bloom before its time.
“No artist is pleased… There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.”
Martha of Bethany wasn't that different from us. She loved and cared for others, and worried about them too. Enter her world through this fictional account.
Join Martha Stewart and Chocolatier Jacques Torres as she shares the techniques youll need to prepare two standout chocolate desserts.
Follow a timeline of Martha Stewart's journey, including rare photos from her early days as a model to moving into Turkey Hill.
Martha Stewart’s ‘Showstopping’ Carrot Cake Has a Surprising Frosting
From the award-winning magazine, Martha Stewart Living, to the bestselling product lines that bear her name, Martha Stewart shares the crea...
Martha Stewart shares her favorite Easter sugar cookie recipe and her streamlined technique for decorating bunny, chick, and egg-shaped cookies. Also, her tips for tinting frosting.
See how Martha Stewart has celebrated Thanksgiving over the years and get inspired by her favorite traditions, including DIY decorations, table setting ideas, and menus.
Follow a timeline of Martha Stewart's journey, including rare photos from her early days as a model to moving into Turkey Hill.
In the June 1995 issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine, in her monthly letter to readers, Martha made an announcement: "During the summer, we will use a small portion of our time on Lifetime to introduce you to some of the products we are producing in response to your requests. We are doing this to help you obtain items you have found interesting and desirable, such as a collection of peony plants or a wonderful cake decorating kit. Initially many of these test products will be in very limited supply, so be sure to order quickly to avoid disappointment. As our business grows and we learn more about the production and merchandising of these items, we will keep you informed. Please let us know the kinds of things you want and need..." Imagine being able to buy some of the delightful crafts, dishes, vases and storage units shown in the pages of Martha Stewart Living magazine. That was the thinking behind a mail-order catalog business that the company launched to help supply the demand from consumers. Everything from furniture to craft supplies, preserves and confections to gardening clogs, wreaths and cookie-cutters were on offer. The venture started off small. Several issues of the magazine that year were accompanied by mail-order inserts called "Martha By Mail." The demand was so high, however, that Martha soon realized she would have to develop an in-house merchandising team to design and create new products for this special division of the company. When marthastewart.com launched the following year, the Martha by Mail retail component was added to the online fold, which not only facilitated the ordering process, but also widened the market. In 1998, "Martha by Mail" was strong enough to become an official catalog business; consumers could subscribe to the catalog and order any number of goods featured on its pages or online at marthabymail.com. What made the catalog so unique was the high quality of the product and the unique designs that were simply not available anywhere else. Many of the pieces were recreations of Martha's original antiques, others were new designs that were filtered through Martha's personal tastes as a guide to their level of quality and appeal. There was an air of exclusivity, rarity and even community in the Martha by Mail venture. The division was initially headed up by Fritz Karch, a style editor and the senior vice president in charge of product development. (As Martha by Mail expanded, Fritz moved into an editorial position at the magazine. Many of us remember him as the Collecting editor!) Fritz assembled a team of eighteen 'hunters and gatherers' to create, discover and develop new products for the catalog and the online store. Among the first products to be issued were craft and decorating kits that were designed to make it simpler for readers of Martha Stewart Living magazine to create the projects shown in its pages. Shown above are the beautiful instruction booklets for a lip-balm kit and a cake decorating kit: each came with all the supplies necessary to carry out the projects with confidence. Martha and her merchandising team partnered with some of the world's leading makers and manufacturers of fine household items from around the world to create the products they designed: L.E. Smith, Mosser, Frankoma, Robinson Ronsbottom, NordicWare, Wilton, Ateco, Lloyd Flanders, Sterling China, Broggi, Chiarugi, Krosnos, Steiff, Wedgwood, Juliska, Janaer Glas, Rainer, Michael Bonne Copperworks, Fenton, Bernhardt Furniture, Eleni's, Niman Ranch and CK Products were just some of the silversmiths, food producers, foundries, glassworks, ceramicists and furniture makers that provided products for the catalog. From England to Germany to Italy to Japan, and all across the United