One of the hidden gems Princeton Architectural Press this season is receiving some glowing reviews from the craft community online. By Hand: The Use of Craft in Contemporary Art features artists around the world who are embracing traditional craft techniques such as embroidery, sewing, knitting and hand lettering to create outstanding works of art. Here’s a snippet of what Whip Up has to say about the book:

There are many more artists in the book whose work is original, thought provoking, quirky and funny and serious. These artists make use of many different materials and methods of working and are well worth further exploriation. This is a book that I can read over and over and over again, I will use it as a reference and as inspiration. A really great book, congratulations to the publishers for seeing the worth in this idea and to the editors for seeing the worth in this form of artwork.

Style Bytes also recommended the book:

This book works as an excellent coffee table book, it contains useful and interesting information along with beautiful photos, and last but not least, it’s a great source of inspiration for all of us crafters.

By Hand covers over 30 artists. Some of my personal favourites include Margarita Cabrera, who has used vinyl and thread to create soft versions of blenders, coffee makers and even a life-sized Volkswagen Beetle; and Robyn Love, who has knitted cozies for objects such as statues, parking meters and tombstones.