ReCraft - A Review

Hello there my lovely readers! Today I'm bringing you a review of a new crafty book, ReCraft by Sara Duchars and Sarah Marks.

ReCraft is a book designed to teach you "how to turn second-hand stuff into beautiful things for your home, family and friends". In the rather lovely introduction Sara and Sarah are described as both growing up around crafts - be it knitting, crochet, sewing, tailoring, you name it! They definitely sound like my kind of people :) - before starting their own crafty business together: Buttonbag. Buttonbag puts together gorgeous crafty kits for children, and from their love of making something out of nothing ReCraft was born. The main idea behind the book is to make you think "What can I turn this into?" rather than "What do I need to make this?" with great emphasis on experimentation and allowing yourself to be creative. This is an idea that I adore, the whole thought of making something beautiful from nothing is very seductive, so I couldn't wait to see what the book had in store!

The book is divided into five sections, all containing different projects aimed at all of the various people in your life: Toys, Baby Stuff, Family, Friends and Home. I'm probably not the best judge of the first two sections as there are no babies in my life right now, However I can definitely see the appeal of the stuffed animals, particularly as each one was made from secondhand clothes, talk about a money saver! You wouldn't even need to pay for stuffing as the book suggests using finely cut up old socks, what a great idea! I could see many of these projects being very useful come Christmas time for anyone with small children in their lives. But the sections of the book that really interested me were the Friends and Home section.

Some of my favourite ReCraft Projects

There are some really great projects in the Friends and Home sections of the book, all of which I could see myself making as gifts for others or just as treats for myself. I particularly loved the book handbag (like all those designer ones out there but for a fraction of the price!) and the Dachshund draft excluder, who could resist such a sweet thing?! The pictures in the book are beautiful and you really will want to fill your home with these lovely creations, I know that I do.

I would say that more experienced crafters may find some of the projects a little basic. There are sections of the book describing basic sewing techniques and tools that would be fairly useless for the keen seamstress or home-crafter, however I still feel that this book is worth a look to more than just the beginner because of the message it puts across. ReCraft inspires it's reader to make the most of their raw materials, whatever they may be, and create things that are both unique and useful. It will help you to work outside the box when it comes to crafting - I am already planning a whole host of homemade Christmas gifts inspired by this book, as I feel now that I will be able to create things that are beautiful but still work within a budget! 

I think ReCraft is a great book, perfect for the new crafter but with a lot to offer even the more experienced among us, and it should definitely be one of your go to books when it comes to making Christmas gifts this year!

(In the interest of full disclosure this book was sent to me for review, but I hope you trust me enough to know that my opinions and non-biased and are my own)