States, Martha by Mail brought together a world of tradition and craftsmanship that was unparalleled in the online-catalog business at the time. My friend David is an avid Martha by Mail collector and he has many of the prized items so many of us came to love, including the caramel-coloured glass cake stands by L.E. Smith, Fireking Jadeite, and a plethora of copper cookie cutter sets in myriad shapes and sizes. These are his images, above. Visit his blog to learn more about Martha by Mail. While the business was successful for several years, its greatest challenge was maintaining a profit. It was an expensive project to run and it proved difficult for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia to oversee not only the rapid design of products, with the promise of new offerings in each month's catalog, but also to manage its delivery processes. The catalog business was closed in the summer of 2004, which was also (not coincidentally) the summer Martha was sentenced to prison. For collectors of the Martha Stewart brand, there is nothing more valuable than the products that were featured in the pages of the "Martha by Mail" catalogs. If the products are sealed in their original packaging, the items can fetch two or three times what they originally sold for. (Of particular interest to collectors are the cookie-cutter sets, the unique cake molds, cake stands and baking pans, the jadeite collections and some of the dinnerware and serveware sets.) The catalogs themselves are highly collectible. At online auction sites, such as eBay, a single copy of the catalog can generate between $8 and $30, depending on rarity and condition, which is quite astonishing considering the catalogs were originally mailed to subscribers for free! A complete catalog set, like the one shown below, could fetch well over $1,000. Each of the catalogs that were issued by the company are shown below, in order of appearance, beginning with the early inserts that were included in the magazine. A very special thank-you to my friend Kenn for these scans! These early inserts were included in the magazine: an introduction to the catalog to readers. The imagery used on the covers of the catalogs was always simple but arresting in its beauty. In 2002, when it became apparent that criminal charges would likely be laid against Martha Stewart the company renamed the catalog to "Martha Stewart The Catalog For Living". By 2004 and the impending trial of Martha Stewart, her name was significantly downsized on the covers. While the design may have changed, the products remained excellent!
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You don’t even need to make a sauce!
Reader Elif Ekin Tasdizen contributed this recipe for baklava, which layers store-bought phyllo dough into a buttery, nut-filled treat.
Martha has prepared thousands of delicious desserts for readers, audiences, and guests. We wondered: Which are her absolute favorites? We asked, she answered. Learn just which cookies, cobblers, and cakes she adores most.
Check out Martha Stewart’s most glamorous makeup looks from over the years, including her best selfies and red carpet moments — pics
Lessons I’ve learned from Mary when empathizing with Martha… Jennifer Zimmerman | Faith & Lifestyle
Martha, 77, partnered with Aerosoles as a brand ambassador last year and released her new collection this week. She spoke to DailyMail.com about organ...
Try Martha's recipe for homemade Scottish Shortbread, perfect for sharing with family and friends over tea or coffee.
Martha's love of cooking came from her mother, also named Martha. Try one of these cherished family recipes from Martha's mom, Mrs. Kostyra. They include pierogi, spice cupcakes, stuffed peppers, and more.
Martha Hyer photographed by Leonard McCombe
I can't remember when I purchased my very first basket, but I can remember using baskets for so many things growing up in the Kostyra household. I helped my father pick vegetables in his large garden using his gathering baskets and I assisted my mother with her large woven baskets, filled with her many loads
Explore Amy Jeanne's 15064 photos on Flickr!
In case you haven’t heard, I have a new show on Hallmark Channel called “Martha Bakes.” This 13-episode half-hour weekly teaching series is a definitive resource for home-baking novices and experts alike. There are so many cooking shows out there that really don’t teach very much. I thought the public should have a series of
Just like the ones sold in those iconic blue tins but Martha's are even tastier! The secret is using the best-quality salted butter you can find.
A hint of lemon makes this Buttermilk Pie recipe from Martha completely irresistible.
Martha Stewart is the epitome of glamorous — and these throwback photos from her modeling days prove her beauty has never faded.
Chocolate Fudge
Martha’s Bolognese sauce recipe is a traditional take on the classic. Ground beef and pork are braised in wine and milk, it simmers slowly to build deep flavor.
