I love the tradition of sewing, the way each of us who loves this craft has our own story of how we learned to sew, who taught us how to make our very first stitches, and why we sew the things we do.  I love that Akiko Mano has taken the time to tell us a little about herself and her craft in the introduction section of her book.  Knowing that she started sewing much the same way I did, by making clothing for her stuffed animals and dolls as a child, reminded me that all of us who sew are connected by our own stories and by the history of this art form.

A Book That Looks and Feels Good

After paging through countless (albeit beautiful) sewing books with vividly patterned fabrics, Linen, Wool, Cotton is a sweet respite for the eyes.  I love sewing books with colorful patterns, but I found this study of texture to be both attractive and inspiring.  The photographs are aesthetically appealing, with clean lines and simple color palettes that serve to highlight the texture of the fabric and the shape and design of the sewing projects.  The photographs are soft and lovely in an earthy, timeless way, much like the three fabrics Mano has chosen to work with.

A Workable Layout

Linen, Wool, Cotton is laid out in an organized, easy-to-read fashion.  There are three major sections, one for each type of fabric, and the sections are separated by two essays by the author, “Why I’m Attracted to Antiques” and “Inspiration From Foreign Books”, which give the reader more insight into her personal craft.  The three main sections are prefaced by an introduction to the type of fabric, including Mano’s personal thoughts about the cloth and how she likes to use it.  One of the things I especially enjoy about Mano’s patterns is that she has really thought about how each natural fiber acts, or as she puts it “the essence of the fabric”, and she takes this into account when she designs a pattern.  For example, understanding that some linens have a tendency to wrinkle, some are coarse, and some are soft and fine, she has not tried to force a coarse linen into a pattern that does not suit its nature.  Her projects span the selection of textures for each of the three fabrics and use each texture to its fullest advantage.

The Projects

What a great selection of projects!  Each fabric section contains both the photographs and sewing directions for several items, including:

• hand towel
• apron
• socks
• blanket
• jumper
• lingerie case
• several styles of bags
• Mary Jane slippers.

As the full book title suggests the projects are simple and classic, resulting in handmade items that could very well be used for generations.  Simple styles are better able to transcend the ages because they don’t adhere to fashion rules of current trends, making these projects a great choice for gift making, whether the gift is for yourself or for someone you know and love.

What are my favorites of her selection?  I love the idea of making my own Mary Jane style slippers, something to separate my bare feet from our chilly hardwood floors in the winter.  I adore the Parent’s and Child’s Bags, which would be perfect for me and my children to tote our books to and from the library.  The Fruit Bags seem like an innovative, yet old-fashioned way to keep my apples and oranges fresh.   Nearly every pattern in this book has my dreaming of richly textured cloth and the wonderful pictures allow me to easily imagine the soft feel of it beneath my fingers.  I am itching to get to my sewing room to begin!

Final Thoughts

With every page you turn, Linen, Wool, Cotton offers a refreshing look at design without bright dye colors or printed fabric patterns; I found it refreshing to go back to the basics of sewing by using natural fabrics and classic, simple designs.  That being said, each of these patterns could be used with fabrics that are more in keeping with today’s popular trends, so long as the sewer takes into account the type, texture, and weight of the fabrics used in the patterns.  Linen, Wool, Cotton is a great book for both beginners and accomplished sewers, with straightforward sewing directions illustrated by easy to follow drawings, and patterns that can be followed to the letter or serve as a jumping off point into one’s own creativity.

Linen, Wool, Cotton: 25 Simple Projects to Sew With Natural Fabrics is available at Amazon.com and at Make Good Books. Would you like to try before you buy?  A selection of free patterns from Linen, Wool, Cotton is available in downloadable pdf format at Make Good Books (follow link above).

The Roots of My Affection

I think I may have mentioned before that I have been knitting since I was eight years old.  I have always loved the rhythmic, almost meditative motion of looping yarn around needle, but truthfully I did not find my true passion for this craft until I discovered felting, or fulling as it is technically called.  (Since most knitters don’t call it fulling, I am going to call it felting for the purposes of this review.)  Felting is the process by which a fabric of knitted wool is exposed to hot water and agitated, causing the wool fibers to shrink and lock into each other, creating a tight, thick fabric, or felt.  This can be accomplished by hand with a boiling pot of water on the stove and a lot of stirring, or more simply, the fabric can be run through a washing machine on a hot wash.  I have tried both methods, but I prefer to use my washing machine, both because I can felt several items at once and because it takes far less time to achieve the desired degree of felted fabric.  The uses for such a fabric are nearly endless: hats, bowls, bags, pouches, scarves, mufflers, shoes, and jackets are just some of the projects I have seen fashioned out of knitted and felted wool.

Once I discovered the process of felting my knitted works, I was entirely hooked.  I am always amazed at how forgiving this process is.  If my knitting is not entirely even (with a mixture of tight and loose stitches), if I have obvious mistakes, or even if I have somehow made a hole in my work, the felting process manages to hide my errors.  I also enjoy the look and feel of the felted wool; its smooth, nearly solid surface is great for making very warm winter accessories, and it is tight enough that purses and handbags can go unlined without fear of losing their contents.  When felted, yarn colors seem bolder and brighter than they do in their original yarn form, allowing the knitter to create really interesting plays on color and form.  Simply put, felting takes knitting to new levels of fun for me.

A Great Medium Weight

Let’s get back to the Cascade 220.  I’ve tried other wools for felting and many perform well in their own right, but Cascade 220 is my favorite and best by far.  Some wools are very scratchy to work with, but I love the way Cascade 220 feels in my hands.  A more refined wool, Cascade has no tiny sticks or scratchy bits to irritate my skin as I work with it and so far it hasn’t made me sneeze despite my slight allergy to wool.  I have found that some wools are quite smelly, perhaps because they are rich in lanolin?  I don’t know why some smell and some don’t, but Cascade doesn’t stink and, being somewhat sensitive to odor, this is important to me.

