Adventures in Fabric: La Todera Style

by Julie M. Creus

Overview

Learn creative new techniques for 3-D fabric creations with this guide featuring 20 fun and colorful projects from the designer behind La Todera.

This festive collection from designer Julie Creus brings together bright fabrics, ingenious construction methods, and a large dash of whimsy to make 3-D effects like you've never seen before in fabric. Create usable art with new techniques for fabric folding, fusing, weaving, and thread wrapping.

Julie Creus shares step-by-step instructions for 20 truly unique projects—including brooches, pillows, table decor, sewing accessories, holiday decorations, children's softies, and more. These scrap-friendly projects are usable, beautiful, and fun to make. Julie's inventive methods make the sewing easy, whether you are a beginning or expert sewist.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781607059639
Publisher:	C & T Publishing
Publication date:	07/30/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	144
File size:	25 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Julie Creus has been dubbed by friends as “La Todera,” mistress of all trades. She designs fabrics, teaches craft classes, and creates unique, stylish items with clever construction methods. She lives in Orlando, Florida. Visit her at latodera.com.

Table of Contents

Dedication XX
Acknowledgements XX
Introduction XX
For the Home
Harlequin Star Pillow Chair XX
Biscornu Pillow XX
Malaysian Mini Mat XX
Folded Wall Flowers XX
For the Kitchen
Lily Pad Centerpiece XX
Plumeria Place Mat XX
Peepshow Hexie Coaster XX
For the Sewing Room
Peacock Pincushion XX
Ladybug Pincushion XX
Kissing Flowers Needle Case XX
Cloisonné Catch-all Bowl XX
Just for You
Fabric Gum Wrapper Chain Cuff XX
Zaftig Zinnia Brooch XX
Water Lily Brooch XX
For the Holidays
Lavish Lantern Ornament XX
Puffy Tabletop Tree XX
Furoshiki Gift Card Box XX
For the Kid's Room
Grabby Tabs Ball XX
Llama Mama and Baby XX
Butterfly Bunting XX
La Todera Techniques XX
La Todera Sewing Necessities XX
About the Author XX
Resources XX

Editorial Reviews

08/18/2014
Creus manipulates all manner of fabulously printed (and unprinted) fabric in her debut—she sews it, folds it, poufs it out, and crunches it down. An admirer of Kaffe Fassett’s colorful designs, Creus assumes a certain amount of comfort with fabric; to use the book best, a crafter will need to know her way around a sewing machine, a glue gun, and needle and thread—not to mention rotary cutters and polyester fiberfill. That said, the basic how-to instructions at the start of the book are particularly clear and friendly, with the best illustration of a surgeon’s knot most crafters will ever see. This is one of the few guides to manipulating fabric for decorative objects instead of clothing. Though this book is not for beginners, sewists with intermediate skills and beyond will have a blast whipping up these colorful, tactile objects. Standout projects include the inviting harlequin star pillow chair, the wearable gum-wrapper weave fabric cuff, and the enthralling lavish lantern ornament. Full color photos, pattern pullouts. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

I found Julie’s directions to be very easy to follow. While it did take some time to prepare the petals, I was able to complete this project in only a few hours, I got great results, and I love it! Julie has a real gift of thinking in three dimensions using fabric. It’s like she’s half sewist and half engineer. I’m not sure how she figures all of this stuff out (my brain doesn’t work this way!), but she makes amazing and beautiful things. The book has a large pull-out pattern sheet that makes it easy to trace the shapes you need to create templates for the projects. The photography is wonderful, and there are tons of step-by-step photos to guide you through the directions, so that everything makes perfect sense. There is also information about the exact fabric lines Julie used for her samples, as well as sections on construction techniques, hand sewing stitches, knots, and choosing fabrics.

February 2015 Blue Moon River

Julie Creus is a very clever woman - one of this special people who have the git of seeing possibilities in shape and design that most of us couldn't imagine. In her first book, Julie has published instructions to make 20 three-dimensional fabric projects, providing loads of opportunities to use your fabric stash in ways that will surprise and delight you. What's more, once you've got the hang of the techniques she used in a project, you'll find them relatively straightforward and easy to implement - and then you'll ask yourself why you'd never thought of doing something similar before! The projects include soft furnishings (such as the star-shaped ottoman shown below) and decorations for our home, sewing accessories, Christmas ornaments, fabric jewelery and toys for young children. Many of them would make wonderful gifts, and some of the smaller ones would work a treat on the craft stall at your next fundraising fete. The instructions are very good and made easy to follow by close-up photographs of many of the steps along the way.

2/2/15 Homespun Magazine

This book has a good combination of hand-sewn items and those that can be made by machine. Each project looks fun and achievable, using easy methods and bright fabrics. The book starts by giving an overview of the fabrics to use, some basic construction techniques, and a list of general supplies. Even a beginner would find the instructions friendly and easy to follow.

January 2015 Love Sewing Australia Magazine

Adventures in Fabric: La Todera Style has all the style of its author, Julie M. Creus, and her time spent in Argentina. It features 20 sewing projects for the home and family, incorporating ingenious techniques to achieve three-dimensional fabric embellishments.

11/11/14 American Quilt Retailer

Adventures in Fabric: La Todera Style has all the style of its author, Julie M. Creus, and her time spent in Argentina. It features 20 sewing projects for the home and family, incorporating ingenious techniques to achieve three-dimensional fabric embellishments.

11/11/14 American Quilt Retailer Magazine

Each project in here is more unique than the last! Julie Creus has such inventive ways for tucking, folding, and stuffing fabrics. The results are beautiful, functional, and totally cool.

10/28/14 Crafter's Choice

...I’ve made a hassock or two in my day, but Crues’ Harlequin Star Pillow Chair is nothing short of inspired. I swooned. Her Biscornu Pillow, made my heart skip a beat. The Lily Pad Centerpiece is dreamy, modern, and a little different from the usual stuff. The Plumeria Placemat is divoooon, as are the Folded Wall Flowers (which I would never put on a wall, but might appliqué onto a patchwork block or border)! Plus, who doesn’t love a designer who confesses her general love for craft books!? The book is filled with three-dimensional projects that surprise you, make you think, and allow your imagination to soar. "How can I change that? How was that made? I wonder if it’s difficult? Is that fabric folded?!" All of those questions just flooded my mind as I checked out her projects…

11/24/14 - Mark Lipinski