Quilted Clothing
Laury
1982
As a half-baked fan of sewing and quilting, I can appreciate the skills that these examples show off. I can also appreciate that they are warm enough for the toughest winters. I recognize that my uniform of dresses and cardigans for work hardly make me a fashionista, even among librarians. I still have to say no to wearing a blanket.
Easy Reversible Vests
Doak
1994
If you look back on the books we have posted about sewing and knitting, vests seem to be the fashion accessory. I honestly don’t get it. I love quilts and quilting, I just don’t want to wear one. The only person I can think of that pulled off the vest look was Diane Keaton in Annie Hall.
And yet I bring you another vest book. This time you will really get your money’s worth with the whole reversible thing. If they were actual quilts instead of a “fashion statement” I would be all over the color choices and techniques. I think I am going to say that the quilted vest needs to be retired as a concept. (Right next to the fancy sweatshirts) Make a lovely quilt for the guest room instead.
Better Homes and Gardens: Sewing Casual Clothes
1966
Submitter: My library holds an annual new book drive where we work with a local group who feed k-12 kids in food-insecure situations to provide a (hopefully) brand-new book to each kid over the winter break along with enough food to last them until school starts again. Unfortunately, sometimes we get donations that are weeded from other libraries, including this gem. I can’t imagine any current teenagers wearing any of this. For that matter, no one of my generation would have worn any of this either, and I’m getting old.
Holly: A book drive is not an opportunity to clean out your basement, people. Have a heart.
Fashion For Free
Allen
1980
I don’t know what to say. I think I can guess why some of this “fashion” is free. This cover picture takes the cake. Maybe it would have looked better in black and white.
Kwik-Sew’s Sweatshirts Unlimited
Martenssen
1989
Yet ANOTHER sweatshirt remaking book. Evidently the 80s were all about decorating sweatshirts. I can’t tell you how many books I have seen that were all about making the sweatshirt better. It’s not supposed to be better or fashionable. It’s a sweatshirt.
McCall’s Step-By-Step Sewing McCall’s Corporation 1967 This sewing book isn’t really too bad. The instructions are well written and covers the basics as well as fit and tailoring. Clothing construction doesn’t change much, but styles, fabric, and equipment does. This
Here’s How Schreiber 1967 This is one of those special books that tells you how to be a girl: appropriate hair and makeup, sewing, entertaining, diet, decorating, and gift wrapping. These are skills that will really pay off when you
Designer Sweatshirts How to Trim and Alter Sweatshirts Mulari 1989 In case our first sweatshirt book or our second didn’t have enough snap for your fashion needs, I present even MORE designer sweatshirts. You will be happy to see that