Cascade comes in such a variety of over 95 colors, from solids to tweeds to heathers.   A rainbow of choices means you can nearly always find just the right shade of soft pink, kelly green, or periwinkle blue.  Perhaps the best news I can give you is that even the very lightest of Cascade 220 colors will felt nicely.  They may require a slightly longer agitation time, but you will still be able to achieve the nice, tight felt that you desire when you set out to make a project.  So many white wools will not felt, but I promise that Cascade 220 will not disappoint you in this area!

A Useful, Affordable Yarn

I don’t want to give the impression that Cascade 220 can only be used for felting.  Much to the contrary, this wool would be great for sweaters, mittens, blankets, and any other type of knit.  Each skein of Cascade yarn is 100gr/220 yds of 100% Peruvian Highland Wool and should be cared for as such (hand wash, lay flat to dry).  For regular, non-felted knits, a size 7 or 8 needle is recommended.  I recommend a size 10.5 or 11 for felting purposes because if the yarn is knitted too closely it won’t be able to agitate enough to felt.  At around $5.00 per skein, Cascade 220 is the perfect wool to stash up for those wool projects you’ve been meaning to get to.  If you’ve been curious about felting do give Cascade 220 a try.

For more information or to locate a retailer near you that stocks Cascade 220, please visit Cascade Yarns .  Coming soon: a free pattern using Cascade 220!  Check back at the Qwowi Stitches Blog in the upcoming week for the free pattern to make the bag shown above.

I should start out by saying that I love Lotta Jansdotter’s fabrics.  Her style is reminiscent of  those wonderfully creative drawings little kids make, but she brings that free creative style into a more modern, even urban look that is chic yet playful, with elements of both simplicity and sophistication.  Her sewing patterns offer that same sense of style and versatility.  For that reason this is the book I find myself reaching for and flipping through, over and over again, when I sit down to plan my future sewing projects.

Part of the appeal, for me, is that Simple Sewing (Chronicle Books, 2007) is filled with patterns that create something useful rather than just pretty.  I can picture myself using each of the 24 finished projects, and good style combined with high functionality always wins good marks from me.  I also love that the pattern pieces are included in a pocket behind the front cover of the book; there are no photocopies to make, no drawings to enlarge.  You can simply cut the patterns, cut your fabric, and get sewing.

My first project from Simple Sewing is still one of my favorite and most-used patterns, the simple tote.  I have made it at least ten times now, in varying shapes and sizes and fabrics, for gifts and for myself.  Made large it makes the perfect bag for library books, a more petite version works well for a lunch bag.

Another favorite is the all-day tote.  With a pocket for my newspaper or magazine, a cup holder (great for stashing errant sippy cups), interior pocket for my cell, and a loop to clip my keys to it is decidedly my favorite bag to carry.  I loved it so much that I made another one for a friend and by changing a few of the details around I was able to make it into a knitting bag, to better suit her favorite hobby.

The most body flattering apron I have ever worn was made from the reversible apron pattern in Simple Sewing.  The curved edges are just a little flirty and the fact that I can turn the apron around if I spill (or if it matches my outfit better on one side than the other) is brilliant!

With projects like the reversible apron, all-day tote, picnic placemat, sun hat, curtain with pockets, wall organizer, tool roll, simple tote, and magazine holder there is truly something for everyone in this book.

Simple Sewing can be found at Amazon.com.

A Bright, Cheerful Book

In Patchwork Style, Koseki has set out to share with readers the joy of creating patchwork projects in a quick and satisfying manner by using a sewing machine rather than hand quilting.  The result of her work is a collection of 35 patterns for projects that are colorful, bright, and imbibed with the cozy feeling that patchwork quilting is known for.

The photography in Patchwork Style is simple and fresh, with backgrounds that are minimalist in nature in order to better showcase the cheerful color combination and interesting textures of the quilting.  Koseki’s fabric choices appear to be a range of vintage and modern, with many featuring bold designs including text, polka dots, stripes, and florals.  The resulting quilted projects have a modern, somewhat urban feel to them, while still adhering to classic lines and ideas.

I love turning the pages of this book!  Each time I flip through it I notice some new detail, a different layering of patterns that makes me turn to my own fabric stash in search of similar color combinations or textural values.  Each page turned reveals a cheerful image and I have no doubt that the author thoroughly enjoyed creating this book.

Interesting Layout

While many sewing books are organized into projects used in similar areas or for similar purposes, such as kitchen, clothing accessories, bedroom, bathroom, organization, etc., Patchwork Style’s layout has been created much differently.  Koseki takes us through five different quilting techniques:

• log cabin
• applique
• patchwork squares
• free stitching
• square applique

The five techniques serve as category headings in the book and several projects fall under each category, allowing the crafter to build upon their skill set as they work through the book.  One interesting aspect of the layout is that all of the full-color photographs for the projects are housed in the front of the book, and all of the sewing and pattern directions are housed together at the back of the book.  While I find this very appealing when I am flipping through the pages for inspiration, I am not sure how I will like it once I am actually sewing a project.  Because I am a very visual person I often look at the photograph of a finished project while I am working on it, and having to flip back and forth through the book might become a distraction.

Projects and Patterns

What a great range of projects!  From purses to kitchen gear to bedding, there is something for everyone here.  I especially love the floor mat, a square applique project that allows you to sew more squares over the mat when it becomes soiled – what a brilliant and useful idea!  The potholders look like artwork that you can proudly hang on a kitchen hook, rather than those unsightly ones we hide away in a drawer.  The lap quilt, bed quilt, and pillow covers each look like something I would enjoy snuggling up with on a chilly winter day, especially because their vivid colors would help keep life cheerful in even the most bleak of weather forecasts.  The array of handbags and purses Koseki has assembled here have appeal across the lines of age and generation.

Overall, the variety of patterns offered in Patchwork Style will inspire sewers of all ages and backgrounds.  Knowing that you can bring your own fabric choices and color palettes to the designs means each project can be tailored to your individual tastes and fashion.  The projects will look vastly different depending on whether you like bold colors or subtle layers of monochromatic yet textural fabrics.  Building the set of skills laid out in this book will allow the sewer to create projects of their own design once they master each technique. 

