The first chapters after the Invitation chapter start out with simple projects. You'll practice creating simple baby rosettes and thereafter the projects introduce more intricate and ornamental flowers, stems, leaves, stamens and buds. There are plenty of diagrams on each page as well as photos - many of them full-page. For example, you'll start making a basic scalloped rosebud. From there you'll learn to embellish it such as a Scalloped Rosebud with Knots or create a Hatpin Rose, Flatbud or Carbochon Rosebuds with One or Double Rolled Edges. You'll learn to create a Dahlia. Or create full bloom roses with variations such as budded finish, off-center, off-center w/ zig-zag ruffles, internal petals and separate petals. And these are only a select few flowers and techniques you'll learn. Other chapters show various ways of attaching your finished flowers to fabric with other chapters on creating pompoms, knots or various lazy daisy designs, pansies, fushias and daffodils.

Leaves, stamens and buds receive just as much treatment as the flowers and help fill out the designs. There are chapters on textured finishes such as ruffled edges, hand pleating, scrunching, wet look and tips on getting your flowers into final form as well as knowing when they're finished. There are tips on collecting ribbons, buying them, washing and ironing them as well as a chapter giving extra tips and techniques on the various stitches used throughout the book. The final chapter discusses the meaning of flowers and inspirations for creating your own ribbon flower artwork.

Beginning and Advanced ribbon crafters alike will find this book full of easy to understand instructions, diagrams and photos. For convenience there is a list of mail-order sources for ribbon in the back as well as a Suggested Reading and an index. If you have any interest in this type of work at all don't miss this book.

Ms, Kling delivers not only the information you buy the book for, but also page after page of visual delights.

AND WOW!, WOW!, WOW! - WHAT A BOOK! The Artful Ribbon is worth buying just for the gloriously beautiful photos which are high quality. BE WARNED though - you won't be able to resist having a go at one of those gorgeous flowers once you have even peeked at the inside pages.

Beginners this is definitely a book for you, but any skill level will enjoy this book. Candace Kling's ribbon width formula (if you can call it that - recipe perhaps? ) is wonderfully and excitingly simple. Rik Olson's deceptively simple illustrations are just fablous, depicting the subtle differences between flowers - Yep, you can even count the number of folds! WOW! I usually prefer photo demos, but Rik's 'pics' are extremely accurate and contribute to this book being the easiest to use, understand and actually create something from of all the craft books I have read, and I have read have read quite a few!

Definitely a book worth having!

Bows are a gorgeous part of many craft projects including wedding and holiday decorations, faux and fresh floral designs, sewing for home and fashion, even scrapbooks and cards, not to mention giftwrap. However, almost everybody finds bow-making tricky. Beautiful Bows shows and tells how to make a perfect bow every time. No more struggling to figure out where the end of the ribbon goes next, until the whole mess falls apart!

Beautiful Bows has clear, step-by-step instructions with line drawings. Each finished bow is photographed in two different ribbon looks. Here are the secrets of making all of the popular bows, like a florist bow and the pompom, plus ribbon flowers, fans, and tassels. Beautiful Bows makes it easy to transform the amazing array of ribbons found in any craft, fabric, or mass-market store into the right bow for any craft project.