Book Review: CraftCorps by Vickie Howell

Vickie Howell is the kind of woman who appears to have it all.  She's smart, creative, industrious, driven, funny, successful and beautiful in every sense of the word.  She's the kind of woman other women envy, until they get to know her and realize just how down to earth and gosh darn friendly she is.  She's a mom to three lovely children, writes best selling crochet books, blogs for a variety of heavy hitters including PBS, hosts TV shows, cross promotes with other creative powerhouses and now she's spearheading a revolutionary craft movement.

Vickie recently became spokesperson for Caron yarn and I can't think of anyone better for that job.  One of the founding members of the Austin Craft Mafia, a cooperative of wickedly smart creative women who figured out just how powerful we can be when we work together. Vickie has built a crafty empire by lifting up and sharing her success with other women.  How she does it all with such panache and seemingly effortless style is beyond me, but she inspires countless other women on a daily basis to defy convention and do what they love.  Vickie's got Super Girlie Good Power in spades.

When Vickie contacted me about an interview for a new book she was writing called CraftCorps I simply couldn't refuse.  What an honor to be among so many people whom I admire so greatly.  For a moment I thought to myself, "Really?  I'm a craft celebrity?  Wow!"  Then I let that go.  Because hell's yeah I'm a craft celebrity and I've done the hard work to achieve it!  So have every one of the people featured in this book.

Thank you, Vickie Howell for everything you do to promote the church of craft.  You're a dynamo!

Book Review
CraftCorps
Vickie Howell
Lark Books


There are books you peruse slowly, picking them up now and again, taking small polite bites of information.  They are nice books, well mannered books, happy little books you enjoy and then promptly forget.  Then there are books like CraftCorps.  It's the kind of book you can't stop devouring from the moment you open the cover  and when you've finished reading you're hungry for more.  I got my advance copy this week and although I had a pile of other things on my plate that were screaming for attention, as soon as I cracked open the cover I was hooked.  I kept saying to myself, okay put the book down and get back to work...but every time I tried it was only a moment or two before I had the book in my hands again.

Vickie Howell is a tour de force in the craft community.  She's not only written a brilliant and inspiring book, she's become the pied piper of a crafty revolution.  This series of interviews with a wide variety of craft and creative industry celebrities is riveting.  Every person has a fascinating story to share and the threads that run through them all speak to the innately human desire to create.  Each interview is a peek into the trajectory of a career of a creative person who figured out that we really can do what we love and have the money follow and when we do life becomes a celebration.  Every person in the book stood in the face of the people who told them, "You can't." and said, "Oh yeah, watch me."  These stories will inspire, entertain, educate and amaze you.  The additional profiles of up and coming crafters scattered throughout the book make it clear that this movement is here to stay.

This book asks again and again the nebulous question, "What is the difference between 'art' and 'craft'?" and the answers given defy conventional wisdom.  Ultimately this isn't merely a book about crafters or crafting, it's really a road map to creating success by defying the rules.  Every person in the book has stood at the crossroads of the road less traveled and taken the wild path.  Anyone who longs to break free of their pedantic existence will be inspired by this book.  If you've often wondered what might happen if you ignored the naysayers and did what made you happy, you'll find out what might happen here.  Anyone who crafts for fun or a living will be kicked in the ass by this book, in the best possible way.

The people featured in this book along with the author are all creating their own realities on a daily basis.  They'll make you laugh and they'll make you cry and most of all they'll make you think.  Deeply.  This is the kind of book that changes lives.  There is a power in creativity that transcends definition, but this book manages to not only define it, but to show the reader how to harness that power for good.

Margot Potter
Author The Impatient Crafter Series, Bead and Wire Jewelry Exposed and Bead Chic

Book Review: Sculptural Metal Clay Jewelry with DVD by Kate McKinnon

Book Review
Sculptural Metal Clay Jewelry with DVD: Techniques and Explorations
Kate McKinnon
Interweave Press

There is something to be said for an artist who focuses entirely on one medium with a relentless specificity.  What happens is an alchemy of sorts, a magic that can only be forged from patience, tenacity and the willingness to dig deep and make glorious mistakes and in the process make amazing discoveries.  Saul Bell Design Award winning artist Kate McKinnon is that type of artist and her work with metal clay has changed the way people approach the medium and inspired countless other artists in the process.  Kate is a straight shooter and a smart cookie with a wonderfully wicked sense of humor.  I don't know any other artist in the instructional jewelry making world who has such a singular dedication to her medium and a willingness to share what she's discovered with others with such generosity of spirit. Her new book Sculptural Metal Clay Jewelry for Interweave Press is the most comprehensive, concise and detailed exploration of this medium that I have ever seen.  If you're interested in metal clay, you absolutely have to add this book to your shelves.  

