1920s, 1930s, 1940s: More Gems From The Sewing Library

Following on from last week’s post covering the 1950s, 60s and 70s in the Museum Section of my home sewing library, here’s some beaut books from the three decades before. 1940s The 1940s is represented mostly with Home Ec textbooks produced by the Education Department of South Australia. 1930s Neither of these books has a…

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1950s, 1960s, 1970s: Gems From The Sewing Library

Do you have a sewing library at home? I bet you do! I’ve been cultivation a sewing library since I was a fashion student in 1990. It’s a collection of sewing, fashion and patternmaking books, but it also has a Museum Section. The Museum Section contains old books that I inherited, found at garage sales…

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Built by Wendy, Sewn by Lizzy

Built by Wendy Sewn by Lizzy book cover

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…

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Questions people ask at book talks

Questions 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…

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A New Look for The Book

A New Look for The Book seals on front cover

As of today, The Dressmaker’s Companion has a new look! The cover now displays the seals from the Benjamin Franklin Awards, with an addition to the back blurb as well.   There are a couple of changes inside the book too, which will make the book (hopefully) easier to read and use. The Dressmaker’s Companion…

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Book review: Makery books

Book 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…

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