Washi Wonderful
Creative projects
& ideas for paper tape
By Jenny Doh
Lark Books 2014
Paperback, £14.99
ISBN 978-1-4547-0811-7
Star rating: ***1/2
Today’s smile-inducing title, Washi Wonderful, is certain to brighten
up the bleak January days. Washi tape is such a mainstay of the papercrafter’s
stash that it is hard to believe that it has only been around since 2006, the
brainstorm of a group of talented Japanese designers. (I learned that fact from
the capsule washi tape history at the front of the book.)
There are other washi tape craft titles on the market, but Washi Wonderful is a superior offering. The author, Jenny Doh,
is a craft book veteran and enabler. She knows how to put a book together,
creating a creative environment for a talented team of contributors to run with
an idea, and also providing the crafter with the bigger picture about the subject at
hand.
Washi Wonderful includes a short history of washi tape, a very
useful section on washi tape technique, a section on creative storage solutions
(do you know a papercrafter who doesn’t hoard washi tape?), plus projects in
the following categories: Cards, Gift
Wrap, Party Décor, and Washi Fun (a catch-all section including 3-D and
make-your-own).
The pages on the Vellum method of working with washi tape
are very useful. Vellum, being
translucent like washi tape, is the ideal
carrier medium. With it, 3-D translucent projects can be created. And, vellum
can also be used as an aid when cutting or punching washi tape.
Washi tape is such an appealing craft material, it is just
about impossible for a washi project to look boring – but it is possible for washi projects to look
same-y if the a “stick a strip on it” trap is fallen into. The great thing
about this book is that it pushes the envelope – or roll of washi tape – when
it comes to presenting project ideas. Most of the projects introduce
dimensionality in some way – whether by including a contrasting texture or
manipulating the washi tape.
Example: the Thank
You Card by Avital, in which the
washi tape is applied as handwritten script (there’s added stitchery, too).
Other appealing projects include the Stick Dolls by Ishta Olivera Belart, the Pinwheel Gift Ensemble by Cynthia Shaffer, the opulent Flower-Topped Gifts by Anne Stills (fantasy lotus shapes with rings of
concentric patterned petals). Another winner is the D-I-Y washi tape,
stencilled in an ikat effect, by Anne Stills. Two inventive projects by author Jenny Doh: Fringes
and Tassels (handy as giftwrap finishing touches) and the Arrow Gift Topper – a fun 3-D project
that might come in handy for Valentine’s Day. The Sweet Treats sweet wraps by Carolyn Garris are oh-so-simple, and
very appealing. The Origami Star Necklace
effectively makes wishing stars out of washi tape to great effect.
All the projects in the book are easy to make. It would have been nice to see more projects
with torn-edge washi, as this is an appealing quality of the tape – but that is
a small niggle about an otherwise imaginative and well-thought out title.
Note: I was provided
with a review copy of this book
Need a place to put
your washi stash? Try my free printable Washi Tape Storage Box.
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