Category: Craptastic Crafts and Hobbies

Looking to make something? This the category that includes crafts, hobbies, projects for home and office

Creative Arts with Older Adults cover

Elder Artwork

Craptastic Crafts and Hobbies 5 comments

Creative Arts with Older Adults: A Sourcebook
Weisberg and Wilder, Eds.
1985

Submitter: Found in the stack of this public library – It’s not truly awful, but it is old and uninspiring. The photos are poor and the image/printing quality is terrible if you’re BIPOC. I also think we have moved away from the term Geriatric.

Holly: Sometimes books like these can be downright condescending, when older adults may well be master artists. I do understand that physical conditions related to aging can affect one’s ability to make creative arts, even if they had high-level skills at any point in their lives. However, the first page below suggests making everyone aware of everyone else’s disabilities so that they’re all sensitive to each others’ needs – which is something I would NEVER do.

Continue reading
Make-Up Art cover

Make-Up Art

Craptastic Crafts and Hobbies 19 comments

Make-Up Art
Freeman
1991

Submitter: This book looked like a good choice back in 1991. However it has not circulated in some time. It’s pretty grubby with what I hope are just makeup stains. Some of the sketches are let’s say… Interesting.

Holly: Ummm…yeah. The Chinese Mask is definitely a no-go. Cultural appropriation is not cute. The back of the book (image below) says it’s the “most modern” on the subject. This is a series – I wonder what’s in the other volumes??

Continue reading
sewing made easy cover

A Sewing Reference

Craptastic Crafts and Hobbies 5 comments

Sewing Made Easy
Sara
1986 (original copyright 1950)

On a good day, I am awesomely mediocre at sewing. Actually, my ability to craft anything is pretty mediocre. Sewing was a requirement for girls in my junior high school days. This book was probably made for people like me. I liked sewing, but not enough to get super proficient at the skill. Having a book like this was great to refer to some of the more rigorous projects as well as some easy home decor. This book was built as a basic reference for the average housewife.

Continue reading
sew easy menswear cover

Keeping him in stitches…

Craptastic Crafts and Hobbies 3 comments

The Sew-Easy Guide to Menswear
or How to Keep Him in Stitches
Sear
1975

As a mediocre sewer on my best days, I have always been under the impression that menswear is tough to manage. A pair of trousers would probably have me crying. There is a lot of detail to a pair of men’s pants. Call me skeptical for a title that says “sew easy” as part of the title. From the illustrations and just the number of pieces in the patterns, I am sticking to my original thought that menswear is out of my league.

Continue reading
country crafts cover

Country themed crafts for home decor

Craptastic Crafts and Hobbies 12 comments

American Country-Crafts
Time-Life Books
1989

This is part of a 15 volume set on country themed art. The books have various themes: Country Kitchen, Country Quilts, Country Style, Country Entertaining, Country Furniture, etc. I guess if you really want to be “country-styled” this is the set for you. Personally, I think this is probably overkill. This book isn’t really for the “how-to” craft crowd. It is more about stylized decorating with the crafty looking items. I can’t imagine what the library was thinking by adding this book. Want to bet it was in a donation pile and someone thought it looked like it was in great shape?

Continue reading
serger gifts cover

A Surge of Serger Crafts

Craptastic Crafts and Hobbies 4 comments

Distinctive Serger Gifts and Crafts
Baker and Young
1989

I have always been a bit fascinated by a serger or overlock machine. For those not in the cult of fabric, a serger finishes seams but also cuts the fabric. They look kind of cool with all the spools of thread and they usually have a neat finish to the seams. As a sewing hack, I have always wanted one. Serger-related materials are definitely worth collecting. I probably would have bought this (back in the day) based on the title alone.

Continue reading