Posts tagged ‘books’

As hard as it is for a former English Major to part with books, I’ve managed to gather some up for the Book Swap.It’s so much more managable to say good bye when I know I can bring home some new books, and eat some tasty goodies, and hang out with my friends and meet new ones.

It’s true. I love swapping.

Here’s the info! See you all tomorrow at the Fabulous Craft Akron!

Devona & I are hooked on swapping.  I don’t think we can imagine life without them.  They’re perfect motivation to pair down your belongings and give things away.  Plus there’s the hope of bringing home more useful items & meeting some great people in the process.

So, next up is a book swap at Craft Akron.  Any books are welcome… fiction, kids, crafts, magazines, and even old ripped books for altered art.  $5 admission covers snacks & room rental.  Unwanted books after the event will be donated to local charities.

my box of books to review (minus the sewing one Devona wanted!)

Back in December I did a book review of Mixed Metals.  I decided to ask publishers to send books so I could review them.  A woman from Quarry Books asked what books I’d be interested in and sent me a box full.  So here’s the first review from that wonderful box of books.  My hope is to give you some information so you’ll know if it’s worth purchasing for yourself.

Sweater Surgery: How to Make New Things with Old Sweaters by Stefanie Girard.

Book Summary: Sweater Surgery shows you how to upcycle your sweaters into new wardrobe & home items.  You’ll learn how to wash, block, choose, cut, restitch, felt, and embellish sweaters.  There are 35 step-by-step projects with patterns, plus additional gallery designs.

Review Notes: I like the variety of projects.  There are lots of purses, hats & gloves & scarves, necklaces, headbands, stuffed animals (like the bird I made last week), pillows, and many redesigned tops, skirts, & dresses.  Plus there are some more unusual items like a magazine file cozy, place mats, pot holders, a laptop cozy, pet bed, knitting needle case, and a tissue box cover.

I’m pretty novice at sewing, so I found the “getting started” section very detailed & useful.  I like the suggestions to use existing design elements & edges in new projects and to unravel yarn from extra pieces & incorporate it in the designs (it’s free matching yarn!).  I found the hand & machine sewing basics clear & necessary for my skill level.  It tells when each stitch is used, how to do it by hand or by machine, it shows a diagram, and then shows a project where the stitch is used.  This section made me feel like I could actually sew sweater material without it unraveling & falling apart.  This has been the main reason I’ve been hesitant with knit sweaters in the past.

I’ve only made the “Hippie Chicks” project so far, but I found the instructions & pattern easy to use & clear to follow.  Here are some favorites I’d like to try:  ”Scarf of Many Colors”, which is a patchwork scarf made from remnant pieces.  I think it’d look good as an infinity-style scarf.  I also love “Snow White Scarf”.  The scarf is hemmed & fringed, and incorporates some beautiful sweater texture.  It looks like it cost a fortune.  ”Toot the Owl” is the sweetest stuffed animal.  And the “Lace-It-Up Cable Sweater” is the best wearable reuse.  The trim & ribbon look so fashionable.  I also like the “Kick-A$$ Socks”.  I never would have guessed you could get the toe & heel situated properly.

bird I made from a pattern in the book

My least favorite project is the “Pet Rock Sweater”.  Maybe I just don’t get it?  Is this something kids are into these days?   I’d probably never wear the “Peppermint Patti Swirl Necklace”, which is made of strips of sweater swirled into circles.  It’s just not my style for a necklace, but I’d use the idea for festive garland.  Or perhaps a bunch sewn together could make a headband?

Overall I really enjoyed the book.  There are a handful of projects I surely want to try & others I’d consider if I keep practicing my sewing skills (mainly the shirts).  This book is a great source of inspiration after a visit to the thrift store.

