Weekend Review: Heart On My Sleeve

Heart on my Sleeve / Jeanne Beker
TO: Simon & Schuster, c2024. 
256 p.

This memoir by Canadian fashion icon Jeanne Beker was a delight. Unlike a traditional memoir, this is structured as a walk through memory, tied to specific pieces of clothing. It highlights how something we wear can carry history and family with it, beyond just being a piece of clothing or an accessory. I really liked this concept and the way it was carried out. She shares an item, then talks about how she got it and the resonances of the piece. Each chapter has a line drawing to illustrate it, drawn by her own artist daughter. And this book sounds just like she's talking to you - the style is intimate and authentic, highlighting both the glamorous parts of her career and her personal challenges. 

I've read her earlier memoirs (such as Finding Myself in Fashion), and some of the stories here are repeated from those earlier books, but still just as enjoyable. The chapters are short, but cover a range of life moments. From the satchel her parents brought with them when they immigrated as Holocaust survivors, containing the small amount of family items they still had, to a Chanel dress given to her by Karl Lagerfeld, this book moves from touching and serious to funny & fashion-related. The pace is good and the book shares so many elements of her life, from her parents, partners and children, to the many famous fashion people she met and befriended in her many years of hosting FashionTelevision. 

There are some great moments included, from the unexpected generosity of Karl Lagerfeld (one of my favourite stories from past books too) to her interviews with fashion greats or music luminaries like Paul McCartney, Keith Richards and more (she worked on MuchMusic before fashion). I really enjoyed the way she started with her wardrobe and let each piece draw out recollections - we all have the experience of knowing just when and where we wore something, and what the meaning of it was to us; some pieces that we've kept forever because of that, and some that we could never wear again. 

This covers fashion history, Canadian history (a fun story about Pierre Trudeau, for example), family stories, and traces the development of Canadian media in a way, too. I thought it was a great read, and one I'd recommend to anyone interested in fashion or Canadian women's lives - especially if you were a fan of FashionTelevision in the old days like me ;) I think it's also of interest to sewists because we really feel the connection to our clothing and can understand the concept of this book fully. Enjoyed this one! 

Thrifted Tools For Stitching

As many of my readers know, I love thrifting. I really love searching for sewing supplies and tools, and have found some interesting bits and bobs lately! I thought I would share some of the tools that are new to me from my recent shopping. 

First off I found this classic Bodkin - I've been wanting one so was happy to find this in its vintage packaging, all ready for me. 

Next, I discovered a retro needle threader. They sure loved reds and oranges with this retro packaging. This little desktop needle threader and cutter is simple - stick a needle in, press down lightly and you're set. It is all plastic, and they warn you in the instructions not to use undue force on the button ;)

I haven't used it yet but am planning on putting it into rotation shortly.

I had to pick up this unusual quilting thimble. It's a heavy-ish piece of steel with a dimpled end to push needles with. So if you don't like wearing a thimble, this one might be just the thing - you just pick it up whenever you need to push through your needle. 

And finally, I picked up two Clover plastic templates for shaped yo-yos. I wouldn't have purchased these new, but there they were for $1.50, so worth a try! The first one is for heart shaped yo-yos, and the second is for larger flower shapes. They both have a sheet of instructions included, which is good because a plastic template with little holes to stitch through confused me greatly - how does it not get stitched to the template? 😄Anyhow, the illustrated instructions really helped. I can't wait to try these out, they look quite fun. I'm not sure what I'll embellish but I'll find something. 

Do you like thrifting? Have you ever found something fabulous to add to your sewing notions?

Weekend Review: Young Originals

Young Originals / Rebecca Jumper Matheson
Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech UP, c2015.
240 p.

This is a book about style, but in a very particular way -- it's all about the creation of a "teen" fashion category, created by American designer Emily Wilkens. 

In the early 40s, Wilkens arose from a career in fashion illustration and designing for children, to become a breakout success in the new area of teenage upscale ready to wear. She started out designing some stage costumes for a play in which the character laments being in between 'children' and 'junior miss' sizes for her clothing - Wilkens realized that this was a real life problem as well and set out to bridge that gap. 

