Customer Reviews

The Mary Frances Sewing Book: Adventures Among the Thimble People

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I recently saw this book, newly published, as a hardcover with beautifully done color illustrations. While I undestood this book was to be a paperback, I was deeply disappointed to find it to be an undersized, black and white edition.

This book is essential for all little girls (and not so little girls!) learning to sew. There has yet to be a childs sewing book as well done as Mary Frances and the Timble People.

If you think this book, written in the Edwardian era, would probably be too hard or full of too many confusing terms for a child, think again! The projects are direct, simple, fast, and most of all, fun. With parental assistance, children as young as seven could easily work through this book, and very young children could enjoy the story by itself without even doing the projects. The doll patterns are charming and work up quickly, the style simple and straightforward, and the little story about the 'Timble People' is utterly adorable.

16 inch dolls are hard to come by, and I know this is one drawback of the book. However, you can easily re trace the patterns to fit an 18 inch ('American Girl' or 'Gotz' doll.) Take your pattern peice(s) and retrace on another peice of paper, adding one inch to every side. Follow instructions as usual. For loose fitting patterns like the apron, the pinafore, etc, this wasn't even nessisary.

An all around wonderful book!

While all the Mary Frances series is excellent, I found the sewing book the best of the bunch. The basic premise is that various sewing implements come to life for Mary Frances, a girl of about 9 or so, and they teach her how to sew, beginning with outfitting a sewing basket, then learning 10 or so basic stitches using the kind of cloth that people do counted cross stitch on, then progressing to a sampler, and then on to doll clothes. The Art Deco style of the illustrations is very reminiscent of the L. Frank Baum Oz series. One can enjoy the book just as a delightful fairy story, or one can use it as the basis of a hand-sewing curriculum. I used this to teach my 9 y.o. daughter, and she enjoyed it thoroughly, often waking in the morning and working on her sewing while sitting on her bed; I look forward to teaching other groups of girls in 4-H or at the Waldorf school that my daughter attends.

The Mary Frances Sewing Book was originally published in 1913 and recently reprinted in the late 1990's. An Edwardian girl staying with grandma for a few months during the summer meets the "Thimble People" (needles, scissors, pincushion, etc.) who engage her in weekly sewing lessons. The reader can work through the lessons, from learning stitches to sewing doll clothes with Mary Frances as directions with illustrations are given throughout the text.

One practical aspect of this book is that basic hand sewing stitches are taught with descriptions and illustrations. I found this part very educational since the only sewing stitch I learned in childhood is the "running stitch". I had no idea there were so many stitches for hand sewing that can be applied to hand sewing garments. I also learned the strawberry tassle on my tomato pin cushion is an "Emery Bag", which can be used for cleaning needles as you pull them through the little bag.

If you purchase a copy of this book sold in its original condition, it comes with patterns to make the garments Mary Frances makes for her doll. However, based on illustrations and the time period, Mary Frances' doll is a 16 inch doll with a composition body and a porcelain head. While the fashions are appropriate for this kind of doll, they are not necessarily appropriate for a modern doll. There are many more current pattern books and pattern sources to sew for both modern dolls and antique/antique reproduction dolls. The only use I would see for the patterns is for use by the individual who would like to specifically work through the book.

That said, I loved this book! I am not going to stop sewing doll clothes on my machine or start dressing my modern doll in Edwardian fashions. I loved this book for what it is-an example of structured sewing lessons used by girls 100 years ago, when girls practiced their skills on doll clothes but would one day use them for sewing and mending their family's clothes.

I also enjoyed the story "sewn" into the lessons. The talking scissors and pincushion, etc. argue with each other like siblings; making the characters more interesting and adding a bit of spice to the story. The sewing bird talks in rhyme; carrying the text along quickly. Mary Frances misses her family while at grandma's house, and has a few other brief adventures inside and outside of her sewing lessons. If you enjoy sewing for dolls and have a taste for a nostalgic, old-fashioned childhood, then this book will be priceless!

i have done all types of needle work and sewing since i was 5 yrs old. i also had a needlework shop for 20 years. this book is absolutely enchanting and the illustrations are delightful. the sewing information is so well presented that anyone of any age should be able to learn to sew, and enjoy every minute of it. i, too, hope they will re-publish some of the other books by this author. dee wolfenbarger, D59d@aol.com

i have the whole set of mary frances books (in hard cover). they are reproductions. these books are so wonderful, its hard to put into words. the books are a special piece of history and i highly recommend all of them. the mary frances sewing book is esp. charming.

