If you enjoyed Ms. Polson’s Witch Crafts (Kensington, 2002) you are absolutely going to enjoy The Crafty Witch! This is a richly-illustrated book filled with crafts just about any one of us can make. From cross stitch ‘Never Thirst’ sippie cups (using premade sippy cups found in craft stores to embellished altar shelves to handmade soaps, Ms. Polson has put together a useful and charming collection of things we can make.
I’m a mid-level crafter. I cross-stitch slowly (one project has been almost 10 years in the making), sew indifferently (the seams are rarely straight), make amazing handmade books (they amaze mea with how well they turn out) and generally enjoy putting around with decoupage, beads, and fabric to make gifts for friends and loved ones.
After reading The Crafty Witch, I have an easy dozen crafts to make, just for fun. Like her Wheel of the Year wreath (p. 165) which uses assorted florals to represent each Sabbat. For example, grain, apples, pine cones, white flowers, daffodils, roses, sunflowers . . . So simple, and I never thought of it before. Or her utterly exquisite wire faerie circlet. (I can’t describe except to say that I think the queen of the faeries would, indeed, be charmed to wear it. And I would feel as beautiful as she when I wear it.)
The book lacks an index, and a list of projects – which is a poor choice on the publisher’s part. But it does force the reader to go through the book, page by page, because some of the projects don’t even take two pages to describe – even with the picture of the finished product! (That Faerie Circlet, for example, barely a full page.) It does, however, have a nice chunk of color photo pages in the middle.
But that is my only criticism of this lovely, wonderful, fun, practical book. Highly recommended.
Four broomsticks.
~review by Lisa Mc Sherry
Author: Willow Polson
Kensington, 2007
pp. 208, $18.95
