Making Stuff: An Alternative Craft Book

Making Stuff is an eclectic craft book for the new millennium. It is a testament to a trend that is only going to get bigger. Whether you are a seasoned crafter looking for new ideas or a novice who still doesn’t know how to cast on, this book is for you.

The twenty-first century has seen an explosion in all kinds of crafting. The rise and rise of knitting as a cool pastime has led to circles and clubs springing up everywhere from New York to Notting Hill and alternative craft fairs are fast becoming a weekend institution as ever more people are reclaiming these age old hobbies and asserting their individuality through ‘making stuff’.

Utilising both traditional craft materials and thrifty finds Making Stuff gathers together over 50 projects from established members of the craft scene that will undoubtedly inspire you to get your craft on. A section at the beginning lays out the basic skills you need to make something out of nothing: knitting, sewing, crochet, felting and appliqué. The book simultaneously rejects and embraces these traditionally old-fashioned activities, whilst the skills remain the same the results have a modern edge: an eclectic mix of the useful, the hip, the beautiful and the downright weird.

Projects include:

Knit an i-Pod cover
Fashion a purse from your old school-ties
Stitch one piece of fabric into a stylish smock-dress
Turn an old jumper into a cuddly toy
Make a notebook out of record covers
Fold beautiful origami fairy-lights
Knit unwanted t-shirts into a bathmat or weave a placemat

As well as a plethora of ingenious ways to customise your clothes, make your own jewellery, decorate your home, recycle your old possessions and fashion baby clothes and toys for the children in your life.