Posts Tagged ‘books’
Book recommendation: Measure of a Man
Measure of a Man – From Auschwitz survivor to presidents’ tailor is the memoir of Martin Greenfield, considered by many to be the best men’s tailor in the United States. I read this book in one day! Martin Greenfield grew up in a Czechoslovakian village by the Carpathian mountains. When he was 15, he and…
Read MoreBuilt by Wendy meets Puce Floral
Do you remember the Built by Wendy sheath dress I started back in September? Unfortunately I only got as far as a toile fitting before being paralyzed by fabric and styling indecision. Since then, though, I’ve dug through my extensive fabric collection and come up with a very old cotton sateen pink/purple/puce floral. I can’t…
Read MoreBuilt by Wendy, Sewn by Lizzy
The arrival of spring weather has given me the urge to sew a summer dress. Does this happen to you when the season changes? I was also inspired by a library book: Built by Wendy Dresses: The Sew U Guide to Making a Girl’s Best Frock. The book was published in 2010 and has had…
Read MoreQuestions people ask at book talks
This month The Dressmaker’s Companion turns one. While I’m no veteran of book talks, I’ve done a few since then, always with an opportunity for questions at the end. Sometimes no-one asks any and sometimes people ask questions during the talk (especially if the group is small). Read more about my publishing story here. Here’s…
Read MoreMy publishing story
Next month it’s one year since The Dressmaker’s Companion was published and I thought I’d share with you my publishing story. It’s a bit long, so settle in… The patternmaking years You may know that I trained as a clothing patternmaker, back in 1990-91. I was fortunate to find something I loved doing early on…
Read More5 books that influenced The Dressmaker’s Companion
Hello! This week I’m sharing five books that influenced my own, The Dressmaker’s Companion. Maybe you have read or own them too. The Reader’s Digest Complete Guide to Sewing Do you have this book on your shelf? We had a copy in our family. Mum must have bought it fairly close to when it…
Read MoreYar! Me book’s been pirated!
A spot of late-night Googling this week revealed that Unscrupulous Persons are offering my book (or parts of it “for review”) as an ebook or downloadable PDF. Went to bed feeling a bit sick about it. This probably happens to lots of authors, and some people are okay about it, saying It gets my book…
Read MoreThe Dressmaker’s Companion wins gold and silver!
While our athletes have been winning gold and silver at the Commonwealth games on the Gold Coast, The Dressmaker’s Companion has been on the podium in Texas, USA, at the 30th Benjamin Franklin Book Awards. The Dressmaker’s Companion won a gold medal for Best Craft/Hobby/How-to book, and a silver medal for Best Cover (large format). …
Read MoreBook review: Makery books
Makery (2013) and Makery Sewing (2015) by Kate Smith are entry-level sewing project books designed to inspire creating. I actually bought these books from our post office. I didn’t get a good opportunity to flip through them in the shop, but the beautiful photography and covers attracted me enough to buy them. The books are…
Read MoreAn embroidered interlude
A small embroidery book has captivated me. I borrowed Yumiko Higuchi’s Zakka Embroidery from the library during the school holidays. It’s a charming little book with simple, mainly botanic, Japanese/Scandinavian style designs. The book also has a French nostalgic feel about it, too, from the red haired young girl in the photos. While…
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