book review

The book I ended up having to buy through American Ebay finally came yesterday (I'm sorry that it was faster and cheaper than ordering it through Fullers). Bend the Rules Sewing by Amy Karol. Yes I know I've been harping on about the angry chicken blog but it was the breath of fresh air I needed and I just wanted to share some chicken love with everyone else. So I'm also sorry to those who thought of buying this for my birthday/Christmas, I couldn't wait till then. But if you want other ideas then send Ant a line, as he's started to build a little list, bless him.

Back to the review. This book is aimed at the beginner but also to the more experienced who want to approach our sewing from a different perspective, you might call it lateral sewing but I suppose we can all get bogged down with our sewing routines no matter what creative gems we can come up with. Does that make sense? Amy tries to encourage beginners not to give up just because what you made wasn't what you envisaged, whether by multiple mistakes or it just didn't work. This doesn't mean it's crap and if you're prepared to take the time to either make corrections or adapt the piece then you can come away with something usable.

There's lots of things to make too. From totes and aprons to tea cozies and coasters, even a lap quilt. I love the apron made from a groovy tea towel, so simple and it looks great. Amy also has a flikr group where anyone can contribute photos of what they've made from the book, brilliant idea.

Basic instructions and patterns at the back with the % you need to enlarge them on the photocopier also makes this a very user friendly book. Now, let's see what I can come up with .....

Oh and here's the quilt for F Mum. I posted it on my APQ blog but I want to record it on this one also.