Sew Up a Home Makeover

February 1, 2012
With a sewing machine and fabric, plus a few household tools (scissors and tape measure, for two), anyone, claims self-taught designer-author Barnes (Sew What! Bags, 2009), can make over a chair, a table, or a room. And to show visually what a few yards of textiles can accomplish, the author demonstrates her handiwork using one room in a number of different settings. A bedroom becomes an adult hideaway with an upholstered headboard, yukata robe and slippers, and roman shades; or it's a newborn's sanctuary, thanks to a felt mobile and appliqu'd blanket; or even a teen's place of her own, featuring caf' curtains and pom-pommed lampshade and pillows. Directions require only an understanding of sewing-machine operations and a command of English. Patterns are confined to simple measurements and illustrations. And even for the instructionally challenged, Barnes' front-of-the-book how-to's provide enough latitude to gracefully improvise.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)