Sunday, May 12, 2013

I've Got the Creativity, Now Give Me the Skills!

I have been nursing a horrible stomach flu all week and haven't gotten any sewing done so I have no new projects to post. But while I was lying in bed I was looking through some drafts that I never posted and thought this one would be perfect. I am new to the amazon affiliate program so this post does contain affiliate links.

Sewing is all about creativity, the problem is that sometimes our creativity can surpass our skill level. Luckily I am way to stubborn to let a pesky little thing like lack of know how stand in my way. Whenever I'm not sure exactly how to achieve the design I want, I turn to books.

There are 2 books in particular that I refer to most often when I run into trouble, or just have a general sewing question.


The first is The Colette Sewing Handbook: Inspired Styles and Classic Techniques for the New Seamstress . I'll admit that I haven't actually used any of the patterns in this book yet, even though I've had it for a year.  But believe it or not, the 5 patterns included in the book are not where most of the value lies.

The book is an amazing reference book. There is a chart for choosing the right sewing needle for your fabric, instructions on making your own bias tape, diagrams of different fabrics and their drapes. The list goes on and on. I consider this book indispensable and refer to it at least once on almost every sewing project.


The second book I couldn't live without is More Fabric Savvy: A Quick Resource Guide to Selecting and Sewing Fabric. I use this book whenever I am shopping for fabric online, so there are no surprises when the fabric arrives. On the rare occasion that I make the hour and a half drive to my nearest fabric store, I also take it with me.

On top of sharing all of the gritty details about every type of fabric you can imagine, and what it can be used for, it also offers tips on sewing with the fabrics. So I consider it another must have book.

There are also a few books on my wishlist that I haven't been able to purchase yet.




The Complete Photo Guide to Perfect Fitting : I've just ventured into the world of sewing clothe's for myself and need to make a few perfectly fitting sloppers to help boost my confidence.

Doodle Stitching: Embroidery & Beyond: Crewel, Cross Stitch, Sashiko & More : Embroidery is another skill I would like to master. I have a six year old who is learning and doing quite well. Her skill level has already surpassed mine! Something has to be done about that.


Patchwork, Please!: Colorful Zakka Projects to Stitch and Give:
I thought this would be a great book for shrinking the huge piles of scrap fabric that I just can't seem to part with. I hate  to throw away any fabric, but I really don't have room to keep piles of scraps, so I need some fun scrap busting projects to use it up.

If you own any of these books please let me know what you think of them in the comments section below.

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