Paper and Fabric Mache: 100 Imaginative and Ingeneous Projects to Make

Library Journal

Modern papier-mch has come a long way from the traditional mix of wet, macerated newspapers. Today there is a commercial papier-mch that works up like modeling clay and readily lends itself to molding and painting. Fabric mch, or molding with pieces of fabric, is also made easier with the use of commercial stiffeners. The projects in this book, provided by ten designers, range from dolls to Christmas ornaments and are mainly of a type suitable for school or camp crafts. Each project has step-by-step instructions and a color photograph of the finished product. In some cases, additional pictures or diagrams of the stages of construction would have been useful. This is not an essential purchase for most craft collections and is recommended only for public libraries needing up-to-date material on this subject.-Constance Ashmore Fairchild, Univ. of Illinois Lib., Urbana-Champaign

Barbara Jacobs

With the help of 10 professional artists, Cusick demonstrates what a bit of paper or fabric, glue or stiffener, and water can become. She provides written directions and color photographs for each of 100 projects, ranging from children-oriented piggy banks, jewelry, and holiday ornaments, to very sophisticated sculptures (e.g., a pink flamingo in a tub) and home accessories (e.g., a rococo clock). She assumes her readers have a certain amount of crafts knowledge, particularly a familiarity and facility with paints and crochet. Cusick concludes with a mache gallery showcasing the zenith of this craft.