Nostalgic Makes

Homemade Gifts With Love

Catherine Woram

In A Nutshell: Ideal book to use with children for charming, old-fashioned easy makes

This book does not break new ground or have a Martha Stewart level of crafting sophistication. It contains 35 projects that I have already seen in one form or another in other publications. Yet it has something of an old-fashioned charm and is an ideal book to use with children for a selection of easy makes. The paper mache bowl, egg cosies and pomanders all evoked memories of my own childhood “Blue Peter” moments. All the projects are nicely illustrated with clear photos accompanying step by step instructions. A variety of crafts are used including embroidery, patchwork, beading, painting, stencilling, decoupage and baking. A plus is that most of the stuff can be made without too much skill or equipment required. Whether you want to whip up a last minute present, or want a rainy day idea, this book is well worth a look.

Not Couture But Still Professional

The Dressmaker’s Handbook Of Couture Sewing Techniques

Lynda Maynard

In A Nutshell: Ideal for an intermediate sewer with beautifully illustrated techniques for adding a professional finish to your homemade clothes

Strictly speaking, I’m not sure this book demonstrates many couture techniques but it does provide tons of useful hints for the intermediate seamstress. It’s ideal for someone who has basic sewing skills, and wants to learn processes that will embellish, or add a more professional finish to their homemade garments.

There is a nifty visual guide at the start showing all the techniques in the book. These have been arranged into three groups – bindings and finishes, visible design details and concealed design details.

The first group is mainly about ways to finish necklines and armholes, so for example, Lynda shows you how to create a banded v-neck on knit fabric. I learnt to stabilise the neckline with interfacing, and how to create a beautifully neat point, further enhanced with topstitching. Every step is illustrated with a super clear photo so they are extremely easy to follow, and convince you that equally professional looking results are within your capability.

I have seen many of the finishes Lynda explains on expensive tops in the shops. Using her instructions I will now be able to add that designer touch to my own T.shirts for a fraction of the cost. The chapter on visible design details also has a host of ideas that you could use to embellish existing clothes. How about adding a ribbon trimmed hem to a skirt, or ribbon trimming a collar band?

My sewing skills are at the stage where I learnt a lot from this book. It is less suitable for a beginner or someone who has been sewing for years.

Sewing With The Craft Goddess

Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia Of Sewing And Fabric Crafts

In A Nutshell: A big satisfying book providing an introduction to many sewing skills and their application in 150 sophisticated projects.

This is a lovely big fat book, dense with information. It aims to please a wide audience which is it’s both great strength and weakness. There is bound to be something you would love to make, but equally vast tracts of the book will not match your taste or skill level.

The book begins with an introduction to sewing techniques, its usefulness dependent on your current knowledge. In covering so much ground, some subjects are merely touched upon and didn’t provide nearly enough information. I have a book dedicated to fabric reference so a section on fabrics seemed particularly sparse.

There are specific sections on appliqué, embroidery, quilting, patchwork, dyeing and printing. I rather enjoyed the section on dyeing and loved the ombre pattern used as an example. Not sure this would work quite as well if I tried it myself.

This is followed by an A to Z of projects, starting with Animals and ending with Wall Decor.

Projects always have that Martha element of sophistication, enabling you to create a shop-bought rather than a homemade look. Some are also very inventive and practical. I’m tempted to rush out and buy some oilcloth to make the lunch bags and cookery book covers. I did feel some of the projects would have benefited from more visual illustration to make more sense of some of the instructions. I was also disappointed with the clothing section, which is probably most suitable for beginners embarking on their first dressmaking project.

A CD included with the book includes some full-sized clothing patterns, and a host of templates to be used in the projects. As a UK reader all the  American birds used as motifs in several of the projects are meaningless me. I want Sparrows, Blue Tits and Robins not Bluebirds, Pelicans and Roadrunners.

Not without its weaknesses but another book to add to my Christmas present list. Though its currently available on Amazon for rather a good price.

Vintage Means Modern

Vintage Modern Knits

Courtney Kelley and Kate Gagnon Osborn

In A Nutshell: More modern than vintage but contains 20 pretty patterns with intricate details suitable for an experienced knitter.

“Vintage Modern” appears to be the buzz phrase of the moment, creeping into all manner of home decor, fashion and craft books. It appears to mean a judicious mixing of old and new items, or the reworking of a design from another era to suit a more modern style ethos. This book falls more into the latter category and is distinctly more modern than vintage. The “vintage” element is simply the incorporation of historical knitting techniques such as fair isle, lace and cabling into the knitting designs. Perhaps the most accurate description of this book is it’s subtitle “Contemporary Designs Using Classic Techniques”.

