Saturday 21 May 2016

Pompomania, by Christine Leech. Review.


Pompomania

how to make over 20 cute and characterful pompoms

By Christine Leech

Photography by Joanna Henderson

Quadrille 2016

Hardcover, £ 10 UK, $16.95 US

ISBN 978-1-84949-674-2



Star rating: *****



Papercrafters love their embellishments – and pompoms are having their happy fluffy moment. Three cheers then for this genius book that takes the craft of  pompom-making to dizzy new heights. The author, Christine Leech, has worked out how to incorporate pattern into pompoms. Wow factor! By manipulating yarn colour placement and number of winds, patterned pompoms can be produced. Best of all, the author very generously teaches you her method, so you can have a go at designing yourself, after you have mastered the basics and taken pompom theory on board.  


Mega-admiration for the author, who takes us on her pompom-making personal journey. She shares her learning curve with us – and all her technical secrets. The book contains fun, imaginative projects and superb technique nitty gritty. Learn how to engineer stripes and shapes into your pompom, and how to craft pompoms in different shapes. All with clear photographic step-by-steps accompanied by well-written, entertaining text. Helpful colour-block diagrams showing yarn placement are included where required.


The projects  are imaginative: a flowering cactus (so on trend), pompom emoji, an elegant bonsai tree, sushi, macarons, and a painterly pompom pear. Pompom soft toys include a parrot, an Inuit, and a Pompomeranian (of course).


It is worth noting that pompom making is a craft that does not require a huge investment of cash – or time.  Most of the projects in the book are made with acrylic DK yarn and an inexpensive pompom-maker gadget (although for the no-frills crafter, pompoms can be made with D-I-Y cardboard discs).


This book is highly giftable, and would make a great gift for an older child. Better buy two – this title is a keeper. 


Note:  I was given a review copy of this book.


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