Monday, August 24, 2009

Book Review: Linen, Wool, Cotton


I'm really attracted to a certain style of Japanese sewing books, as often showcased on blogs such as Super Eggplant. I was excited to see this little beauty, Linen, Wool, Cotton, which came out in the spring as part of the Make Good: Crafts + Life Japanese Craft Style series. It's pretty awesome and has that special style that I was after.

This particular book focuses on items made from natural fibres, obviously linen, wool and cotton. There are lots of projects for the home, plus some cool clothing items, all keeping with a very simple and natural aesthetic. Obviously you could use any fabric you'd like for these projects, but author Akiko Mano sticks to natural colours. It all could get a bit dull, but the book is gorgeous and almost makes me want to change my entire style to fit into this simple, natural world.

That said, I actually doubt that I'll make any of these projects. I'm just too busy these days to make my own pillow cases, napkins, or duvet covers. The one project that jumped out to me, the Mary Jane Slippers require suede soles, and I'm not up for that. Still, the book is very inspirational, and I have already bought some linen to add some of Mano's style to a project from a different book. Not everything has to be candy coloured and this book is a gentle and beautiful reminder of that.

1 comment:

sam lamb said...

umm, even the cover is beautiful.