36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
beauty and clarity in a portanble package., August 8, 2009
This review is from: Kanzashi in Bloom: 20 Simple Fold-and-Sew Projects to Wear and Give (Paperback)
Kanzashi- beautiful flowers made from relatively small pieces of folded fabric and a few stitches. Meditative, a bite size craft- uses up the boxes full of fabric labelled "scraps too small to keep" (you have one too, admit it)- instant gifts or embellishments, instant creative satisfaction.
In this beautifully produced book, Diane Gilleland takes the reader step by step through the process of creating lovely kanzashi. If you are familiar with Gilleland's instructional style from her blog and podcast ([...]), you will be as happy as I was to find the same kind of clear, unambiguous written instructions, and accompanying images.
One of the biggest attributes that sets this author's instruction apart from many others is her ability to explain things in a way that can't be misinterpreted, and to choose photographs or diagrams that show exactly what they need to show. This is actually harder than it sounds, and so many publications fall short.
Too many craft books are really about the author. They showcase the work of the author and their friends, and the teaching aspect seems really secondary- even unto leaving key points out of the instructions, like a cook who gives you her special family recipe, but you KNOW she left something out because you can never get it to taste quite the same. That is NOT the case here- you will be whipping up your own beautiful flowers in no time, and there is no reason why they won't be as perfect as the ones in the book.
The other big unique strength of this book, as in all Gilleland's work, is her casual, sisterly way of empowering the reader to take the skills she shares, and then go and make them their own. For many of us, the first step in creativity is a 'baby step' of trying the same thing in a slightly different colour or material, and Gilleland always leaves me feeling like it was my own idea. Her almost offhand suggestions like 'these would also look great as a..." really are the first push many of us got in the direction of daring to think creatively ourselves.
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Blooming beautiful, August 17, 2009
This review is from: Kanzashi in Bloom: 20 Simple Fold-and-Sew Projects to Wear and Give (Paperback)
I absolutely loved this book. The history behind the flowers is very interesting. The instructions and diagrams for making the flowers are inspiring and easy to follow with good detsil to possible problems that many be encountered. My Mom (90) and I have just spent the weekend making the Kanzashi flowers. Mom really made beautiful flowers and we have more projects planned. It is one of the nicest craft books I have ever purchased and I'll found lots of ideas and techniques in it. Highly recommended to the crafty who likes something simple but beautiful to add to their collection. Only criticism is I don't know how to pronouce Kanzashi!
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kanzashi in Love!, August 6, 2009
This review is from: Kanzashi in Bloom: 20 Simple Fold-and-Sew Projects to Wear and Give (Paperback)
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
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