She was very successful, both at designing and at connecting her business to opportunities like boutiques in department stores and lots of promotion. She was very active in the 40s and 50s, but kept working into the 80s, although later on she was more of a health/spa influencer, as I suppose we'd call it now. Her approach was focused on youth and health as the appeal of her clothing and of teens in general. Her aesthetic was the sporty, lean American look, throughout her career. Some of her prescriptive statements in an book aimed at teens that she wrote in the 60s doesn't sit well these days - she says, for example,  ‘All men admire a slender beautiful figure, and there’s no one thing that spoils a girl’s looks, fun and popularity as much as excess weight’. 

This book is really fascinating, however, as a study of a designer that is almost unknown today. It's comprehensive and includes many black and white images as well as a centre insert of some colour images. The author bases her research both in archives (press clippings, designs, etc) as well as on extant Wilkens pieces in various museum collections. The concept of teen fashion is well explored and there was quite a bit of fun information here that was new to me. While this is an academic book, it's written in an engaging manner for the interested reader. I'm glad I found it thanks to my library! 

 

Literary Sewing Circle: A Project Round Up!

The deadline for sharing makes for this round of the Literary Sewing Circle (featuring Banyan Moon by Thao Thai) was last Friday, and so today I'm sharing a round-up of all the projects shared in various places online. I'd forgotten that the link-up process was complicated and so didn't work for adding our projects on the final LSC post. So here are the many items made, shared here today! 

I'll start with my own. I decided to make the Full Moon Bag by All Well Workshop, a free pattern with a subscription to their newsletter.  Full details of making this bag can be found on my original blog post - I made this with scraps and really enjoyed it. I was inspired by the title of our book, and by the folktale about Chu Cuoi.

Next up we have DT Sewing Stories, who was also inspired by Chu Cuoi - but she made a Remy Raglan by Sew House Seven, with her fabric as her inspiration. You can read all about this beautiful top on her blog post, which is full of details. 

Silverdell over at PatternReview joined in the fun by making a top from a Japanese sewing book, her second version - in a bright Kumquat colour, inspired by Ann's nickname for her baby. 

Sarah (@sew.focused) shared her project on Instagram. It's an upcycled cardigan, inspired by the descriptions of Ann and Huong both wearing different cardigans & sweaters, and by Minh's love of thrift stores.

And Jan also shared her project on IG, this time a red blouse with gold embroidered accents, recalling Ann's discovery of the red fabric shot through with gold peonies in the trunk in the attic. 

If you made a project but didn't quite finish it by deadline, please share a link in the comments - we'd all love to see it! Hope you've all enjoyed this round of the Literary Sewing Circle. Keep your eye out for the next round sometime in late Spring 2025. 

Weekend Review: Dressing the Resistance

 

Dressing the Resistance: the visual language of 
protest through history / Camille Benda
NY: Princeton Architectural Press, c2021.
208 p.

I've been meaning to read this for quite a while; now is a good time for it. This is a wide ranging book of social protest via clothing and the signification of a piece of clothing (or lack of it). Benda explores many movements from across cultures, from 1970s anti-war protests to revolutionary France to farmer protests in India and much more. She's focused on style - how a look was chosen, what was the significance, and why a dress-oriented protest stood out. 

There are fascinating sections on the use of colour in various protests, from orange in Ukraine to pink in India. There are discussions of the use of gender expectations in clothing and how that could be subverted to make a point, as with the male protesters in India who donned women's saris during sit-ins or gatherings. Or of the use of a 'uniform' for protestors, to easily identify a stance and to create mass impact. I wasn't thrilled by the inclusion of far right protestors alongside those who try to make life better; there were a couple that slipped in, and although their visual impact is also notable, it's not what I think of as 'protest'. 

Colours and thematic dressing were in full force for UK suffragists in the last century, as they had white, purple and green as shared colours, and some wore dresses printed with newspaper articles to highlight their cause. I found the connection of craft with protest particularly interesting; Benda links handcraft like knitting and crochet, millinery or banner making, to various movements. 

