Book Worm: Creative 'How-to' Books

I have a serious weakness for creative 'how-to' books. They call out to my, 'I don't need to buy that designer dress when I'm sure I could make it myself for a tenth of the price' side. Better (or worse) still, they appeal to my, 'I don't need to enrol in that creative course when I can learn everything from a book' side. Truth be told, none of us can ever possibly make everything we want to and some things are best left to the experts but these wonderful 'how-to' treatises also often have invaluable practical skills amongst their leaves, not to mention great ideas and gorgeous images or illustrations. 

I have a few favourites and many I'd love to get my hands on. 

Sew U: The Built by Wendy Guide to Making Your Own Wardrobe

I attribute the bulk of my sewing skills to Wendy Mullin. Well, actually my paternal grandmother was a seamstress and though all I have is a faint recollection of a dimly lit room near the front door, brimming with floral fabrics and musty notions, I'm certain that sewing somehow runs through my veins. Anyway, if you have leanings towards the needle and thread but don't know where to start, look no further than Wendy's 'Sew U'. Everything you need to know is covered here, from setting up your sewing space, to understanding patterns, from sewing in darts, to finishing edges. The book comes with a series of patterns that Wendy has released through Simplicity and includes perfect pants, a simple shirt and easy skirt.

When I initially skimmed through the pages of 'Sew U', our apartment was filled with drawn out Ohhhhhhhhs and Now I get its. The major epiphany for me though, was Wendy's mantra of 'think twice and cut once', which for me, has saved many a snip into the middle of a skirt.

 Top: Sew U: The Built by Wendy guide to making your own wardrobe by by Wendy Mullin, Eviana Hartman, and Beci Orpin

Bottom left: Sew U: Home Stretch, The Built by Wendy Guide to Sewing Knit Fabrics by Wendy Mullin and Eviana Hartman

Bottom right: Sew What! Skirts, 16 Simple Styles You Can Make with Fabulous Fabrics by by Francesca DenHartog

From top left: 

Bend-the-Rules Sewing: The Essential Guide to a Whole New Way to Sew by Amy Karol
How to Make Books: Fold, Cut & Stitch Your Way to a One-of-a-Kind Book by Esther K. Smith
Craft, Inc.: Turn Your Creative Hobby into a Business by Meg Mateo Ilasco
Cookie Craft by Valerie Peterson and Janice Fryer
Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts!: Lacy Crochet (Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts) by Shufu-To-Seikatsu Sha
Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts!: Amigurumi (Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts) by Tomoko Takamori
Stitch 'N Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook by Debbie Stoller
Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller

I'd love for everyone to share their own favourite 'how-to' books, as far as I'm concerned, you can never have too many!

Visual Inspiration: Vintage Sewing Patterns

I love so many things about vintage sewing patterns, the wonderful illustrations, indicative of another place and time, and the way you can tell which decade they are from by the way the female figure is drawn (square shouldered and masculine in the 40s, curvy and sensual in the 50s). I love the the rich colours, the confident blocks of typography, the amazing diversity in the cuts of the garments. They really just don't make 'em like that anymore.

Must do Global: January

Each month in addition to our 'Must do in Melbourne' post, we'll feature a few 'must do' events from around the globe.

Lower Hutt, NEW ZEALAND

Zeitgeist Becomes Form
German Fashion Photography 1945-1995

THE NEW DOWSE
October 6, 2007 to February 3, 2008

Images: Gaby van Cleef, Evening Dress by Gehringer & Glupp, Berlin 1951 & Winter Fashion for Bessie Becker, Zugspitze 1952 by Hubs (Hubertus) Flöter

Images: Op-Art Design on a Bathing Suit, Athens 1966 & Bathing Caps with a White Rim for 'Brigitte' 8/1966, Cairo 1966 by F.C. Gundlach

This exhibition features over 100 images celebrating 50 years of iconic world fashion, from Christian Dior in the 1940s to Issey Miyake in the 1990s. Zeitgeist Becomes Form includes unforgettable images by some of Germany’s most renowned photographers including Helmut Newton, Sybille Bergmann, Rico Puhlmann and Thomas Rusch.

These images truly capture the spirit of the times, and provide a fascinating insight into both the evolution of fashion, and simultaneous changes in society, codes of morality, the role of women and the hopes and ideals of people at the time.

For more information, take a look here.

Paris, FRANCE

Maisen et Objet

Design Professional's Trade Show

PARIS LE BORGET EXHIBITION CENTER

January 24-28, 2008

For more information, take a look here.

Los Angleles, USA

Black Panther

The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas

MOCA Pacific Design Center

October 21, 2007 to February 24, 2008

Images: Poster from The Black Panther, 27th May 1972, offset lithograph & poster from The Black Panther, 21st August 1971, offset lithograph by Emory Douglas

This exhibition traces the graphic art made by Emory Douglas while he worked as minister of culture for the Black Panther Party from 1967 until its discontinuation in the early 1980s. Douglas's powerful visuals helped define the trademark visual style of the group's newspapers, posters, and pamphlets. Douglas's substantial body of work exists as a powerful graphic record of the Black Panthers' legacy, reflecting their development and evolving mission to improve the lives of African Americans by calling for resistance and change, as well providing social services to their communities. With a firm understanding of the need to disseminate information and communicate the party's agenda visually, Douglas's bold illustrations and striking images spoke forcefully to a community ravaged by poverty, police brutality, and poor living conditions. With unmistakable humanism, Douglas portrayed a populace that was emerging from segregation and proudly fighting to assert their rights to equality. 

For more information, take a look here.