The patterns themselves are quite detailed and clear.  They are illustrated with drawings that show you exactly where to pin, cut, and sew, making this a great book for both beginners and those who are expert sewers.

Final Thoughts

I find Patchwork Style to be a delightful book to look at and I am anxious to get started on a few of its projects.  “Enjoyment is what I had in mind when I created each of these projects,” Suzuko Koseki says in her book, and I think she has definitely hit her target.  The book is cheerful and really helps readers stretch their imaginations to discover new and interesting ways to combine and layer fabrics into useful, aesthetically pleasing projects.  Happy sewing!

Patchwork Style is available at both Amazon.com
and at Make Good Books.  Would you like to try before you buy?  A selection of free patterns from Patchwork Style is available in downloadable pdf format at Make Good Books (follow link above).

Recycled Cotton yarn is made from the leftover scraps that would normally be thrown out when a t-shirt is cut from cotton jersey.  The scraps are sorted by color before being made into yarn to reduce the amount of dye needed, and then they are blended with acrylic for added durability.  The final product is a soft, medium worsted weight, cotton blend (74% recycled cotton, 24% acrylic, 2% other fiber) that is perfect for baby knits, washcloths, or other lightweight fabrics.  Made by keeping the ideas of reducing waste and conserving resources in mind, Recycled Cotton yarn keeps perfectly usable material from being dumped into a landfill or incinerated, and instead uses it to create a usable product that is both functional and attractive.  This is a thoughtful product that just makes good sense.

And the colors!  Soft tweeds and heathers in a seven color palette include: sunshine (pictured), sand, seagrass, rose coral, pebble beach, seashell, and marine.  With names that invoke the idea of summer on the shore, I find myself immediately brainstorming for warm weather knit ideas, despite the 40 degree temperatures outside.  I can imagine a soft summer sweater for my daughter made from sunshine (pictured), and a floppy beach hat made from seagrass (a soft green blend) would be perfect for my son.    At around $4.00 per skein, this is a yarn that I can afford to buy a lot of, so even a lap quilt for those cooler summer evenings would not be out of the question.

For color swatches and free pattern ideas, be sure to visit the Lion Brand Yarns website.  Recycled Cotton Yarn can be purchased through the LionBrand Yarns website or at your local JoAnne Fabric and Crafts Store.

Another great idea from Lion Brand Yarns is the LB Collection, a line of luxury fibers at affordable prices.  Today we’re featuring the Cotton Bamboo yarn (52% cotton, 48% bamboo), which is a steal at just $5.00 per skein.  A light worsted weight, this yarn is the perfect choice for knits of all seasons.

Why buy a bamboo yarn?  Bamboo yarns are known for their silky softness and for their drape, or the way they hang from the body in an aesthetically pleasing and flattering way when knitted into a garment.   Bamboo is also an easily renewable resource, a grass that reaches harvest-able maturity within 3-5 years, making it a great choice for all manner of products from interior decor to flooring, and of course, yarn.

LB Collection’s Bamboo Cotton blend boasts great softness that feels wonderful against the skin.  Like most natural fibers, this yarn will get softer with age and use, so the garments you create will be loved well into the future.  Bamboo Cotton comes in eight flower-inspired colors: magnolia, cherry blossom, hyacinth, chocolate dahlia, persimmon, hibiscus, gardenia, and snapdragon.  The colors range from bright to dusty solids and will truly span the seasons for all types of garments.  I cannot wait to get my skein of cherry blossom on my needles!

For color swatches and free pattern ideas, be sure to visit the Lion Brand Yarns website.  Recycled Cotton Yarn can be purchased through the LionBrand Yarns website.

Without further ado, the first of my three best sewing books is:

Amy Karol’s Bend-the-Rules Sewing: The Essential Guide to a Whole New Way to Sew

This is the one to choose if you’re just learning how to sew.  Amy spends the first part of the book giving candid advice about how to set up a sewing area, what tools you’ll really need, and outlining the types of fabrics that are easiest for beginners to start with.  She also tells you, as the book title suggests, how to make your sewing simpler by knowing which of the strict sewing rules can be bent, and which should always be adhered to.

That is not to say that this a strictly a book for beginners – to the contrary, I find this text to be one of my greatest jumping off points.  I find an idea within the pages that I love, then tweak it just enough to make something that is uniquely my own.  Amy Karol has a warm presence within the pages, with guiding words that encourage the sewer to create beyond the pattern.  Her sense of fun and whimsy are contagious and I always leave the pages of her book feeling as though I have just left a good friend, the type that helps me realize my own creativity and potential.

With a wide range of fun and inspired ideas, and 30 patterns spanning from quilts to baby jackets, cloth napkins to aprons, and dog collars to wallets, you will be sure to find more than a few projects to stitch and love.  I loved making the smock for my daughter and her friends:

With lovely photography and easy to follow pattern directions, Amy Karol’s Bend-the-Rules Sewing (Potter Craft 2007) is a joy to look at and to learn from.  Also a joy is Amy Karol’s blog, Angry Chicken.  I love stopping by to see the patterns, recipes, and fun projects she shares.

I am eagerly anticipating this summer’s arrival of Amy’s second book, Bend-the-Rules With Fabric: Fun Sewing Projects With Stencils, Stamps, Dye, Photo Transfers, Silk Screening, and More (Potter Craft, August 25, 2009).  I can’t wait to see what great ideas Amy has cooked up this time!

Bend the Rules Sewing can be found at Amazon.com.

Check back to read about my other best sewing books in Parts 2 and 3…

When the snow really piles up ( and it does really pile up where I live in upstate NY), when the sky is nearly always a slate gray color, when the air bites our exposed skin for days and weeks on end I start to lose that sense of romance and magic.  In fact, what I feel at that point is closer to cagey, grumpy, and perhaps even a little anxious.  As a general rule, Winter and I just don’t get along very well.  I have known for a long time that I need to find a way to weather the winter season with more grace, but until recently I was unable to come up with a good solution.  This year, through the powers and wonder of Qwowi, I had the opportunity to try out a goLite BLU from Philips and for the first time in a long time I made it through winter without losing my optimism and energy.