This is a colourful book in itself, with many photos to illustrate her points. It's a pleasure to look through, with such a visual record of different protests over so many different issues. Overall I found it a good read with so much of interest to those who believe that clothing can be a key signifier of identity or communication. Benda also refers to many other fashion historians and their work throughout, so this could lead you to many more books to explore. Definitely worth picking this one up. 

Weekend Review: Taylor Swift Style

 

Taylor Swift Style / Sarah Chapelle
NY: St Martins Griffin, c2024.
352 p.

This book came in to my library recently and I thought I would check it out. I'm not a Swiftie - I don't know much about her songs or persona other than the general stuff everyone knows. So I thought it might be interesting to see how her style works for her. 

This book was written by Sarah Chapelle, a blogger who has been writing the blog Taylor Swift Style for over a decade. There is a note at the beginning that this book is not officially endorsed by Taylor Swift or her team, it's put together by this blogger and it is her perspective. 

I found it quite fascinating, as I was not familiar with Taylor Swift's varied looks or 'eras' by album. This book does a good job of laying things out chronologically and explaining each album and its matching style, along with Taylor's life circumstances around each one. I feel a lot more knowledgeable about Swift's work and career now, so I don't sound so out of it when talking to music fans ;) 

Chapelle also talks about the haircuts and makeup choices that follow the fashion, and how it all works together. There is discussion of  'easter eggs' even in Swift's fashion that will lead superfans to speculate on what's coming next. It's clear that Chapelle is one of those superfans and sometimes the text here gets a bit fangirly for my tastes, but overall it is very informative and knowledgeable and really interesting. 

I did enjoy most of this book, and the 200 photos included really make it. I would have liked to hear a little more about the fashion houses that Swift works with and find out more about that aspect, but I guess that would have to come from Swift's team in another book. I liked seeing the evolution of her style and the many examples of how she creates personas for each album, and how the fashion is a big part of her messaging. Also I found a couple of dresses that I'd love to recreate for myself!  

A fun read if you're into celebrity fashion and the way that clothes can tell a story. I was reminded of Dolly Parton's book Behind the Seams, and think these two are both engaging fashion stories. 

Full Moon Bag for the Literary Sewing Circle

After my recent bagmaking workshop, I was inspired to make another bag for my Literary Sewing Circle project! I chose the Full Moon bag by All Well patterns, in a nod to the title of our book as well as the folktale about Chu Cuoi , the man in the moon. 

I had some cream corduroy left over from my recent attempt at a Vogue jacket, and I thought it would make a lovely bag. Along with the corduroy, I had all the necessary items - binding, interfacing and some fittings from a cheaper bag I thrifted a year or more ago. I took that bag apart and used the tabs and strap to give some contrast to this moon coloured Full Moon bag. It's like moonlight and shadow ;) 

This bag is a free pattern, and it's pretty straightforward. There is no lining but I interfaced all of my corduroy pieces with a medium weight fusible to give it a bit more heft. There is a pocket on the outside, and one on the inside. 

The hardest part was sewing bias binding over the interior seams. I was very glad I had some little clips when doing this, as pins were impossible. It's pretty messy, but it's inside so as long as I caught all the edges in I wasn't about to unpick unless absolutely necessary ;) I also used a black 12" zip from my stash as contrast, and I like the effect. 

The trick with this fabric was to be sure to cut it with the nap going down, on all pieces. That way the bag feels smooth when I'm holding it or moving it around - the opposite direction feels awful to my hands and I would never use a bag that felt like petting a cat the wrong way! It was also a bit thick to sew through when there were multiple layers at an intersection; I only broke one needle though. It was too lightweight, when I replaced it with a 90/14 it worked very well, as long as I was going at a slower speed and paying attention. 

This is quite a nice bag, and I really like the finished effect! It's big enough to slip a paperback into for those times that you need some backup, too ;) At least if you make the "large" size option like I did - there is also an option for a "small" that could be very cute in a fancy fabric. I find that the chain is a tiny bit long on my short body so I may take a few links out. But with the tabs I can always switch out straps as well. I enjoyed making this, the second bag I've ever made (excluding tote bags). Definitely an easy go for a newbie like me.