National Sewing Month recognizes a creative form of self-expression that we celebrate in September, but enjoy all year. It's a great time to renew interest, share ideas, be inspired, expand your knowledge, and express your creativity. Whether you'd consider yourself an expert or a novice in the art of sewing, the library offers a treasure trove of resources to aid you on your next project.
Databases
Creativebug gives library patrons unlimited access to over 1,000 online art and craft classes on subjects including sewing, embroidery, and more taught by talented artists and creative experts. The 'Daily Practice' section offers a variety of Daily Challenges to help you create good working habits and familiarize yourself with whatever craft suits you. View the calendar to see what videos have just been released or what you can look forward to in the next month. Kids can use Creativebug to get crafty, too! Visit the kids section to see arts and crafts for kids and parents to do together.
Alachua County residents can get free access to movies, music, TV shows, comics, and graphic novels through hoopla. Use your library card number to create an account with your email address as the user name, by using either the link above on your phone, tablet, computer, or smart TV or searching for the hoopla app on your device. Hoopla is a wonderful resource for sewing tutorials. The TV series "Craftsy" is made up of seasons each focused on crafting a different item or learning a new technique - everything from sewing to crochet, quilting, knitting, and so much more - and each season is filled with super helpful mini-episodes that walk you through everything.
Books
Kids Learn to Stitch by Lucinda Guy
Juvenile nonfiction is a great place to start when learning something new, no matter your age or reading level, and sewing is no exception. This book will introduce you to sewing techniques, provide instructions on how to make different stitches, and offer projects that will help you practice each at your own pace.
Seamless Sewing Projects by Veronica Yang
This collection of how-to projects will take a crafty kid's imagination to the next level. Building on a base interest of sewing this book will show kids the basics and beyond! Perfect for sewing beginners or for parents who want to introduce their children to sewing with them.
Sewing Basics for Every Body: 20 Step-By-Step Essential Pieces for Modern Living by Wendy Ward
Follow Wendy Ward's tutorials to make a capsule wardrobe of 20 classic garments, suitable for any body regardless of gender, age, or body shape. Suitable for both beginners and more experienced dressmakers, each project has multiple versions from easy to more technically challenging. Plus, there is a comprehensive techniques section covering everything from sewing a fly zipper to making a traditional shirt collar, alongside the fundamentals such as different seam and hem finishes. Patterns for the five basic garments and all the variations to make 20 different designs are included in the book on three pull-out, full-scale, multi-sized pattern sheets. Each pattern covers 10 sizes and there's no need for downloading or scaling-up patterns, just trace off the pieces that you need and off you go!
Ultimate Illustrated Guide to Sewing Clothes: A Complete Course on Making Clothing for Fit and Fashion by Joi Mahon
A comprehensive manual on everything you need to know on how to sew clothes! The Ultimate Illustrated Guide to Sewing Clothes is a must-have resource filled with valuable insight on sewing, tailoring, making alterations, and more. Learn how to take a pattern you already have and adjust it to your unique needs, install a zipper, use notions, and get a good fit out of any sewing pattern for any body type! Whether you're new to sewing or have experience, expand your skill set and build confidence so you can sew like a pro! Also included is a bonus tutorial on making pants and fitting material, as well as finishing your garments and instructions on detailing to make one-of-a-kind clothes.
Embroidered Animals: Wild and Woolly Creatures to Stitch and Sew by Yumiko Higuchi
A lively and accessible book featuring embroidery motifs and sewing projects that highlight the wonder and beauty of the animal kingdom with designs for foxes, cats, owls, zebras, and pandas. From elegant birds to adorable rabbits and wonderfully simple sheep, the 25 motifs and patterns in this book offer both a modern flair and an organic true-to-nature style. The whimsical animal designs--ranging from wild wolves, cheetahs, and giraffes to cuddly and cute bears, cats, dogs, monkeys, and pigs--can be incorporated into any of the sewing projects included, such as bags, pillows, bookmarks, and sachets, so that beginner and experienced embroiderers can mix and match patterns according to their own interest and skill.
Sewing Love: Handmade Clothes for Any Body by Sanae Ishida
Draft patterns and sew clothes that fit your unique body! In this garment-making primer, sewing is an act of radical kindness and self-care. Learning to sew for yourself enables you to make exactly the kinds of clothes you want, and empowers you to solve the fit issues that come with buying commercial clothing designed to fit one "ideal" body type. Create a complete capsule wardrobe of tops, bottoms, dresses, tunics, and outerwear. Each of the 15 projects (including variations) is designed to look good on a wide variety of body types - they're fashionable yet timeless, and let you move with ease. Every pattern is self-drafted (no printed pattern sheets here - you will learn to draft and customize basic shapes to your own body measurements for a comfortable fit). Patternmaking has never been easier than in this intuitive, fully illustrated book.
Modern Mending: How to Minimize Waste and Maximize Style by Erin Lewis-Fitzgerald
Inspired by the slow fashion movement, Erin Lewis-Fitzgerald has created a comprehensive guide to mending your own clothes in a way that combines creativity and sustainability. In Modern Mending, she demystifies mending and shares step-by-step instructions for a range of techniques, including stitching, darning, patching, needle felting and machine darning.
Magazines
Beginner's Guide to Embroidery
Discover how easy it is to create beautiful embroidery! Whether you’re a complete beginner or just want to brush up your stitching skills, you’ll feel right at home here. Build your confidence with clear photo guides and step-by-step instructions for every popular stitch – then choose from over 60 stylish needlework projects!
This magazine is available for checkout through OverDrive & Libby.
Sew News magazine is a complete resource for sewers of all skill levels. Each issue of Sew News magazine is packed with practical sewing information, how-to guides and the latest on fashion, fabrics, books and new products.
This magazine is available for checkout through OverDrive & Libby.
Simply Sewing is a practical magazine for makers who sew, or would like to start sewing. Its contemporary look and feel, fresh attitude and ideas, beautiful photography and inspiring projects will have you behind the sewing machine from the get-go!
This magazine is available for checkout through OverDrive & Libby.
Things have changed in the sewing industry over the last few years. Today, there’s so many exciting new independent pattern companies, and dressmaking bloggers out there, as well as the major commercial companies, but there’s no longer a magazine dedicated solely to dressmaking. The Pattern Pages keeps you up-to-date with the latest sewing pattern news, fashion trends for the seasons and how to replicate them in your sewing. They also have lots of sewing tips and advice form experts to help you make your own clothes look the best they can.
This magazine is available for checkout through OverDrive & Libby.
Descriptions adapted from the publisher.