This book on urban design extends and develops the widely accepted compact city solution. It provides a design proposal for a new kind of sustainable urban landscape: Urban Agriculture. By growing food within an urban rather than exclusively rural environment; urban agriculture would reduce the need for industrialized production; packaging and transportation of foodstuffs to the city dwelling consumers. The revolutionary and innovative concepts put forth in this book have potential to shape the future of our cities quality of life within them. Urban design is shown in practice through international case studies and the arguments presented are supported by quantified economic; environmental and social justifications.
#679364 in eBooks 2012-05-10 2012-05-10File Name: B0080QV1EK
Review
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful. For Beginners and Intermediates or Advanced With Busy Schedules Enough Imagination to Alter These Skirts For Further VarietyBy C. ElkinsI wasnt the kind of little girl who collected Barbies and made entire. detailed. varied wardrobes for her--that was something my babiest sister did (I have five sisters and three brothers). I was the geeky. skinny. stone-faced girl with her head "buried in a book". My mom wasnt a hippie but when the 70s rolled in her pedal foot Singer rolled out to the drive-way for a yard sale. and after that. if my sibs and I had hems coming undone. loose threads. buttons dangling like Halloween eyeballs in a haunted house. well. it seemed a whole lot of us back then were letting it all hang out. so it wasnt such a big deal.Now that Im 50. Im fed up with seeing something I like but thinking it would be nicer. sturdier. cheerier. less expensive. creatively satisfying and just somehow. over all "better" if I made it myself. and that includes skirts which I love but rarely find ready-made to fit me. (Im 59"; weigh 125-135lbs; have a long torso. broad shoulders. big breasts (made of flesh. and fibroids--no saline. never added it. never will). slim hips. a wide rib cage. no behind. got more than a bit of a belly. and am otherwise not a standard. 8. 10 or any other off-the-rack number. (Sewing patterns that come closest to fitting me. but dont come that often up for sale. are size 14 1/2.)So. it was time to get some resources to go with the used Simplicity sewing machine I recently bought on another online site. a really cool. friendly. vintage-repurpose-it kind of place. whose name rhymes with "Lets see."One book led to another (I bought. love. use. recommend "Diana Rupps "SEW EVERYTHING WORKSHOP". so I added Sew What! Skirts to my reference. guidance counseling books. and its a keeper.The writing style is peer-to-peer. not up here to down there. The authors say early on (page 7) that this book is for "risk takers" and those with "very little sewing background" who have "some creativity". and can therefore make a "playful and wearable skirt tailored to [their] unique style and shape."That sounded good to me.The lay-out is good. Nearly every page has color diagrams and photos. sketches or copies of tools and supplies. Theres an internal spiral binding. and the book is glossy. made of sturdy stuff so it isnt likely to fall apart on any of us after just a few go-throughs.Each chapter gives the title for the upcoming project like "Singing the Blues" for a floral blue skirt. then a short. supportive paragraph to get you going: "This simple cotton skirt couldnt be easier to make. The drawstring waist is a cinch...." along with a facing page (the photo comes first) of an actual blue floral skirt. though blurry to represent motion. for effect. of a torso. some hands--it looks like a young woman (she is wearing killer stiletto heeled chocolate nearly knee-high boots. and is in the act of leaping which is something I sure as heck never could do in stiletto heels. and certainly wouldnt try now that Im 50 but the skirts here are made for young and/or skinny (Im skinny); and theyre also made around the classic "A-frame" which the authors made clear early on. crediting Christine Dior for the original design.There is a "Stuff You Need" in list format: fabric. thread. exact extra fraction of fabric for pockets. a package of rickrack. cord for the drawstring.... and later on. and all over the place. the authors tell you to change it. wing it. play with it. do it as you please. which is what I need to hear because I dont like rickrack. drawstrings have a way of coming undone on me. and big flowers make me think of stern gray or blue-haired ladies drinking