Melanie Coombs: October 2007 Archives
The holidays are swiftly approaching, which means a lot of us are on the hunt for presents. As I sat in my sewing room this past weekend making my (overwhelming) "gifts to make" list, I glanced over at my bookshelf and had an idea. Not only are craft books a great source of handmade-gift inspiration, but they can also be great gifts themselves! I know some of my favorite gifts have been books, and I thought I would share a few of them here.
Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-shirt by Megan Nicolay (Workman Publishing)
When I found out there were entire books dedicated to T-shirt makeovers, well, my little creativity-cup not only overflowed - it nearly erupted. Although definitely aimed at a younger audience, this one is my favorite of the few t-shirt books I have seen. Using primarily T-shirts as your materials, projects range from simple top renovations to skirts to swim suits - even a complete wedding dress! There are even a couple projects for men's shirts, and t-shirt trivia throughout the projects is a fun distraction. This book is perfect for any crafter whose style has a bit of edge to it.
Sew What! Skirts: 16 Simple Styles You Can Make With Fabulous Fabrics by Francesca Denhartog & Carole Ann Camp (Storey Publishing)
This book has just about everything you need to know about making a skirt without a pattern, and then some. It starts with a pretty thorough guide to the basic techniques needed when starting a project. The writing was detailed enough for a beginner to understand, but still informative enough to give an experienced sewer a refresher without boring them. Once you take a few measurements (the book shows you which ones) you can begin whipping out adorable skirts that are tailored to your taste, without the hassle of confusing patterns or aggravating tissue paper.
Making Vintage Bags: 20 Original Sewing Patterns for Vintage Bags and Purses by Emma Brennan (Guild of Master Craftsman Publications)
This book is perfect for the handbag enthusiast. Using clear instructions and photographs, this book shows you how to make handbags fashioned after trends from the 20's, 30's, 40's and 50's. Many of the bags have smaller matching purses, all of which you can find the pattern for in the back of the book. Even if you aren't making of the bags featured in the book, the instructions and photographs make it a great reference for techniques and styles that can be used in your own creations.
Amy Butler's In Stitches: More Than 25 Simple and Stylish Sewing Projects by Amy Butler (Chronicle Books)
Ever a Fabric.com staff favorite, Amy Butler's book appeals to a wide audience with its varied projects. There are projects for just about every room in the house, but don't be fooled into thinking that this is a strictly home décor book. The "Bedroom Projects" section has instructions for an absolutely beautiful duvet cover, as well as some for comfy and stylish wide-leg lounge pants. This book works well as an inspiration for gift making, but would also be a welcome gift in and of its self. You can even see a couple of the projects on her site. I personally cannot wait to find the time to make the patchwork handbag on page 162 - too cute! But, hey, it's Amy Butler; how can you go wrong?
Happy Stitching!
Melanie
Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-shirt by Megan Nicolay (Workman Publishing) When I found out there were entire books dedicated to T-shirt makeovers, well, my little creativity-cup not only overflowed - it nearly erupted. Although definitely aimed at a younger audience, this one is my favorite of the few t-shirt books I have seen. Using primarily T-shirts as your materials, projects range from simple top renovations to skirts to swim suits - even a complete wedding dress! There are even a couple projects for men's shirts, and t-shirt trivia throughout the projects is a fun distraction. This book is perfect for any crafter whose style has a bit of edge to it.
Sew What! Skirts: 16 Simple Styles You Can Make With Fabulous Fabrics by Francesca Denhartog & Carole Ann Camp (Storey Publishing)This book has just about everything you need to know about making a skirt without a pattern, and then some. It starts with a pretty thorough guide to the basic techniques needed when starting a project. The writing was detailed enough for a beginner to understand, but still informative enough to give an experienced sewer a refresher without boring them. Once you take a few measurements (the book shows you which ones) you can begin whipping out adorable skirts that are tailored to your taste, without the hassle of confusing patterns or aggravating tissue paper.
Making Vintage Bags: 20 Original Sewing Patterns for Vintage Bags and Purses by Emma Brennan (Guild of Master Craftsman Publications) This book is perfect for the handbag enthusiast. Using clear instructions and photographs, this book shows you how to make handbags fashioned after trends from the 20's, 30's, 40's and 50's. Many of the bags have smaller matching purses, all of which you can find the pattern for in the back of the book. Even if you aren't making of the bags featured in the book, the instructions and photographs make it a great reference for techniques and styles that can be used in your own creations.
Amy Butler's In Stitches: More Than 25 Simple and Stylish Sewing Projects by Amy Butler (Chronicle Books) Ever a Fabric.com staff favorite, Amy Butler's book appeals to a wide audience with its varied projects. There are projects for just about every room in the house, but don't be fooled into thinking that this is a strictly home décor book. The "Bedroom Projects" section has instructions for an absolutely beautiful duvet cover, as well as some for comfy and stylish wide-leg lounge pants. This book works well as an inspiration for gift making, but would also be a welcome gift in and of its self. You can even see a couple of the projects on her site. I personally cannot wait to find the time to make the patchwork handbag on page 162 - too cute! But, hey, it's Amy Butler; how can you go wrong?
Happy Stitching!
Melanie
P.s. Don't forget to check out our Amy Butler Fabric right here!
I've been looking at all sorts of websites and magazines about Halloween the last couple weeks. Among the pages of kids' costumes and pumpkin carving techniques, it's hard to miss the tempting images of Autumn inspired baked indulgences.One of my favorite fall recipes is my great grandmother's pumpkin cookies. I'm not a huge sweet fan, so I love how these lovely, little, bite-sized morsels have such wonderful flavor without putting me into sugar overload. I particularly like them topped with a dark or semi-sweet chocolate ganache (which I have included here), but I also found a pretty good cream cheese frosting recipe that compliment's them well (Laurie's idea).
********************************************************************
My Great-Grandma's Pumpkin Cookies
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350 degree. Mix dry ingredients and set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Next, add the pumpkin, egg and vanilla and mix well. Slowly add dry ingredients until fully mixed.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and drop cookie dough in blobs about 2 inches apart. Grandma's recipe called for "teaspoon-sized dollops" but I am impatient so mine were more like "Tablespoon-and-a-half-sized dollops." If you use Granny's way, bake them for 14-16 minutes; 18-20 minutes my way. They should be firm and slightly golden (don't over bake them or they will become dry).
Grandma's way yields about 5 dozen or so smaller cookies. My way gets you about 3 dozen (try not to eat too many between batches).
*********************************************************************
Chocolate Ganache
(this recipe will make enough to cover all your cookie and then some)
1/2 cup of heavy cream
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate (chips work fine, but you can be decadent and use one of those fancy bars, too)
1 tablespoon butter
Put your chocolate and butter in a bowl. Heat the cream up to boiling and pour it over the chocolate. Stir until smooth.
(Note: while certainly not the most healthy idea, you can mix a couple spoonfuls of the leftover ganache into some heated milk for an absolutely sinful cup of hot chocolate)
********************************************************************
Cream Cheese Frosting
2 packages of cream cheese (8oz.)
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
Blend the cream cheese in a mixer until fluffy. Mix in the powdered sugar, and then add the milk and vanilla. Mix everything until smooth. If the frosting is too thick, add more milk a little at a time.
********************************************************************
For the chocolate ganache, the best way to apply it to the cookie is to just dunk the top of the cookie in (giving it a swirl for good measure). You can do the same with the cream cheese, or you can use a spatula or pipe it on.
Enjoy!
Melanie
