The Illustrated Home Handyman

Hello Everyone. I hope all is as reasonably well as can be expected. Unfortunately, nothing very new here at Planet Nice Crafts, not even with the birds. Sewing is ticking along slowly. I did replenish my supplies at Vogue Fabrics in Evanston in person. It was a nice adventure.  

Gardening is moving along, the change of seasons is here. A few tomatoes and peppers remain. The string beans, kale, and the tomatillo are the workhorses and are still producing good harvests. The pumpkins have kicked in but are battling the fungal disease, powdery mildew. And of course, the beetles are as hungry and numerous as ever. The pests and diseases should slow down now that it is cooler, but the plants slow down as well. There is a bright spot without issues so far and that is the second crop of snap peas. The peas were planted in early August and though they had to get through the August heat, they established themselves more quickly than those which were planted in April.

No garden pictures but instead I chose to look more closely at The Illustrated Home Handyman Encyclopedia & Guide, Volume I by The Popular Mechanics. It was published by the Readers Institute of America in 1962. Volume I encompasses A-Do. Here is the cover:

There is a high level of kitsch, and really even in the 1960s, did people pour their own concrete driveways? And of course, safety and precaution are not mentioned, look at the cover: no safety guards on the saw or eye or ear protection! In the midst of the 640 pages, there are some finds for those fans of mid-century modern design. Here is an example of a do-it-yourself modern chaise lounge in the Chairs section:

The technical illustrations brought back memories of my Engineering Graphics class that I took in 2019 and also remind me of the sometimes cryptic illustrations found in sewing pattern directions. There was an actual section on Blueprints in the Volume, but it was too dry to even share a bit. So instead, here is another chair:

What do you think? Maybe a little rigid looking, but if someone is actually skilled to make it, I say kudos to them and forget the stiffness!

In the Dividers, Room section, there was another piece by the same designer John Bergen. In the Contributors section of the volume it states about the author “One of the country’s leading designers of furniture and interior equipment, John Bergen’s exclusive designs have appeared regularly in Popular Mechanics for more than 10 years.” A Google search reveals that he is the author of a Popular Mechanics volume “All About Upholstering” and the book looks to be available on the used book sites. I like the room divider concept perhaps because it is different from the “open floor” concept so prevalent in today’s homes.

A writing desk/work area on one side and then a china cabinet/serving staging area on the other.

As you can see technical illustrations abound for every project, and there are even floor plans.

This illustration is in the Before You Buy section, the arrows represent traffic patterns. The good layout has a central hallway that provides privacy by being a buffer between the bedrooms and the living, dining, and kitchen common areas. Also, the bathroom is accessed independently from the bedrooms. The poor layout lacks the hallway. Hallways are considered a luxury because they represent space that has no practical purpose – for instance, you don’t find them in historic worker housing.

Despite the overall very dry tone of the writing throughout this encyclopedia, here is a treasure of text that is also in the Before You Buy section:

Probably the most vital consideration is the floor plan. While a family can live happily in a house that has about any style of architecture, the floor plan must be reasonably convenient, or the family will never be satisfied. The floor plan is a personal consideration which your family must decide for itself. It should be arranged for living in the way the family enjoys. If privacy and seclusion are important, the plan should provide rooms for individual activity. Or if relaxed outdoor living is important, the area should be convenient to the house.

There are a few color illustrations at the beginning of the volume. I like this cabin the best:

When looking at the floor plan, I am not too sure about having to go through the kitchen to access the bathroom, perhaps if they were switched. I do like all the windows as in the words of Frank Gehry, “Natural light is free.”

That is all I have for this month, keep well and see you in October.