Stylish Sewing
Laura Wilhelm

Search Press
October 2010 / ISBN 1844486044
How-To Books/Sewing
Amazon US || UK

Reviewed by Rachel A Hyde

If you think that sewing is a difficult, complicated business then this book might make you think again. Ideal for beginners who want to make modern, attractive items as quickly as possible the patterns are even enclosed for you at the back of the book.

Choose from clothes, home accessories and soft toys to enhance your home. There are 35 patterns in all and they are presented in a fun, bright and contemporary way that cuts through the mystery and complexity that surrounds a lot of sewing projects. To get you in the mood at the beginning of the book there are several pages of design sketches that show how simple the items are. They look fun too, with their jolly floral or striped patterns, and are sure to appeal particularly to the young and young-at-heart.

A few diagrams might have made the instructions more accessible to beginners, who might well find the amount of small type daunting if they haven’t had enough experience to envisage it all. I would not therefore suggest that beginners obtain this book unless they have enough sewing savvy under their belts to tackle at least the basics without any visual references.

If you can do this then a world of fast and fairly straightforward sewing fun awaits, with simple garments for women and children, accessories such as bags and belts, cushions, decorated bed linens and “toy town.” This I imagined to be a town’s worth of toys but actually consists of fabric buildings in a fun fantasy style complete with open doors to pop toys inside. I love this; far more imaginative than yet more patterns for dolls and bears!

At the reverse of the book there are a few pages of basic instructions for doing things like putting in a zipper, darts, gathering, stuffing etc but again these could do with a few more helpful diagrams and are more reminders than instructions for total tyros. If you know the basics however this gets high marks for an imaginative and enjoyable book.

Reviewer's Note: