Book review: Sewing Basics for Everybody by Wendy Ward

Wendy Ward is one of the most reliable voices in sewing today. She released Sewing Basics for Everybody earlier this year and the blog hop promo tour is currently active.  I wasn't able to take part this time as I had work commitments scheduled at this time (that was back in the pre lockdown life!) but I did very kindly receive a copy to review.  I find that with each of Wendy's books, the style gets closer to her true aesthetic and this book really feels like her functional style has been given the freedom to create a modern utilitarian capsule wardrobe.  The keyword in the title is 'Every': this book is based on five core basic patterns with full variations and instructions to make twenty different designs in woven and knitted fabrics for any gender, age or body shape.

The book is divided into two main parts: Techniques and Projects.  In the first section, there's lots of detailed information in writing, diagrams and tables. It's packed with a comprehensive range of tutorials that cover the key skills throughout the book from adding a bust dart to, sewing welt pockets, and even stencil painting.  Then the main part of the book concentrates on the projects with a chunky chapter (including variations) devoted to each of the five core patterns.  These sections are photo-heavy and feature a diverse range of models- different genders, ages etc.  The photos are crisp and concentrate on cropped close-ups of the garments.  

The instructions are supported by Wendy's excellent diagrams throughout like the tunic dress (below) variation of the Felix sweatshirt.

The 'Harper' pants stood out to me as a classic slouchy pant.  They reminded me of how I started sewing garments in my teens.  I would take my dad's old discarded trousers and pleat the waist and peg the legs until they fitted teenage-me (we're talking circa 1985).  I have photographic evidence somewhere!  I really like the pleated hem detail (far right purple pants) to narrow the leg. 

The Kim jumpsuit is a great style with three distinctive variations.  Fiona from Diary of a Chain Stitcher has made a great vintage workwear version.

As with Wendy's other books, there are full-size pattern pieces to trace off (some pieces need to be traced off more than one sheet) at the back of the book.  As ever with Wendy, these are garments designed to be sewn on a regular domestic sewing machine and her attention to detail with plackets. cuffs, pockets, zips, linings and more will either teach you new skills or brush up your existing ones

Read my other reviews of Wendy's books:

Beginner's Guide to Sewing Knits

Beginner's Guide to Making Skirts

New Patchwork & Quilting Basics by Jo Avery: Blog Tour

Welcome to my turn on the lovely Jo Avery's New Patchwork & Quilting Basics book tour! I've known Jo since the Fat Quarterly retreat days and she is such a vibrant person buzzing with ideas and creativity.  Her book is a slice of Jo Avery, packed full of tips and advice from beginner to the more experienced quilter.  I've also taken a few of Jo's classes at the Threadhouse Retreats and she is a great teacher, always looking for a more efficient way of doing things or simplifying a process so it's in reach of all abilities and the same approach can be seen throughout her skills-builder book. Packed full of quick methods for maximum impact,  She's a whizz with colour and it shines throughout the bright and colourful pages.

I made a block from the Bedding Plants Quilt- my favourite project and the culmination of all the skills and techniques covered in the book.  I rummaged through my vintage scraps to find lots of bright prints for the on-point tulip blocks.  The instructions are clear and efficient, Jo's naturally encouraging tone comes through.  She emphasis accepting momentary imperfections and moving on so you can see the bigger picture, sage advice!  

I made five tulips and they came together really quickly.  I squared it off and I think in the true spirit of Jo, I might make it into a large zip pouch!

Find all the links to the rest of the blog hop and where to buy a signed copy over at Jo's blog.

Patchwork USA by Heidi Staples: Book Review

I've just had the chance to review a lovely book that I've spotted coming on Instagram from talented author/designer Heidi Staples @fabricmutt.  She has such a cute zakka-style aesthetic and is always very generous sharing free patterns/tutorials on her blog.  Patchwork USA: 24 Projects For Your Handmade Journey is a road-trip inspired book of makes from the quick 'daytrip' style coasters, snap shot needlebook, to 'weekend getaways' e.g. Hobby Kit,  Color book and finally longer projects- 'Summer Vacation'- like quilts and pillows. 

