About the Author

Sarah spent some ten years teaching art and textiles in secondary schools in Yorkshire, before leaving to start her family. Sarah studied for the City & Guilds in Creative Embroidery, gaining distinctions for both Parts I and II. Sarah has continued to develop her own work, exhibiting widely giving talks, demonstrations and workshops, undertaking commissions and organising exhibitions. Recently Sarah has undertaken a post-graduate course to support all the work she has done over the last ten years with elderly and disadvantaged young people. Sarah works as a freelance textile artist and tutor. She exhibits her work widely, having taken part in over 40 group exhibitions since 1991, as well as several solo exhibitions. Sarah runs many courses on felting, embroidery, beading and surface construction etc. for a diverse range of groups. Details of which can be found on her website www.sarah-lawrence.com In addition, Sarah owns and runs craftynotions.com and lives in Newark.

Reviews

This is an exciting book for the stitcher who wants to develop skills using experimental media. The author shows a wide range of stunning techniques including Gilding, Mica and Metal manipulation. Excellent illustrations show how she develops surface textures and works them into rich surfaces using both hand and machine embroidery. The emphasis is on shine and shimmer, which is achieved by mixing a wide variety of metallics and fabric. There are eleven projects, fully captioned to set you off experimenting. A truly inspirational book for any stitcher who wants to expand their range of effects.-megonline.co.uk Sarah Lawrence's untimely death came just prior to the publication of her latest book. It is an amalgamation of demonstrations she did at various shows that many of us crowded round to take a look at, with examples of some of the beautiful work she produced. The book itself is like a series of short workshops, simple and effective techniques brought to you without any fuss or messing around. Each one is explained in simple terms and with illustrative photographs, and all provide a surface technique that can be used as a basis for stitch. I thought that a piece of advice she gave in the introduction 'Be inquisitive about the media that you use and be disciplined in the usage' was very sage, and the book is approached from this viewpoint. It saves time and hopefully saves you producing disappointing work by getting to the crux of what you can achieve with various materials, such as metal, mica, paints and sprays. Sarah's descriptions show how you can use them for bright and visually arresting pieces of work. A lot of the materials will probably be found in your supplies already and there are new approaches to materials you might not have used for a while. There are examples of finished work at the end of the book to show you how you can take the techniques further. They are not projects in the sense that they give you step by step instructions; rather they refer you back to the techniques earlier in the book and show you what you can do when you put them all together. Sarah Lawrence's passing is a great loss to the industry, but her book is a fitting legacy of her work and through it she will continue to inspire us for a long time to come.-Workshop on the Web This is a fabulous book and a tribute to Sarah's work. With useful tutorials and plenty of examples of fine work, this book brings many possibilities to those interested in textiles. Further ideas are given as a gallery that will surely provide inspiration for your own ideas. The book is backed up by clear photographs and instructions. Sarah looks at working with metals, mica, leaf and more to add a touch of glitter to your work. There is a section on stitching to enhance work including using the flower stitcher. Embellishments are dealt with in some detail. All the tutorials are approached with Sarah's unique style. At the back of the book, there are examples of finished pieces of work - even here, Sarah gives her all and refers you back to the tutorials for the processes involved. Beautiful work and great ideas from a creative spirit. Thoroughly enjoyable, usable and you'll actually learn how to achieve the effects. This book should be on the shelf of anyone interested in stitch, embellishing, adding sparkle and much more. The best book from Search Press this year.-Yarnsandfabrics.co.uk/crafts Gilding, metal manipulation and using mica are just a few of the techniques explored in this tempting pick 'n' mix of creative crafting and mixed media techniques. There's a huge range of products available but if you don't know how to use them, it's difficult to know where to start. The good news is that, with this book to hand, the problem will be knowing where to stop! The idea of the book is that it should be used like a recipe book; some 'recipes' can be followed, while others can be used to add something extra to a piece of work and spice it up. There's plenty of scope for creative exploration, but the basic information about the materials allows you to understand the properties of the media and choose the tecnique that will delivery the effect that you want. Most of the techniques can be mixed and matched to create a diverse range of vibrant combinations with plenty of shimmer and shine. The book is lavishly illustrated with step-by-step photographs and sample pieces for every type of media, and a selection of projects provides plenty of inspiration and ideas for ways to apply what you've learnt.