Good Things Come in Small  Packages

When the goLite BLU first arrived on my doorstep I was amazed at how compact it was.  I have friends who swear by their lightboxes to help them avoid the winter blues, but theirs are bulky and space consuming; some lightboxes eat up the entire surface space of a writing desk!   The goLite BLU is small, aesthetically appealing, and made to travel easily.  It arrives complete with a charger, carrying case, internal rechargeable lithium ion battery, and a thorough User Guide (something every good gadget should come with).

After using the goLite BLU for several weeks, I really came to appreciate its small and sleek design.  The BLU measures a mere 5 1/2″ square by 1″ deep and stands with the simple placement of a metal pin into a hole on the back of the box.  The pin is magnetized and has it’s own storage space, an indentation on the back of the box itself, making it easy to keep track of.

Finding a place to use the goLite BLU was easy: I often sat at my breakfast table, bathing in blue light while enjoying my cereal and tea.  Sometimes I placed the goLite on my small end table in the living room and had my session while checking my e-mail.   If I ran out of time in the morning I simply slipped the light into my smallish handbag and went on my merry way; I could set the goLite BLU on any small, flat surface and fit in a light session in between appointments, while waiting to pick up my son from pre-school, or sitting and reading the newspaper at my favorite coffee shop.  The goLite BLU needs only a 5″x6″ surface upon which to perch, making it extremely easy to use and transport

Functionality Goes BLU

The goLite BLU has been designed with ease and personalization of use in mind.  It has an interface display (touchscreen) that allows the user to customize the light, as well as a separate on/off switch to keep things simple.  The touchscreen has a clock, timer, alarm, and battery life indicator.  I found all of the functions easy to set by following the clear directions given in the User Guide.

The clock and alarm were very handy for occasions when I traveled; instead of using the sometimes unreliable alarm clock in my hotel room, I started my day with blue light and pleasant chimes.  The alarm can also be set to wake the user with only chimes or only light.  I really appreciated the timer feature, as it allowed me to decide how long my sessions should be and then it counted down the time for me, shutting the light off when my session was complete; the timer really took the guesswork out of light therapy for me.

How It Works: A Brief Explanation

Light therapy has a history of use and research that extends back nearly three decades to the early 1980s.  What this ongoing research tells us is that exposure to light affects our body clocks by causing us to release hormones and neurotransmitters that regulate normal body functions such as sleep, appetite, energy, mood, and even libido.  These naturally occurring cycles within the body are called circadian rhythms.  Because we are biologically programmed to rise with the sun and sleep when it sets, our modern life is often at odds with our biology, causing our circadian rhythms to go out of whack.  When we work shift work, travel across time zones, or stay up late into the night with the use of artificial lighting we trick our bodies into working longer than they were meant to in a 24 hour period.

The light therapy studies that began in the 1980s have shown us that exposure to certain spectrums of light for a prescribed duration of time can help to alleviate the effects of an irregulated circadian rhythm, including winter blues, feelings of sadness, jet lag, lack of concentration, loss of appetite, lack of energy, sleeplessness, mood swings, and irritability.

According to ligththerapy.com:

Researchers have found unique photoreceptors in the eye called melanopsin. These melanopsin photoreceptors are responsible for mediating the circadian response, and they respond to blue light…The goLITE is a breakthrough in light therapy that provides just the blue light our bodies need (we call it Bluewave technology). Studies have shown that low-intensity blue light (470 nm, like that from the goLITE) is twice as effective at managing our body clocks compared to other sources of light.

Light therapy that mimics the naturally occurring blue light is purported to be the best therapy for circadian rhythm adjustment and is safer to use than broad spectrum lights that emit dangerous UV rays.  The User Guide of the goLite BLU clearly outlines how and when to use the light based on your habits, symptoms, and work schedule.

Using the goLite BLU

Sitting down for a treatment session with the goLite BLU is simple: place the light on a level surface 20-30 inches from the face and at a slight angle to the eyes; it should be used in a well-lit room in order to minimize any eyestrain.  The goLite BLU can be used while you are going about your normal daily activities, while you exercise, apply
makeup, work, use the computer, etc.  It is recommended that usage begin at the minimum intensity for 15 minutes.  Intensity and duration of treatments can be increased as necessary. 

My Experiences With goLite BLU

After thoroughly reading the User Guide, I ascertained that I could best benefit from an early morning session, since my symptoms included difficulty falling asleep, struggling to wake up, and feeling generally groggy and grumpy, especially on darker winter days.  I began using the lowest intensity for 15 minutes per day, then increased to medium-low intensity within a few days because I didn’t feel that I was getting a strong enough response from my body.  The first day I used the medium-low intensity for 15 minutes I felt a definite increase in my energy level and focus.  I liken it to waking up on a beautiful, sunshiny spring morning, the type of day that makes me feel as though anything is possible.  The feeling stayed with me well into the afternoon and I fell asleep much easier that night.  I found that over time and use my mood greatly improved,  I was more patient with my children, and I just felt better in general.  I also found that because I was feeling more energetic I was less likely to self-medicate my fatigue with caffeine and carbohydrate based foods.

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the goLite BLU was to use and how much better it made me feel within a short amount of time.  My husband, children, and even our dogs seemed to gravitate toward the light when it was on!  I have continued to use the goLite BLU into the spring months whenever I feel myself slipping into late nights and groggy mornings, and my husband has found it an effective tool for helping to change his sleep schedule when he works second shift.

Overall, this is a product I believe in.  The thirty day money back guarantee that Philips offers makes trying the goLite BLU a no-brainer for anyone who works shifts, travels across time zones, or suffering from the symptoms of an irregulated circadian rhythm.

