Pretty good collection. Maybe even deserves 4 stars. There are a number of crafts in this book, but not so many that there isn't enough room to give enough information about all of them. I read the section on "make your own flowerpots" in the store and was impressed that the author tells you how to dig and refine your own clay (wow!) and how and where to source inexpensive clay and what to ask for, followed by the basic information on handbuilding that most books of this nature would include as their only offering, and culminating in a brief but effective description of how to build your own primitive kiln and fire your pottery. I'd use a different type of outdoor homemade kiln, but the fact that she even covers the topic at all is huge.

The crafts in the book include rug braiding, rug hooking, quilting, chair caning, pottery, stencilling (of walls, in the 19th century fashion), basketry, simple curtains, and very basic furniture construction. Each section is written by an author experienced in the craft. I think I talked myself into those four stars now. ( )