-Stitch Stitch, Cloth, Shimmer and Shine, just about covers it all doesn't it? This book really does cover it all. Sarah Lawrence of Crafty Notions fame put together this 'recipe book', but sadly passed away before its release. I think her description of it as a recipe book is brilliantly accurate, though there are some more project based sections at the back of the book if this is how you prefer to work. I have been to lots of shows and visited big name stands such as 'Art Van Go' and have been left a bit confused. All the pretty bottles, sparkling films, squirty bottles shiny plastics, very attractive but what was I meant to DO with them. More to the point did they relate in any way to my textiles? I used to think not - .after looking through this book though I'm more excited. I didn't have many of the supplies in my stash, no friendly plastic, no films and yet there were still new ideas which anyone could try. I used some coloured wire, wound around a knitting needle and strung with seed beads to make feature beads for these ear rings. This was quick, easy, cheap and has so many possibilities. There are many more ideas here I'd like to try and I will certainly be visiting some of those exciting stands and filling my basket with shimmery shiny supplies at the next big fair! This title is priced at GBP15.99 and is beautifully photographed. It takes its place very happily alongside other textile classics. It is a great addition to any fabric fiend's library!-www.jennyflowerblue.blogspot.com Have fun with needlecrafts and use a whole host of new and exciting materials to make your mark! Stitch by hand o use your sewing machine in conjunction with all the latest ways to paint, emboss, print, stick and gild. This is not a book of projects to work through step by step. The author suggests that the reader thinks of it more in the way of a recipe book where you can use a bit of this idea and some of that to make your own special creation. If you are up to using a recipe book in this manner rather than plodding determinedly through a recipe point by point then you can consider yourself a reasonably competent chef, and this book is not aimed at the beginner stitcher. But as there are a vast number of books for beginners and fewer for advanced or even intermediate crafters then this one is very welcome. Lushly illustrated and large format with a hardcover, this is one for the shelf to inspire the crafter and instruct on how to use many techniques more aimed at the papercrafting market as a rule. Hand embossing on metal, using solvent markers or inks, rubbing gilding waxes, die cutting and rubber stamps are all methods used by cardmakers and scrapbookers, but you can also use them on fabric. Not all of these ideas are washable but will produce some wonderful pieces to hang on your wall. Chapters show you how to use these methods with a particular emphasis on cloth instead of paper, and there are lots of lovely examples of what it all looks like. The last few chapters do explain how some finished pieces are made, and there are also various methods explored that will be familiar to jewellery makers. The style is very abstract with lots of line and circles which has the effect of freeing up the crafter if drawing is a problem, and it is all pretty timeless too rather than the current fashion. A lovely book to inspire and instruct.-Myshelf.com Sadly, Sarah's untimely passing meant that she didn't see her book in print. However, she would have been thrilled, for it is a delight, and anyone who has been lucky enough to attend one of Sarah's workshops, will recognise her 'voice' from the pages urging you to have a go and have fun! Rather than being just a project book, the reader is encouraged to try experimental pieces using some or all of the vast array of new products and materials now available, and to then take their work forward using the knowledge gained. The book is a feast of colour and inspiration and it certainly does what is says on the cover - Shimmer and Shine! It is a must-have book for everyone keen to try something new and give an added dimension to their textile art.-East Kent Embroiderers' Guild This book is one for mixed media, stitching and crafting fans who like to mix their stitching with paints and bit of glitz. Sarah shares her techniques for gilding, using mica, metals and machine embroidery to produce some exquisite works of textile art. Learn all of her techniques and be inspired by a selection of 11 finished projects designed to offer ideas to help you set off on your own creative journey. Sarah sadly died before this book was published - for those of us who had the privilege of meeting her, she was so full of enthusiasm and was a master of her craft. She will be missed.-Sewing World This is a beautifully presented and informative book for all textile artists. It is full of colour and is an inspiration with plenty of ideas and tips. Each chapter starts with a detailed list of requirements for your work from making Brown Paper Fabrics to Gilding, Waxing and Embellishing. It is an exciting book that will surely encourage you to develop your design skills.(Jill Keat)-West Country Embroiderers