A Review of Sewing for Dummies 3rd Edition

It’s no secret that I am sewing challenged. Me and sewing machines…well let’s just say we’ve never gotten along all that well.

My mother has an antique sewing machine, several in fact, but there is one in particular that I blame for my aversion to sewing. See, when I was little I was playing with it and managed to stick the needle through the palm of my hand. After that I’ve tried to steer clear of sewing machines. I don’t have the faintest clue on how to use bobbins, needles or other miscellaneous sewing what nots associated with sewing machines.

So when I was offered the chance to review the 3rd edition of the book Sewing for Dummies I jumped at the chance thinking this may be my chance to learn to sew.

The book is a fabulous with easy to read intructions to everything sewing. I have learned about assembling a great sewing kit, choosing fabrics, working with lace, adding zippers, sewing piping, adding cording and fringe trim, sewing on buttons, adding darts, hemming by hand or machine, and reading patterns.

All of this is useful and wonderful stuff but for things like sitting down and getting to know your sewing machine, I didn’t find it very useful. Obviously every machine is different so including step by step details for a particular sewing machine wouldn’t be effective in this general sewing book, but that’s what I really need.

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A Review of the Homesteader's Kitchen: Recipes from Farm to Table by Robin Burnside

Cooking with locally grown food is becoming more popular and more important as people realize the need to support the local economy and environment by making good choices that are both economically sound and wholesomely healthy.

For quite awhile me, the older woman across the street, and the old guy at the end of the road who used to have a huge farm were the only ones who had a garden on my street. This year almost every house on my road has a small garden, a few have really good sized gardens.

More and more people are returning to the old ways and growing their own food and going DIY when it comes to making and fixing things.

It makes eco-sense to grow your own food. For the price of a couple packs of seeds and some physical labor you can end up with a harvest worth hundreds of dollars.

But what do you do with all that farm fresh goodness?

Cook it.

And The Homesteader's Kitchen: Recipes from Farm to Table has a wonderfully tasty assortment of recipes to help you do just that.

There's a little bit of everything in this deliciously delightful recipe book- from breakfast to dinner then on to dessert- even beverages.

Keep reading this review here.

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A Review of Re-bound

There's something about books...the secrets, the mystery, the history that they can hold within their bindings, the amazing words and pictures that grace the pages...Books are wonderful things.

I can remember as a child and teenager my books were my most prized possessions, both the ones I read and the ones I made.Now my little books were never anything too fancy or too phenomenal, often just simple pieces of folded papers that were stapled or glued together to create little books filled with stickers or drawings but my mother always seemed to love them and I adored putting together the little books.

Somewhere along the line of life I abandoned bookmaking for writing and for other crafty endeavors. Then I recently came across this book at the library, Re-bound by Jeannine Stein.

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I Wish I Had This Book for Christmas

Browsing through my local library’s green section I recently came across A Greener Christmas. Wow! I really wish I would have had this book at Christmas. What a great book filled with crafts and recipes to bring back the old fashioned feeling of a true Christmas, not a glitzy glammy one.

I have discovered several ideas in the book that can easily be transformed to fit Valentine’s Day so I don’t have to wait almost a whole year to put any of these nifty ideas into use.

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Junk Beautiful Books: The Ultimate in Repurposed Inspiration

If you have not gotten your hands on one of the Junk Beautiful books you are totally missing out.
Sue Whitney is the ultimate when it comes to taking a piece of whatever and re-purposing it into awesome decor. Examples: an old grate becomes the centerpiece of a magnificent winter wreath, washboards and a printer’s drawer become a stylish outdoor patio table, a tire and drum become a side table, a vintage wooden milk crate becomes a garden cart, dominoes become a soap dish, an old urinal becomes a planter…and that’s just ideas from the Junk Beautiful Outdoor Edition.

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A Review of The Green Crafter

The Green Crafter: 52 Eco Friendly Projects for Every Week of the Year is a cute book by Richela Fabian Morgan.

