Craptastic Crafts and Hobbies Archives - Page 2 of 28

Introducing Macrame

December 20, 2021 Mary Kelly Craptastic Crafts and Hobbies 10 comments

Introducing Macrame
Short
1970

It’s been a while since I ran into a macrame book. So I was kind of excited to jump into this gem. Actually, I ended up being a bit disappointed because it wasn’t as awful as I expected. I miss the ridiculous clothing from this book. And this one. And this one too.

This book was more about “look at macrame” rather than how to do macrame. Even in 1970, this probably wasn’t a great public library purchase. I would have been more interested in titles that showed some instruction.

Put the Fear of God Into Your Toys

October 21, 2021 Mary Kelly Craptastic Crafts and Hobbies, Department of God 10 comments

Making Old Testament Toys
Hutchings
1972

We have so many craft books featured on this site. Holidays? Pick your favorite. Can’t decide which craft to try? We have you covered here. Holly and I have personal favorite craft books on this site: Applehead dolls, Pantyhose Crafts, and Macrame, to name a few. Old Testament toys might also join this esteemed list of crafts.

Old Testament theme? Not my favorite theme for crafting, but I suppose that might appeal to some folks. The color scheme is ugly and the 2 pages of photographs are not even amateur level. But the crafts…

Finger Craft

September 20, 2021 Mary Kelly Craptastic Crafts and Hobbies 7 comments

The Basic Book of Finger Weaving
Dendel
1974

Another craptastic craft book for your consideration. The copy I happened to see was pretty beat up. That said, all I had to do was note the quasi “harvest gold” palette of colors to determine that this book was straight out of the 1970s. Looking at the crafts, you can see this is related to the macrame books of the same era. Everyone knew about macrame, but I never heard the term finger weaving used.

Of course we have some perennial 1970s looks: ponchos, vests, and a decorative collar. I believe I have seen a similar example of an afghan on every couch when I was a kid.

This is a weeder. The dirt on the book and a somewhat broken binding qualifies it for the recycle pile. Retro crafts can be something fun, but how about a book from this century?

Retire with Crafts!

August 24, 2021 Mary Kelly Craptastic Crafts and Hobbies 10 comments

Crafts For Your Leisure Years
Bodkin, Leibowitz, Wiener
1976

As the designated “elder” in ALB, I have to say no to these crafts. Frankly, I don’t get what makes them appropriate for the retirement crowd. They look like any other craft book. Aside from some seriously ugly crafts, there isn’t anything special that makes this book, or the crafts within, particularly senior friendly.

DIY Puppets

August 9, 2021 Holly Craptastic Crafts and Hobbies 13 comments

Easy-to-Make Puppets
Stockwell
1973

Submitter: Easy To Make Puppets allows you to make…

Middle Finger Dumbo (Handy to keep at the circulation desk for those fun patrons)
High as a Kite Clown
Stop wasting food heads (A mom’s favorite)
And many more!

Holly: The disembodied head on the cover ought to give Mary sweet dreams. And if that doesn’t do it, the double-whammy clown puppet in the last image below will for sure. (You’re welcome!)

Mary: It’s part of my trifecta of evil: puppets, clowns, and mimes. Make it STOP!

Celebrity Sewing Bee

July 20, 2021 Holly Craptastic Crafts and Hobbies 14 comments

Francine Coffey’s Celebrity Sewing Bee
Coffey
1974

Submitter: When the title says “celebrity sewing bee” they really meant a lot of Dinah Shore. The one area that was really popular during the pandemic was our crafting section. So much so, you could spot the books that needed weeding by glancing over to that section and seeing what did not go out the door. This was one of them – and with reason.

Holly: I can’t imagine why a sewing book with celebrities from 47 years ago isn’t popular anymore. <sarcasm> There are all kinds of great ideas here: put fabric on your ceiling, or Elmer’s glue some fabric to your floor! Make a diet-friendly birthday cake-shaped bag! Re-purpose bandanas into a dress (hey, if you can make a skirt out of curtains, you can make a dress out of masks! I’m sure that’s the next craft craze.)

T-Shirting

July 13, 2021 Holly Craptastic Crafts and Hobbies 11 comments

T-Shirting: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Getting it On Your Chest
Platt
1975

Submitter: I had high hopes from the cover this book might be a groovy book that, when put out on display might get someone to check it out. But alas, its one of those disappointing craft books with bad black and white images.

Holly: Fair warning before you scroll down: two of these images are potentially NSFW. One is a t-shirt model with “special skills” (image 6 below). This might have been a cool book in 1975, but I agree with Submitter: black and white images are just disappointing in a craft book. I want to see those chest handprints in living color (image 3 below…NSFW…).

Hippie Crafts

July 12, 2021 Holly Craptastic Crafts and Hobbies 14 comments

Hippie Crafts: Creating a Hip New Look Using Groovy ’60s Crafts
O’Sullivan
2005

Submitter: This book has not circulated since being purchased back in 2005. From the looks of it, I can see why! Maybe Mary can delight us in some of her 60’s threads.

Holly: Mary is cool, but not this cool.

Mary: I am quite certain I sported a few similar items, but I am going to say no to the vests in the 5th picture. Some of these should have stayed put in the 1960s.