Holiday Scoop: Books to give and (hopefully) get!

Cold weather always makes us bookish. When the temps take a dive, we’re overwhelmed with an urge to find a quilt, a hot cuppa and curl up with something compelling between two covers.  (Which lately, we can only indulge in as we make more progress on the holiday sewing is done. Sigh.) And a book is about the best gift we can give or get. (If dinner with Ryan Gosling or some other lovely hunk is out of the question, that is.)

Here’s a peek at some of the  great current choices, in case your Santa needs a list to complete his list:

Dreaming in Color

By Kaffe Fasset

STC Craft

www.kaffefassett.com

224 pages, hardcover, $40.00

Sugar plums will be dancing in your head if you’re lucky enough to get this lovely book this holiday season. Kaffe’s latest is a beautiful hardcover offering a glimpse into his entire life, and it’s packed with luscious, inspiring photographs.

Instead of patterns, Kaffe shares the stories from his childhood that shaped who he is and how he blossomed as an artist. Growing up in Big Sur, California, may seem like inspiration for a lifetime to those who have been there, but he also lived in England in the Sixties–another mainline source of colorful inspiration. His story truly depicts how life can become a beautiful patchwork when you put in the work and then simply open yourself to possibility. Kaffe’s life, in fact, is just as much an inspiration as his body of design work.

As usual, his photographs are delicious! This book is a must-have, whether you knit, quilt or dream of unleashing the artist within. And this hardcover is the perfect coffee table trophy for the fabric lover, quilter, knitter or Kaffe fanatic.

Grow Your Handmade Business

By Kari Chapin

Storey

karichapin.com

271 pages, softcover, $16.95

Dreaming about  making money with your sewing, but don’t know where to start? Or maybe you’ve already started a small business but aren’t sure how to get it to the next level…Well, get this book! Better yet, give it to someone who is dreaming of a creative business in 2013. It’s filled with ideas that can make a difference!

Author Kari Chapin takes you through the steps to figure out what you should be doing if you long for a more creative career (aka “Creative Mapping”).  She also has wonderful suggestions for existing businesses that are stumbling a bit and need help working through growing pains. She backs up her suggestions with her “Creative Collective,” a diverse group of entrepreneurs who chime in with their own opinions of what has worked for them.

Kari breaks even the most complicated business activities into easy-to-understand steps.  No matter what stage you’re at in your crafty career, you will find valuable nuggets in this book. However, if you’re just starting out or dreaming of a rewarding, creative change, it’s the mother lode.

Improv Sewing

By Nicole Blum and Debra Immergut

Storey

ourimprovdiary.wordpress.com

319 pgs, Softcover, $19.95

Perfectionist sewers will not enjoy this book. However, if you’re like the rest of us and just love to make things and want some fun and fresh ideas, crack it open! Improv Sewing is also perfect for newbies who want to stretch their needle abilities and it makes a fantastic gift for a teen sewist.

This book is surprisingly heavy for its size, and no wonder! It is just oozing with ideas of charming things to create with your sewing machine. Make some cute skirts, learn to doodle stitch with your sewing machine, make some adorable things for your home or to give as gifts…and there’s so much more.

And if you’re a seasoned sewist who just wants to loosen up your style or start making clothing, we think this book packs some punch. Can you say “playdate?”