My Sewing Info

Yesterday I stopped by a  Barnes & Nobles bookstore. I love bookstores!  Any kind will do, large with lots of light and great big chairs to sit in, small and cozy with comfy seats, or even old musty stores with small aisles and no place to sit but on the floor.

I’ve been reading since I was five years old. My mother used to make me go outside because we lived in South Florida and she thought I needed some fresh air. So, I’d go out and take my book with me, trying to find a shady spot to read. Since I am an only child, books were my best friends. That’s not to say I wasn’t social. I had friends, and could usually find someone to play with, but I’ve always had a book close at hand. By the time I was in the 3rd grade I had read most of the books in my school library, and my teacher took me to downtown Miami to the library on Biscayne Bay. It seemed huge to me and I was very impressed.

But, I digress. Let me get back to B&N.  I spent over an hour reading magazines just about sewing and quilting. Magazines have become very specialized, and you can find at least one on every subject. I saw magazines about beading, dying fabric, recycling both fabrics and clothing, knitting and crocheting, making handbags, purses and totes. There were some on crafts such as card making, collage, dolls and doll clothing, Victoriana and embroidery.

I bought three magazines, one about handbags called Haute Handbags, one on sewing projects simply called Stitch, and 0ne for artwear called Altered Couture. I was looking for inspiration and as you can see, I have a varied interest. These are not magazines you casually flip through and toss aside. Oh no, these are ‘keepers’. They are works of art. The pages are glossy, the pictures are large and in color, and the directions are clear and concise. These pages invoke dreams and visions, they make you think “I can do that!”, and they show you how. If you are not a crafter, right about now, you’re thinking I’ve lost my mind.  But, if you are, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

I’m thinking that I’ll go to a thrift  shop, or second hand store, or even a consignment shop and see what I can find to make over. I can take trim from one item and add it to another, I can take a suit apart and make it into a coat, or take a piece of lingerie and make it over into a blouse or cami.  Any extra pieces can be a decoration on a purse, handles on a tote, or made into a scarf.  The possibilities are endless!

So, next time you need a little inspiration, stop by a bookstore and browse through the magazines. And, of course, take a couple home with you.