jasmine tea in redwood forest tall rooms out of china cups small enough for my babiest sisters Barbie dolls. if Im comparing--and I am--my own "mugs" to the uptight feeling I get when Im around delicate china and chintz.I fell in love with the skirt on page 55. called "Tourist Trap". I loved how the authors used a vintage souvenir tablecloth from Florida (palm trees. beach balls. men without shirts. blues. reds and whites. folded down pockets with buttons...With Sew What! Skirts (and Diana Rupps SEW EVERYTHING WORKSHOP). plus the advice. "destash" and ideas of a friend I made on the website that rhymes with Lets-See. and a few notions. some fabric. my used Simplicity machine. a pegboard. a folding rectangular table.... some plain brown wrapping paper (dollar store!).I feel inspired and prepared to alter. complete. wear and repeat projects with various embellishments and a mavericks attitude. As I paged through this book. I started thinking about how Id use this waist with that bodice and those pockets with that ruffled hem and lighter cotton fabric plus fewer tiers and other colors. solid/print/solid/print... and how I thought and felt was a direct result of the inspiration. direction and confident attitude of the authors who were not afraid to say outright. "do it your way." So I know I got a bargain by buying Francesca Denhartog Carole Ann Camps Sew What! Skirts.~ Carolyn Elkins1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. I Actually Made a Skirt!By eagletwoI am not a seamstress; and those few items Ive sewn in the past have been spur-of-the-moment things I stitched together by hand. One weekend. when I was a teenager. I got this idea to make my friend a purse. I sat up in my room and sewed together that purse from Saturday to Sunday--and it was great! My friend used it for at least a year. I made it from paisley-print denim and NO PATTERN. It just came out of my head.But sewing clothes...? Erm. that idea wasnt as appealing. Wouldnt I mess them up? I still wont use a sewing machine (the one we have is my husbands and I know Ill break it if I even touch it!) so I decided to approach this book "Sew What! Skirts: 16 Simple Styles You Can Make With Fabulous Fabrics" from the angle of hand-sewing.My hubby was thrilled at my interest in sewing and so he took me to the fabric store on Saturday morning. I didnt work on my sewing project every day; but the following Sunday. I wore my modest skirt out for worship. the first skirt Ive ever made! Its a darling pencil skirt with two little side slits and a side zipper. Is it perfect? No. Is it wearable? Oh. yes. and Ive received a few compliments on it already. I had some trouble putting in the zipper without the fabric bubbling funny and so covered that spot with a big button; then I put some rick-rack and buttons elsewhere to make the skirt seem cuter and less professional. (Because. of course. a professional skirt will invite more critical reviews of my less-than-professional sewing skills!) Still. its a great skirt. and Im very pleased with it. Im going to start in on an A-line skirt soon!The book itself is very easy to read. and fun to look at. Some of the more technical aspects of things I find confusing to read about. but I figure thats just because Im still new to all this. There are plenty of videos online to help a newbie like me actually SEE what its like to put an elastic in. So. all in all. I have to say that this is a great. little book. It has me making my own clothes! How cool is that?!1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. So easy to use!By R. SheppardI saw this lovely book in the library and I knew I had to have it for my own. Ive owned this book for over a year now and really I just browsed through it. I finally made a simple A-Line skirt and it turned out great. I had to make a few minor adjustments but it was the first time Ive drafted my own pattern. Ive been sewing off and on for 15 years so the process wasnt that confusing. I did have to wait until I had NO DISTRACTIONS while I read the instructions. That may be me though. Im really not all that good with math (and written instructions). Looking forward to making more skirts for myself and my 3 daughters. Im so glad I bought this book!Other things I love about this book: love the vintage illustrations. the pictures of different versions of each skirt and how to modify each pattern. The illustrations throughout the book (you know the ones that show you step-by-step how to do it) are great. Im a visual learner. so you cant have too many pictures.
