Craft Focus - April/May 2020 (Issue 78)

17 BRAND SPANKING NEW Brand spanking new New product launches for April and May  CRAFTER’S COMPANION Gemini Shadow Alphabet Dies - this collection of dies has been designed to cut a solid letter-shaped aperture into a piece of card and will cut a shadow effect at the same time. Crafters can personalise their projects with the individual letter dies and they can take centre-stage on any project. Coloured cardstock, vellum or acetate can be used behind the die-cuts to create different effects and the waste from the die-cuts can be used to create words and sentiments but without the shadow effect. +44 (0)1388 663 251 crafterscompaniontrade.co.uk EXACLAIR ExaClair, the UK supplier of Rhodia, has launched Rhodia Touch, the first Rhodia range targeted at designers, calligraphers, architects, illustrators and sketchers. The collection includes premium quality, convenient ‘on- the-go’ books and sketchpads designed with the needs of these specific consumers in mind. The range is available with a selection of fine art papers, with the Maya® Pad featuring two rulings, cross and cross’n’dot. Included in the new range is the Marker Pad, with extra- white, super-smooth paper especially designed for alcohol markers. Being highly bleed-proof, this pad is great for colour blending and graduation. The Bristol Book has extra smooth and ultra-fine paper ideal for precision drawing. Resistant to multiple layers of ink and scratches, this book features an Italian leatherette softcover. Carb’ON® Book, an intense black paper book, is suitable for high contrast effects and for highlighting white ink or gouache. One side of the paper has a fine grain, while the other is smooth, creating an ideal space for dry drawing techniques. The Calligrapher Book and Pad are made from natural Simili Japon, a smooth and lustrous ivory paper. Manufactured with long fibres, this pad is perfect for India ink drawings. The range includes Pen and Inkwash paper, which is a light-grained drawing paper that is best used for line drawing in pencil, charcoal, ink, gouache, and nib work, specifically for graphic art and industrial drawing. Clement Rouillard, Marketing Manager at ExaClair, says the very first Rhodia range dedicated to artists and designers has had a promising early response: “This premium range features extremely versatile and exceptionally high-quality products that have already received positive feedback from customers within the creative industry, giving us the confidence that this range will perform well.” +44 (0)1553 696 600 exaclair.co.uk HAWTHORN PRESS Climate change is making us rethink how we use resources and not subscribing to fast fashion and re-using and mending our clothes has become a mark of pride. This is visible mending, more akin to embroidery and embellishment that will make your favourite clothing even more personal and save it from landfill. Traditional English darning is covered as well as several variations, including reversible darns for cuffs and collars, sashiko mending for jeans and tambourine darns for just about anywhere. Darning - repair, make, mend is the first UK edition of the cult darning book by Hikaru Noguchi who has become a guru of visible darning in Japan. This detailed step-by-step guide makes the methods easy to follow even for non-sewers. The stylish photography shows off the artistic and minimalist style of the designer’s work. The author outlines her own inspirations from the work of Rachael Matthews and Celia Pym. Fully illustrated with colour photography throughout and detailed step-by-step images by photographers Wakana Baba and Noriaki Moriya. The techniques are easy to follow even for beginners with plenty of inspiration for adventurous menders. +44 (0)1453 757 040 hawthornpress.com