Sew Stylish

Do you have a t-shirt that is a bit boring? Do you have jeans that you love but they have a hole somewhere? Do you have a skirt that’s too long? Or maybe some dearly loved, hand knit socks that have worn through the heel or toe? If any of these apply to you, Sew Stylish by Katie Ebben is the book for you.

The book is divided into sections including solutions to the above problems as well as my favourite, Reinventing. Who would have thought of making a loved but out of date skirt into a handbag? Or you antique handkerchief collection into a table cloth?

I have mended knitted slippers (my late father had me darning the darns, and that was mild compared with the word running through my head, but he loved those slippers). I would have done a better job of the darning if I had read this book first.

Anyone with young children knows all about holes in the knees of jeans but had you thought of an appliquéd flower instead of a regular patch? Your sons may require a different type of patch, but you get the idea.

I loved her ideas for a tier-hemmed skirt and for adding vintage lace to a cardigan. She has several ideas for customizing ready made clothing that could serve as a jumping off point for lots of creativity without having to sew the whole garment.

The last section of the book has a few templates and addresses for sources for some of the materials she uses. The addresses are all in USA but most of them have email addresses as well.

This is a small book dealing with an often ignored type sewing that most of us have to do. If you need to repair or reycle, you might as well have fun with it.