Not only is the book stunningly gorgeous, it's meticulously written and every aspect of working with metal clay is covered in painstaking detail.  Kate takes you through tools, kilns, torches.  You'll learn the properties of this unique medium and how to achieve success while working with it. You'll learn how to create bead caps, soldered metal rings, metal clay rings, head pins, charms, clasps, prongs, rivets, armatures and much more.  Kate is a huge proponent of safety and she shares what she's learned about the proper way to fire and finish your pieces to avoid exposing yourself to toxic fumes or particulate matter. 

This book is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication to an art form.  You will benefit from Kate's journey and you will come out of the other side altered forever.  The writing is extraordinary, the photographs are stunning and the addition of a 60 minute DVD with key techniques taught by Kate in her studio makes this an unparalleled value. Kate's approach to design as a dimensional exploration appeals to me immensely.  I'm particularly smitten with her kinetic designs that incorporate spinning elements and images and her tiny skyscrapers.  This is a book lovingly created by an inspirational artist and writer that speaks to the artist in everyone.  It's a lovely gift and one from which everyone who reads it will benefit. 

Margot Potter
Author The Impatient Beader Series and Beyond the Bead

Book Review: Elegant Knotted Jewelry by Becky Meverden

Book Review
Elegant Knotted Jewelry by Becky Meverden
2009 Krause Publications
Copyright 2010 Margot Potter

Global handicrafts hold a particular fascination for me.  My husband and I had a Fair Trade Craft gallery for five years and tried our best to spread the powerful message of fair trade and the power of appreciation for the art and craft of other cultures.  I have always loved to see the dialog that begins when a person from one culture is introduced to a craft from another and they begin to infuse it with their own unique vision.  Becky Meverden moved to South Korea with her husband in 2007 and discovered the ancient art of knotting known as maedup (pronounced mae-doop.)  She found a willing instructor and some partners in craft and together they studied this meticulous art form of intricate knots.  Becky returned to the United States with a newly cultivated craft passion and beautiful photographs and stories to share. 

Her new book Elegant Knotted Jewelry is a joy to behold.  The reader feels as though they are transported to another country and immersed into an exotic art form.  Becky has created an array of stunning projects that incorporate the knots she shares in detailed step by step pictures in the front of the book.  She infuses this ancient craft with her own modern twists adding interesting materials and accents.  I loved the seed beads she wove into the Beaded Garakji bracelet, what a novel touch!  Using CRYSTALLIZED-Swarovski Elements columns gives the Faceted Crystal Columns necklace an upscale appeal.  Her use of color is exceptional and the designs are all modern and appealing.  The book is filled with wonderful color pictures that guide you through learning the knots and recreating Becky's beautiful designs. 

If you're looking to expand your jewelry making or craft repertoire in new directions, this book will be a perfect addition to your library.  Touch the 'art and soul' of South Korea through Becky's lovely photographs and stories and through her exploration of the ancient art of maedup.  The language of craft is universal and these ancient art forms are rapidly disappearing.  Kudos to Becky for her hours of patient practice and her willingness to share what she's learned with the rest of us.  What a wonderful gift indeed.

Book Review: Kanzashi in Bloom by Diane Gilleland

Book Review
Kanzashi in Bloom
Diane Gilleland
Watsun-Guptill

Diane Gilleland is known in the 'craftiverse' as Sister Diane, the mastermind behind the wildly popular blog and podcast CraftyPod. Diane has an innate gift for taking a simple and striking idea and making it fabulous. I had never seen Japanese fabric kanzashi blooms prior to getting this book and I was immediately excited to try making some of my own. Diane offers 20 gorgeous ideas here that are beautifully photographed and meticulously stepped out so you can see step by step, petal by petal, how to recreate them.

I was utterly impressed with her considerable writing skills and the painstaking research she did to give this lovely art form a context and meaning for the Western crafter. Many craft books are pretty to view, but lack depth of information and high quality writing. Diane gives you both along with cleverly fashioned projects that leave you completely inspired. Every design has a brilliant variation concept. Not only are the projects well crafted, the book itself is a beautifully crafted work of art.

I can't wait to try the techniques out for some jewelry and mixed media designs. The best kind of craft book leaves you inspired to create. Diane has achieved that with a brilliant book that I think every crafter should add to their collection.

Margot Potter
The Impatient Crafter
Author The Impatient Beader series
Bead and Wire Jewelry Exposed
Beyond the Bead

Mixed Media Book Review: Fabric Art Collage by Rebekah Meier

Book Review
Amazon
Fabric Art Collage: 40+ Mixed Media Techniques by Rebekah Meier

I am delighted to give my hearty and heartfelt recommendation to Fabric Art Collage by creative genius Rebekah Meier. This is, without doubt, one of the most sumptuous and idea packed creative tomes to cross my desk in ages. Ms. Meier has filled this book to the gills with bright ideas and brilliant inspiration.

