Claws and Saucers by David E Goldweber

If you are a Science Fiction, Horror and/or Fantasy movie buff, like me, then this is a must have for you.  I can’t tell you if it has everything but I will say that I was impressed by how many movies are in this book.  I love horror – the worst ones are my favorite.  I want cheesy and I want lots and lots of blood.  I don’t care if the plot makes sense – makes the movie more entertaining in a MST3K sort of way.

I love talking to the characters and questioning their motives. 

This book spells it all out – which are the good ones and which ones you’re gonna love because they are so bad.

This is not a sit and read sort of book.  You peruse like you’re picking up a date in a bar.  You chat up the pages and ask them out.  You explore the movies and, perhaps, come back and make notes.  This is the sort of book that needs to be shared and passed along. 

The only problem I have is that the new stuff won’t appear magically.  I’d love it if the book stayed current but, alas, they don’t.

However, that’s not going to stop me from working my way through this book and some of the worst movie fests my family has ever seen.

Sew Iconic by Liz Gregory

Sew Iconic is a step by step book to sewing ten dresses that have been featured in movies.  More than that, it’s an amazing reference for those who are learning to sew or wish to learn more.  The first section of the book breaks down sewing techniques such as resizing patterns, creating darts and attaching fasteners.  From there the book breaks down the techniques for sewing the ten selected dresses.

The book comes with the patterns on two sheets that the reader will have to transfer to cut out the pattern desired.  The dresses are in order of easiest to most difficult, starting with the brown and white polka dot dress from Pretty Woman.  Each dress section is broken down into information about the actress, the movie and the designing of the dress before going into recreating the dress at home.  The instruction finishes with how to achieve the same look as the actress with accessories and makeup.

There are two videos available online at the books Tumblr site to further assist with understanding how to make these dresses. 

All in all I think this is a great book.  I’m not sure I see myself in these dresses but I like the instruction given and would definitely add this to my craft shelf as a reference guide.  At this point in time, I feel it’s better to start making your own clothes again.  Not only can this guarantee that you love the piece but, with the cost of buying clothes that don’t seem to hold up to every day wear, it’s practical.