Sewing Love: Handmade Clothes for Any Body

Sewing is positioned as self-care in this uplifting “step-by-step guide to creating your own slopers” from children’s book author Ishida (Animal Friends to Sew). As she writes, “Sewing fundamentally shifted my attitude toward myself... I created clothes that felt good to wear and made me feel beautiful—and sewing became an act of kindness and nurturing.” Projects cover tops and dresses as well as bottoms and outerwear, and include comfy elastic waist shorts, an A-line skirt, and a Hanten coat. Suggestions for design variations accompany the projects, too: Ishida modifies a T-shirt by opting for long sleeves with cuffs, adds a curved hem to a cardigan for a “playful” addition, and gives an option to make her basic tank cropped or long. The real gold comes in an in-depth section that teaches readers how to create and customize their own patterns based on their personal measurements by drafting paper pattern pieces and sewing up a muslin to test them out. This guide to garment sewing is a must-read for crafters of all levels. (Aug.)