McCants's first book covered sewing with oilcloth (and was titled just that), and this follow-up will be welcomed by her readers eager for more of her bright, cheerful, and often-oilcloth-centered designs, many of which she developed for her own Virginia home after a hurricane damaged it extensively. The selection of patterns focuses on the home, with simple but well-finished instructions for basic needs, such as lined baskets, curtains for the shower and windows, and a bed skirt. Crafters looking to outfit their sewing room will especially like the ironing table, sewing machine cover, and Giant Mood Board, a bulletin-type board for design ideas. The ironing table and the mood board, like the chalkboard-fabric Easy Eyelet Place Mats, are no-sew projects, a few of which are scattered throughout the book. Instructions, suggestions, and tips throughout will help the beginning sewist accomplish these mostly intermediate-level patterns, while commendably complete instructions on sewing with oilcloth will be of great help to most readers. The wonderful full-color photos are motivating; both they and the text make it clear that careful finishing will lead to an attractive, useful, and cheerful result. Publishers Weekly, 1/20/14 Faced with the opportunity to redecorate when an old tree crushed part of her home, McCants (Sewing with Oilcloth) took her vintage modern aesthetic - think cheery 1950s housewife with a contemporary flair for design - and applied it to home decor. The result is this collection of fun sewing projects for the home, many featuring McCant's beloved laminated cottons. Most of the projects are beginner-friendly and require little more than the ability to machine sew in a straight line, but there are a few for sewists looking for a challenge, such as the reupholstered bar stool. The home-organization projects are the highlight of the collection and t ere are a lot of clever ideas to help make closets and other storage areas more cheery. A few no-sew projects are also included, such as a set of chalk-cloth place mats and a set of vintage benches reupholstered in laminated cottons. VERDICT McCants has found a niche - sewing with oilcloth and laminated cottons - and it works w ell for her. Her enthusiasm for her subject is infectious and laminated cottons are widely available online. Sewists with a taste for home decor will appreciate these lively projects. Library Journal, May 2014 Popular blogger, sewist and all-around creative person Kelly McCants brings freshness and energy to the idea of customizing your home. Kelly uses a variety of fabrics such as oilcloth, laminated cotton, and quilter's cotton in these 27 projects that will brighten your living space and studio. The bright and cheerful photos are plentiful and instructive. Her directions provide excellent guidance to help readers make items to fit their rooms, windows, furniture, accessories, and more. Kelly includes a comprehensive opening chapter full of tips and tricks, a glossary of terms, and yardage calculations, and closes the book with a hand stitching guide, resources. Modern Patchwork, Spring 2014 Whether you're moving into a new home, launching a home makeover, or just sprucing up a room, this book, At Home With Modern June, by Kelly McCants provides plenty of ideas on how to infuse individuality into every room in the house. The 27 budget-friendly projects have a retro style and use materials such as oilcloth, laminated cotton, and chalk cloth in addition to quilter's cotton. Easy-to-follow instructions and helpful photographs guide you to success. You'll make drapes, bed skirts, floor mats, and much more. All that's required is a bit of ingenuity, a little time, and some basic skills. This book reminded me, in a way of those by Cherry Menlove. Kelly McCants is an American author who started out blogging, and now has an online store plus two books to her name. She's a bit of an oilcloth addict, and this is reflected in her first book Sewing with Oilcloth, this new publication focuses more on fabrics. At Home with Modern June is divided into Kitchen and Dining Room Bed and Bath Closet and Pantry Living Rooms - inside and out There are 27 projects to be completed, ranging from repurposed bunting, an embellished cafe curtain, bar stool makeover, makeup tray, and a sewing machine cover. The concept also isn't 'modern' but much more 50s retro, which is preferable to what you may think 'modern' entails! Is there anything in here that I haven't seen before? Probably not, but then most books spin off the same ideas; there are only so many original thoughts one can have. Though I particularly liked the chalkcloth placemat which I haven't seen before! It's a bright, cheery publication, with lots of illustrations and clear instructions. 09/02/14
