Linen, Wool, Cotton (& handmade giveaway!)

Linen, Wool, Cotton
25 simple projects to sew with natural fabrics
by Akiko Mano
112 pages
Craft, Sewing, Simple style
Trumpeter Books
14, April 2009

Akiko Mano's soft and subdued style is simple yet outstanding in quality, approach and design. Linen, Wool, Cotton is a dream for the practical person who enjoys crafts that people will actually use. The simplicity of her patterns is so pretty and speaks though its calmness. Akiko Mano's designs will allow even the insure crafter to create things that many will enjoy. The projects range from wool slippers, aprons, a muffler, lightweight fruit bags, a lingerie case, hot water bottle cover, duvet cover and beyond. Linen, Wool, Cotton is sectioned off into chapters by material choice, beginning with Linen, followed by Wool and finally Cotton. Akiko's patterns are easy to follow and minimalist in their approach, and that is a bonus, since that makes them quick to complete as well, having only an average of 4 steps per pattern.

Linen, Wool, Cotton by Akiko Mano is part of the Japanese Crafts Style books also known as Make Good: Crafts + Life, a group of books believing in the goal to simplify life. This approach makes it its goal to take pleasure in the beautiful things that are so perfect in their minimalistic appeal.

So how did I like this book? I loved it. I enjoy being crafty, but I want the things I make to be used and not just dusted. This is a book for a person like me, and I am thrilled that there are so many patterns in Linen, Wool, Cotton that are calling my name (quite loudly I might add). I have already dived in, and created the lunch bags, they were just too cool to not make. I was worried at first because usually patterns seem to have way too many impractical steps and I have a hard time wanting to follow along. I had no problem with listening to Akiko at all. The lunch bag pattern (p. 96) was just perfect and simple and had fluff, just the real stuff. I know for sure that I am going to make several other patterns, the Sweets Mat (p. 90) looks like the next one I'll try. And the Fruit Bags (p. 37) made out of cheesecloth would be perfect for veggies at the Saturday Farmer's Market as they don't way anything and are completely reusable! Yeah, so anyway I am hooked. I recommend Linen, Wool, Cotton by Akiko Mano with no reservations at all.


The Handmade Giveaway:
I spent part of the day making two Lunch Bags (p. 96) from this book for you! I really hope that my work pays off, and that you are as excited as I am about this! I can't wait!

Description:
Tired of bringing your lunch with you in a paper sack or plastic bag? Oh, well when you see these you will be! And remember really cool lunch bags are not just for kids. "The handles are an extension of the main part of this bag, which you can use to easily tie the bag closed. The bag is also reversible" (Linen, Wool, Cotton, p.96) The solid coloured material is a canvas type thick cotton, and the stripped and polka-dotted fabrics are a thin softer cotton. And yes, both bags are completely reversible!

Here are the two lunch bags I made, you can click on each photo to see the bigger picture.



Details:
This giveaway is being hosted on my on my book review blog as well!! I am giving two bags away between the two blogs. To come visit my review blog click here: B&b ex libris

Details:
I will select 2 winners at midnight (PST) on 30th of April!!
I will most certainly ship internationally!!

To enter each of the following will give you an entry:
*Post a comment on this post
*Tweet about my giveaway with a link to this post
*Post about this on your blog with a link to this post

Each time you do one of the above make sure to let me know in the comments in this post so that I can add you again. If you don't let me know in the comments I won't know or be able to count your entry, so make sure and come back and let me know.

PS. I do not notify winners, so make sure you check back on May 1st to see if you won. Each winner has 4 days to get their shipping info to me after that if I don't hear from you I will select a new winner.

i love dirt

Title: i love dirt
Author: Jennifer Ward
Pages: 153
Publisher: Trumpeter (Shambhala Publications)
Yearly Count: 20

Dirt, leaves, worms, bugs, stars, raindrops and watching trees grow...all that fills i love dirt to capacity with 52 activities for parents and kids to do together. If I read thorough a book and can't help but dog-ear the pages I know it is a great one. i love dirt by Jennifer Ward is a book about kids, and exposing them to the nature and outdoors while siultaneously leaning of the wonderful nature of earth science. From bugs, to leaves, from trees to snowmen this is a book to enjoy through all the seasons. i love dirt is divided up into activities that would work best in the seasons of Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter so that children and adults can observe and enjoy every new stage as it comes and admire what is different and beautiful about them.