It is a very pretty book to look through, the photography is so nicely done- clear, cute and with a lot of vintage props!  All the makes are straightforward, there's only one pattern piece which is a corner rounding template, and the enjoyment is in fabric selection and fussy cutting.  It's also a hardback so as it stays open easily and feels extra good in my hands! Let's take a look through first, then I'll show you what I made!

The opening pages are the usual tools and techniques and this is where you refer back to when making a zipper pouch, hand sewing hexagons etc.  Heidi's thoughts on fabric combinations are excellent and especially helpful if you get stuck putting fabrics together to achieve a particular look or using certain colours or prints.  It's very well written and easy to understand with lots of tips and tricks.

The projects all feature some little extra text touches. There's a Historical Marker note telling the story behind the project.  Design tips come under Scenic Route and  Rotary Club lists the fabric and cutting requirements.  Some projects have a Tour Guide section with helpful hints and also a Detour for any project variations.   I made the Penny Pouch, more about that later!

I love these little banners on the Curio Pocket, made with tiny flying geese!

There are three quilt projects, a mini and two larger quilts.  All are easy makes using simple shapes.

At the end of the book, there are some ideas for gifting your makes, playlists and even recipes.  Again, lovely extra touches.

Here's my Penny Pouch.  I used a mix of vintage fabrics from some squares that I was given, plus a few fussy cuts.  

It is a quick make, most of my time was spent arranging my fabrics for colour and print balance.  The zip was from one of my favourite shops, Rose Garden Patchwork.  The colours were just right.

You can just about see the Heather Ross Tiger Lily butterfly print that I chose for the lining.

It's definitely for my use!  The 'K' was from one of Ayumi's Lighthearted fabrics.

 Patchwork USA is a delightful book, a good picker-upper if you need a quick sewing fix or you're lacking in inspiration and a real pleasure to read.   A big thank you to Search Press for sending me a copy to review.

Kansas City Star Sampler Book Review

As a fan of 1930s quilt blocks, I've been tracking the publication date of The Kansas City Star Quilts Sampler and jumped at the chance to review it!  It's a mix of archive patterns from the Kansas City Star newspaper with modernised instructions and a history lesson.  In the 1920s American newspapers started to regularly feature quilt patterns.  This was popular with readers and the Kansas Star column started in 1928 and lasted until 1961 when they were replaced with TV listings- a sign of changing times.  The blocks featured in this book are a range of sizes just like the originals, although the sizes have been standardised a little, and there's an option in the last few pages to combine them all in a sampler.

The blocks are presented in decade order from a few 1920s blocks, a large selection of 1930s and 40s blocks during the height of the quilt revival, a smaller range from the 1950s and three blocks from the 1960s.  It's a detailed book with 64 blocks and 263 pages in all.

Throughout the book, there are regular profile pages compiled by quilt historian, Barbara Brackman and these are a fascinating read.   They are largely stories of the women, like Edna Marie Dunn, who helped to shape the quilting industry as we know it today: developing illustration aesthetics and quilt block design, creating businesses and methods of producing patterns like mail order and syndicating content to reach more customers.

Each block includes a snippet of the original pattern illustration and instructions alongside the 21st-century version.   Construction is largely through full-size templates which can be found just after each block instructions so you do need to be happy to use this method to make the majority of the blocks. Many designs are 12" x 12" blocks. The sampler at the back of the book is made by changing the sizes of many of the blocks enlarging and reducing when you print off template copies.  

There are a few blocks which have rotary cutting instructions or combine templates and rotary cutting.  Only one block is foundation paper pieced (Carnival Time) and there were some other blocks that would've benefited from FPP rather than individual templates ( Crazy Anne #2 for example) but that's a subjective viewpoint!   The templates could also be traced without seam allowances for English Paper Piecing.  There's one appliqued block (1955 Rose Cross) and one other block with an appliqued element (1936 White Lily).

I chose a couple of blocks, starting with 1941 Radio Windmill.  I still have a stack of 1920s Farmer's Wife 6" blocks from 2011 and want to add these together to make a small quilt so I opted for similar colours.  I used a scanner to copy the templates and then printed at 50% to produce a 6" x 6" finished block.   I made templates from plastic, drew on the reverse of the fabric and add seam allowances when I cut the fabric pieces. 

