New Books …

These two books are all about style, and a certain je ne sais quoi.  You’ll need to forgive me that last because in this context, it’s a bad pun (you’ll see).

I have no design training.  None.  I took one art history class on medieval manuscripts, and one on photography over a decade ago, and that is the sum total of my art classes.  And I think that my lack is bothering me.  One of the things that training of whatever kind helps you to do is to focus your ideas and thoughts, to give you a vocabulary to discuss whatever it is, and to give you the tools to express what you know.   I have a lot of that in some areas, but in the design area I have almost nothing.  And it’s turning out to be a pain - here at home trying to figure out how to make stuff and oftentimes at work where we work with designers fairly frequently.

So I suspect that recently I’ve been unwittingly trying to give myself a crash course in design in the only way I know how.   I get books I think will help, and I research the crap out of my subject, I analyze it until it’s in tiny little easily digestible pieces. Then I fiddle with things, replace some bits with other bits, throw stuff out I don’t like, pin up stuff written on or stapled to little index cards on my bulletin board I like.  And ultimately, I usually figure out what feel like I’m missing.

I got these two books, not because they’re my style, but I think it’s because of that “I don’t know what” part I just mentioned.  Both have distinctive styles.  So I’m looking at things that have a recognizable design element, and figuring out how it was achieved.  Design is kinda funky that way, though, because in so many cases the sum is really more than its parts.

First, things with a French look.

Simple Sewing with a French Twist: An Illustrated Guide to Sewing Clothes and Home Accessories with Style (via) by Celine Dupuy

The first book - I was watching it for a while at the store. Thinking to myself, “Maybe I need to subscribe to Marie Claire. Maybe this is cliche. Should I get it?” So yeah, I was a little unsure about buying. Then I found this review over at disdressed which made me feel better knowing what to look for in the book. I think that I may make a future couple of birthday presents from this, you know, just in case anyone I know likes French stuff (you know who you are, Ms. Eiffel Tower. If you see this book, tell me if you like anything).

Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts (via) by Joelle Hoverson (Author), Anna Williams (Photographer)

I’ve wandered through PurlSoho.com quite a bit and noticed this here book, which was written by one of its owners Joelle Hoverson. She also wrote Last-Minute Knitted Gifts … but I don’t knit. “Last-minute” in this context is supposed to mean that the projects can be completed in 8 hours or less. To me, I’m not sure that equates to last minute for me, given my extremely limited crafting time frame, but I’m interested in trying them out. Well, once again what I’m interested in the style here - again, how it was achieved, the fabric choices, the end result.

This book I was interested in for the same reason I look through certain patterns and books, wander by certain designers, read certain blogs. There’s a certain contemporary crafting lifestyle/style/something that is present here. It’s certain shape and fabric and color choices … PurlSoho stocks many of those fabric companies that work with independent designers, in fact.

So those are my two books.  On the more technical side, I also ordered a book on crocheting tartans.  I’m curious about how that works.  Maybe it will help with my scarf