Crafting on a lark

For almost three decades Lark Crafts of Asheville, N.C., has published books celebrating the creative spirit and providing crafters with information and inspiration to leverage their skills beyond what they have imagined. While Lark publishes dozens of titles annually, two are particularly outstanding this year and relevant to readers wishing to adorn their homes with goods of their own making: Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays: 30+ Seasonal Patchwork Projects to Piece, Stitch, and Love and Making Mini Books: Big Ideas for 30+ Little Projects. 

John Q. Adams, aka “Quilt Dad,” put together Pretty in Patchwork along with a bit of help from his friends. Based in Cary, N.C., Adams quilts, crafts, and shares his work online via his eponymous blog (quiltdad.com), writes for Fat Quarterly and designs for Moda Fabrics, a fabric line featuring colorfully patterned and trendily designed high-thread count bolts that quilters and crafters desire. Filled with gift ideas and projects, Pretty in Patchwork includes a plethora of projects sure to appeal to a variety of needs and tastes: Advent calendars, elves, pillowcases, penguin pillows, holiday bunting, stockings, ornaments, holiday tree skirts, heirloom quilts, wine bags, gift bags, and more. 

Before eager crafters jump whole hog into projects, Pretty in Patchwork—the second in Lark’s Pretty in Patchwork series—includes advice on materials, fabric, embroidery floss, batting, tools, and other general advice. Would-be crafters are introduced to basic techniques needed to tackle the featured projects: cutting, working with fabric strips, log cabin quilt square assembly (it’s tricky!), English paper piecing, appliqué, embroidery, quilting, and two types of binding—whether to make your own or go for store-bought. One of Adams’ own contributions is a felt pickle tree ornament. Hanged deep within the holiday tree, the pickle is a pickle to find, and tradition has it that the first child who finds it is guaranteed a year of good fortune. 

Each craft in the book includes step-by-step instructions and photographs illustrating trickier techniques. While most of the projects photographed for the book are color-coordinated for the holidays, Adams points out how easily one could change the color palette to make projects suitable for year-round use. Other contributors include popular quilting and crafting bloggers such as Malka Dubrawsky, Amanda Carestio, Cathy Gaubert, and Jeri Harlan. 

Kathleen McCafferty, Asheville resident and editor of Making Handmade Books by Alisa Golden, also edited Making Mini Books: Big Ideas for 30+ Little Projects, which is a charming collection offering instruction in bookmaking for visual learners. Arranged from easiest to most difficult, the first few projects within Making Mini Books require only folding or stapling, thus each book may be as easy or difficult as desired. While the substitution of materials is allowed and encouraged, some techniques work best on particular media. Adding whimsical details such as rounded corners, different fasteners, or incorporating unusual materials into the book’s binding or pages—such as bark or moss—makes each book unique and a reflection of the artist’s creative spirit. Imagine making leather-bound journals, accordion-folded mini-books, and books featuring unique closures, rainbow stitching, stunning binding, and hidden interior pockets. The imaginative mini “books” included in this guide to projects expands our conception of what a book is and can be and allows artists and bookmakers to explore and play with that idea and remake the object into something serving a multitude of purposes. For example, projects like Mini Earrings and Red Strap Necklace turn mini books into jewelry.

Clear photos illustrate binding techniques which are essential knowledge for every bookmaker to grasp. Fast and easy, the book is an excellent resource for inspiring the bookmakers’ imagination and can be used as a starting point from which one can explore and combine various binding techniques to arrive at a novel arrangement. The illustrated stitch guide is an invaluable resource that novice bookmakers will refer to regularly. 

Offering a wide range of materials and ideas, 22 bookmakers, many of whom offer their books for sale via Etsy stores online, contributed their designs and skill to the collection. As an added value to their readers, Lark offers two free, downloadable mini book projects from the Lark Crafts website at larkcrafts.com under “Free Projects,” but you’ll have to dig through the older entries to find these.