It’s 2010!  I’m going to learn to sew.  It’s my new year’s resolution/goal/ambition, brought on partly by the fact that I’m not doing anything creative with myself and partly because I’ve seen so so so many amazing craft books here that are inspiring in nature!  That’s good!

One of those books is S.E.W.  It stands for Sew Everything Workshop.  And hopefully by the time I’m done with it, I can?  Maybe?  It’s a beginner’s guide, and author Dianna Rupp, despite the fact that she’s been sewing since her fingers were the size of needles, does a great job of making sewing – or reading about sewing, rather – easy for beginners (and I am a complete beginner).  She goes over machinery, various sewing supplies, types of fabric, even the anatomy of a needle.  She explains how to understand patterns, take care of your sewing machine – she even includes instructions on how to make a sewing inspiration banner.  What helps is that in between all the information in the book, she includes little lists: secrets to sewing success; ten reasons why you should love sewing; a cheat sheet to pattern symbols and markings.  It’s easy to read, fun to look at, full of pictures.

According to Rupp, sewing is ‘like driving a car’, (=easy) and, armed with this book, it’s easy to believe her.  Oh!  and she includes 10 paper patterns in the book, so that you can make ‘Foxy Boxers’ or a ‘Naughty Secretary Skirt’, among other things.

I’m not going to lie.  It might take me ages before I can make the Naughty Secretary Skirt.  But I think what this book is good at is getting the fledgling sewer excited about learning.  And for beginners, that’s crucial.

Susie

Last night, as all of us in Jackson enjoyed the last cold snap before the blaring summer heat, I curled up in one of my very own homemade quilts. Not only was I protected from the biting chill that had somehow crept into the house, but I also felt a great sense of pride in using something that I had made entirely from scratch.  As of today, I have made four such quilts, and all of them follow patterns from the book Last-Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson.

The book begins with a quick introduction discussing how one goes about matching colors for a quilted project; and then flows into a collection smaller projects that take less than two hours, things such as simple pillowcases and quilted coasters (one of my personal favorites).
The book is organized by how long the quilted gifts take to make. I love the colored pencil roll from the two to four hour gifts. As soon as I have enough different colors, I am making myself one of those.

The eight to twelve hour projects are my favorites. In this set of gifts, you learn the basics of making quilts. I have made two of the quilts from this set of quilts. One of the patterns is called Summer Breeze and is a tied summer picnic quilt that I just love!  The other is a simple quilt that teaches the basics of machine quilting.
I have not yet ventured into the gifts in the more than twelve hour section, but as soon as I have finished all my current projects, I am making the color-wheel quilt for myself.

Even though this book is designed with the idea that you give your handmade goods away, I obviously haven’t given much away. 🙂  This is a great book for learning the basics of not just quilting, but also sewing and fabric. At the end of the book, Hoverson gives what she calls the Patchwork quilting basics. She covers everything from how to choose your fabrics, to how to use the sewing machine, and even the sources of the fabrics used in the book. If you sew or are thinking about learning, this is a great book to start with. This book is just one of many in our crafts section that we at Lemuria love. Feel free to come browse our craft books and ask us any questions you may have about our selection.