If you are a new follower around here Book-Worm Wednesday is my “weekly” craft book review. Go here to check out the books that have already been reviewed, and the “rules”. As always, feel free to offer suggestions of books you’d like to see in the future. Enjoy!
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The book for this week is…
Fashion DIY
30 ways to craft your own style
by
Carrie Blaydes & Nicole Smith
Yep, It’s another book on embellishing. Remember this review about 3 different embellishment books? Well, this one somehow managed to exclude itself from that post, and I’m glad it did, because so far this is my favorite! It covers many of the same processes from the other books, but for some reason I felt like there was SO much more information.
| Embroidery | Applique |
| Trimming | Beading |
| Felting | Silhouette Alterations |
| Deconstruction/Reconstruction | Tech Savy Techniques (iron-on, shrinky dink) |
| Color Methods (dying, bleaching) | Surface Manipulation (fiber etch, stamping) |
All the techniques above are covered, and then there are 3 different project options for each technique. I was really impressed by the beading section which had really helpful diagrams showing 4 ways for attaching beads. The deconstruction/reconstruction part was also wonderful, and I found myself wanting to make plenty of the projects throughout this book.
A few of my favorites were…
The Lily Pad Skirt
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| Awesome use of doilies! |
The Studio Top
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| I’m not usually a fan of sequins, but I LOVE this! |
The Secret Garden Skirt
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| Hide stitched flowers in box pleats. Genius! |
The Central Park Pants
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| Suspender Gauchos. nuf said. |
And
The Starry Night Tunic
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| Fiber etched eyelet. I’ve never seen this before, and it’s amazing! |
Aside from the beautiful projects, this book also has a very comprehensive “Sewing Basics” section at the beginning and a “Getting Started” page to go along with each technique. And, if you have any apprehension as to whether or not you’ll be able to handle a project, they are each labeled with an Easy, Moderated or Involved to help you decide.
Since this is the best embellishment book I have found so far, I’m giving it ☆☆☆stars (out of 3). (And I’ve even sent a few back to the library without bothering to review them!) The directions are thorough, the projects are cute, and even beginners will be able to understand what’s going on. This would be a great book for anyone interested in refashioning their own clothes. (I’m looking at all you thrifters out there! lol)
Happy Reading!
You are so lucky to get xool books like this at your library. My librarys only sewing books are crummy 70's and 80's books.