Book Report--Due Monday: Forever Friends

Today's book report: Forever Friends by Carin Berger
This is a book after my heart. It has a beautiful, clean look and tells the sweet story of two friends separated by the seasons only to be reunited again in the spring. The images are all papercut and she uses ephemera including library cards and grid paper to make each image. I look at this book probably more than my kids do because I'm often studying her unique combination of papers. She also has a super website, here, that gives you a better taste of her style (better than my cloudy picture for sure!).

I would write more about this book but I'm very distracted-ly waiting for a delivery from here and have some new projects rattling around in said distracted brain. I can't wait to share more but I have to sit on the stairs and wait for the postal worker.

Book Report--Due Monday: Quiltmaker's Color Workshop

This week's book report: Quiltmaker's Color Workshop by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr

What I like about this book: This book is essentially a color theory book for fabric artists rather than painters. As they put it:

This book is not about learning how to figure out which colors 'go together,' but rather determining which colors effectively and beautifully express an idea.

It is a beautiful and very detailed book that goes far beyond the basics of the color wheel and helps quilters have a better grasp on why and how to get that good 'feel' for a color scheme. This is especially helpful for someone like me who can identify a great color blend in a finished quilt (usually when admiring someone else's work!) but can get stymied standing in the fabric shop and trying to make a decision. Having never been to art school I can get a bit intimidated to branch out color-wise. The book lays out examples and detailed color information for achieving things like "quiet" "ethereal" and "vivacious". I used the cover picture quilt *Zanzibar* and the information in this book to pull together the prints for the quilt below:
I made this for our wedding, in place of a book we had our guests sign a quilt square and then after the wedding I turned it into a quilt. (Wow. That was a long time ago. I can when I look closer at my quilting...ok, my crow's feet are another tip off.) This book helped me identify the right color scheme for such a unique quilt.

The book also illustrates several different color schemes for the same quilt pattern, which is a great way to spark creative thinking as well as gain an understanding of how color impacts the look of a quilt. It also includes lots of suggestions for 'color' activities like cutting up white paints strips and trying to identify the underlying color behind the white. The last third of the book is filled with pictures of quilts and artist's statements about their inspiration and color choices, which is wonderful insight into the process of creating a quilt. There are also four easy to follow quilt workshops.

What I do not like about this book: Because the book follows 'emotions' rather than a strict color theory lesson I don't feel like I come away from the book with an absolute understanding of color. I kind of like to have things concrete and this book emphasizes that the color should 'feel right'. But, I think perhaps this might be better in the long run, in terms of developing my own style and intuition.

Final Grade: A for the twin wins of inspiring and useful.

Book Report--Long Gone Lonesome History

Today's book report:
The Long Gone Lonesome History of County Music by Bret Bertholf.

For all intents and purposes, this book has no place in my 'book reports' series. This book is not a sewing guide (obviously) nor is it really a children's book. I suppose that a child of 9 or 10 might enjoy this but they would probably be oblivious to its tongue in cheek voice. Add to that the fact that I don't even like country music and this certainly seems an odd choice. But, I LOVE THIS BOOK. For me, I love it. And, I don't like country music but I love me a good Patsy Cline song on the right rainy day (ok! ok! I own a box set!) and have a small obsession with Dolly Parton (I blame it on early exposure to the movie 9 to 5). Plus, I think hidden in the early days of any fundamental musical genres are the seeds of most of the music I listen to. Enough about me.

This book is funny and pokes fun while maintaining a love of early country musicians and the forced that shaped country music. It talks about well-known artists like Elvis and Dolly and Hank Williams but also lesser known ones like the famous yodeller Jimmie Rodgers. Take a listen, this is one of my all-time favorites...T for Texas. "I can get more women then a passenger train can haul."


It touches on country's gospel roots, the transformation of country music over time, honky-tonk, rock-a-billy, bluegrass, bad hair and the Grand Ole Opry. What is not to love? If you like music and appreciate the folksy roots of early country music you will love this book like I do. At the very least, you can use it to learn how to yodel.

Book Reports--Due Monday: Simple Sewing

Another Monday book report! Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing.

Things I like about this book: This book is billed as 'simple' because its projects do not involve anything complicated like a zipper; the patterns and instructions are clear and straightforward; and most of the projects can be completed in a short period of time without the need for any obscure supplies. And, so far, I agree that it lives up to its promises. The projects (and pictures) are also characteristically Lotta Jansdotter with elegant design and a clean aesthetic. Many are playful and inspiring...this is another book that makes me want to sew. I have made seven projects from this book, I'm particularly fond of this apron that I use all the time. And, I have marked several other projects to make in the future.

Things I do not like about this book: One thing I find a little annoying about the book is that many of the projects look so beautiful and appealing because they are made in Lotta's own line of fabric, which is no longer available for sale. I'm not one to replicate a project exactly but I would love to make some of the things in the book from her actual fabric because the design is so nice. That's not really a critique of the book, though. I also found the sunhat pattern to have a ridiculously wide brim. And, some of the project ideas seem very cool in Sweden but not so cool in the U.S. Like her side-of-the-bed organizer would just look tacky in my house but somehow the Swedes make things like this look hip. Again...I'm really just highlighting my own issues here...not the book.

