Ooohhhh… a lot of new craft books to look at. I have four new craft books to make you drool – in a handy crafty way of course – from crochet to knitting to home sewing. Madeleine crocheted the teacosy pictured left…
Ooohhhh… a lot of new craft books to look at. I have four new craft books to make you drool – in a handy crafty way of course.
We will start with Cute and Easy Crochet by the talented Nicki Trench. My daughter Madeleine (age 14) continues to be the crocheting expert in the house, and so it is much better for her to review these things than I, the non-knitter.
She crocheted the gorgeous teacosy straight from the book and so we thought we should use it in the opening shot, left. She tells me it was simple enough to follow the patterns and the end product was easy to put together (that is the bit I end up doing for some reason).
There are 35 patterns in total in the book, from cushions, to baby booties, and even coffee mug warmers. All with straightforward patterns and good advice about colours. I can tell how much she likes a book by how many patterns she tries from the book; we are already onto pattern number 5 so I think that means it is a fabulous book.
Cute and Easy Crochet by Nicki Trench is published by CICO and distributed here by www.bookreps.co.nz. It retails for $34.99 and is available now.
Continuing on our needle theme, The Knitters Year by Debbie Bliss is our next book. Quite literally a book for all seasons, with patterns for spring, summer, autumn and winter. I had a friend of mine Helen King check out the book and here is what she had to say.
It has some great basic patterns – for example the lovely tea cosy on page 98; the baby cardigan on page 38. There are very cute pompom hand warmers on page 92 and a lace scarf on page 92. This book is probably for those who have slightly more conservative tastes, but the simplicity of the patterns means you can change the colours and brighten them up easily if you want. The Knitters Year by Debbie Bliss is published by Quadrille and distributed here by www.bookreps.co.nz. It is $45 and available now.
The Liberty Book of Home Sewing, text by Lucinda Ganderton is next on the list. Our very own Editor of Thread.co.nz, Megan Robinson, is lusting after this book. It was the cover that drew me to this book as it is covered in Liberty fabric, but for seamstress extraordinaire Megan, this book is a combination of everything she loves. Fabric, handcrafts and vintage-love. I had this book in a pile waiting to be reviewed when Megan found it and ooohh-ed and ahhh-ed all the way through it.
Liberty is the spiritual home of one of my favourite design minds, the amazing William Morris who collaborated with Arthur Lasenby Liberty who first opened his fabric shop on Regent Street in 1857. It is one of the very special things about London that I miss these many years after leaving. The shop is still there and still pursuing the same ideal of the Aesthetic Movement. The movement argued for beauty for beauty’s sake.
William Morris said (paraphrased) surround yourself with things that are both beautiful and practical. This book is a testament to this; full of beautiful Liberty fabrics to lust over and gorgeous practical patterns of things to make. From a cook’s apron, to a simple book cover, there are projects to suit pretty much anyone. With small chapters on how to make cushions, and simple curtains – skills our mothers and grandmothers had – we can see that these things are more about good planning than skill. It has projects for the more skilled as well, with blinds and patchwork added to the mix. It is a book for the sewing minded – in the practical sense – but for the aesthetically minded as well. It is a joy to just read through from cover to cover. The Liberty Book of Home Sewing – text by Lucinda Ganderton, photography by Kristin Perers and illustrations by Richard Merritt is published by Quadrille. It is distributed by www.bookreps.co.nz. It is $49.99 and available now.
Paper + Craft by Minhee & Truman Cho is a pretty and understated book from the get-go. Written by the owners of the vintage-inspired stationary company Paper + Cup, it has simple crafting techniques used to create 25 paper craft projects, from beginner crafters through to the more experienced.
We loved the gorgeous vintage bird mobile, and the pinwheel (remember those) name cards, and especially the cone wreath. What I really liked about this book is that you don’t need any special tools, or materials – above what you can find at home – or can buy in your local stationary shop. The projects can bet changed to suit your tastes (I, of course, would use brighter colours – but then that is just me). With its soft vintage-inspired palette, it is just perfect for your favourite crafter.
Paper + Craft by Minhee & Truman Cho is published by Chronicle and distributed by www.bookreps.co.nz. It is $44.99 and it is available now.
By Anya Brighouse
23 October 2011
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