The goLite BLU retails for around $250 and can be purchased at Amazon.com
or lighttherapy.com

As a result of this long and time consuming project, we have a pileup of discarded alarm clocks clogging the upper shelf of our master bedroom closet.  Clocks with CD players, clocks with flashing weather reports, clocks that shine the time and temperature on the ceiling, clocks with large face numbers, clocks with blue numbers, green numbers, and yellow numbers: all seemed like good ideas at the time, but none offered a workable solution to our sleeping and waking needs.  Remember, we weren’t looking for perfection, we were merely interested in basic functionality combined with durability and reliability.  I had all but given up the quest, settling for a combination of brightly lit numbers (with a book carefully leaned over the face to block out the unnecessary light at night) and a broken CD player.  But then I had the opportunity to review the Apollo Health Daybreak Duo Sunrise/Sunset Simulator for Qwowi.com and I decided it might be worth it to try just one more clock.  I am delighted to tell you that the pileup of clocks in the bedroom closet is being thrown out, and the Daybreak Duo has moved into its rightful place beside our bed.  This alarm clock is a keeper.

Not Just An Alarm Clock

The Daybreak Duo is an alarm clock that uses light to help ease your body into wakefulness.  Using your existing bedside lamp (incandescent light only, 100 watts preferred) and internal dimming technology, it slowly raises the light in your bedroom before you wake, reaching full brightness at the time when your alarm clock is set to go off, and mimicking the sunrise that would wake you naturally if you didn’t need to use an alarm clock.

“8 of 10 adults struggle to get out of bed in the morning, and have problems sleeping at night. Traditional alarm clocks wake you with a sudden jolt of noise that interrupts your final stage of sleep, causing a condition known as sleep latency that makes it hard to get out of bed. The effects of sleep latency can last all day. The Daybreak Duo simulates a natural sunrise, allowing your sleep cycle to finish and you awaken gradually without sleep latency.” (source: www.lighttherapy.com)

Not only does the Daybreak Duo raise the “sun” for you when you need to wake up, it helps you fall asleep by mimicking a natural sunset.  No more laying in bed waiting to fall asleep, perhaps counting sheep as the minutes and hours tick by.  The Daybreak Duo slowly sets the “sun” in your bedroom with increments too subtle to notice until you are lulled into a natural sleep.

“…[The] Daybreak Duo also provides sunset simulation, a gradual decrease in light that tells your body clock to slow down by replicating nature’s signal that it’s time to go to sleep.” (source: www.lighttherapy.com)

Trying It Out

When my Daybreak Duo alarm clock arrived the first thing I noticed was its heft.  This is not a cheap plastic alarm clock that feels as though it would shatter if dropped, rather it feels like the electronics of days gone by: solid, weighty, and built to last.  I noticed the aesthetics of the clock as well (probably because I already have a small heap of discarded alarm clocks stashed in my closet), finding it modern and attractive.  I have the black model, shown below:

Setting up the clock was simple.  It comes with a backup battery that will hold your settings for up to 24 hours if electricity is lost, something that will certainly come in handy where I live as we seem to lose power with alarming frequency.  After properly inserting the battery I plug my existing bedside lamp into the back of the clock, then plug the clock into my electrical outlet.  The Daybreak Duo has many setting options that allow you to tailor and personalize your usage.  Along with the standard clock time setting, the Daybreak Duo also includes settings for:

• 2 Wake Times, great for two person usage or different wake times for weekdays and weekends
• Wake Modes for each of the 2 wake times, including sunrise, chime, radio, and off; also allowing combinations of sunrise/chime and sunrise/radio.
• Sunrise Duration, factory set for 30 minutes but able to be personalized in 15 minute increments from 15-120 minutes
• Sunset Duration, factory set for 30 minutes but able to be personalized in 15 minute increments from 15-120 minutes
• Digital Radio Station Tuning, with three programmable presets so you can store your favorite stations
• Adjustable display brightness

Working my way through the User Guide I was able to program my clock within minutes; the touchscreen display makes the programming very easy and user-friendly, and when I made mistakes it took only seconds to correct them.  I eagerly awaited my first sunset and sunrise with the Daybreak Duo; the first night when I got into bed I simply pressed the SUNSET button, which I had previously set to a 15 minute sunset duration, and waited for the lights to get dim with obvious drops in light.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that the light didn’t suddenly drop in a way that was startling, rather it was barely noticeable.  I was able to read my book for the first 8-10 minutes, but then I found my eyelids getting droopy and my yawns became more frequent, even though I had not felt particularly tired when I got into bed.  That first night I was sound asleep before the light went off completely, which means I fell asleep within 15 minutes of going to bed, something that had not happened in years!

Waking to my first simulated sunrise was pleasant.  I didn’t notice the light coming on in my sleep, but when my alarm sounded and I opened my eyes the light, a full 100 watts, did not seem glaring as it would have had someone thrown on the lights on a normal predawn winter morning.  I felt quite awake when my alarm sounded and for the first time in years I didn’t push snooze (although there is a snooze button, large and well-placed at the front  front and center of the top of the clock, which allows one to sleep in for additional 9 minute segments).

Conclusive Evidence

After decades of being woken up with a jolt by my alarm clock radio, hitting snooze, and drifting back into dreamland, I was used to waking up feeling tired and out of sorts, as if I just couldn’t shake off my morning grogginess; I have even been known to nod off over my morning cup of tea, only waking when the sloshing hot liquid startles me out of sleep.  While nodding off over my morning cup of tea didn’t seem quite right, I never connected my waking-up habits to my morning (or all day) exhaustion until the Daybreak Duo alarm clock arrived at my house.  After the first few days of using the Daybreak Duo I found myself waking with ease and feeling better throughout my entire day.  Suddenly I had more energy, I was accomplishing more during my day, and my mood was remarkably improved.

I am aware that my first experiences with the Daybreak Duo sound too good to be true, which is why I kept using the clock for nearly a month before writing this review.  I, too, kept waiting for the light simulation to stop working for my body, for my mornings to once again be groggy and my bedtimes to once again include tossing and turning, trying to relax enough to fall asleep.  After a month I can tell you this: it works.  I wake each morning feeling well rested and ready for the day, even when I have stayed up a little bit too late.  I fall asleep at night within 15 minutes, my eyelids often too heavy to witness the final dimness of my bedside lamp.  Without changing any of my other habits I feel as though I am getting a better quality of sleep and I am waking feeling refreshed rather than run down.

