A Year of Crafts for Children and Adults

Christine Linge is a past director of the Toronto & District Parent
Co-operative Preschool Corporation and a freelance writer.

The spiral binding of this slim volume allows the reader to easily flip
through and display the chosen project. Half of the book features
“Treasures from the Rag-bag” for adults; the remainder constitutes
the “Kid’s Craft Corner.” Hartman presents 104 projects (one each
for the adult and the child to do every week of the year) with
appropriate materials for popular holidays.

The detailed instructions fill the pages in fairly small type,
alongside a small, black-and-white photo of the completed project. (Four
color pages display a few of the creations.) Like the adults’ crafts,
the kids’ projects are presented in dense paragraphs with no drawings
to assist in the assembly or execution. Only a mature and motivated
child, or one with plenty of adult assistance, would be likely to carry
them through.

Showing good community spirit, Hartman has tried to emphasize
“recycling materials from basic craft supplies that are probably
already in your house.” However, only a regular sewer who attempts a
variety of crafts is likely to have the necessary items for most of
these projects. Indeed, the recycling theme results in a selection of
crafts with a quaint or old-fashioned flavor, running from “Fabric
Flowers” to a fun-fur “Coffee Can Cat Bank.” The effect is a
compendium of homey crafts from the last 40 years.

Sewing and crafting fans might find the time and materials to attempt
some of these projects, and may appreciate the author’s dedication to
detail. Recommended with reservations.