Craft Challenge - Scarves: Book Review and Giveaway

Good morning and happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend. We enjoyed some sunshine here in Seattle and spent time outdoors: hiking in Discovery Park, washing the car, eating lunch on the balcony, spotting the Blue Angels doing their show for Seafair... Lovely mellow weekend! I know Angel is busy getting ready for Ian to start first grade next week. Are any of your kiddos starting school this week?

Another thing I did this weekend is make a project from the book Craft Challenge: Dozens of Ways to Repurpose Scarves. A couple of months ago, Lark Crafts sent me a copy for review and I wanted to share my thoughts on it with you. Lark Crafts is also giving away a copy of this book to a lucky reader, so make sure to check the end of the post and leave a comment for your chance to win!


Craft Challenge: Dozens of Ways to Repurpose Scarves
by Nathalie Mornu

The Craft Challenge series of books inspires readers and sewists to repurpose a specific material in myriad ways. In this book, scarves are the base material and the author presents 30 projects to get ideas rolling: skirts, dresses, tops, accessories, and more.

Homemade Living Home Dairy & Keeping Bees: Book Review (and Giveaway!)

Today we will be sharing a review of Homemade Living: Home Dairy and Homemade Living: Keeping Bees, two books by Ashley English sent to us by Lark Crafts. The DIY homesteading philosophy behind the Homemade Living series is close to our hearts, as Angel and I both strive to lead as homemade a life as possible. Additionally, we are friends with author Ashley English and love her blog Small Measure. So we are thrilled to be sharing our thoughts on these two books with you.


Lark Crafts is giving away a copy of each book to one lucky reader! Read to the end of this post to see the details.

I'll start with the Dairy book and Angel will continue with her review of Keeping Bees.

Felt Week: Books!

Despite some stressful interruptions because of Blogger issues, Felt Week has been so inspiring and informative! We have a few more things still in store, so be sure to visit us over the weekend and go enter the giveaway by A Child's Dream Come True and Rainbow River Designs if you haven't yet!

We wanted to compile a list of books that may come in handy for inspiration and instructions if you're interested in working with felt. It was hard to narrow the list down, there is SO much out there. But here they are!

Sew Tina!: Review (and a Giveaway!)

Good morning! I hope you all had a great weekend. Today, I'd like to share some thoughts (and a project) about Sew Tina!, a recently published sewing book generously sent to me by our partner Lark Crafts.


Sew Tina! 30 Cute Projects & Adorable Decor Items For Kids by Tina Givens features clothing, accessories and decor projects for kids age newborn to roughly 8 years old. The book is broad and spiral-bound for easy use while sewing (yay!), and comes with 18 full-size patterns in the inside pocket (just trace and cut, and you're good to go!).

Show and Tell: I Love Patchwork

I've been drooling all over the book you gave me during my visit to Nashville, but since we've been talking about Anna Maria quite a bit around here, I figured I would wait a while before gushing some more! Instead, I thought I would focus today on another book that has quickly made its way into my heart: I Love Patchwork: 21 Irresistible Zakka Projects to Sew by Rashida Coleman Hale.



After waiting for it for what seemed like forever from the library, I finally got an email last week that it was waiting for me at my local branch. Yippee! I had a feeling from seeing this book reviewed around the blogosphere a few months back that I might like it, and I was wrong: I LOVE it! I love the simple but practical projects, I love the mix of cute colorful prints and natural linens, I love the clean layout and straightforward instructions. It is a great book!

She starts out with the basics, including the tools you need and what to have in your stash. I found her descriptions of various weights and linens quite helpful. I never know what ounces feel like. She also goes over a bunch of simple but useful techniques, including how to make mitered corners! I finally get it! And then she dives into the projects...




There are so many things I want to make in this book! The patchwork bordered apron, the coaster set (a great housewarming gift!), the fabulous button calendar, the sewing machine cover, the linen kitchen towels.... The list goes on. It's rare for me to like so many projects in a book.






I highly recommend this book, especially if you want to learn some basic patchwork. Rashida Coleman Hale also has a lovely blog, appropriately called I Heart Linen. I am definitely putting I Love Patchwork on the "must buy" list and am now full of inspiration... and in search of yards of linen that won't break the bank!

Jenny I will send good thrifting vibes your way!  I found that huge piece of linen last year and still haven't used it all!  It must have been 4 or 5 yards worth.  I am not surprised to find that the Nashville Library does NOT have this book available.  I might have to pull out all the stops and do an interlibrary loan for this one!  You didn't mention what you are going to make first!  It looks like the patterns really highlight all those cute Japanese fabrics that are so expensive you can only afford to buy 1/4 yard, I love it!  

Show and Tell: Your Local Library

We've done Spotlights on lovely stores, favorite fabrics, and cool items. I thought it would be fun to switch gears a little and focus on useful resources. Today, I want to share with you one of my favorite sources of inspiration: my local library!

In Nashville a few years ago, I started checking out a half-dozen sewing, knitting and craft books at a time, and just felt giddy about the opportunity to peruse these books at my leisure without having to commit to purchasing them. It's the same magic feeling about the library I had as a kid when I became an avid reader. All these books, and I can take whichever ones I like home! This is also a great way to take books for a test ride before purchasing the ones you really can't live without.



I'm a little bit more organized in how I go about this process now. The Seattle Public Library has a fantastic website where you can search for books throughout the city's libraries and put holds on the ones you'd like to check out. The Nashville library has a very similar system, as do most libraries around the country. Last week, I got an email that 3 of my requested books were waiting for me at my local branch. When I went to pick them up, I swung by the small craft section and grabbed a few more books that looked interesting.

As soon as I got a free moment, I started sifting through them. Then just after breakfast on Sunday morning, I had a quiet half-hour with my coffee to go through them some more (don't you just love those precious "alone" moments?). I decided which books fit my style and needs, and which others didn't (and which ones MUST go on my wish list!!). I also made mental notes about which patterns I needed to copy for future experiments and projects.



When I've selected which pattern I want to work with or which techniques/instructions I want to save, I either scan or photograph it. I have a folder on my desktop in which I save PDFs of various patterns, projects and instructions. This allows me to return the books to the library sooner than later so that others can use them for inspiration! On the newer crafty books, there can be a hold list of 28 or so! Most libraries also have photocopy machines for this purpose.

Note: Most of the patterns in these books are for personal use only, so if you copy them in any way for your own projects and education, make sure you don't share them, and don't make anything for sale from them. The copyright and legal disclaimer for any book is usually on the inside of the first page or cover. You can read more about the law on Library Photocopying here. The gist of it is: not for commercial advantage and for purposes of private study, scholarship or research.

Here's an example of the types of projects I've saved for experimenting:



Do you use the library for inspiration? Do you check out craft books, or other types of resources?

As an aside, I loved discovering Betz White's Warm Fuzzies and Debbie Bliss' Baby Knits for Beginners this week, both beautiful books with great projects that are definitely going on the "must purchase" list. I was a bit disappointed by Martha's Encyclopedia of Crafts. It's a gorgeous volume with lovely projects and helpful techniques, but not overwhelmingly applicable to my lifestyle and the type of stuff I like to work on. I think the Sewing & Fabric Crafts book will be more up my alley, I have a hold request on it right now! I also cannot wait to get Denyse Schmidt's Quilts and Rashida Coleman Hale's I Love Patchwork!

I definitely use the library a lot! Right now I have Alterknits Felt and Beginner's Guide to Needle Felting checked out.  I love your idea of having a file online of patterns you'd like to try!