Other Features Worthy of Mention

LAMP USE Lest you think it might be a major pain to have your bedside lamp plugged into your alarm clock, you should know that the big thinkers at Apollo Health have thought of everything:  the Daybreak Duo alarm clock has a manual lamp operation button, labeled on the clock as LAMP, which allows you to turn your light on through the clock.  Even better, the LAMP button has three varying degrees of intensity: dim, medium, and bright.  If you don’t like the factory presets for these three settings you can adjust them by using the up and down arrows on the touchscreen.

NAPPING In my mind, there is nothing quite so decadent as having a late afternoon nap while the sun spills across my bed, and the Daybreak Duo can help out with this, too.  Pressing the SNOOZE/NAP button allows you to adjust your nap duration on the touchscreen, after which you can doze off until the clock’s backup alarm sounds at the end of your preset time.

RADIO Once in awhile we all like to have a little bit of music while we lie in bed, and unlike many alarm clock radios, the radio on the Daybreak Duo sounds good.  For manual use, the radio can be turned on/off by pressing the RADIO button.

DISPLAY Aside from the sunrise and sunset simulation, my favorite feature of the Daybreak Duo is the adjustable display brightness.  During the day the display is brighter so you can see it even in a sunlit room.  Eight hours before your first scheduled wake time the display dims to a low light level so that the light from the display won’t keep you from sleeping soundly.

FACEPLATES I told you the big thinkers at Apollo Health had everything covered, didn’t I?  They even realized that we each have our own sense of style and that our interiors might not be best suited by a plain black or white clock.  The Daybreak Duo can be customized  to your look by changing out the faceplate that surrounds the touchscreen display and the SNOOZE/NAP button.  Additional faceplate covers cost $10 for a 2-pack.

Mission: Complete

Simply put, the Daybreak Duo redefined the term ‘alarm clock’ for me.  I’ll never be able to go back to the old standard of cheap plastic and too-bright displays.  Waking up and going to sleep with the Daybreak Duo has made a remarkable difference in the quality and duration of our sleep, and I honestly feel as though my mood has taken a solid upturn since I began its use (I am quite certain my family would agree).  When it’s time to purchase your next alarm clock, look no further than the Daybreak Duo and you, too, will be amazed at how well it works.

The Daybreak Duo Alarm Clock retails for around $150 and is available online at Amazon.com.

Turn Your Photos Into Video With Fodeo

This one is for the person on your list who uses digital photography, but has trouble actually turning those photographs into something useful.  Maybe they don’t have time to play around with computer software that creates slideshows or montages, maybe they’re not particularly tech savvy, or maybe they have a special event or occasion coming up and would enjoy having an easy way to capture those memories.

What is Fodeo?  At its most basic definition, Fodeo is a DVD created with your digital photographs.  You are buying a service that turns your photographs into a video montage that is set to the music of your choice.

How does it work?  When you order a Fodeo, you will be sent a digital memory card for your camera.  You take up to 200 photographs using the memory card, then fill out the simple, one sheet form stating your DVD’s theme, music selection and title, as well as your photo selection preferences; you can personally select your photos online, or you can have the professionals at Fodeo take care of the selection process for you.  Send the form and memory card back to Fodeo in the addressed, postage paid envelope and within two weeks Fodeo will send you your professionally edited video montage of 30 photographs on a DVD.  The DVD will contain a folder with all of the photographs taken on the digital memory card, but only 30 will be included in the photo montage (additional photographs can be added to the monatge for an additional fee).  As the Fodeo packaging states, “We keep the card, you keep the memories”; you won’t get the memory card back with the DVD.

Testing Fodeo was easy.  We simply popped the memory card into our camera and starting shooting photos of family and friends.  The hardest part of the whole process was picking out a song for the video that would encompass our theme, our family’s Thanksgiving celebration.  When our completed Fodeo arrived, we found the video to be well put together and we were thrilled that the red eye visible in some pictures had been corrected.  It was easy to locate the other picture files on the DVD when we placed it in our computer, and the video was a really great sequence of pictures from our family event.

I would highly recommend Fodeo for anyone who uses digital photography.  At the reasonable price of $29.99 per Fodeo it is a great way to document your photographs in a usable format.  Fodeo is a fun way to capture memories of sporting events, proms, family reunions, camping trips, holidays, new babies, weddings, anniversaries, retirement parties, and more.  Everyone on your gift list will be pleased to find a Fodeo in their stocking!

Fodeo can be purchased online at Fodeo.net, where you can also watch sample video montages created with Fodeo.

Web Design For Kids (…And Curious Grown-Ups!)

I come to this review from a place of HTML ignorance.  I have a blog, but I’m not the one who maintains the nitty gritty parts of it; I have friends who take care of that dirty work for me (Thanks, Tony).  I was particularly interested in checking out this DVD so that someday I might be able to be the one to make the necessary adjustments to my online spaces.  Web Design For Kids (…And Curious Grown-Ups!) has definitely taken me a few steps closer to that goal by giving me a basic understanding of how code is written and what some of it means.

Brian Richardson, the creator of the Web Design For Kids DVD, is a middle school computer literacy teacher and technology expert.  His instruction on the DVD takes place in a classroom setting in which he is teaching two children, both sitting at desktop computers, about web design.  He begins with the most basic of code-writing lessons, such as setting the title of the page, placing text on the page, and changing the color of both background and text.  Each lesson builds off the previous lessons, creating an easy flowing, general education in basic code.  The video is broken down into seven chapters, making it easy to repeat sections or skip ahead.  The seven chapters are:

• Ten Basic Lines of Code
• Sandwiches and Colors
• Make Subject Stand Out
• Stand Alone Tags
• Designing Backgrounds
• Fonts and Paragraphs
• Pictures

Mr. Richardson is an engaging instructor, and he takes things slow enough that computer illiterates such as myself can easily keep up.  Best of all, the only software tools necessary to start learning are generally included with every PC purchase: Notepad and Internet Explorer.  The simplicity of the DVD presentation and the gentle pace make this a great learning tool for children ages ten and up who have a working knowledge of computers (and I do realize that most ten years olds probably know more about computers than I do).  This DVD would be a great stocking stuffer for any kids on your list, young or old, who might want to learn more about web design.  Also noteworthy is the fact that proceeds from the sale of this video will go to several charities including the Ronald McDonald House, Children’s Miracle Network, The Smile Train, Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, and the American Foundation for the Blind.  You can feel good about giving a useful gift and about giving back.

