| I learned to sew
as a child partly from my mother, and partly from a book called
My Big Book of Sewing. This taught me how to work with patterns,
us a sewing machine and all the other basics as well as providing
me with soft toys, simple garments and many gifts and sale
items. Here is another such book for a new generation of budding
stitchers.
There are many things to praise about this book. It is easy
to read and very user friendly, talking to its young owner
rather like a friend. The first section of the book is taken
up with the basics, such as what you need (and very importantly
why you need it), getting to know your sewing machine and
choosing fabric. There are short sections giving tips on safe
use of an iron and a glue gun, working with patterns and things
like sewing around a corner, stitching on a button and tying
a good knot. Everything is illustrated with clear photographs
and concise captions, all worded to appeal to a young person.
I particularly liked the check list of things you need to
be confident with before going on to the patterns. These include
gifts for friends and family, things to make for pets and
even ways of presenting gifts in the form of gift bags and
envelope. Everything is graded according to difficulty and
there are some fun and modern ideas. Make a pet bed, decorated
mirror, belt, tie for Dad, lavender sachet, squeaky bone,
trinket bowl, watch strap and more. Many items can be made
from existing scraps of fabric and I was glad to see that
nothing involved laying out a lot of money. The author had
most things covered and anybody who works through the book
will be able to tackle more advanced projects having all the
basic sewing know-how they need. This is a great book that
is going to appeal to any child who wants to learn how to
sew.
If you cannot find a good range of sewing materials locally
try www.searchpress.com
for a list of suppliers.
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