Customer Reviews

Sewing Green: 25 Projects Made with Repurposed & Organic Materials

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was lucky enough to be able to attend a Betz White workshop recently where I picked up a copy of Sewing Green. My craft and sewing bookshelf is quite full, I assure you, but Betz' newest book is unlike any of the titles I already have and is a welcome addition. There are a number of projects I've bookmarked to make--the little girl's pillowcase dress (actually in progress on my sewing table right now!), the felted cashmere throw blanket (I've begun scoring and felting thrift shop cashmere sweaters and don't know why I didn't think to use them before!), and the baby quilt and coordinating "washies" and stuffed dog projects (for a friend's baby due in the fall). I found the project instructions and accompanying photos very clear, and think they would be very easy even for the beginning sewer. I also appreciate the very thorough explanations of how to treat recycled and vintage materials before beginning your projects. But one of my very favorite things about this book is the collection of essays sprinkled throughout the chapters on "eco-innovators." This makes the book perfect for my evening habit of perusing sewing books on the sofa while my husband watches the news. How many craft books out there provide both plenty of inspiration and good reading? Only this one, on my shelf! I recommend Sewing Green highly to anyone interested in finding new sewing inspiration from old materials!

This book Feels good in my hands, feeds my hungrylittlecrafty-eyes, and is also nice to READ. Betz dicussses fabrics and thrift stores. The projects are: aprons mades from men's shirts (cute!), coasters from wool, (cute and different than other things I have seen), vintage napkins and rings from ruined old tablecloths,lounge pants from old cute sheets, pillows, an adorable draft-buster that looks like a branch, sweater-slippers, a wallet made from a shirt-cuff,a reversible wrap skirt,lunch tote, reusable sandwich wraps,more bags, a pillowcase skirt and MORE! I haven't sewn anything from this book yet, but have "walked" through a couple of the projects and the instructions seem solid. The patterns need to be enlarged, so I need to go to my copy center to get that done.
This is a beautiful book that inspires me each time I look at it--I just like having it near! If you like to sew, you will probably find a few projects, at least, that you will want to make right away!

Betz is an inpiration to me and she kept the bar high on this, her latest book. She continually comes up with cheerful creations that make you want to run to a thrift shop in search of goods to revamp. Like delicious ripe fruit her latest book is fresh without being fake sugar sweet. Items you really want to use or give as gifts rather than something you labor over and then put in the closet. You will be look at old materials in a whole new way.

I beleive strongly in re-purposing old clothes and items - and so this book really appealed to me in the store. As I looked through the projects, many of them were so simple that you really don't need a pattern (like tote bag) and others like the kids toys and apron from a shirt were cute, but probably nothing I wanted to make. I did try the bottle carrier - thinking I could modify the pattern for a wine bottle. I found the directions very confusing and after trying several times, I still don't have it right. I put it aside to finish after the holidays when I have more time. But I am disappointed in the lack of clear instructions. I wouldn't buy this book again.

This book is just plain beautiful, in every sense of the word. The images are beautiful, the projects are beautiful, and the whole spirit of making new from old, breathing life into the loved and worn, is a beautiful act. Betz is a national treasure. I've been visiting her website and following her betzwhite blog for years and it lifts my spirits every time I take a look-see. Just owning this book makes you feel like you have done a good deed for the day. I am going to buy them for gifts for all my crafty pals!

I was really excited to receive this book because there'd been so much hype about it. Unfortunately, I found it to be very disappointing. Here's why:

1) The instructions were, in many cases, quite hard to follow, with lots of confusing and over-written text. As an editor, I found my fingers itching for a red pen so I could delete the burdensome language obscuring the clarity of the instructions. Also, there were very few diagrams or sketches of the process.

2) Many of the projects involved the use of repurposed materials, which is good, but many more called for new yardage of high-end organic cottons, bamboos, etc. I found that very off-putting, as you'd end up spending a bundle on projects when you could re-use existing materials just as easily.

3) Some of the projects just weren't that unusual. There was a pattern for a pillowcase dress that was identical to hundreds of others floating around out there on the Web. As another reviewer observed, do we really need a pattern for a tote bag?

That said, I did enjoy the many sidebar stories about other green crafters. The features on Morsbags and sweater-alchemist Crispina ffrench were great and informative.

Overall, I'd say this book is worth picking up at the library, but definitely not worth the price of purchase. It seems rather caught up in the "stylish notion" of green sewing without truly demonstrating a lot of creativity or the heart of what green can be.

I loved this book--the eco-friendly projects are chic and modern (no cereal-box wallets for sure!) and so wonderfully rendered, with gorgeous photographs, a warm instructive voice, and easy-to-follow directions. The whimsical woodland draft dodger is my favorite, and I can't wait till my daughter gets old enough for the vintage pillowcase dress. If you're a crafter who wants to tread lightly on the environment, this is a can't-miss.

Love the idea of this book and love most of the projects. I have made three or four projects from the book using thrifted sweaters, but have to say that the patchwork blanket took $80 worth of Salvation Army sweaters to get enough felted wool to make the blanket out of. I love the re-purposing angle, I just hoped the materials necessary to execute the projects would cost a bit less than going to the fabric store. Fun concept with solid, achievable projects.

Betz White's new book, Sewing Green, is a great addition to anyone's craft book library. It is full of fresh and charming projects with the emphasis on organic and re-purposed materials. The scarf on the cover and the woodland draft buster are two projects that I am itching to make for myself. Additionally, there are many projects that would be great for gift-giving - aprons made from men's shirts, felted wool slippers, sweet pillowcase dresses, a simple baby quilt, stuffed dog and more. The instructions are thorough and well-written and all the patterns are included (they do need to be copied). It includes beautiful photography which along with Betz's friendly voice make Sewing Green a good read. All in all, a fantastic resource to have!

I love how Betz combines her crafty cleverness with her earnest interest in eco-friendly materials. This book gives you lots of options from reusing readily available materials from around the home or thrift shops to purchasing new eco-fabrics for a variety of elegant, homespun and useful projects. The book is laced with pertinent interviews and helpful tips and tidbits. Not only are the projects lovely, but the book itself is, too. Beautifully illustrated and photographed with easy to read directions. Betz has a great eye for color and a clean, modern sensibility which is reflected in both the layout and the sewing projects. Plenty here for gift giving and for personal use- it is certainly inspiring and gets me eager to burrow through closets and drawers.