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With Summer approaching (at least, in places other than the Northwest), this is a good book to have in your toolkit. Backcountry Betty: Crafting with Style is Jennifer Worick‘s follow-up to her similarly-named outdoors guide for chicks.
Backcountry Betty: Crafting with Style offers up 64 projects made with materials you can gather in the great outdoors. They range in skill level from absolute beginner to things involving power tools.
The book is divided into five sections: Into the Woods, At the Shore, In the Meadow, In Your Own Backyard, and In the Urban Jungle. There are great ideas in each, using interesting bits you’d find in these locales. (Jennifer is careful to point out that only fallen/downed stuff is fair game for crafting.)
This is one of my favorite projects – a bouquet of pinecones that doubles as an air freshener. The jar holds fragrance elements, which are absorbed into the pinecones. Cute – and smart!
The project set covers a wide range of crafts and ideas, including: candles made in clamshells, dyeing fabric with berry juice, kaleidoscopic art made from pressed flowers, and wet-felted rocks, to name a few.
The Urban Jungle section contains projects that repurpose various flotsam of city life. Such as this cute placemat collaged from take-out menus.
And throughout, Jennifer’s funny, sassy writing style makes for entertaining reading.
Backcountry Betty: Crafting with Style is a little outside the box in that it’s entirely illustrated (by Kate Quinby) – there are no project photographs. Many of the projects are simple enough that by reading the text directions and looking at the finished project illustration, you’ll have all the info you need to get started.
For more complex projects, like the beach glass jewelry above, there are a few technical drawings to illustrate key steps. And in a few cases, projects involve power tools, but have no illustration of those steps. So I’d recommend having some experience in that domain before plunging in.
I see this book as a good companion to Summer travels. You could do a lot of these projects with kids while on a camping trip, day at the beach, or just out in the backyard. Or, gather some of your grown-up crafty friends for alfresco making in a local park.
(A note on those kids, though – although the design of the book is very kid-friendly, quite a few of these projects involve tools or techniques that could be dangerous if unsupervised. I’d keep the book to yourself and share the projects with them.)
I love the idea of a book that brings the crafty outside! And what’s even better…
We have a giveaway!
Skipstone Press has donated a copy of Backcountry Betty: Crafting with Style so we can have a drawing. Woo!
To enter, leave a comment here and tell me what kinds of crafting you do while you travel. You have until noon PST Wednesday, May 13. I’ll draw a winner at random. Good luck!
UPDATE: Congratulations to Katie, our big winner!
I love to work on small project that are easily portable. My catnip toys are so easy to work on while I’m on the go – cotton fabric and pinking shears is all I need!
I love to work on small project that are easily portable. My catnip toys are so easy to work on while I’m on the go – cotton fabric and pinking shears is all I need!
I focus on photography and read a lot when traveling.
I focus on photography and read a lot when traveling.
When I travel I usually take a cross stitch project with me, so I have something to work on when I’m in my room in the evening. I also like passively crafting by checking out their local artisans are making, and see what projects I’ll tackle next when I get home.
rsgrandinetti(at)yahoo(dot)com
When I travel I usually take a cross stitch project with me, so I have something to work on when I’m in my room in the evening. I also like passively crafting by checking out their local artisans are making, and see what projects I’ll tackle next when I get home.
rsgrandinetti(at)yahoo(dot)com
Depends on the travel . . . but I’m most likely to bring a quilt that I’m hand quilting. The other thing I do is take pictures or collect artifacts (ticket stubs, matchbook covers, brochures) for crafting after the trip.
Depends on the travel . . . but I’m most likely to bring a quilt that I’m hand quilting. The other thing I do is take pictures or collect artifacts (ticket stubs, matchbook covers, brochures) for crafting after the trip.
I like to knit when I travel and take lots of photos to scrapbook when I return home. :)
I like to knit when I travel and take lots of photos to scrapbook when I return home. :)
When I travel I’m actually way more creative, don’t know why. While I was in Sweden I was into making bags any size, tote bags and makeup bags, and I crocheted a lot. Animals and little hearts and stuff. It’s nice to have good memories at home from the places I’ve been.
When I travel I’m actually way more creative, don’t know why. While I was in Sweden I was into making bags any size, tote bags and makeup bags, and I crocheted a lot. Animals and little hearts and stuff. It’s nice to have good memories at home from the places I’ve been.
