Books for Crafting
Homespun Holidays
by June Fletcher
From The Wall Street Journal Online
December 20, 2007
Used to be, a hand-knit scarf or some herbs
placed in oil in a pretty glass were considered fine homemade holiday gifts. But
crafting, like just about everything else, has become "extreme" these days, and
projects need to be more creative -- though not necessarily more difficult and
time-consuming -- to get attention. Here's a sampling of the latest offerings of
crafting books:
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Living in the Garden Home by P. Allen Smith
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P. Allen Smith's Living in the
Garden Home: Connecting the Seasons with Containers, Crafts, and Celebrations
(Clarkson Potter, 2007): The fourth in a series of books by the public
television garden-show host, this colorful tome would look gorgeous on the
coffee table. But I'd rather get mine a little dog-earred with use, because it's
filled with easy projects organized by season, from building your own fold-down
potting bench to making beeswax candles. Although few of these projects would
challenge Martha Stewart (a white winter wreath requires just a grapevine
support, a hot glue gun, some fuzzy lichen and a bow), there are lots of good
tips, often borrowed from the bathroom. Who knew that you could use green dental
floss to tie topiaries to wire forms or spritz hairspray on moss to keep it in
place in a centerpiece?
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MaryJane's Stitching Room by MaryJane Butters
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MaryJane's Stitching Room
by MaryJane Butters (Clarkson Potter, 2007): A funky mix of retro and modern,
this book covers everything from tatting (or adding a fine lace to) a hanky to
adding hot-pink, fluffy, crocheted flourishes to a pair of store-bought
flip-flops. Although some of the projects look intimidating, like a crocheted
pillow with three-dimensional yellow flowers, they're all accompanied with
step-by-step instructions that include helpful pictures of hands actually making
the knots and stitches that each project demands. Plus, scattered throughout are
clever beginner's projects, like a chenille-covered hot water bottle and a
coffee-mug cozy made from fabric scraps that require only the most basic
stitching skills.
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The Uncommon Quilter by Jeanne Williamson
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The Uncommon Quilter: Small
Art Quilts Created with Paper, Plastic, Fiber, and Surface Design
by Jeanne Williamson
(Potter Craft, 2007): Before the Industrial Revolution, when women harvested,
spun and wove their own cloth, every bit was precious, which is why so many old
aprons and christening gowns wound up in quilts. But here, items that are
considered anything but precious, like dryer lint, torn newspapers, used mailing
labels, and leftover cupcake wrappers, are incorporated into the quilts, using
the simplest sewing machine. The results aren't always aesthetically pleasing or
even interesting -- for instance, a project using discarded rug padding and
various types of colored plastic netting looked like…well, old padding and
netting. But at least it will get a reader's creative juices flowing the next
time the garbage has to go out. It's wise to heed the book's best tip: "Use
materials that won't rot, break or spoil."
-- June Fletcher is a staff reporter at The Wall Street Journal and the author of "House Poor" (Harper Collins, 2005). Email your questions about the residential real-estate market. Please include your name, city and state. If you don't want your name used in our column, please indicate that. Due to volume of mail received, we regret that we cannot answer every question.
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