This block uses partial seams and brief instructions are given.  All the book instructions assume prior quilting knowledge.  You can find a beginner tutorial for partial seams here.  This block needs careful seam point alignment so I use vertical pinning to match the points and then just a single pin at the end of each seam. 

 I did make a slight error not realising that there were two mini block layouts needed to create the final layout so my food fussy cutting which was all in one direction has had a bit of spin but I love the final 6" block.  Japanese prints throughout and the strips and the food print were from Rosegarden Patchwork.

The second block is 1953 Eight-Point Snowflake and I have sewn this design before but many years ago and in a bigger size.  Again, I reduced the templates by 50% for a 6" finished block.  This block is all about the Y seams which is a technical challenge I really enjoy!  The instructions show the direction of each seam but otherwise, you need to be familiar with inset seams (I wrote a blog post on Y seams here) and these could also be hand sewn which is a great way to familiarise yourself with this sort of precision sewing.  A couple of the fabrics I used were from a few years ago when I started to my original 1920s blocks- the garden print, Denyse Schmidt floral and centre line print.  The gingham is from Rosegarden Patchwork. 

Here are the Kansas City Star blocks mixed in with my other blocks.  I do feel like adding to this so I think I will keep dipping into the book and sew up some other designs from across the decades.

 Thank you to Search Press UK for sending me a free copy to review.  This is definitely my kind of quilting book.  I love the history additions and there are some quirky block choices in with the more familiar selections.

Wabi-Sabi Sewing Book Hop: Helping Hands

Welcome to the second stop on Karen Lewis' new Wabi-Sabi Sewing Book!  This book tour flows between blogs and Instagram accounts. Check out #wabisabisewing on Instagram to find posts related to the book.  'Wabi-Sabi' is a Japanese aesthetic celebrating beauty in that which is imperfect, impermanent and incomplete. It embraces flaws, irregularities, wear-and-tear and finding contentment in what we have.  Karen has created twenty home decor projects embracing a wabi-sabi approach and covering a range of techniques (piecing, applique, sashiko for example).  She uses a variety of natural fibre textiles -barkcloth, linen, quilting cotton, denim- and a restrained colour palette to make a beautifully harmonious sewing book.   

I chose to make the Helping Hands mitten-style pot holder.  Part of the book's ethos is to use what you have so I used offcuts from a couple of projects- barkcloth from a dress and a heavy Art Gallery denim from a bag- along with thread, large eyelets, small hammer style rivets, leather, insulated fleece and wadding scraps all from my drawers and cupboards.

There are cutting plans, photos and diagrams alongside the written instructions so it's a quick, simple make. You can't tell from the book photos, but the upper section is shorter than the back section to make it easier for your hand to slide in.

I added some hand stitching in linen thread as I had such a lovely colour match, I couldn't resist fitting it in somewhere!  

I used a single rather than a double binding as the fabric was quite thick.

For me, Wabi-Sabi Sewing is a springboard type of a book where looking through it leads me on to make something inspired by it, so, after making Helping Hands,  I made another potholder- standard rather than gloved and with other fabric scraps.  This time I used linen left over from my Burnside Bibs and some Japanese print kitchen-themed scraps. I pinned the scrap on to the top layer, frayed the scrap edges and used running stitches and linen thread to attach one layer to another.

 I've recently been trying the Clover open-sided metal thimble for any hand sewing where I need a bit of push and I really like it!   It does leave a bit of a metallic scent on the skin but it is strong and with the adjustable prongs at the front, I found I could easily adjust it for a close fit.  I used a size M.

The quilting was the same sashiko stitches pushed through the layers.  The lines are a little wobbly and uneven as hand quilting is not my strongest sewing skill, but the effect is soft and textural.  For the loop, I used Prym snap pliers to cut out a little hole in the potholder corner and in the leather before slotting the small rivet pieces in and using a hammer to close them together. I've had these rivets for ages and I've put off using them as I wasn't really sure if I'd need a special too, but it turns out that a wack with a hammer is perfect!