i love dirt is Jennifer Ward's antidote to the current situation of "nature deficit" that children are experiencing. The generations previous to this one relied on nature. Our schools were even let out and in during the communities harvest time, and daylight savings time was initially agreed upon because of the impact another hour of light could do in the farmer's life. It was not all working outside, but also the playing in nature and with nature that was important. Participating in such activities as picnics, mid-afternoon fishing trips, laying under the sky's blanket to see just one shooting star, and the amazing world of mud pie making! To go outside and play, to put on rain gear and jump in puddles, or camp outside in the backyard on a warm summer night, or to explore the woods and make a fort these need not be things of the past. Outdoor activities are a learning and teaching experience that if neglected will fill our nation with a bunch of kids who can learn through books, but not from the beauty that surrounds them. Weather in the city, or country there are opportunities in i love dirt to get down and dirty and feel the particles of nature on your skin.

I personally loved this book so much, seriously does it get any better than a book that discusses all the fun things you can do to learn about nature and the processes that engulf us humans? Each section of the book, each activity has a short (kid friendly) explanation of the activity and its importance and a Help Me Understand question and answer as well. Here are some Q and A examples:

Q: What is Dirt?
A: Dirt is a mixture of all kinds of things: broken rock and stones, minerals and organic matter such as broken down bits of plants. (p.44)

Q: What makes new plants sprout in the spring?
A: They get more sunlight than they were getting in the winter. In the spring, the days get longer, brighter and warmer. These things help new plants to grow. (p.4)

There are so many more tid-bit facts of things every child asks, or at least mine do! I have decided to use this book for our outdoor explorations. I am very impressed with Jennifer Ward and i love dirt, too! This would not just be a great book to use for parents, but also for grandparents, and teachers as well. I am going to use this book for our science course when we begin homeschooling next year. To be honest though, it is all but burning though my hands, and since it is spring right now, I really see no need to wait...we're going to dive into this one with rubber boots, or barefoot! For when nature calls, we listen!

i love dirt is ON SALE tomorrow, may 13th! here is link to i love dirt on amazon.com


Jennifer Ward has written many children's books, check out her website here: Jennifer Ward, Award winning author of wildly fun books

Making Stuff For Kids

Title: Making Stuff For Kids
Author: Victoria Woodcock
Crafts by: Contributors (compiled by black dog publishing)
Publisher: black dog publishing
Pages: 160

The beauty of this craft book lies not just in its recipe for "Sparkle and shine playdough", or its "Pebble Pals", or the " Cute as a button necklace", but it is much deeper. The brilliance of it is where it calls out to parents and children alike: pick me up!!! Be creative!! Get messy! Don't stress! Making Stuff For Kids will bring parents and kids or kids and other kids together in order to create-and with their own hands make something to enjoy.

Making Stuff For Kids, is a complete child's craft book, divided into helpful (age appropriate) sections: teeny talents, cunning crafters, super sills, and tough cookies. This way you will know if your child, or even if you are in way over your creative head. The beginning includes a section of how to's: how to knit, how to do appliqué, papier mache, pompoms and sewing- just in case you, as a parent need to learn or refresh your skillz right along side your child.

The book is composed of craft ideas by contributors, I believe causing Making Stuff For Kids to break away from the traditional nerdy-kid-craft-mold(and parents wondering: what do I do with THIS mold) to a more interesting and involved crafting, where kids are really creating stuff that they are interested in! The creativity level is pretty alarming so beware!!!

So far we have only had a chance to do several of the crafts- as my children are a little young, and things can get crazy while crafting (they are ages 2 and 4 and there are already some really fun projects for them in this book!!) We have done (and loved) the Pebble Pals (p.51), the Peg People (p. 52), The Scratch it and see (p. 53) and the potatoes for T! (p. 64). Next on our list (it has actually been the craft my 4 yr. old has been begging for since he looked through the book) Creepy Crawly Wormery (p. 47)!! Our young family will definitely grow into this book, so if you have older kids- there is a lot of things they could do, even some crafts designed for them to do without you! This is one of those books, that we will keep coming back to on those days of- "mom, I'm bored", or "there's nothing to do, mom!". I know it will be one we constantly have handy as our boys get older, I dread the stains it will suffer, but as any well loved book I am already aware of this unstoppable, impending doom- love stains.

I love it, and obviously recommend it %100!!

CRAFT ON!!!