New Sewing Books!

I have three new (to me) books to share!

The first is Deepika Prakash of Pattern Review's 1000 Clever Sewing Shortcuts & Tips, my prize for winning the recent PR vintage pattern contest.  Anyone who reads this blog probably knows that I think Pattern Review is the best online sewing community and sewing resource out there; many PR members have tremendous depth of knowledge (think Nancy K. and Debbie Cook) and share it generously (and daily) on the PR message boards.  In fact, nearly all the sewing tips in the book (published in 2010) were contributed by PR readers themselves.

I joined PR shortly after I purchased my first sewing machine three years ago and have received an enormous amount of support from PR members, many of whom became my first blog readers!  PR is also an excellent resource for information about both new and vintage sewing machines; I've contributed a few sewing machine reviews myself.





I loved 1000 Clever Sewing Shortcuts & Tips and I know I'll be referencing it often.  I suspect most readers aren't going to sit down with it and read it cover to cover (I didn't), but the book is well organized by category and there are also special sections by Kenneth King, Susan Khalje, and other master instructors who lead many of PR's online classes.  Check it out!





I ordered Kerstin Martensson's Kwik Sew's Beautiful Lingerie off Etsy for a number of reasons, among them that I currently have a lot of silk I want to experiment with and I'm making a slip dress for my SIL.  I was so excited to receive it in time to take it with me on my journey last weekend to suburban South Jersey!



My edition of Beautiful Lingerie is from 1990, and while the photography is dated, the styles of chemises, robes, and nightgowns in the book are timeless.



The BEST thing about Beautiful Lingerie, aside from the clear illustrations and excellent organization, is that it includes fold-out master patterns in multiples sizes (like any standard Kwik Sew commercial pattern).  The book shows you how to create a series of lingerie projects using these pattern pieces, so there's nothing more to purchase pattern-wise.  NOTE: If you are purchasing a used copy off Amazon or eBay, make sure the master patterns are intact; they aren't always!  When in doubt, ask.





My only criticism of Beautiful Lingerie is that I couldn't find a single reference in it to a French seam.  Doesn't that seem strange?

Finally, as mentioned yesterday, I picked up a used copy of Brides in Vogue, a beautiful softcover book from 1984, at the flea market.  Who doesn't like looking at vintage bridal gowns?









Speaking of slip dresses, I have a date with my SIL this afternoon, so I'll be spending much of the morning working on her muslins.  My new pattern, Style 3263 from 1971, arrived yesterday from Canada, so I'm eager to get started on it.  French seams are the first thing listed in the Style 3263 pattern instructions!





In closing, are you familiar with any of these books (or others in the Christina Probert Vogue or Kerstin Marensson Kwik Sew series)?  Have they been useful to you?

Have a great day, everybody!

(You can view more pics of all three books here.)