Final Grade: B+ for clean, beautiful projects with just a few glitches.

Book Reports, Due Monday--A Child's Day

Look at me! Late for my own deadline! Sorry.

For crafty mamas, this book is tops! It's an alphabet book filled with papercut images and imaginative verbs for each letter of the alphabet. It's very creative and the images are very engaging for little people. Moreover, the paper she uses to create the children's clothing are so *sewer friendly* that every time I pick up this book I find my mind wandering into the world of fabric and clothing pattern design. I'm particularly smitten with Q below:
And, I'm not alone. Mary Frances from This is Marzipan created the most amazing children's clothing FOR BOYS based on these inspiring images. Check out her guest post about it and follow that to her fantastic tutorial for how to make it all.

Book Reports--Due Monday: Bend the Rules Sewing

Book reports--not for money, just for you...in case you happen to be interested in that sort of thing. This week it's Bend the Rules Sewing by Amy Karol.

What I like about this book: This book, recommended to me from a friend, was the one that really inspired me to get back into sewing during my maternity leave with our first bouncing baby boy. Before that time, I was a fairly casual sewer but I found this book so accessible and engaging that I went through it front to back, completing every project that appealed. I really like Amy Karol and the warm, friendly, down to earth voice she has in her blog, Angry Chicken is the same one that comes through in the book. I also appreciate that the book reflects as she puts it "a whole new way to sew," which is more relaxed and allows for lots of creativity even for beginner projects. This book also has wonderful introductory material that covers basic things such a sewing in a button or putting in a zipper that I use as a reference frequently. The projects are aimed at people fairly new to sewing and are pretty accessible for a beginning sewer but also inspiring enough to be intriguing for more experienced sewers. I have completed 15 of the projects from this book and was happy with all but one. Her projects mostly require simply cutting rectangles and when there are *patterns*, they aren't really patterns but drawings in the back of the book that need to be copied. It's fairly straightforward and adds to the accessibility factor, if you can get to a copy machine easily. If not, it could be kind of a bummer.

What I don't like about this book: Um, not much. The project I didn't like very much was one of her bags and it just didn't have enough structure for me but others might not feel the same. The only downer might be that you need access to the aforementioned copy machine for some of the projects. Also, given that her projects run from clothes to toys to napkins...some might not appreciate such a wide range.

Final Grade: A. It's a good one, through and through.

For more book reports see Growing Up Winona and Jezebel, a book-loving mama who really knows her stuff when it comes to what kids love to read.

Book Reports--Due Monday: Welcome

This little book: Welcome by Nikki McClure was one of our favorite baby books. We received it as a gift when our first boy was born and at first glance I thought that its poetic language and vague images were going to be loved by only me. But, Nikki McClure's classic style (she cuts mostly black paper with an exacto knife until it is like lace. The colors are added later.) means this book has the stark contrasts that little baby eyes love.

To my delight our infant son loved it as much as me, which meant I got to take an occasional break from the gazillion mind-numbing Byron Barton books he also loved. The only downside to this book is that it is spiral bond with little more than a heavy card stock pages...making it pretty fragile. In fact, these pictures are from a book I bought for a friend who is expecting because our version was desecrated a long time ago (you know how baby things that are well loved get desecrated...it's pretty *take no prisoners*). One way of looking at it, is that the book is as fragile and fleeting as those baby days.

For more book reports see:
Growing Up Winona and Jezebel. for her report on ornery witches and neighborhood giants.

Book Reports--Due Monday: Weekend Sewing

I tend to purchase sewing books for a few reasons. First, our library stinks and their idea of a sewing/crafting section is a handful of happy homemaker books from the Singer company. It's a big bummer. I also find that sewing books have lots of different projects in them and I like having multiple project options because I never know what might spark a new idea or catch my fancy. I also find that many of the good books have good general reference material about fabric types or sewing techniques and so as I build a library of books I build up a library of reference materials. This is not something that a pattern can offer. Lastly, books tend to cost just a bit more than some of the nicer patterns but are packed with all of the above to boot. I should probably fess up to being kind of a 'book' person in general...I just like the touch and feel of a book..oh dear, I already said lastly and then I said more. Ok, enough blathering. Now you know why I have so many sewing books and that I'm not reviewing any books because someone is giving them to me or paying me to say nice things.

On to the point: Weekend Sewing.
What I like about this book: I am very much seduced by the beautiful aesthetics of this book. It has lovely pictures and a nice, friendly, clean look. It makes me want to sew. I'm also a big fan of Heather Ross and her fabrics are of good quality, wear well and are soft. The book has a nice chatty voice and includes cute recipes and thoughts on things like sewing with kids. It has a great section on how to set up a space for sewing (which I copied almost exactly) and wonderful information on sewing basics and fabric know-how. It makes you like her even more.
There are 40 projects in the book and they run the gamut from easy to advanced, which makes it a nice book for both short and long-term projects. In total, I have completed ten of the projects, a few of them many times. I have been disappointed with only two. She also includes some unique projects, like how to make a pup tent (a simple outdoor play tent) which adds playfulness to the book. There are an additional five projects that I have dog-earred for the future but every time I open the book I see something else that would be fun to try. I think that is a sign of a good sewing book.

