Heather Ross Prints: 50+ Designs and 20 Projects to Get You Started

I am a huge fan of Heather Ross, and bought the book sight unseen. It's like being "blinded by the designer label" for fabric geeks. But it does not disappoint! After ripping open the package, I'll admit I was a little bummed that it wasn't a thick, heavy books stuffed with a pocket for patterns and tons and tons of pages. Upon further inspection, it's relatively thin because everything I expected is in the back on a DVD (phew!).Did I say everything? Yes, everything. (Well, almost. I did not see the Mendocino seahorses available as a .jpg.) The 50+ designs alluded to in the title are 32 .jpg and .pdf images of her previously published and out of print designs, free for you to use. There's a graphic index in the back for you to check and see what you're getting in case you're some kind of freak who would only purchase it for that one fabric and not like the rest. You can upload the images at Spoonflower and have the fabric all over again, or print them professionally as wallpaper, even make stationery out of them. She gives directions on how to do all of these in the projects section of the book. still can't get over how generous (and unprecedented?) this is. Her beloved and out of print fabrics have been going for $20 a fat quarter on Etsy... but no longer. (Now I can stop side-eyeing those gorgeous mermaids in Jacquie Gering and Katie Pederson's Supernova Quilt for being out of print and out of reach.)As for the projects, they are not anything novel. Tea towels, votive holders, nightgown, Mod Podge projects-nothing groundbreaking here. But that's not the point. The point of the projects in the book is to showcase beautiful ways to use her images. It's not called how to sew or make stuff, it's called Heather Ross PRINTS. Here they are, and here's a way to plaster your stuff with them. She's not trying to teach sewing (although there are the perfunctory sewing basics lesson pages, which I suspect the publishers feel obligated to include and nobody in their right mind would use not knowing how to sew in the first place). With that in mind, the projects are all great ideas in terms of beauty, utility, and the right combination of ease and difficulty (nothing intimidating!) Some of the projects you will not be able to create right away. You'll need to pay to create her fabric if you don't have it, or you'll need to purchase the fabric as wallpaper, etc. But most you can - she printed the last dozen or so pages of the book with tear-out sheets of the prints that you can use for, as she suggests, wrapping paper (as if we would waste it on that!) or a decoupage project.If prints and projects aren't enough, Heather gives a brief tutorial on how to use Photoshop to pencil in and repeat your own designs and talks a bit about what it's like for her as an artist.Verdict: Buy it if you're a fan of Heather Ross!

First of all, let me just say that the CD-rom, which includes some of Heather's most popular patterns, is worth the price of this book alone (and then some).If that's not enough, there are also NUMEROUS tear-out pages of her prints that you can use to get started crafting right away.Next, there is a great tutorial on how to make your own prints using Adobe Photoshop, as Heather generously shares her techniques.Finally, the cornerstone of this book is the long list of inspired projects. I found the paper-based projects to be my favorite, and I can't wait to get started making journals, stationary, notepads, and sketchbooks. The wrapping paper is nice but I am going to take it a step further and print the patterns on heavier cardstock to make fold-together boxes, or use it on printer paper to cover a pre-made box. I also wish there were a template for postcards, which I think would be super cute.The sewing patterns seem oddly out of place, and I don't think the swim cover-up, apron, chemise or napkins really add anything to the book. You can find these patterns anywhere. The dishtowels work though because Heather sets them up for you to print out a coordinating set of four with monograms- all you have to do is hem- that are perfect for gift-giving! I have to confess though I wouldn't have minded a pattern for the cute skirt she wears in the Introduction.The book also includes a bamboo tray, wallpaper (lots of possibilities for this when you find out how easy it is to make your own peel-and-stick contact paper), toddler cover and duvet (for boys, but you can make one for girls- Princess and the Pea, perhaps?), rice paper lanterns, shower curtain, childrens' stool, house of cards, votive holders, wall hanging and vinyl-wrapped tablecloth. From some of her earlier blog posts, I thought Heather might include instructions for a belt buckle and t-shirt, but you won't find those here- maybe in the next book?I literally cannot wait to get started on the book's ideas and the ones that are swimming around in my head. The stationary templates are something I will probably use again and again. Can I use her prints to make mugs? Calendars? I don't know yet but I can't wait to try.This is the most generous book I have ever seen published. I am only giving it 5 stars because a rating for 100 stars is not available.

I have been making a quilt with my treasured Heather Ross Munki Munki Fabrics and am saving every last scrap. While looking for more fabric, I stumbled upon this book. Wow! What a treasure!! It arrived this morning and what an enjoyable few hours I spent out on my porch, reading it! What I thought over and over again was how generous this author is!!She shares so much interesting information with her readers and encourages us to try our hand at her projects and creating art. There are projects listed that I had no idea I could make yet they don't look too hard even for an art novice like me. Thank you Heather Ross for such a truly wonderful book!! It gives me courage to try new things.

20 or more words cannot express how much I love this book. There are so many crafty books out there and so I try to only purchase the really unique ones or I would have no room to actually sew in my sewing room. I love what Heather Ross has done here—the layout is gorgeous, the concept far beyond anything other similar authors or artists are putting out there, and the projects are not your run of the mill cutesy stuff either. I love how multi-dimensional it is due to the included cd of artwork and have already been playing and ordering samples on Spoonflower. As someone who works in museums and handles issues of artistic copyright, I feel that this book is a great step in the right direction and loved reading the introduction which explains the whole concept. SO AWESOME. Thank you Heather for having the bravery to give everyone access to your wonderful work in this way!

great

Sono una grande fan del lavoro di Heather Ross.Consegna puntualissima.Ho preso il libro non per i progettini ma per il cd con il lavoro digitalizzato di Heather Ross.

Not only is this book full of some great project how tos it's also got a disk full of Heather Ross created images for you to do wiht as you wish! Right now I'm enjoying some as my desktop background. She makes great stuff and now you can too.

Un libro completo, básico y especial. Los diseños de Heather Ross sirven como base para explicar el cómo crear un motivo para imprimir telas y papeles y aplicarlo a 20 proyectos, incluye instrucciones para convertir una ilustración en un motivo de estampación con photoshop y un dvd con los motivos de Heather Ross para utilizar en proyectos personales.