The Web Design For Kids (…And Curious Adults!) DVD can be purchased online at Web Design For Kids.  It is regularly proced at $40.00, but is on sale for the holidays at the special price of $19.99.

The Panic Button

A panic button (www.panicbuttons.com) makes an excellent stocking stuffer or gag gift for the computer geek, CTO, CEO, or anyone else with a reputation for freaking out at the slightest hint of a computer problem.  Panic buttons can be attached to just about any keyboard using the included adhesive pad.  They’re also easy enough to pull off as well, which means you can attach one to your boss’ keyboard without too much fear about the consequences.  At only a dollar each it’s hard to image a more cost-effective way to illicit a laugh (or in my case, make a point).

The people behind the Panic Button also make an “Any Key”, as well as the world’s lowest cost PC (Pencil Computer).    All 3 items are available from the Panic Button Website.

Writing for Qwowi is a really fun gig.  We get to try out the latest and greatest products coming to the market, we get to play with all sorts of neat ideas, and this time around I discovered a few great products while also fulfilling a lifetime goal that had been lost in the shuffle of my everyday life.  iPlayMusic sent me their Family Guitar Bundle and their Level 2 Beginner Guitar Lessons DVD for my review and when they arrived I realized that I have always wanted to learn to play an instrument, particularly the guitar.  I have fond memories of listening to my father, stepdad, and brother playing guitar.  As a teen and young adult I loved going to open mic nights locally to hear budding musicians play, I went to college at the same school that is home to the reknowned Crane School of Music, and I even married a bass (guitar) player.  I had a lot of exposure to music as a first hand experience during my formative years, but no one ever placed an instrument in my hands.  I never understood the exquisite delight that comes from holding your own instrument and knowing, even in the most basic terms, how to make it sing.  I always wanted to learn to play the guitar, even if I only got good enough to play nursery songs to my children, but I admit that I never put forth any effort to try because  I have never associated myself with the label of musician.  This year, with the onset of the Qwowi Tech Guide and the iPlayMusic Family Guitar Bundle and DVDs, that all changed for me.

The Family Guitar Bundle: Basics

The Family Guitar Bundle consists of two Stagg guitars, one full size for an adult and one 3/4 size for a child or young adult to learn on.  It also includes extra Stagg strings for both guitars, a Qwik Tune Electric Tuner (batteries included), two Fender guitar picks, the Level 1 Beginner Guitar Lessons DVD, and the Play Music Together DVD.  The buyer gets to choose the guitar color of the full size guitar; the 3/4 size guitar arrives in a natural finish.

I chose red for my guitar, and when I took it out of the box the aesthetics of the instrument did not disappoint.  The color is a deep red and when the light hits the guitar body it shines like a ruby.  Needless to say, I was not disappointed.  Other colors available to choose from include: Natural, Violinburst, Black, Sunburst, and Green.  The natural 3/4 sized guitar is also very good looking, and is small enough for a child to use but not so small that it is useless for teens or young adults.  I am able to comfortably hold and play both guitars.

Breaking Down the Family Guitar Bundle: Qwik Tune Acoustic Guitar and Bass Tuner

The first step to playing guitar is getting the strings in tune, which I immediately set out to do.  The digital tuner comes with very simple directions, which I found easy to use.  It took me awhile to get the hang of tuning, but after tuning the first guitar the second one went much quicker.  Enthusiasm was running high in our household that afternoon, with my son and I both eager to get our hands on our guitars, so we turned on the DVD  and sat down to play.

Breaking Down the Family Guitar Bundle: Level 1 Beginner Guitar DVD

Let me start by saying that there are instructional videos, and then there are instructional videos that are done exceptionally well.  This video falls into the latter category due to its customizable options (which I will go over in greater detail below), its friendly, encouraging tone that never goes over the edge into patronizing, and the teacher whose engaging style and calm instruction makes you feel as though he’s a buddy who stopped by your living room to jam for the afternoon.

The DVD is broken into four sections: Basics, Songs Step by Step, Songs, and Riffs, Techniques, & Bonus Videos.  There is a “play all” option, as well as a chapter index for ease of mobility through the DVD.  Being a novice, I start with the Basics section and I am immediately encouraged because there is no section labeled “Learning to Read Sheet Music”.  I understand the value of being able to read music, but in past attempts my ventures into the musical world were stopped short when I realized that I am incapable of understanding the ‘notes on a page represent notes on an instrument’ concept.  The Basics section begins, instead, with a basic tour of the guitar that reveals the name and purpose of each part (frets, neck, body, etc.), how to hold the instrument, and how to make sound.  The DVD uses a finger, string, and fret numbering system that allows you to get playing immediately by following the teacher, without the need for lessons in sheet music reading.  There are lessons on constructing chords, strengthening exercises for your fingers, and strumming basics, all delivered in a visual, hands-on approach.