In the book you’ll find a bunch of cute eco-craft projects for adults and kids. You’ll find detailed directions for fun projects like sock monkeys, very awesome paper dolls, garden butterflies, paper flowers, rock animals, ghosts on a string, photo ball ornaments, and keepsake boxes…just to name a few of my favorites.

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A Review of Craftcycle by Heidi Boyd

Craftcycle by Heidi Boyd is one of the newest eco-crafting books to hit the bookshelves and one of the best. With super creative, crafty and ingenious ideas this book is a keeper.

With over 100 eco-friendly projects plus eco-living tips and ideas, this is a book that is going to be on many “greenies” wish lists.

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A Review of Sneaky Green Uses for Everyday Things by Cy Tymony

Sneaky Green Uses for Everyday Things: How to Craft Eco-Garments and Sneaky Snack Kits, Create Green Cleaners, Remake Paper into Flying Toys, Assemble … a Robot Recycle Bin with Everyday Things is a fun and fabulous book for people that love to create their own gadgets.

This book is almost like a science project book. Both my older kids are checking it deciding which fun gadgets and experiments they want to try.

If you do homeschooling this might be a great book for you to get since it is full of green projects, experiments and even some crafty fun.

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A Review of the Book Sew with Sara

The one thing I have always wanted to learn how to do, but have never gotten around to it, is sewing. Sure I can do the basics like stitch a seam back together or sew a button back on but when it comes to using a sewing machine…I am totally intimidated. I don’t even know where to start.

I don’t want my daughter’s creativity to be thwarted like mine. Not being able to sew has limited my crafty creations. I design a lot of things, many which never come in being because I can’t sew.

The book Sew with Sara: PJs, Pillows, Bags & More–Fun Stuff to Keep, Give, SELL! is a great way to get my daughter interested in sewing.

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A Review of The Wrapping Scarf Revolution by Patricia Lee

From the creator of the BOBO wrapping scarf comes the new book The Wrapping Scarf Revolution (Leisure Arts #4833).

If you have ever checked out BOBO wraps but were too intimidated to buy one because of the complex wrapping then this book is for you- filled with step by step detailed instructions to help you wrap these beautiful scarves.

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Review of 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse

“Artists and crafters have always been recyclers, but for many, it has not only become a thrifty choice, it has become a moral imperative. 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse contains a cutting edge collection of the most inventive work being made with re-used, upcycled, and already existing materials. The work in this book ranges from clever and humble personal accessories to unique and important large-scale works of art, including paper art, fashion, jewelry, housewares, interiors, and installations.”

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Green Craft Projects and Links

I have been writing for CraftingaGreenWorld.com for awhile now. I post there on the weekends, usually on Fridays and sometimes on Saturdays.

In case you've missed some of my projects, reviews and news here are several links.

A Review of the Junk Beautiful Books

A Review of Bottled Up Designs Jewelry

An Article About My Memory Shadow Box

My Yogurt Cup Creations

Safe Art and Craft Supplies for Kids from Stubby Pencil Studio

Green Goes with Everything: Simple Steps to a Healthier Life and Cleaner Planet

Green Goes With Everything: Simple Steps to a Healthier Life and a Cleaner Planet by Sloan Barnett is a great book and will make a wonderful stocking stuffer for anyone who needs a little more green awareness in their life.



I think this may be one of the books I give to my mom for Christmas. While she may be green in so many ways she could use a little info about the technical stuff like cleaning products, chemicals and toxins. I think she would love it.



Green Goes With Everything is one of those books written with passion, written from the heart. Sloan Barnett is a mom, a mom that's had to deal with her children being sick, dangerously sick, for no apparent reason. The hows and whys were not given. I can relate to that.



For all of our modern technology and medical advances doctors don't know why everyone, especially children, get sick so much more now. Bull. Toxins. Chemicals. I believe it because it rings all too true for me and my family. Allergies, asthma, possible ADD. Yeah, we're dealing and trying to detox.



Barnett covers how to clean everything green and make it safer: the home, body, baby, food, water, air, have cleaner energy and more. There's also a HUGE web resource section that will help you find just about anything green you need.