A mixed media book with a fabric focus, this will certainly appeal to quilters and fabric artists...but it's got a ton of appeal for mixed media artists working in jewelry making, collage and paper arts as well. I can not stop looking at this book and every time I do, I find something new and fascinating. There are products and techniques in these pages I have never, ever seen before and the sample gallery projects are all stunning.

What impresses me the most about this title is the vast amount of knowledge that Ms. Meier possesses and the ease with which she shares it with the reader. She writes clearly and honestly and her passion for her art comes through on every page. ANY creative person looking for some fresh ideas should buy this book. You will not be disappointed.

There are over 40 techniques and a huge array of finished projects to show you ways to integrate the techniques into your art. I am intrigued by lutradur and solvron, two items I had not heard of before reading this book. Even when she uses familiar materials, she uses them in entirely unexpected ways. In fact, Ms. Meier uses such a wide variety of interesting materials it is mind blowing. I simply can't stop gazing at the Black, White and Red Quilt and the Canvas Quilt. I love that Ms. Meier doesn't spoon feed you monkey see, monkey do projects, but shows you ways to tap your own creativity and let it flow.

Kudos to Ms. Meier and C&T Publishing for making a book that will have a place of honor at my bedside for many months to come as I thumb the pages in search of new inspiration before drifting off to sleep.

Margot Potter
The Impatient Crafter(tm)
Author The Impatient Beader Series
Bead and Wire Jewelry Exposed
Beyond the Bead

Book Review: Jewelry and Beading Designs for Dummies

Book Review
Jewelry and Beading Designs for Dummies
Tammy Powley and Heather H. Dismore
For Dummies
August 2008

Ms. Powley and Ms. Dismore have created a thorough and thoroughly delightful tome on the basics of jewelry making that is a must have for any novice. They cover absolutely everything you need to know to get started and to ensure continued success. This book is designed for the beginner and the projects are totally appropriate for someone ready to dip their toes into the jewelry and beading pool, but there is plenty of information for the more advanced beaded jewelry maker as well.

The illustrations are clear and the directions meticulous and concise. My only wish is that there were more color pictures because the designs are so lovely, but there's a several page glossy color gallery of designs that helps immensely. It begins with the basics and progresses to intermediate and even advanced techniques. You get a taste of mixed media, bead weaving, poly clay, wire work and even learn how to make your own findings. They give good, solid information and show you how to do things properly which will ensure good results. That's the key component to a good how-to book.

As a professional designer and a jewelry book author, I have a discerning eye and a high level of expectation. I wholeheartedly recommend this book for every bead lover's library. Ms. Dismore and Ms. Powley are both competent and respected experts and together they've created an indispensable guide to the many facets of jewelry making and beading.

Margot Potter
Author and Freelance Designer
The Impatient Beader Series
Bead and Wire Jewelry Exposed
Beyond the Bead

Hooked on The Crochet Dude's Designs for Guys!

Book Review
The Crochet Dude's Designs for Guys
Drew Emborsky
Lark Books 2009

Drew Emborsky has a subversive and irreverent sense of humor that is right in line with my own. He writes like I do, from the hip. I had the distinct pleasure of meeting him at a large industry show a few months back and decided immediately we were kindred spirits. His designs are intriguing and his word stylings are equally so. You have to love a book of crochet designs focused on guys, because let’s face it that’s a niche begging to be filled. Drew fills it with total panache.

I have to be honest here, I don’t crochet. That being said, I recently bought a fancy crochet needle set and some new yarn in the hopes that I might find the time to explore a new hobby. My husband already happily sports the incredibly kooky hat I made him on the Knifty Knitter, so why not a crocheted companion piece? Interestingly enough my husband’s name is Drew too, talk about serendipity!

I like this book because it’s straight forward and it’s easy (and enjoyable) to read. Not every craft title has those qualities! The instructions are well written and the pictures show the designs as they would look on a body and not simply artfully draped over a series of props. The book design itself is appealing and easy to navigate. Drew’s lively voice encourages and prompts you in a manner that makes you feel as if you really can master a new hobby. Some of my personal fav projects include Pure Comfort a nauticalesque boat neck sweater I’d wear too and the Jock Block Hat and Scarf with its earthy and delicious color palette. Drew provides you with a basics section in the back of the book that gives you all the tools you need to master the book designs and even forge out on your own. There are skill levels, materials lists and stitch lists along with meticulous pattern guides for every project.

If you’re looking for a book that will spark your creativity, teach you some valuable skills and make you smile in the process, you’ve found it with The Crochet Dude’s Designs for Guys.