The second section, Songs Step by Step, goes through five songs:

• Sloop John B
• Corinna, Corinna
• Midnight Special
• Salty Dog
• Will The Circle Be Unbroken

Each song is broken down to the basics.  You begin by learning the chords of the song, the strumming pattern, and the chord transitions.  During these lessons the television screen displays the name of the chord you are working on at the top and the remaining screen is broken into four windows.  Three of the windows allow you to view the teacher’s finger placement on both strings and frets from different angles, and the fourth window shows the body position of the teacher as he sits and plays.  At the bottom right of the screen there is a “loop” option, allowing the viewer to see the section over and over in a continuous loop until it can be played effortlessly.  The final two sections under each song take you through a song lesson and playing the song itself.  The song lesson shows you how to put the chords, chord transitions, and strumming patterns together to construct the song, and also gives you the first introduction to the lyrics.  The song is played fairly slowly at this point, allowing your mind and hands to get the feel of the piece before taking you up to full tempo.  This lesson employs the same four window split screen we saw in the previous lessons, as well as the loop option.  The final lesson in this section, playing the song, takes you through playing the entire song at full tempo.  The screen is again split into four sections, and the middle of the screen has a marquee showing the lyrics and chords.  The most noteworthy part of this last lesson is the ability of the viewer to play the song with just the rhythm,  just the music, or with the full sound on; these options allow you to train your ear to play along with other instruments.  There is also a quick view option to refresh your memory on finger placement for each chord, as well as a refresher on strumming patterns, without having to lose your place on the DVD by going back to previous lessons.

The third section of the DVD, Songs, is a compilation of the final lessons (playing the song) of each of the five pieces learned in Songs Step by Step.  Basically, you can play all of the songs, back to back, at full tempo with the same options to loop, refresh your memory on chords and strumming patterns, and play with different sound options.

The fourth and final section of the DVD packs in a lot of information, with 22 lessons including, but not limited to, barre chords, power chords, riffs,  metal and punk strumming, stringing the guitar, and finger strengthening.

Breaking Down the Family Guitar Bundle: The Play Music Together DVD

This DVD reaches out to the younger child in your family, with the same teacher from the Level 1 DVD and a puppet named Capo singing and playing seven children’s songs:

• If You’re Happy and You Know It
• The Wheels on the Bus
• Whole World In His Hands
• I’ve Been Working on the Railroad
• Crawdad Song
• ABC Song
• Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

The video is both captivating and engaging for young children.  They are encouraged to follow along with the music by using hand motions and getting up to dance along with Capo.  The DVD includes sections similar to those in the Level I DVD  that show you how to play each part of the song (chords, chord transitions, and strumming patterns) as well as putting all of the components together to play the full song.  The teacher starts you out playing the songs at a slower tempo to allow you to get used to playing, and then speeds things up to full tempo.  Again, there is a marquee of chords and lyrics to help you play and sing, and a loop option to allow you to continuously play until you’ve got the song down.  Also included is the Play Music Together Song Book with fun illustrations and words to the seven songs so young readers and grown-ups unfamiliar with the lyrics can sing along.

My children have especially enjoyed this part of the Family Guitar Bundle.  They love Capo and they have asked to watch the song video repeatedly since it arrived.  Once again, iPlayMusic delivers lessons in an encouraging, friendly manner that engages the whole family.

Overall Review of the Family Guitar Bundle

I can sum this up in one sentence: Our family is having a blast with this bundle!  Playing together, as a family, has been more fun than I could have imagined.  We have really learned to laugh at ourselves in the past few weeks, but we’ve also made great progress in our skills and great memories of time spent together.  The Family Guitar Bundle really delivers: the guitars are of a respectable quality for a beginner guitar; they look and sound great.  The Qwik Tune digital tuner works well and takes the guesswork out of tuning the guitar for beginners.  The Level 1 DVD is fantastic and gets you playing your new instrument within minutes, allowing you and your children to maintain your enthusiasm for music without getting bogged down in particulars, like reading sheet music, that can prove frustrating for beginners.  The manueverability of the DVD is superb compared to other instructional videos I have tried using, with plenty of options to allow you to customize your experience.  The Play Music Together DVD is a fun introduction to guitar for little ones, using songs they are familiar with to encourage their interest in playing.  Also worthy of mention is the fact that both DVDs come with videos formatted for the video iPod screen, allowing you to take your lessons with you anywhere (I was unable to test this portion of tha package, as I sadly do not own an iPod).  The Family Bundle is a versatile product that appeals across generational lines, allowing the entire family to try something new together.  It also allows you to learn a skill that can be built upon; the ability to play an instrument is something your children can take with them throughout life, unlike video game versions of the real thing that only entertain them for the moments when they are plugged in.  In my opinion, this is the best family oriented gift I have seen in years.  In a time when we are all scaling back due to economic concerns, the Family Guitar Bundle from iPlayMusic brings the focus back to shared family experiences, time spent together, and education – what could be better than that?

The iPlayMusic Family Guitar Bundle is comfortably priced at $199.95 and can be purchased at your local Apple Retail Store or online at the iPlayMusic Store.  iPlayMusic has similar guitar bundles for children, youth, and adult beginners, as well as electric guitar bundles.  Save 30% on your purchase from the iPlayMusic store through December 21, 2008 and still receive your gifts in time for Christmas!

Add Ons to the Family Guitar Bundle: Level 2 Beginner Guitar Lessons

The Level 2 DVD is laid out much like the Level 1 DVD; it uses the same section and lesson format to break down the basics of handling the guitar, learning songs step by step, and playing songs at regular tempo.  The main differences in the Level 2 DVD lie in the song selections and the fourth section, Riffs, Techniques, & Bonus Videos.  The song lessons on this DVD are for the follwing songs:

• Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad
• Careless Love
• Red River Valley
• Sinner Man

The lessons are taught in exactly the same manner as the Level 1 DVD, with all of the same customizable options.  The Riffs, Techniques, and Bonus Videos Section includes, but is not limited to, lessons in hammer ons and pull offs, bends, slides, sliding chords, Blues riffs, and harmonics.

The Level 2 DVD is the logical next step to follow the Level 1 DVD and delivers the same engaging and encouraging teaching methods we saw in Level 1.  This DVD would make a great stocking stuffer for the guitarist who knows just enough to be dangerous, but would like to know even more.

The Level 2 Beginner Guitar Lessons DVD is priced at $19.95 and can be purchased at your local Apple Retail Store or online at the iPlayMusic Store.  The entire stock of the iPlayMusic store is on sale until December 21, 2008.  Save 30% on your purchase and receive your gifts by Christmas!

Check out all of our reviews in Qwowi’s 2008 Tech Gift Guide