What I do not like about this book: I hinted at this already but I've had bad experiences with two of the patterns. One I recently posted about was the flower girl dress pattern, which came out to small and too tight. The other is a wrap skirt that I haven't blogged about yet but led to the very disappointing experience of using up 3 yards of fabric to find out that my edition of the book included errata. So, look for the second edition if you do buy or rent this book. Also, I would list one of the projects in the book as kind of stupid...putting simple applique on a tablecloth. It's just a silly one, perhaps they needed one more to make it an even 40 projects total. But, the absolute biggest downfall of this book is the way in which the patterns are displayed. the book includes patterns in the form of two large, thin sheets of paper. The problem is that the patterns are created with the intention that the reader traces the pattern they want off of the attached sheets, they are not intended to be cut out. All of this is still ok with me, I usually do that anyway. The unfortunate part is that in order to include all of the patterns on just two sheets of paper they overlap. And, not just a little bit: the flower girl dress pattern is hidden within the pajama pant pattern and crosses with the weekend travel bag pattern. It is a mess and hard to discern the lines of your specific pattern when you are trying to trace them. Nevermind how annoying it is to hunt for the grainline or any dart marks. I find it really hard to use and enough to knock the book out of platinum status for me. All of that said, I would still recommend the book just be prepared for it to annoy the heck out of you.

Final Grade: B+ for great ideas, clear instructions, playful and inspiring but a few pattern errata and poor pattern construction.

Book Reports--Due Monday: I Like You.

The first of my book reports! And, given that it is Valentine's Day I thought it proper to start with one of my favorites...in the childrens literature department...I Like You by Sandol Warbug.

As my friend described it this is a "book for kids that is not really for kids but is for kids". That is, within its simple tale and goofy language is hidden a profound message of love and its complexity without getting heavy. The best part is that it is done with whimsy and silliness...the pictures are childlike and nonsensical. But, the story leaves you crying. And, honestly it is a great book to give or read to anyone you love. Its just as wonderful for your kids as it is for your best friend. And, trust me, I have given this book to many of my best friends and they all reported some tears as a result.
I'll leave you with one of my favorite snippets:

"If you and I had some drums and some horses and some fire engines.
We could be a celebration.
We could be a holiday.
We could be a whole parade."

Happy Valentine's Day all! (What's your favorite book or books? Let me know!)

Confessions of a Valentine's Junkie

I happen to love Valentine's Day. Not in the the "I had better get roses and chocolates" kind of way. Not at all. I just love the love in Valentine's Day. And, of course, for me nothing is more loving than bringing in the handmade. For some reason, other seasons can stress me out and the looming deadline of a birthday, for example, can mean I end up falling short and accomplish next to nothing. But, I rise to the challenge when it comes to V-day. This year, it meant that I made some red and white placemats, handmade cards, and a paper table runner. It set it out the night before so that the boys woke up to a valentine's table. We decided to celebrate early so we could really enjoy it together.
The table runner was super simple: I cut hearts out of red paper that I had around, with no rhyme or reason. I would sit and cut as the boys played or while they worked on art projects and keep my paper and scissors handy in case I got a moment. I just cut until I ran out of paper. Then I set them next to the sewing machine and started sewing...grabbing as I went. The hearts are all different sizes and are wonky to boot...they are not an even distance from each other but somehow the more random the better with this one.
This was the card for this year. In years past I have made dozens of cards and sent them way and yonder. This year I made just a few and none of them are actually in the mail. So, they will be late. (Of course, the ones for my boys even came early!) But, that's ok. Love isn't about *on time*.

This morning, my husband and I pulled together a special breakfast including heart-shaped pancakes and smoothies. And tonight we plan on making my mom's special tomato soup. For dessert, my husband is trying his hand at homemade ice cream and I'm making a flourless chocolate cake. One of the joys of making it a handmade valentine's day is that I feel we get to retain the concept of a day set aside to embrace the love we have for each other and the love we share as a family but we junk the "love means buying something" idea.

In other news, I decided to start up a regular feature (at least I hope I can keep it going regularly) of book reports on Mondays.

Like back in the old days of middle school, notebooks and fill in the blank book reports. Except this time I'm going to review the crafting books I have as well as my favorite children's books. The idea is two-fold: to share my thoughts on various sewing/crafting books. As I tend to buy books rather than patterns and have amassed a good collection, I think it can be useful to others to get a review of these books in case you are considering them yourself. Second, I just love sharing the beauty and fun of some of our favorite children's book and hope to pass that on! I would love to have anyone join me! (This is very selfish as I would love to learn others thoughts on sewing and children's books! So, please join me!). I know it's short notice but let me know if you want to include book reports on your blog and I can include a link on Mondays back to you. Join tomorrow or after that. It doesn't matter. Then, I will get out my ruler and twin set and prepare to act like your teacher. Got it?!