Still Getting Started

I had mentioned this jacket that I made in my previous blog, so I made my daughter model it for me.  I still love it! 

I have not started the socks; too many things going on this week.


I thought it would be interesting to talk about the many resources available for anyone starting to sew.  I am a book person.  When I started to sew I went to the bookstore and spent lots of time looking for books.  Some turned out to be very pretty but completely useless.  I have been sewing for awhile now and I still pull out my books for clarification or to finish something differently.  A pattern will use a term that I have forgotten, or sometimes I know there is an easier way to do something.  There are tons of reasons to have reference books around.


Two of my favorite books that I use all the time are The Complete Book of Sewing:A Practical Step by Step Guide to Every Technique and the other is Simplicity's Simply the Best Sewing Book.  It is a great idea before you start to sew to read your pattern and look up any sewing terms you do not know.  For myself, I had no idea what understitching was and found it very difficult to follow the pattern directions.  I learned how to understitch from a book.  another great source of information is the internet.  There is a lot of information on blogs and websites on sewing.  You can l, earn almost anything from tutorials.  If you have a specific question, there are many sites devoted to sewing that can help.  If you find yourself at the fabric store, as I often do, you can ask for help from the people at or around the fabric cutting counter. People who sew are always willing to help and everyone loves to know what you are making!