Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing

The long awaited book has arrived! I ordered it the minute I could, and waited... and waited... and heard about how everyone else got theirs, and how amazing it is. FINALLY, last week, my copy came! And it's everything I knew it would be. I can't wait to get into it, but work has really picked up for me lately, so I am afraid Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing is on hold. At least I am used to waiting :)

I have read through a lot of it, and have two projects picked out for when I have some spare time, so I can dig right in. But I think the bulk of it will have to wait for December, when things will slow down again for me.

I started following Gertie's blog after I broke my ankle & had a lot of spare time. That's when I really got into following blogs & thinking about how I need some serious hobbies. From the first few months, I knew one day, one day, she would have a book, like half of the other creative bloggers out there, and when that day came, I couldn't have been more happy for her (and me!).

This book is a fantastic resource. She has combed through vintage patterns, and written down the easiest ways to follow them, the easiest methods to understanding the techniques, and the modern equivalents to notions that are no longer available, or obsolete. She has done ALL the work for me! And she is inspiring me to create my own patterns, and alterations without fear. I feel like she bridged that gap between the hobbyist sewist and the professional seamstress.

And the illustrations are fantastic, and alone are worth buying the book for.

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The Essential Dessert Cookbook

This is a cookbook I got a few years back for my birthday from a friend. It is a fabulous book, with lots of classic & lots of contemporary recipes, from pies to waffles, poached fruit to cheesecakes, low-fat to ice creams, it has a really nice selection of proper desserts (no cupcakes). Everything is classy, which I love. I have enough cupcake recipes.

You can get it here. It's from Murdoch Books.

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Some Sewing...Gift Bags

I've been very busy with work, but have been managing to have a day to myself every few weeks, for the most part, to get some sewing projects done. Feels nice to sew for me. Well, for me - for others in this post...but I am working on a dress, and also a new retro-style blouse, which I will share here too. 

The following projects I finished a few months ago, and gave them away in April. I had planned to sew these for stocking stuffers for my sisters, and mom, but it didn't happen on time! I also normally give the exchange students my in-laws take in a gift before they go home, but I also didn't get that done before Christmas either! So, everything was sent late. I made these little pencil cases / make-up bags from some scraps I bought ages ago. For the students I bought cute stationary supplies and some little toiletries, and for my family some soap and candles. 

 

The bags are made from a simple pattern I quickly drew out myself with skills learned from a super cool book called "The Bag Making Bible" by Lisa Lam. I also used this tutorial as a base to work from. I have many of her free tutorials (all on her blog), and have followed her blog for years. This book has so many patterns, and teaches so many skills. I altered her tutorial slightly to get a cleaner look at the zipper ends, and I also added a layer of clear vinyl to make the bags a little more substantial, and suitable for make-up.

I bought a silicon foot for my sewing machine to sew over the vinyl, and then realized I needed a silicon ZIPPER foot, which I didn't have, so I placed tissue paper over the vinyl, and sewed that, tearing away the tissue paper after the stitch was done. Not simple, but still worked well. Otherwise, your foot will stick to the vinyl, and your work will not slide through the machine.

Here are a few I have made so far:

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Cookie Craft

OK, here is another fab book I've bought myself recently. Cookie Craft. There is a Christmas version too, so you still have time to get it! I can't wait to try out some of the techniques in here. I've been so swamped with work, I have a laundry list of projects to get going with, so I hope I can share some samples soon here. This book has a lot of techniques for those who've never done much decorating before, but for those who have, it also has a lot of great ideas too. And I found it on ebay, brand new for $12.60 USD.

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Vintage Hairstyling

I think I fell in love with vintage style, namely 30's & 40's, when I was maybe 13...as soon as I saw the movie Swing Kids. The clothes, the dancing, the music; everything about it is beautiful and inspiring! The care everyone took in their clothes and hair is something to admire. I think it also (probably falsely in most cases) conjures up a feeling of innocence and simplicity, if you forget about the whole World War II thing...I've always wanted to learn how to do my hair in those styles. Since re-runs of The Wonder Years, I've branched my love of vintage into the 60's too.

I've been using hot rollers for a few years now, but kind of making things up as I go. In the past I would try to find rolling patterns online, but those aren't easy to come by. I drew up my own sketches to work from by what I learned by trial and error. I do have a copy of a hard to find, and expensive book, called 1940's Hairstyles, by Daniela Turudich. I've seen it sell for over $400 (but I just looked on ebay, and there are a few, as well as on amazon). I didn't find it that easy to follow, not knowing many techniques myself, and I haven't had the time to perfect any basics. Plus, some of those 40's styles are quite dramatic, and I wanted something I could do for less formal day-to-day things.

So, I bought myself the book Vintage Hairstyling. Sadly, I've had little opportunity to actually try anything with any great effort yet. This book was a great purchase though, because it explains things very clearly. Vintage Hairstyling has a large range of styles too, from 30's to 60's, and is very easy to come by and not expensive. It has great step-by-steps, so all I need to do now is pick up a few more products to get going...

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Cupcakes Cheesecakes & Cookies

A few weeks back I bought myself a little treat...to make myself some little treats. I've been looking at cookbooks dedicated specifically to cupcakes, but then I saw this book - 3 books in 1 - for the same price as 1! You don't have to tell me twice. I'd been wanting a book that had great recipes, as much as it had some decorating tricks and tips / ideas. For any Aussies reading this, it's a good mix of recipes and presentation techniques. And a good deal. I've spent hours at Borders, trying to decide between about 4 books. Then came across this one in QBD, and it was cheaper to boot!

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