When I travel I take something that I’m hand quilting or an embrodiery project. Usually a smaller project like a wall hanging, or a sampler, not a whole bed quilt. I’ve also traveled with rubber stamps and done eraser carvings when traveling. It depends on the trip and how I’m getting there. Airplane travel is a bit more limiting than car travel in terms of what you can bring. I also bring along craft magazine’s that I haven’t had a chance to read or craft books and spend some time dreaming about future projects to do when I get back home.
When I travel I take something that I’m hand quilting or an embrodiery project. Usually a smaller project like a wall hanging, or a sampler, not a whole bed quilt. I’ve also traveled with rubber stamps and done eraser carvings when traveling. It depends on the trip and how I’m getting there. Airplane travel is a bit more limiting than car travel in terms of what you can bring. I also bring along craft magazine’s that I haven’t had a chance to read or craft books and spend some time dreaming about future projects to do when I get back home.
Great! Looks like fun!
Great! Looks like fun!
I do sketching, sketching and sketching, i found travelling the perfect moment for it and think and re-think and create new ideas, projects, collections, pieces, concepts, i love to have the moment for that.
I do sketching, sketching and sketching, i found travelling the perfect moment for it and think and re-think and create new ideas, projects, collections, pieces, concepts, i love to have the moment for that.
I take a little pack of watercolors and a pad of watercolor postcards with me. Sometimes I even finish and mail a postcard!
I take a little pack of watercolors and a pad of watercolor postcards with me. Sometimes I even finish and mail a postcard!
I knit when I travel, but it depends on what kind of trip, mode used, etc., on the project type brought. For an extended trip, I might bring three or four projects in case I “get bored” of the main one. This actually means that I won’t knit much, so I try to keep it to one or two.
I knit when I travel, but it depends on what kind of trip, mode used, etc., on the project type brought. For an extended trip, I might bring three or four projects in case I “get bored” of the main one. This actually means that I won’t knit much, so I try to keep it to one or two.
When I travel, I take along glue and a journal to collage the ephemera I pick up.
When I travel, I take along glue and a journal to collage the ephemera I pick up.
I’m a family only driver and we usually trawel by car so… if I only can I take with me some cross stitch kit, but mostly while travelling I get my best craft ideas so I travel with notebook :) and after some holidays or just a trip I’m ready to create
I’m a family only driver and we usually trawel by car so… if I only can I take with me some cross stitch kit, but mostly while travelling I get my best craft ideas so I travel with notebook :) and after some holidays or just a trip I’m ready to create
haven’t travelled very far – mostly home to check on the folks – but while i am there, i collect stuff for future projects – photos of things i see and all sorts of stuff i find – rusty metal pieces, old wood, seeds and pods.
haven’t travelled very far – mostly home to check on the folks – but while i am there, i collect stuff for future projects – photos of things i see and all sorts of stuff i find – rusty metal pieces, old wood, seeds and pods.
I usually don’t craft while traveling as I am focused on enjoying the experience; however, I do save tickets, receipts, maps, brochures and other items that I might decide to craft or make a scrapbook page of later on.
I usually don’t craft while traveling as I am focused on enjoying the experience; however, I do save tickets, receipts, maps, brochures and other items that I might decide to craft or make a scrapbook page of later on.
I usually have a wildflower ID book with me, and gather a few to press between the pages. They make a nice reminder of a trip, when later used in a paperweight or frame. I always have yarn, needles and hooks – usually I’m working on socks or mittens on a trip, they’re easy, portable projects. I tuck everything I might need into an old lunchbox.
I usually have a wildflower ID book with me, and gather a few to press between the pages. They make a nice reminder of a trip, when later used in a paperweight or frame. I always have yarn, needles and hooks – usually I’m working on socks or mittens on a trip, they’re easy, portable projects. I tuck everything I might need into an old lunchbox.
I make garments from trash even while I travel because often there are countless hours on planes or in cars and I like to keep my hands busy! This is my first visit to your site and I love it!!
I make garments from trash even while I travel because often there are countless hours on planes or in cars and I like to keep my hands busy! This is my first visit to your site and I love it!!
Looks like a cute book! It could help me expand my creative repertoire…
Looks like a cute book! It could help me expand my creative repertoire…