Sandcastles Made Simple- Lucinda Wierenga

Two years ago we checked Sand Castles Made Simple by Lucinda Wierenga out from the library before heading out to the beach for a week. I was the only one who was really into making the ultimate sand castle, but my family humored me and tried it anyway. We never succeeded in making one that stood up, and I didn’t think anyone really cared to try again.

But this morning my 5 year old, Olivia asked me about the book, and wanted to know if we were going to be bringing it with us on our trip. I don’t have time to go check it out again, so I went to the trust Google to see if I could find a refresher on how to build a good castle. I found SandCastleCentral.com, which has some of the same information and I’ve been brushing up on the rules for proper sand stacking. Both resources recommend stacking up sand and carving away, as opposed to filling up a bucket and dumping out a castle shape. I think it might be worth it to give it one more shot to build that awesome castle. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Once again, thanks a million Cal Patch. Her book, Do It Yourself Clothes , is just awesome. If it weren’t for this book and the principals I learned in it, Olivia wouldn’t have had a costume for her international festival. I waited until the last minute, of course, and my plan to buy a brown hoodie and whip stitch fur to it fell through the cracks when none of the three stores I shopped had any brown hoodies.

Instead I bought some brown fleece and used a hoodie Olivia wears all the time and the directions from Cal’s book to draft a quick pattern. It only took me an hour an a half to make the costume from pencil to sewing machine. And she loved it. Three cheers for Cal Patch! Hip Hip Hooray! And seriously, if you sew even a little bit, go buy her book!

Clever Nesting has found our “poster child” for creative repurposing.  His name is Joseph, and he sure knows how to be resourceful.

I’ve been looking for quality books for my two-year-old, so I searched the Caldecott Award section of the library.  I was thrilled to find Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. In this children’s story, Joseph has an overcoat which gets old & worn, so he makes it into a jacket.  The jacket gets old & worn, so he makes a vest out of it.  Eventually, he makes it into a scarf, necktie, etc.  Plus, the author tells a little about what Joseph does when he’s wearing each garment item (he wore his jacket to the fair and his vest to his nephew’s wedding).  This book is perfect for my children’s bookshelf, and I’m so glad I found it.  Do you have suggestions for other good children’s books for my kids that have themes of resourcefulness, creativity, or conservation?

ReadMore is a reading log for iphones, written by my husband Jonathan.  It helps you keep track of your current & completed books and has a timer to record how long you’re reading.  It then gives feedback about when you’ll finish the book considering your current pace.

I’m not currently reading any thick books that need motivation to get through, but I’m happily logging my quick reads, which lately are crafty how-to & design books.  I’m curious to look back over the year and see trends in my reading selections.

Last year at Zero Landfill I grabbed a ton of stuff. I’ve used at least half of it, but there are a good deal of items which have just been stuffed into the stash box.

This year I took a different strategy to the event. I only grabbed stuff that I ran out of last time. So I picked up 4 wallpaper sample books and some loose fabric swatches. They weighed my grub on my way out. It was a whopping 38 pounds!

These books are going to be free for your use in decorating a journal if you show up on Thursday to my class. Otherwise I will be cutting them up for all sorts of crafts, as will my scissor-happy girls!

Since I don’t have a boy around to model for me, Cressida is playing stand-in.

I really have to thank Cal Patch for her book Design it Yourself Clothes for making this draft so easy. She gave me the rules to follow where I was taking educated guesses before. So although there are no youth patterns in her book the explanations included are pretty universal.

This is just a first draft of the romper. I did not take into account how big a diaper is, so the rise is about two inches off. I’m going to adjust my pattern and make one out of a men’s shirt I really like. Wish me luck!

I’ve got a date to teach my Journal Class coming up in the next couple of weeks. I’ve had a quite a few people interested in taking it so I want to make sure you all get the memo.

We’ll be at Craft Akron working on our handbinding skills on Thursday, February 18th, from 2pm to 4pm.

You can even sign up for the class online here. Isn’t that convenient? I’m really looking forward to the class, hope to see you there. Oh, and bring a friend!