A three year old can only take so much shopping and Claire reached her limit while I was trying to decide on which craft and sewing books to buy. So of course I spent too much money and should have thought about my purchases more carefully. There were also some books that I didn't have time to look for.
The book titled Small Articles Made Out of Wool looked really familiar to me but the projects were so cute and enticing that I purchased it. I have since seen it on Amazon - IN ENGLISH! It looked familiar because last January I saw it at Powell's. Good grief. Shopping with your preschooler is a real exercise in patience and mental acuity. As a testament to my lack of focus and mental acuity, when we got home Saturday night with our booty, I realized that I had only purchased seven new beautiful, shallow soup/pasta bowls at IKEA. Now I ask you, who the hell buys seven bowls? The mother of a three year old, that's who. Sane, rational adults buy eight bowls.
Thinking about my new books now though, in the comfort of our home and while Claire sleeps or plays, I am very pleased with my selections. The book Houses, Houses, Houses! is probably the most beautiful quilting book in my sewing book library. I just love the earth tones that are used in the projects. The projects are part zakka, part Scandinavian charm and a little bit of something that I just can't name yet – sophisticated Holly Hobby I guess (that has to be an oxymoron!). They are really beautiful quilts that are turned into purses and placemats, change pouches, wall hangings and more. 
The other quilting book is pure zakka though. I keep thinking that if I could just find someone's discarded fabric stash from the '70's at Goodwill or a garage sale I would be set. The quilt projects in House are more cute than sophisticated and the color palate is more primary and pastel instead of earth tones. It is still ultra cute.
The book Small Articles Made of Wool Felt is a great book with terrific projects and patterns. I am hoping that I know enough about needle felting and wet felting that I'll be able to recreate some of these uber-cute wool friends. 
The same degree of intuitiveness is going to be needed to make any of the clothing shown in the Natural Fabric Clothing for Autumn/Winter book. I am currently taking a pattern fitting class through the local community college and I am surprised at how much I still know about garment construction. I have also found some helpful information on the internet on the subject of Japanese sewing patterns.
http://www.antipope.org/feorag/gosurori/gr-patterns.pdf
http://movinghands.wordpress.com/japanese-sewing-and-pattern-terms/
http://label-free.blogspot.com/search/label/How%20To%20-%20Japanese%20Crafting
The Serge Protector
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