Everyone is taking up a hobby, or two, or three. Use this book to try your hand at needlework.

Boyles's numerous needlecraft books (Beginner's Needlepoint, The Act of Bargello, etc.) have earned her a reputation for dependable guidance, and readers will find her precise, quickly grasped directions and full-sized patterns, marked carefully at joints, to be transferred to templates. Emphasizing the appeal of bucolic amenities, Boyles details the methods and stitches for approximating her creations, which are depicted in color and black-and-white photographs. The motifs are traditional, dating back to colonial days: the Angel Gabriel, the hospitable pineapple, swan, eagle, flowers, wreaths, hearts, etc. Readers will find here quaint, primitive dolls, pillows, quilts, pictures, rugs, Christmas decorations, and other charmers. The author offers a choice of needlework techniques to which all the designs lend themselves, including embroidery, candlewicking, hooking, patchwork, quilting, stenciling.

The book is in excellent shape. The paper cover over the hardback book has a few creases and some small tears.