Book Review: Applique Your Way by Kayte Terry

{NewNew} alumna Kayte Terry published her second book last fall entitled Applique Your Way. With this book she dives more deeply into an embellishment technique she introduced with her first book Complete Embellishment.

The Contents
As so often, the first part of the book covers different applique techniques such as making templates, hand-sewn applique, machine-sewn applique and reverse applique. The instructions are pretty straight forward. Kayte is an advocate of hand-sewn applique because she enjoys the meditative aspect of the craft and the way it connects her with centuries of women using the same technique, but she also provides simple steps for machine-sewn applique.


The remainder of the book is filled with 35 projects divided into the categories: Wearing, Decorating, and Giving. Kayte designed the majority of the projects, and she also highlights ideas by other crafters including the refashioned flower tea towel by {NewNew} member Kristen of Cakehouse. (See if you can find Kimm of Kimmchi modeling some of the projects.) The patterns and templates you may need are nicely folded away in an envelope at the back of the book. Unlike other crafting books I've used in the past, you will actually be able to refold and store these templates without having to deal with an exploding envelope.

Layout and Feel
The book with its beige paper and matte pictures has a vintage feel to it. Many of the pictures especially in the Giving and Decorating chapters highlight 1970's dishes, fabrics, and knickknacks. Two features that I love are the fact that the book is ring-bound, if you open to a page it will stay open, and that there's a handy elastic strap that holds it all together should you use it as a place to hold your inspiration materials.

My Project
Before I review a book I usually make one thing out of it first. In this case, I didn't follow instructions. Instead, I was inspired by the Doily Trivets (on the left) and used them as a launch pad for something slightly different. For my trivet (on the right), I folded up a piece of felt and basically cut it into a snowflake. I then embellished it further with a few random embroidery stitches. For the padding I used some felted sweater remnants, stitched the whole thing together, and voila a square trivet.

For some ideas or to share your own projects, check out the Applique Your Way Flickr group.

Simone
groundsel.etsy.com