Mail call
February 9, 2008Late last week my order arrived from Book Depository (in 8 working days!), and there was also some surprise hand-dyed Patonyle from ms gusset. The gusset yarn colourway absolutely has me over the moon: semi-solid yarn in beautiful autumn reds, russets, cranberry colors. And the name? Why, Little Red Hen, of course! (How flattering is *that*?)
I’m also very excited about the books, which are three sewing titles. I still find sewing very mysterious — new terms, new techniques and the seductively steamy smell of warm fabric. So I needed some guidance, and for that, I inevitably turn to books.
Simple Sewing by Lotta Jansdotter looked like a stunning book, and it is. Lovely simple-looking projects, and so far, the instructions seem clear to me. Some of the reviews I read also liked the fact that it included full-size patterns where patterns were necessary.
Francesca Denhartog’s Sew What! is full of no-pattern skirts, and since I still love and wear the one skirt I ever made, I thought this title was a good bet. It is a fun book, well organised, and has good basic info on garment construction, so I’m excited about that one too.
Lastly, there’s Vogue Sewing, which struck me as possibly the Montse Stanley of sewing books, and upon perusal, it may just be. (It also has an unexpectedly lovely watercolour illustration on the cover!)
I’m really happy with the selection. What sewing books and magazines do you like (all seven of you*)? Books? Mags? Websites? Are you one of those lucky people who grew up sewing at your mamma’s knee? Tell me. And don’t worry, I’m not going to start a sewing magazine, so all your secrets are safe with me. ; )
* See 2 Feb.
February 9, 2008 at 8:07 am
Very!!! Oh how wonderful to have your own colour!! It is lovely. I think I have the Simple Sewing book on order at The Library!! The skirt book sounds great. I have an Amy Butler sewing book, and a friend lent me her Japanese one too. I used to buy Burda and Neue Mode for about 15 or so years, but I gave up a while ago. I mostly try to borrow from The Library and buy if I really love something. Glad to see you are blogging along for all 8 of us!!!!!
February 11, 2008 at 3:33 am
They sound like really good choices! You’ve probably noticed, sewing books are REALLY different to knitting books - the ones with patterns included are a bit of a rarity. There are a number of magazines that have patterns - Burda world of fashion; and Ottobre - mainly kids’ clothes, which are fantastic, and they have a biannual (twice a year??) women’s mag. And there’s the wonderful Threads too. I LOVE Threads.
Really glad you are getting into sewing - I was obsessed with sewing as I am with knitting up to a couple of years ago - long commutes and less time at home was what switched me to knitting … that, and a tense relationship with my overlocker!!
February 11, 2008 at 4:56 am
though i’ve been naughty and am yet to crack it open - built by wendy’s “sew u” book is also rather rad. it’s very much “here’s what i’ve learnt in the trenches” and she preferred to sell her stuff in record stores rather than clothes stores - which is a pretty groovy way to go.
killer photography - the yarn looks great!
February 12, 2008 at 1:17 am
I have a Vogue Sewing book, roughly the size of a light encyclopaedia. I don’t know if it’s the same one because I haven’t looked in it for years. It was useful though, back when I used to sew.
I used to try very hard and be continually disappointed. Seams not quite straight enough, curves not quite right, and when you get to the end and try it on, and you find that the pattern (which you oh-so-carefully cut out) was frankly wrong, and that the garment would look better if it were a bit longer, or a little wider, or if it came in more at the waist.
And more often than not, it’s too late to change it. I realised that sewing was (for me) all stress and very little reward, and I went back to knitting.
Of course, now that I spin (thanks, Yarn 6!) and I’m looking very closely at weaving, it’s entirely possible that I’ll re-examine sewing one day.
February 12, 2008 at 3:24 am
What a gorgeous shade of red! All of those books sounds so great. The Lotta Jansdotter book is especially appealing. I really have to learn to sew one of these days.
February 23, 2008 at 3:24 am
The red is quite lovely and looks great with the placemat in the background.
XOX
M
February 29, 2008 at 3:34 am
Lovely red yarn.
I’m no longer an avid sewer - I was about 25 years ago! I still have the Vogue Sewing Book - it cost a lot then and I get very annoyed when DD leaves it on the floor!
Now I have the Vogue Knitting Book - much more likely to become a well-used reference book!
If I sewed, my magazine of choice would be Threads!