Customer Reviews

Fabrications: Over 1,000 Ways to Decorate Your Home with Fabric

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is really a beautiful book. The pictures of fabric being used in various rooms in houses are all very nicely done and the use of fabric is really stunning. Unfortunately, while pictures are nice when it comes to projects with fabric, instructions go a lot further than pictures of the finished product. There are approximately 10-15 projects that actually have instructions in this book. Everything else is just pictures of really nice applications of fabric.

How are the projects with instructions? Of the projects that actually have instructions, the majority of them look really neat. Unfortunately, I think many of them would be difficult to complete because the instructions are fairly weak. Little to no assistance is provided on how to customize the project.

Who is the audience of this book? This book does not seem to be a good fit for beginning sewers or even those with a moderate level of experience. I think expert sewers might be able to use this book more readily because they would be able to transform the pictures into action. To me, this book is actually more of a coffee table book than a real project book and not really practical. Good inspiration value, low ability to apply your inspiration value.

Also, the part that I disliked the most about this book was the section devoted to curtains. Yes, this is a major area that people want to work on for home decoration BUT there are so many books out there dedicated to just curtains (including a really wonderful one by the same author) that the section in this book on curtains seemed really pointless.

If you are a really experienced sewer and need inspiration OR if you are having someone else decorate your house for you and want ideas for an expert to implement, this would be a really good book for you. If you are a beginning sewer, this book will probably overwhelm you by giving you lots of really great ideas that will be too hard for you to implement or figure out how to implement.

Great ideas to spark the thought processes, I refer to it often to get my mind to think in a different way to solve decorating issues. The projects do run the spectrum in difficulty but I do believe that sewing skills should be intermediate for most.

Not only is this book beautifully done, but also, the fabric projects are well-presented and easy to undertake. Projects range from storage solutions to elegant interior decorating projects one can do with fabric. I would recommend this book to interior decorators (amateur or professional), seamstresses and upholsterers, and to those with an interest in textiles and their various uses in the home.

Having seen that Katrin Cargill will be making an appearance nearby my home, I visited Amazon.com to learn of her latest publications. She has done much since I learned of her talents over a decade ago! So why do I write my fellow Amazon'ites a review? Because this is one book that even after a decade's time I return to every time I've a window or even a room to dress. Her studied and effected ideas are tasteful, graceful, and yet sophisticatedly creative. Some earlier reviews online here (e.g., early 1990s) caution new sewers about the limited instructions/projects for beginner-level sewing. While this is true, this book was indispensible to me in the 1990s when I was a beginner at sewing because it's ideas and style can be adapted by anyone. That being said, this lovely photo-book belongs on your shelf whether you are a do-it-yourself, a bed-reader-dreamer, or a designer using someone as for your labor. What's more, this remains the case even after a decade's time of styles changing.