Nothing beats the sense of anticipation, piling into the car for a girls’ weekend away... Crafty Girls’ Road Trip shares New Zealand’s best craft places as well as providing 10 craft projects to get stuck into.
Aimed at those who get warm fuzzies just walking into a wool shop, those who simply have to stroke the fabric at the quilt store, and those who long to touch the textiles at museums, this round-up of New Zealand’s craftiest places will go down a treat. Organised by region, it’s essentially a guide to the many places in New Zealand where you can buy everything you need to make your own textile-based crafts.
Crafty Girls’ Road Trip lists treasure troves for fabric lovers, embroiderers, patch workers, knitters, spinners and other crafty types to find not only materials but inspiration on the road. And because they need frequent cups of coffee to fuel their journey and somewhere to lay their head, the book includes some favourite places to stop in at and to stay at along the way. Thoroughly researched, there are also handy lists of great crafty blogs, books, magazines and suppliers — as well as events!
This beautifully packaged revised edition of this much-loved classic has gorgeous map illustrations by Lorraine Smith and photography by Deborah and Mark Smith.And special mention must be made of designer Pieta Brenton.
Ann Packer fell in love with textiles as a child in Hawkes Bay, where her extended family included crafty aunts and a dressmaking grandmother. She learned to sew from her mother at the kitchen table and has played with wool since plucking tufts from fences to stuff dollies’ quilts. She cannot resist rescuing fabric from op shops – along with old china and the occasional designer garment – and she loves to shop for fabric and fibre, with plenty of coffee breaks.
Ann has always enjoyed crafting and is still quilting and knitting but has done many of the other crafts and at various times in her life she has been a knitter, spinner, weaver, dyer and embroiderer. Ann is also a travel writer so it seems perfect that these two talents should combine and come together to form this travel/craft companion.
A Wellington-based freelance journalist, Ann writes arts, house and travel stories for The Dominion Post, Stuff and New Zealand House & Garden, and contributes a monthly children’s book review page and occasional craft reviews to The New Zealand Listener and textile stories to New Zealand Quilter.
Ann wrote the first Crafty Girls’ Road Trip in 2004, revising it in 2006. Her book Stitch: New Zealand Textile Artists, won a Montana award in 2007.
Crafty Girls’ Road Trip
Author: Ann Packer
RRP: $34.99
Random House NZ
