One Stitch At A Time
It has been a while since I read a piece of sewing-themed fiction but The Sewing Machine by Natalie Fergie did not disappoint. Natalie Fergie is a professional textiles enthusiast who owns numerous sewing machines and was inspired to write this multi-generational saga after buying a century-old sewing machine, manufactured at the Singer factory in […]
The Seamstress (The Time Between Seams / The Time in Between) is a wonderful tale of espionage and intrigue, adventure and fear, dishonour and love and it is not surprising that it has made María Dueñas a household name and catapulted her to the top of Spain’s bestseller lists. A couple of years after the […]
It has been over 25 twenty years since Wendy, Michael and John returned from their adventures in Neverland with Peter Pan. Rather than them retaining happy thoughts, Wendy is the only one who remembers Neverland; her brothers have forgotten (or, more aptly, repressed their memories). Michael has survived World War One but is suffering from […]
Within the boroughs of London, nestled among its streets, hides another city, filled with magic. ‘Magic and love. Love and magic. They destroy everything in the end …’ Anna’s Aunt has always warned her of the dangers of magic. Its twists. Its knots. Its deadly consequences. Now Anna counts down the days to the ceremony […]
The Dressmaker was the debut novel of Australian author, Rosalie Ham. Published in 2000, it’s been around for quite a while, but I have only read it recently – it was a rather odd occurrence of having watched the film and then discovering it was based on a book. If you’ve seen the film, don’t […]
Since childhood, Caroline Shelby has always known what she wanted from a career – to design and sew clothing. Upon completing her schooling, she leaves her hometown of Oysterville and moves to New York. She gets a job with a well-known designer, Mike Taylor, and, after ten years, is on the verge of getting her […]
I finally made a start on this book that I bought back at the start of lockdown: Gertie Sews Jiffy Dresses. I don’t know what took me so long; I think I was simultaneously intimidated (I mean, Gertie is the goddess of vintage style) and distracted (as a novice in the sewing world, I was […]
It’s no secret that I love historical fiction so when the genre aligns itself with sewing (my second love) it’s not even a question of ‘to read or not to read’. As far as historical stories go, the second world war is certainly up there among the most popular historical settings. I usually veer towards […]
There is only one pasttime that I love more than sewing and that’s reading. Books have always been at the heart of my world – so much so that I went on to study literature at university to PhD level, following which I taught Renaissance Literature and Literary Theory in universities before going on to […]
Since I started sewing at the beginning of 2020, I’ve been overwhelmed by the number of people I know who either expressed how they’d love to start sewing their own clothes or that they can’t believe how professional looking my makes have been since I first decided to begin dressmaking. This post is for you […]