Made with hands, a UK outfit, who are a sister duo who add their own cute twist to traditional designs.

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Sew U: The Built by Wendy Guide to Making Your Own Wardrobe

As one that has never been schooled in fashion, I’ve been an avid fan of how-to books that teach you how to sew. I’ve amassed quite a collection of books about sewing and patterns in general, and I simply had to get a copy of Sew U by Wendy Mullins and Eviana Hartman when it came out in September 2006.

The book is an elegantly spiral bound book that lies flat – easy to refer to and work with at the same time. The back holds three full Simplicity patterns printed on brown tissue paper, which unfortunately, I found a little flimsy. There is a work-around this though, and I find myself copying my size onto other paper, as I would need to refer to it often and didn’t want to risk tearing the originals. The pattern offers sizes from 0-12, and XS-L, so if you’re looking for a pattern for larger sizes, you might be a little disappointed.

Wendy, who is the founder of Built By Wendy, an independent womens and menswear designer based in NYC, aims to take the fear out of sewing a complete outfit for beginners, and starts off with introducing the machine, preparing your workspace and getting to know the tools of the trade. Her tone is short and clear, making it a no-frills book that’s easy on the eyes. The book progresses through making a skirt (beginner), a shirt (intermediate) and pants (advanced).

Her instructions are broken into clear points, with lovely illustrations showing every step of the way, which I really appreciate. The book is priceless for the basics alone, a lot of which are covered in the first few chapters. The patterns are simple, but the strength of the book lies in Wendy’s no nonsense lessons that are suitable for all levels of sewing.

The book is not entirely crafty, as the projects featured are limited. But for beginners who are looking to sew an outfit and are boggled or just mystified about how it should go, the book is a godsend. The most important thing to me is that she offers lots of other ideas to jazz up your creation, and inspires by encouraging others to try and build upon her basic patterns. With this in mind, how far you can go (or sew, for that matter) is entirely up to you!

Magpie & cake - love this blog - always super great links to fun things. Some of my latest fave posts include a link to crochet spaghetti and knitted New York.