Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Looking for your help...

I am a craft book junkie. Everytime I'm in need of inspiration, ideas, or motivation, I head over to my bookshelf and start flipping pages. I love collecting these books, knowing that the beautiful photos, informational instructions and endless projects will be at my fingertips anytime I desire them.

Add this to my love to reading other crafter's blogs, including the numerous book recommendations and reviews they provide, and my Amazon wish list is easily a hundred books long!

So I've pulled out a few craft books that I've recently become enamored with- but that my local bookstores do not have in stock for me to peruse in person before buying. Have you read any of these books? Do you own them? Would you recommend them?

Even if you haven't read them yourself yet, from the synopsis I included from each book- which would you pick, if any? How do you chose your craft books? Do you have a recommendation I don't have listed here?

I'd love any thoughts, tips, recommendations... or maybe you've come here and fallen in love with one of these books and now must have it for yourself... I'd love to hear about it!


Seams to Me - by Anna Maria Horner

Anna Maria Horner's signature style combines the techniques of a seasoned sewer with the vision of an artist. In Seams to Me: 24 New Reasons to Love Sewing, she walks you through the fundamentals, offering practical advice on everything from fabric selection to color choices to choosing and buying a sewing machine. Simple step-by-step instructions show you how to turn her designs into fanciful creations:* Sideways Squares Skirt* Prairie Blouse* Full Contact Cooking Apron* PlayingAlong Quilt* Doggie Dreams Bed* And so much more!Vivid full-color photographs and designs will invite you into the creative process. Whether you're a beginner or a veteran, the twenty-four projects in this beautiful book will transform your home and wardrobe into a collection of unique treasures.


Handmade Hellos - by Eunice and Sabrina Moyle
Signed sealed delivered! In this delightful book card-making mavens Eunice and Sabrina Moyle of Hello!Lucky letterpress gather together more than 25 projects from today's most talented paper artists. Simple instructions outline card- and envelope-folding basics plus how to screen print use a Print Gocco machine hand-bind emboss stamp stencil and much more. Ready-to-use patterns and spiral binding ease the process while easy-to-follow directions cute illustrations and finished project photos make it a cinch to create stacks of boutique-worthy greeting cards.


Home Sewn - by Kaari Meng
As the founder of the renowned crafts and notions store French General Kaari Meng scours the French countryside and Parisian flea markets for vintage treasures. Now this beloved designer has gathered her favorite patterns into a charming sourcebook sure to be coveted by crafters Francophiles and home decorators. She offers 30 simple sewing patterns for French-inspired projectsóa scalloped tablecloth piles of pillows and bedding a festive party garland totesóand more. Lay-flat spiral binding and ready-to-use pattern sheets and embroidery transfers plus step-by-step directions gorgeous photographs and helpful illustrations make it easy to bring the palettes and pleasures of traditional French living into any home.


The Gentle Art of Domesticity - by Jane Brocket

Jane Brocket delights in domesticity. Lively, curious, and creative, she takes inspiration from her surroundings, from art, literature, and nature, and expresses her passion through the gentle arts of needlework, cooking, gardening, and homemaking—and now through her writing. In The Gentle Art of Domesticity Brocket celebrates everything that is, and can be, wonderful about home life.

This gorgeous and unusual book, full of whimsy, warmth, and a wealth of stunning photographs, helps us to see domesticity with new eyes. Whether she’s knitting a tea cozy or baking jam tarts, crocheting a blanket or sewing an apron, Brocket fills her home with beauty, color, and fun. She transforms day-to-day domesticity into a realm of possibilities, both practical and imaginative—and encourages us to do the same in our own lives.

3 comments:

nici said...

Well, I can't speak to any of these titles directly but I DO have a MASSIVE handmade card book you can have...if you want it...
Oh and also I gave your blog an award! Pop over to mine to see it... :)

Jeri Ann said...

I have another book to suggest (like you need to add another to your list of considerations!).

It's "Maryjane's Ideabook-Cookbook-Lifebook" by MaryJane Butters. The subtitle is "For the farmgirl in all of us". It has an organic farm theme, as Butters owns one in Idaho. It's not just about domestic arts in a farmhouse, though ... it's also about building community for celebrations and support.

http://www.amazon.com/MaryJanes-Ideabook-Cookbook-Lifebook-Farmgirl/dp/1400080479/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221800876&sr=8-1

Unfortunately it's not available for sale, but the library can get it for you, and I'll have it for you to browse through when we get back to the States.

Jeri Ann said...

Correction on above comment: the book is available for sale, but not in stock; Amazon would have to order it. Sorry about the goof!

 

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