| In
another review, I mentioned how I learned to sew as a child
with help from a book called My Big Book of Sewing.
This taught me the basics and showed me that sewing was fun
and a good opportunity for using imagination as well as producing
something useful or amusing. It was rather thin on fashion,
however, unlike this inspiring book on how girls can make
their own clothes.
Most sewing books start with what you need, show you how to
use it and then give you some projects to make to get you
started. This is fine for adults, but younger people need
a bit more to get encouraged. You can find all that here,
from lively colorful layouts to the voice of the author, talking
to the book's owner like a friend. Get started by choosing
a box for your supplies and decorating it, before learning
what you need to put in it. Learn the parts of a sewing machine
and what they all do, create a sewing space and a mood board.
I love the way all this takes place first but not in a boring
way, as there are practical things to do such as the mood
board and drawing fashion designs, and none of it takes too
long to read. A fair bit of knowledge is encapsulated in an
admirably short section with plenty of pictures and things
to try out. The projects themselves are grouped into sections
such as back to school, friends, slumber party, summertime
and party wear. Each section has four things to make or customizations
for existing items. A project has a full page photo of the
garment, plus a list of what you need, how to make it and
tips to make it all go successfully. All the garments and
accessories are designed to be fun to make and wear, and making
them will teach a novice sewer how to do most of the basics.
If this sounds boring, this also includes the fun part, meaning
embellishment and plenty of it. In short, this is a wonderfully
produced book that is sure to appeal to any girl who wants
to learn how to make their own clothes.
If you cannot find a good range of sewing materials locally
try www.searchpress.com
for a list of suppliers. |
