Grow a Little Fruit Tree

Beautifully illustrated, and designed with remarkable attention to aesthetics, this is a  delightful combination of information and art. Moreover, the concept behind the book is so simple and seductive: grow a little fruit tree. Grow fruit. Grow it small. Keep it manageable.  That's the sort of thing that makes a reader think- yes, I can do that.

Dealing with the necessary steps involved in growing a small fruit tree, as well as the reasons why one would want to- after all, over producing isn't really going to do you any good, is it? Small trees take up less space, and are easier to both care for and harvest. Filled with charts, diagrams, and decades of experience and anecdotes that will help any gardener remember that an 8' tree really does in deed get larger than one can reach on one's own, if left to it's own devices, Grow a Little Fruit Tree is the perfect guide to growing fruit at home.

I plan to add this to my permanent collection of books on espalier techniques, as it has long been my intent to turn my unused patch of yard the other side of the garage into a small fruit tree orchard. Grow a Little Fruit Tree makes me feel like I have the information I need to do it successfully. The detailed pruning instructions and pictures alone make this a wonderful addition to any gardening library, but like I said, I'm partial to a book that discusses espalier technique.

Beyond being informative, Ann Ralph's writing technique is both accessible and entertaining. Her tone is conversational and a real love of growing fruit trees comes across in the ink. Of course, it all boils down to whether or not I learned something. As I said, I've been looking at growing little fruit trees for quite a while, so it's a subject I've been studying for a while now, and yes. I learned pollination techniques I hadn't yet found in other books on fruit trees, and more about pruning than I knew when I opened it up.  It was well worth the read.

I was overjoyed to have the opportunity to review an e-ARC of this title through NetGalley.

A Quilting Reviewer's Litmus Test

I have read a lot of quilting books. I don't want to confuse you by pretending to have finished, from plan, to piecing, sandwiching, quilting, and binding very many, but oh, the UFOs I've started. They are numerous, and of varied quality. I have grown up enough to admit that one or two were really just learning experiences- very expensive learning experiences.

As a bibliophile, I'm all about letting the books around me take some of the misery out of the learning process, so for every quilt I've started, I've probably read at least two quilting books. In the last week a friend who has sworn off sewing dropped two paper grocery sacks of quilting books off on my porch. Most of them were a touch more traditional than what I typically go in for, but nearly every one had a specific pattern that I'd long been curious to learn. Cathedral Windows.

Of course, I'd been long intimidated by the first complicated write up I'd ever read of the process, so I sat down and flipped through each book to their directions on how to make the Cathedral Windows block, figuring, whichever books made the process make sense would probably do a better job of explaining the other projects as well.

So that's my new litmus test for traditional quilting books- does it write up a decent explanation of Cathedral Windows, or does it leave the quilting hobbyist rocking in the corner of her sewing dungeon in some upright variation of the fetal position? If it's clear, then it might need to remain on my shelf, if not... well, my shelf space is limited, and I like to support the library's annual book sale.

More on which books I'm keeping and which I'm not even bothering with in days to come. 

Review: Stitch it Simple: 25 hand sewn projects to make and share

The only way Beth Sheard could have tiled her collection of fun and whimsical projects more honestly than "Stitch it Simple," would be to call this the "Stashbusting Guide to Ditching That Craftersblock."

My sewing dungeon hadn't hardly seen me for anything more than some sorting and absolutely necessary dress alterations for the last four months when I cracked this open, and while I've found a lot of things that almost put me in a sewing mood lately, the combination of extreme simplicity, whimsical print, and a bold fun aesthetic in Stitch it Simple actually had me looking at my fabrc stash thinking, "hey baby, you're no Kaffe Fassett, but you and your friends there would make a glorious set of alphanumeric pillows, and oh, the sweet bunting you could be. Bonus points for extremely easy to follow instructions.

I'm a stickler for easy to follow instructions. In the last week I've been trying sort one simple patchwork technique, and I turned to five printed sources on my shelves before giving up and letting youtube explain it. (Seriously, Cathedral Windows write ups have a tendency to be serpentine.)I really don't have the energy to compare instructions from multiple sources in order to begin a project. It sucks all the joy out of the creative process for me. So, I doubly appreciate that the directions printed in Stitch it Simple really were quite simple. 

Of course, I first picked up a needle and thread with the intent to become their master when I was nine, so if you've never picked up a needle before, the beginning overview of basic techniques may feel like a graduate course, but I felt like it was a good springboard for talking about the uncomplicated projects that followed.

I liked it, and moreover I liked that I now feel compelled to add some more color to my world.

Happy reading, and happier sewing.

I received an e copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Handbag Workshop: Design and Sew the Perfect Bag

If you've ever struggled to make your own bag and thrown your hands up in dismay, this is the book you want on your studio's shelf. If you've ever wondered how to "press" your seams when working with leather, you want this book on your studio's shelf. If you've ever gotten tongue tied trying to describe the bag you wish you had, fumbling for the word to describe it, this is the book you need. Complete with a working lexicon of bags, Anna Mazur's Handbag Workshop will help you understand the difference between a messenger, a satchel and the more ladylike Kelly, and why a Minaudiere isn't the same as just any old clutch.

Complete with instructions, pictures, and really key warnings, like a friendly reminder that leather isn't going to heal if you pin it, Handbag Workshop: Design and Sew the Perfect Bag walks you through a plethora of projects, including the hard things, like how to attach diverse bits of hardware and trims for the one of a kind professional and artisan look.

Now, not every project in the book was my cup of tea, but the techniques from every project can be applied to my own designs, and I'm all about that. Ultimately, a good workshop book needs to be adaptable and full of useful tidbits that can be applied to other projects rather than techniques that are so project specific that one will literally never use them for anything else, and Anna  M. Mazur's book really hits it out of the park in terms of knowledge that adds to the reader's functional technique repertoire. Because the instructions are clear and the pictures relieve any remaining questions, this is an easy book to use. The author gets bonus points for breaking down her bag designs into different sections for varying difficulty levels. I think I see a Tiffany Inspired Reversible Tote in my future- and a Cross-Body Sling Bag with Tablet Pocket. I'm a cross-body purse wearer, at the end of the day. It may not be the most elegant, but it is the most functional.

Happy Sewing!


I received a free eARC of this title for review purposes. I have not been compensated in any other way for my review, which was not swayed in any way by the free nature of said ARC.

Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter

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