Review: Reconstructing Clothing For Dummies, by Miranda Caroligne Burns

Another recent library find was Reconstructing Clothes For Dummies, by Miranda Caroligne Burns. Can't find an image of it, but here's a link to Amazon:

Link! Here!

The book was surprisingly helpful, at least in the ways of hacking apart knits. I've done my share of reconstructions, but am often short on ideas of what to do with old sweaters/sweatshirts other than, um, make them shorter. I especially liked the Bad Unkl Sista sweater, because although I don't know that I'd ever wear it, Bad Unkl Sista rocks.

• Pro: Lots of variations with each project.
  
• Con: The variations are often the same with all the projects-- "Stitch it a different way. Paint on it. Add some lace."
  
• Pro: There's pictures of each project.
  
• Con: They're all in black and white and are very small, except for a fashion-shooty middle section that's in color and full sized. This middle photo section was surprisingly lush, but beyond that my eye candy urge was left unquelled.
  
• Pro: Easy to understand.
  
• Con: May be overly easy for experienced sewers. (Apparently I'm not a Dummy.)
  
• Pro: Wide range of projects that cover tops, dresses, pants, skirts, accessories and housewares.
  
• Con: Some projects seemed pretty unwearable. Seriously, you want me to flip a sweater upside down and wear it as a skirt, with the sleeves still attached? Sweaters can be changed up by buttoning them crooked? Mmmm... nein, danke.
  

Decent library find, but I wouldn't buy it. Scoop it up at your library if you're running low on ideas.

Review: Zakka Sewing by Therese Laskey and Chika Mori

I picked this book up at the library and, of course, flipped through it to browse the projects. The squirrel tea-cozy on the cover had already enamored me to the book (my online handle used to be squirrelgirl), and inside I found a nice assortment of projects. They're simple, for the most part, and have that sort of cute/minimalist flavor that many Japanese crafts do. What I liked best was that many of the projects are housewares, and are based on the idea that Japanese houses (specifically, kitchens) are small, and as the book says, "With small living spaces and a design aesthetic that celebrates clean lines, Japanese culture places a high value on items that keep environments tidy." Were I fully honest with myself I'd admit that I am drawn to these sorts of crafts not because I strive to have a Japanese-esqe house and lifestyle, but because I am generally the complete opposite, with explosions of color and junk everywhere. Peeking into an entirely different life-- be it another culture, country or just another person-- is always fascinating.

I also appreciate that the projects are, for the most part, fairly practical. There's fabric baskets; who doesn't need more storage? There's cozies for all sorts of things (tape measures, tea pots, cameras); who doesn't need to keep their belongings protected? There's a wrist pincushion; who would refuse one? (Hint: not me.) And there's even house shoes that you can sew up, complete with leather bottoms. Who doesn't need nice house slippers? (Hint: Me. I have four pairs already. But that doesn't stop me from wanting to try the pattern.)

All in all, it's a nice book. The layout is clean and easy to read, the projects are well-explained and nicely photographed, and there's a small beginners section explaining the how-tos of basic sewing. Those interested in Japan would do well to pick it up.

"Antique" Pendants/Book Review

I recently found this book at my library:



Which struck me as weird: I mean, how can you make something antique, unless the book is actually instructions on how to make a time machine? But it's a book on faking antiques using polymer clay, with a fun twist: the author went through pictures and items on display in museums, and then set out to recreate the pieces with the clay. While some of them are a far cry from authentic-looking, some are surprisingly realistic, and if nothing else the techniques were new to me, and highly addictive.

So I made me some pendants. I mostly used flat-backed marbles, beach glass, and on one I used a white (undyed) howlite cabochon with red coral beads. I'm quite fond of them, especially the tentacle/green stone one and the large one with the coral beads.

Unpainted:

Painted:










The basic idea is to use black polymer clay, working it into ribbons that act as bezels and hold the stones in place. You add whatever you like to the pieces, then bake them. I painted mine with cheap craft acrylic, but I'm sure you could work wonders with mica powders and so forth.

This is probably not news to people who often work with polymer clay. I don't, though, so it was all look-at-this-fantabulous-idea! to me. My next such project will be a "pocket watch" done with stone and glass beads, bits of metal and whatnot.