Wabi-Sabi is such an appealing idea. We could all do with finding perfection in the imperfect, rather than constantly striving for more.  Wabi-Sabi Sewing is a lovely gentle book which guides you through the projects; nothing too challenging but still plenty to learn, and there are fast or slow makes depending on your mood.  The photos are pure eye candy with Karen's trademark blues, greys and mustards flowing through the imagery, gorgeous! I've got a copy of Wabi Sabi Sewing to giveaway today on Instagram today @verykerryberry and watch out for other's doing the same in the book tour.

Resources:
Large Eyelets
Small rivets
Wabi Sabi Sewing book - Amazon, Book Depository, signed copy
Insul fleece
Linen thread
Prym Vario Pliers
Clover metal thimble

Constellations: Book Review

From time to time, I review books from Search Press.  With limited storage space in my little house, I only request quilting books that stand out as different from the usual blocks and quilts and Constellations by Amber and Jaime from Fancy Tiger USA craft emporium in Denver, Colorado definitely ticked that box. 

It's a beautifully produced book with photography by Holly DeGroot and published by Lucky Spool.  It is a slim volume at 80 pages but it covers exactly what you need with detailed patterns for twelve astrological blocks, 20" square as well as suggested projects for them. The imagery is restrained and consistent throughout, lots of grey and blues and the projects show a range of substrates- rayon, linen, lightweight denim, canvas for example.  The fabric choices for the tiny squares that form the stars in each constellation are interesting, especially when they feature a fussy cut star or cross fabric as in the Orion block below. I'm imagining something like an Alison Glass modern batik would work well, especially if the background fabric was a good colour match.  The finishing details include adding tassels, 'star' (cross) stitch quilt tying, and very basic embroidery (running and back stitch) which are all easily accomplished by a beginner sewer.

For me, the best part of the book is being able to make a minimalist style, personalised quilt or cushion for a recipient- baby, relation, friend- and there are detailed instructions on how to make a mix-and-match Astrological Quilt in five sizes, complete with diagrams for the panels and additional fabric strips.  The other projects do tend to focus on simple flat makes- tea towel, divination cloth, pillow/cushion. The tote is appealing with a waxed canvas base, hard plastic internal base insert, external pockets on the back and leather handles. The Hoshi Jacket looks interesting but I think it's something I'd rather make without the stars.  Full-size traceable pattern pieces are included on a folded sheet at the back of the book.

I choose to make a block for a cushion. I used some lightweight Robert Kaufman dark indigo denim (similar to this) left over from this dress and a mix of Kona Cotton in Grellow, and Manchester metallic in silver and bronze. The book suggests mixing different colours for the stars and only scraps are needed as the squares are very small.  I starched all my fabrics with non-aerosol spray as the metallics and denim are all prone to fray and I had to lower the iron temperature with the metallic fabrics.  Precision is the key in these blocks, they look deceptively simple but one mistake and the layout can be totally messed up. There are hints and tips included to help keep the strips and squares in order which I did follow but I confess I sewed this in more than one sewing session which interrupted my concentration and a seam ripper was used more times that I would like to admit!  In addition, I would recommend cutting the strips lengthways (parallel to the selvedge rather than cross grain) to reduce stretch and also sewing the vertical seams in alternating directions to avoid any bowing. There are constellation line diagrams in section three of the book and I marked this in chalk and hand stitched with 12wt Aurifil (colour 2132) and a random metallic thread I had in my supplies. The colour is better seen in the close-up photo above; winter grey days make dark colours hard to photograph accurately.

This is destined to be a cushion but as it's a Christmas gift I don't want to post a finished pic yet or even say what the constellation is for fear of spoiling the surprise for the recipient.  Constellations does appear at first glance to be a niche quilting book, but there are a lot of quilters and astrological enthusiasts out there and I would put money on their being a sizable considerable crossover between the two groups and as well as interest from fans of minimal decor too.  For me, it is a great book to turn to for a tasteful baby quilt or cushion gift and I know I'll be using it again.  

Thank you to Search Press for sending me a free copy to review, all opinions are as ever my own.

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