You guys. When I asked for stories of garment repair disasters I knew there’d be some funny ones but you guys nearly made me pee. So many crotch stories! You guys are awesome and hilarious.
Anyways, the winner of the Mend & Make Fabulous giveaway is…
Congratulations Clara! Hopefully there’s a way to save those shorts! Please contact me to receive your prize.
Mend & Make Fabulous by Denise Wild
Interweave/F+W Media; $19.99
Interweave generously provided a copy of this book for me to review, but all opinions, thoughts, and verbal drool-age are my own.
I saw a meme recently that was something along the lines of comparing asking a seamstress to mend things to asking Michaelangelo to paint your garage. I lol-ed but let’s be honest. We all have a stuff-that-needs-mending pile and if you’re like me, it just keeps growing. Mending is generally much less interesting than picking up a shiny new project and lots of what’s in my mending pile is stuff I have no idea how to fix and am kind of in deniable about its salvageability but can’t bear to part with it yet.
But then Interweave sent me this book to review and I basically fell off my chair. (Ok, who am I kidding, I was reading this curled up in bed.) First of all, it’s written by Burdastyle’s own Denise Wild. (She was actually on the Today show last week, which you can see here!) Secondly, the photographs are absolutely beautiful. Like the vintage dress in the photo above. And this adorable pink dress so full of twee I just want to wear it to a tea party with eight kittens wearing mary janes. (I’m not joking.)
Denise divides her book into categories (e.g. hems, closures, rips, etc.) and each section includes detailed photographed tutorials on how to mend that type of issue/area as well as ideas of how to make garments even more fabulous.
Now, I don’t know about you guys, but there are some garment-related issues that I’ve always assumed were un-fixable. Like if you tear sheer fabric, you’re basically screwed. And if your jeans stretch out throughout the day and end up sagging down your butt, you should probably look into different jeans. But no, Denise has the answers.
And her DIY (or MIF, for Make it Fabulous?) ideas have all sorts of wheels turning in my little creative brain. I’ll be honest, I did not expect a book on mending to be such a huge source of inspiration but I’ve got several tutorials earmarked to try. Like this lace applique tutorial! I’m thinking of a peplum top with a lace applique collar. And I have a pair of cute denim shorts that are getting to a level of scandalousness that is a bit NSFW that I could add some lace to the bottoms of! And then this bleaching tutorial! Gah! Do you see those leggings in the top right??
On top of all that, the styling in this book is just beautiful. Even as I flip through random pages my little copycat-ing brain keeps twitching. Ineedthesecoats. Actually I’m pretty sure that entire navy coat outfit needs to be mine.
Anyway, excuse my drooling. Interweave is very kindly offering a copy of Mend and Make Fabulous to one of my readers! Just leave a comment below telling me your worst garment tearing/damaging/destroying/mending-absolutely-required mishap. Make sure you include your email so you can be contacted about receiving your prize!
The giveaway will be open until midnight Tuesday, April 15th and the winner will be announced shortly after.
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First of all, thanks so much for everyone who participated and shared their stories of crafting as children. It was so much fun to read! There were so many different kinds of craft stuff I had completely forgotten about (like FIMO! and friendship bracelets!)
Anyway, time to announce the winner of a copy of Deborah Fisher’s Sew Fun!
drum roll please
Congratulations Breenah! Please contact me to receive your prize. :]
Thanks again everyone!
Sew Fun by Deborah Fisher
Interweave/F+W Media; $26.99
When I was little I was always doing various craft projects. One year my family spent a summer in Beijing living in a hotel and boredom led to my creating an entire wardrobe out of tissues for my various Barbie dolls. Spoiler alert: there were a lot of capes and togas. Then there was my teddy bear that I hand-stitched from curtain scraps and embroidery thread when I was six. At some point I will find and photograph my first crochet project, which is an amorphous, mostly orange with blue and turquoise accents vaguely-oval shaped ripply blob. Seven year old me had high hopes of it turning into a skirt somehow. And then at fourteen I started my LotR-inspired collection of elf couture. When I think back to my childhood it feels like I’ve always been working on something.
When Interweave Publishing contacted me recently about reviewing a new book on crafting with kids I pretty much died of cuteness overload as soon as I saw the cover. Yes please! (Note: Interweave provided me with a copy of Sew Fun; all opinions and rambling anecdotes are my own.)
Sew Fun is Deborah Fisher’s creation as a way to engage kids in crafting. The book is divided into sections based on type of crafts: dress-up projects, stuffed animals, playtime accessories, and home and party decorations. Each project is designed with tiny humans in mind and includes a section of suggested tasks for kids.
My first impression after flipping through the book is that it looks like Anthropologie for kids. Like check out this amazing storybook play blanket. It’s two-sided, for daytime and nighttime. Is it ok that I want to make this to put on my wall??
Also this bunny is happening. I don’t even care that I’m 27. I need an army of these little guys.
This quilt would be a great way to show-case those cute prints that we dress-making addicts sometimes buy because it’s a cute print and then don’t know what to do with it because it’s not really wearable. We all have a bunch of those in our stashes, don’t lie.
There’s also a plastic insert in the back with pattern pieces printed on lovely paper (not as thick as Megan Nielsen patterns but not the gross super-thin tissue stuff).
Deborah talks about safety tips, craft ideas, and sewing techniques, and and gives lots of suggestions about how to make crafting fun and engaging for both kids and adults. She says specifically that this isn’t a book for kids, but a book meant to bring out the inner child in grown-ups and to involve kids in the process.
The best part is that Interweave is generously offering a copy of Sew Fun to one of my readers! Just leave a comment below telling me your favorite memory of crafting as a child.
A winner will be randomly selected Sunday, March 23rd and announced shortly after.
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