Although I think the title is jumping on the Vintage bandwagon, this should not detract from what is a very pretty collection of twenty patterns. They are divided into three seasonally themed collections – “Rustic Weekend”, “Vintage Feminine” and “Winter Harbour” – including a variety of sweaters, scarves, hats and gloves. No degree of difficulty is indicated, and with the level of detail incorporated, patterns are probably most suited to an experienced knitter. There are also one or two very useful knitting tips interspersed with the patterns, such as how to do a sloped bind off.

The pictures are attractive but would have made even more of an impact with a more cohesive colour palette.

I like this book but feel it is a little beyond my knitting expertise at the moment.   

A Knitting History Lesson



Knitting Fashions Of the 1940s

Jane Waller

In A Nutshell: Fascinating historical account of knitting but patterns lack detailed instruction and size range by modern standards

The strength of this book lies in the fascinating historical detail that fits knitting into the historical context of the 1940s. Against a background of the Second World War women were exhorted to “knit furiously for the men at sea, since everyone owes a personal “thank you” to the Royal Navy for magnificent services”.  With this as inspiration, a couple of the men’s knits featured in the book are “Submarine Jersey” and a cabled sweater “For The Long Hours On Night Duty”. The war also influenced women’s fashion as styles were geared to give the impression of strength with broad shoulders and a tough adult appearance.

Authentic 1940s designs are made with pure wools in a fine ply so are not quick knits. In the 1950s there was a move to synthetic yarns on larger needles. The designs in this book have been adapted to use modern yarns and sometimes a style modification such as lengthening the welt. There are some very desirable patterns but the instructions frequently only give details for one size.  Without a schematic , it is difficult to work out whether a design will fit or be flattering to your figure. These issues have been addressed in Jane’s later book “A Stitch In Time”.

I enjoyed reading this book, and looking at the pictures, but do not have enough confidence in the patterns to make something.

1980s Vintage

The Edina Ronay Collection

In A Nutshell: Gorgeous 1980s knitting patterns that with a few tweaks could still be made and worn today.

Apparently “vintage” is something more than twenty years old, so this book from 1988, acquired from my local charity shop, now falls into this category. I was fascinated to look at these patterns and see how they had dated. Compared to current knitwear designs, Edina’s designs are generously loose-fitting with wide sleeves. Though many remain covetable, and with a few tweaks, could still be worn today. I love a long-line tennis sweater, reminiscent of the 1920s, and will definitely be making this at some point in the future. The Aran knits and Fair Isles are also undeniably classic, and will probably remain wearable for time immemorial.

In fact I was surprised to find that if the sleeves and body are made narrower, I believe most of the styles in this book could be worn today. I will certainly be revisiting this book frequently for patterns and inspiration.

The start of the book gives a fascinating glimpse into Edina’s own history and style inspirations. When I looked her up on the internet I discovered her recently launched website where you can buy her current knitwear creations. They are gorgeous and it would be wonderful if Edina could publish some of these current designs as knitting patterns.

In the meantime, I’ll have to settle for Vintage Edina.

Patterns Not So Fine



Knit So Fine

Lisa R. Myers, Laura Grutzeck, Carol Sulcoski

In A Nutshell: Pursuasive encouragement and tips for knitting with skinny yarn but only a few of 21 patterns worth making.

At the start of this book, the authors make a very persuasive case for using “skinny” yarns. They argue they enable a better fit, are more flattering, patterns are more attractive and are cheaper. I’m sold already. Incidentally, for the purposes of this book, fine yarns are classed as anything thinner than worsted weight. This seems to be rather a wide scope as I’m not sure I’d think of double knitting as a skinny yarn.

Anyway, amidst the encouragement to make fine garments are some excellent knitting tips. This includes a list of the author’s favourite skinny yarns (I thought I could also crib from this for my crochet projects). There is good advice for using stitch markers. I had not thought to mark increases/decreases at the edge, but if the marker is left in place, this will assist greatly when sewing seams together. The authors advocate patience with finishing and Carol does a seam a day. I think that is a policy I will be adopting in future. There are several tips on staying motivated when knitting with fine yarn such as measuring progress every few days, not in hours.

Then there are 21 patterns featuring a range of accessories and clothing. I have to admit they didn’t exactly fire my imagination, though they do receive reasonable feedback on Ravelry, so this is just my opinion. They are grouped into four categories – Simplicity, Speed, Style, and Shine. The only ones I liked were in the “Style” section including a wrap dress, an on-trend bamboo knit tubular skirt and a layered look sweater, one sweater giving the look of two worn together.

So in short, a useful read but the patterns are not for me.