{NewNew} alumna Kayte Terry published her second book last fall entitled Applique Your Way. With this book she dives more deeply into an embellishment technique she introduced with her first book Complete Embellishment.

The Contents
As so often, the first part of the book covers different applique techniques such as making templates, hand-sewn applique, machine-sewn applique and reverse applique. The instructions are pretty straight forward. Kayte is an advocate of hand-sewn applique because she enjoys the meditative aspect of the craft and the way it connects her with centuries of women using the same technique, but she also provides simple steps for machine-sewn applique.

The remainder of the book is filled with 35 projects divided into the categories: Wearing, Decorating, and Giving. Kayte designed the majority of the projects, and she also highlights ideas by other crafters including the refashioned flower tea towel by {NewNew} member Kristen of Cakehouse. (See if you can find Kimm of Kimmchi modeling some of the projects.) The patterns and templates you may need are nicely folded away in an envelope at the back of the book. Unlike other crafting books I've used in the past, you will actually be able to refold and store these templates without having to deal with an exploding envelope.

Layout and Feel
The book with its beige paper and matte pictures has a vintage feel to it. Many of the pictures especially in the Giving and Decorating chapters highlight 1970's dishes, fabrics, and knickknacks. Two features that I love are the fact that the book is ring-bound, if you open to a page it will stay open, and that there's a handy elastic strap that holds it all together should you use it as a place to hold your inspiration materials.

My Project
Before I review a book I usually make one thing out of it first. In this case, I didn't follow instructions. Instead, I was inspired by the Doily Trivets (on the left) and used them as a launch pad for something slightly different. For my trivet (on the right), I folded up a piece of felt and basically cut it into a snowflake. I then embellished it further with a few random embroidery stitches. For the padding I used some felted sweater remnants, stitched the whole thing together, and voila a square trivet.

For some ideas or to share your own projects, check out the Applique Your Way Flickr group.

Simone
groundsel.etsy.com

last thursday, i attended a really fun crafting event: the first craft on draught night at spacecraft in south williamsburg. with me were two other {newnew} refashioners: kayte of this is love forever and kari of ikyoto.

craft on draught is a series of crafting parties, co-sponsored by the {newnew}, that promise "the ultimate happy hour of destruction, reconstruction, and social mixing!" as you can see here, it was just that:

your admission fee gives you access to a huge heap of awesome donated fabric and clothes, tons of trimmings, and all the tools and supplies you could desire, from needles and thread to hot glue guns. some people used all these goodies to give new life to old clothes, while others chose to create entirely new garments.

here's me with kayte and kari and our creations:

i turned my old mock-turtleneck sweater into a cardigan with the help of a giant button and some reverse applique. kayte gave a stripey dress some sequin-infused appliques made from a gorgeous marimekko print. kari took a shirt and some coordinating fabric and put them together to make a cropped summer cardigan. do you see the horse print on that shirt? there really were some amazing materials to work with. we ripped, we sewed, we laughed, we drank pbr. all in all, the perfect night.

hope to see you there for the next one. it will be at 3rd ward on thursday may 7th, and will focus on felting old wool clothing. come and catch the refashioning spirit!

- cakehouse

Book Review: Applique Your Way by Kayte Terry

craft on draught!