Tag: craft

Categories / Art and Photography

Make Do and Mend print by Farouche on Etsy

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Farouche

Next time you shirk away from your ever-growing pile of socks in dire need of darning, this cheerful little print should give you a gentle reminder to sit down and get stitching.

The Make Do and Mend print from Farouche embodies one of the most enduring sentiments of wartime Britain and, with our pockets feeling a little lighter of late, is as relevant now as it was back then. The simple cursive typography, finished with a simple needle motif and vintage-style border, is available with a mint green, peach or dove grey background. 

The Make Do and Mend print is at a credit-crunch friendly price of $18 from the Farouche store on Etsy.

Categories / Books

Vintage Craft Workshop by Cathy Callahan

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Vintage craft workshop
With crafting currently enjoying a fashionable moment, what better time to dip into Cathy Callahan's Vintage Craft Workshop? Specialising in popular retro craft, its subtitle promises to give fresh takes on classic crafts from the '60s and the '70s. 

Various contributors help with the books 24 projects, reviving favourite crafts such as macrame, crochet and papier mache. The book aims to produce results that are stylish, not kitsch – I think this possibly has to be seen to be believed. 

If you'd like to try the projects out for yourself, the book is currently on sale for £9.09 from Amazon

Categories / Books, Women's Fashion

Knitting Vintage by Claire Montgomerie

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Vintage knitting
If you were inspired by Marnie Fogg's book on Vintage Knitwear and want to be able to recreate some of the looks yourself, there's another book you might want to invest in: Knitting Vintage by Claire Montgomerie.

The book features 30 knitting projects relating to trends and knitwear looks dating from between the 1900s and 1980s and reinventing them to work as part of a contemporary wardrobe. There's plenty of visual inspiration too: as well as plenty of images, there's a look at how different classic knitwear styles have been reinterpreted over the decades. 

With 176 pages, this seems like a bit of a bargain, especially as you can currently buy it for £9.79 from Amazon. 

Categories / Design and Interiors

Animal Menagerie Cards

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Animenag 
Looking for something creative bit of craft to while away the cold evenings, then these Animal Menagerie Cards might be of interest.

Designed by Junzo Terada, the set consists of twenty card animals to construct. The pieces of card are decorated with retro fabric style patterns. Envelopes are supplied so you can actually use these as greeting cards as well as creating cute decorative items.

The set costs £16.50 from Tinsmiths.

Categories / Books, Women's Fashion

The Ohio Knitting Mills Knitting Book: Patterns Celebrating Four Decades of American Sweater Style by Steven Tatar

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Ohio

A US book, but one that should be of interest to retro fashion fashions – and knitters – around the world, The Ohio Knitting Mills Knitting Book: Patterns Celebrating Four Decades of American Sweater Style by Steven Tatar.

Here's the story: The Ohio Knittings Mills, has for decades, created knitwear designs for leading department stores, with author Steven Tatar discovering an endless amount of mint-condition knitwear and patterns when he acquired the mill's archives in 2004. Using that source, he has picked out 26 original designs from the '40s to the '70s for the 'home knitter'.

Clear instructions apparently let everyone from beginner to more advanced knitters create the likes of the American gentleman, Rebel Rouser, wavy Gravy, and Soul Sister. It also includes vintage photographs and interviews with Ohio Knitting Mills employees to offer up some history alongside the designs. Want a copy? You can pick one up online, priced at £10.79.

Find out more at the Amazon website

Categories / Homeware

John Lewis Connections-patterned craft accessories

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JL connections
John Lewis has got some great retro prints at the moment, not least the 1950s-influenced Connections pattern. Keen crafters will be pleased to know that they've used the print across a range of craft accessories. 

The bold pattern makes a nice change from the chintzy designs that are often used such traditional items such as the sewing basket pictured. The range also includes a sewing case, pin cushion, craft bag and knitting needle roll. In fact, all that's needed to inspire a spot of making over the winter months. 

Prices range from £6 up to £35, with the basket pictured costing £20. 

Buy them online