Category Archives: Everything Else

Being Creative, Everything Else

Book Review: How to Sew Leather, Suede, Fur

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How to Sew Leather, Suede, Fur
by Phyllis W. Schwebke and Margaret B. Krohn
Published in 1974
ISBN: 0-02-011930-5

Some Chapter Headings:
Leather-Then and Now
Making a Leather or Suede Garment
Selecting Furs and Patterns
What About Mink?

I liked:

  • The plain and simple instructions.
  • The “clean” explanation of the preparation of leather and suede.
  • The list of types of skins and their common uses.
  • Specific instructions about which needle to use and how to find the correct machine stitch for sewing with skins.
  • Instructions for recycling (restyling) old fur garments

My dislikes:

  • Not any really. The book appears to deliver on its title.

Conclusion:
While this book isn’t cute or trendy, I think it serves its purpose right well. If you are ready to tackle a garment of skins, check this one out before you cut.

Would I buy it for myself? Probably not. If I decide to remake an old fur or tackle a genuine leather garment, I’ll just check it out again.

Would I buy it for a beginner sewer? Not a beginner’s book.

Everything Else

Berry Picking

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We went blueberry picking yesterday. I was able to snap a few pictures before the natives got too restless (10 minutes into it!).

The haul:
Watching the sorting:
The 3rd little blond is a friend from kindergarten and a neighbor.

We ended up with 4 full quart-sized bags. That’s plenty for this crowd.
Everything Else

Things are hoppin’…

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Several weeks ago, the Little Man discovered some frog buttons at the local fabric shop. This led to jubilant exclamations over frog appliques, frog fabric, frogs in general. I let him pick out a fabric and opted for the frog applique in a $9.99 grab bag (50 appliques and I have a 6 year-old designed diva). Here are the results:

The top and shorts are Simplicity 5537 (OOP, I think.).

I cut a size 4 in both. The only changes I made to the pattern were:
  • The pattern called for contrast flaps on the shirt pocket, contrast bands on the sleeves, and a contrasting collar. I chose to leave those off because my green was “just” the wrong color.
  • I interfaced my pockets on both the shirt and shorts with a very lightweight interfacing. That always seems to make my patch pockets look so much nicer.
Here’s a close-up of the pocket:

The shorts include cargo pockets. I didn’t have any twill tape, but I discovered some very well aged bias tape in my stash that worked for the tab. Here’s a close-up:

And of course, the frog applique…I just fused it, then outline stitched it onto a store bought tee.

And last, but not least, I picked up this piece during our beach trip. I’m thinking the LM needs some boxers.
And the frog buttons? Well, they didn’t get used at all. Oh well.
Everything Else

The City Meet

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Cram several thousand people under 100+ pop up tents, throw in hundreds of swimmers under the age of 10 and lots of heat and humidity and what do you get–the city swim meet!

Here’s an idea of the crowd…And of course, you must occupy the said swimmers (wet, slimy with sunscreen, and tattooed with race, heat and lane numbers):And when it’s finally their turn…
You have to have a great cheerleader!

I’m really proud of the Big Girl. She earned her 2nd fastest freestyle time (37.something seconds) and her fastest backstroke ever (33.37 or so…)!

Everything Else

The Curse of the Jellyfish

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What a trip to the beach! We had beautiful weather (most of the time) and a safe trip. Only one complaint: The jellyfish!!!
So, since we really didn’t want to swim with the jellyfish, we had to find something to do. We spent about 6 hours at the closest outlet mall. Broke and with another day to go, we opted for a dolphin cruise. This is the best picture I got. Of course, it was perfect when my sweet LM declared “A Shark!!!”
Being Creative, Everything Else

Book Review: The Golden Hands Complete Book of Dressmaking

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The Golden Hands Complete Book of Dressmaking
by Elizabeth Baker, Allison Louw and Valerie Punchard
Published in 1972
ISBN: 0-394-48548-3

Some Chapter Headings:

Generally Speaking
Shirtmaking (actually, every section is about skirts, so I believe there’s a typo in the table of contents!)
Muslin-making
Blousemaking
Dressmaking
Pantsmaking
Know-How
Sewing for Children

I liked:

  • The good tips in “Generally Speaking”, that are written for beginners, but are good reminders for more advanced sewers. For example, “Always choose a thread one or two shades darker than the fabric… ” (page 11).
  • The comprehensive measurement chart on pages 13 that includes 27 measurements, and the instructions on how to measure them.
  • The bluntness of Chapter 5 “Coming to Grips with Your Figure”. Yikes! The subtitles are “Which type are you?” and “What is your problem?” Double yikes!
  • Awesome instructions for using your dress form and padding it to match your measurements! This is the first time I’ve found these!
  • The way the chapter on fabrics shows photographs and labels of many types of fabrics.
  • A great table on the faults of wrinkles in a skirt, and the pattern adaptations to correct them.
  • An actual plan for making, fitting, perfecting and using a muslin!!!!
  • The great Vogue patterns from the 1970s that were made and photographed for this book. You can tell they are dated, but many of the styles are still very classic!

My dislikes:

  • It’s ever so slightly difficult to find the tip you need.
  • The horrid picture of 2 little girls on page 237 wearing fuzzy yellow fleece coats. They look like miniature ducklings!
  • The idea that it is very likely I probably wore a stretch terry cloth playsuit like those pictured in the Sewing for Children chapters. But hey, it was the 70s!

Conclusion:
This book is thorough. You can find instructions for everything from using your muslin to adapt patterns to covering snap fasteners with fabric. And, during this season of the dress, I can’t rave enough about chapter 36, “The shirt dress story” or chapter 34, “The jumper conversion”. I’m not familiar with Golden Hands or any of their other how-tos, but if you are looking for another great, well-rounded resource for garment-making then this is your book.

Would I buy it for myself? Despite the very blunt advice regarding my “figure problems” (“If this is your problem, your figure needs the very best support you can afford.” Gee, thanks.), I have already ordered this book from my favorite online bookstore. You can get it as low as 13 cents + shipping. That’s crazy!

Would I buy it for a beginner sewer? Yes. Yes. and Yes.