Reviews

Crafty Girls’ Road Trip

Crafty Girls’ Road Trip
By Ann Packer · Reviewed by Anne Mortimer

In 2004, my copy of Ann Packer’s Crafty Girls’ Road Trip was well thumbed and had its own permanent place on my dashboard as I travelled the length and breadth of the country. It encouraged many a small diversion and certainly helped me to spend my way around New Zealand, single handedly boosting the economy. The guide proved to be indispensable – wherever we went, the guide went too, as my craft oracle (or crutch).

Craft Inc. – Meg Mateo Ilasco

Craft Inc. – The Ultimate Guide to Turning Your Creative Hobby into a Successful Business
By Meg Mateo Ilasco · Reviewed by Jess Soutar Barron

There’s more to it than simply increasing rates of production. Meg Mateo Ilasco, American, arty, business minded, has penned Craft Inc. – The Ultimate Guide to Turning Your Creative Hobby into a Successful Business. It’s the book to read while you’re making the decision rather than after you’ve quit your 9 to 5 and turned your sun-porch into a studio.

Milly-Molly-Mandy’s Things to Make and Do

Milly-Molly-Mandy’s Things to Make and Do By Sam Hay · Reviewed by Anne Mortimer

Milly-Molly-Mandy’s Things to Make and Do by Sam Hay is illustrated with Joyce Lankester Brisley’s beautiful drawings and excerpts from the Milly-Molly-Mandy stories are scattered throughout the book. I distinctly remember Milly-Molly-Mandy being very busy and creative. Now I have a Little Miss of my own and need to find lots of fun, creative things that she can do. This book provides this and more.

Vintage Craft Workshop – Cathy Callahan

Vintage Craft Workshop: Fresh Takes on 25 Classic Projects
By Cathy Callahan · Reviewed by
Katy McRae

I have to preface this book review with the fact that Cathy Callahan is one of my crafting idols. Her blog is one of my favourites and I stalk her on Facebook. Her collection of retro craft books and magazines is truly awe-inspiring, her passion for ’60s and ’70s craft borders on the fanatical and her sense of style just plain rocks. So when I discovered she had produced a craft book I bought it, pretty much sight unseen.

Fanciful Felties – Samantha Cotterill

Fanciful Felties: Sew People to Meet, Places to Go & Things to Do
By Samantha Cotterill · Reviewed by
Katy McRae

In a world awash with ‘cutesy’ felt animals, Samantha Cotterill’s felt people are a breath of fresh air. In fact they are quite possibly the coolest ‘felties’ on the planet. This woman has a style all her own and man, can she sew! Sam’s a Brit living in Upstate New York with her husband and two young boys. She took a five year break from her painting career to have kids and came back as…

The Truly Terribly Horrible Sweater …That Grandma Knit

The Truly Terribly Horrible Sweater …That Grandma Knit ·
Debbie Macomber & Mary Lou Carney · Pictures by Vincent Nguyen

For his birthday, little Cameron gets a colourful hand knitted sweater from his grandma. Have you ever received a present that was made with love especially for you – and you didn’t like it? When I was a girl, my grandmother gave me huge underpants that were supposed to keep my kidneys warm. With mini skirts en vogue, warm kidneys seemed to be a major worry for my gran.