Just purchased this book to give as a Christmas present for my Mom. During the summer and after school, Mom looks after two of my neices that are 5 and 8 years old.

The book is softcovered, consisting of 280 pages and the illustrations within are fully black and white. I like this book as the patterns are full sized and "reads" extremely well for a child, with directions clearly written.

I rate this book 4 stars because the 16" doll pattern IS NOT included as a project with the book. Major bummer! The 16" companion doll pattern named "Mary Marie" Making Memories (designed by Ellen Thompson) must be purchased separately. I've recently located such pattern and it was hard to come by. (The Mary Marie doll is also sold as a porcelain reproduction and she is beautiful.)

Truly, I believe this book makes an excellent tool to create beautiful home spun gifts and memories when used by a loving adult (Mother/Nana) and child. What a wonderful way to learn to sew!

The Mary Frances Sewing book tells the story of a young girl who spends the summer at her grandmother's house. While there she meets the Thimble People who help her sew clothes for her dolls. Not only is this an excellent instructional book but a wonderful story book that any child would enjoy reading.

I had the copy of this book that was purchased for my mother in 1920 and I used it as a nine year old to learn to sew - almost 50 years ago. My doll may have had somewhat dated clothes, but part of what I learned was how to alter the looks to make them more up to date. My one disappointment with the paperpack edition is that the original had tissue patterns that could be removed and used along with a paper gatefold that could be traced. My original still has many of the tissue patterns. None-the-less, the paperback is still a fabulous book to teach children hand sewing.

I've been sewing for more than 20 years and yet I learned quite a bit from this book, which teaches the fundamentals of hand sewing in a beautiful and somewhat sentimental way. Mary Frances, staying at her Grandma's without her mom and dad, is lonely until she realises she can have fun with the Thimble People -- the fairy Sewing Bird, Scissors Shears, Tommy Tomato, and the like. They guide her through lessons on a range of topics, and then, using the "Needle of Don't Have to Try" she is able to sew a beautiful wardrobe for her 16" doll. These patterns could be modified for 18" dolls, and are period-perfect for American Girl's Rebecca, but it is not as easy as a previous commentator suggested, so you would want to check dimensions before giving the patterns to a child.

Regarding the sewing lessons. The first lessons in how to stitch are done on canvas, so if you are purchasing this as a gift for a girl, you also want to buy some Aida canvas (like they do cross-stitch on), embroidery floss or thick thread like topstitching thread, a needle, a thimble, and a little box or bag to put things in. There are also complete instructions for outfitting a workbasket given on page 27. Coats and Clarks makes different weights of cotton thread which you'll want to get for this. Before making any doll clothes, you work each of 12 stitches separately first on canvas: even basting, uneven basting, running stitch, stitching (backstitch), half back-stitch, catch stitch, overhanding, overcasting, hemming, blanket stitch, buttonhole stitch and cross-stitch. You then work a small and large sampler. These exercises are simple but teach the basics and the large sampler is charming.

The doll patterns then introduce the stitches as they are used. What is lovely about this collection is that *exactly* the same process could be used to create *proper* clothing, unlike many of the doll patterns produced today. Some instructions are given on marking and laying out patterns but I feel an adult should be helping here. Also, an adult will be needed to purchase the fabric (Mary Frances's mother sends her a trunk) and I recommend getting natural fibres which are much easier to sew and produce lovely clothes for the dolly. And you'll want to lay in a supply of laces and ribbons too. During the making of the patterns, there are also lessons on needles and threads, the construction of cloth, gathering, outline sitch, hem-stitching, sewing on lace, making a fell, making a french seam, sewing on hooks and eyes, making eyelet loops, sewing on loops of tape, feather stitching, sewing on buttons, making button-holes, making a placket, felling on flannel, making tucks, making a whipped ruffle, making french knots, making eyelets, using a slip stitch, french hemming on damask, darning stockings and woolen goods, patching on gingham and flannel and making spider's webs.

Here is the list of patterns for the doll: the laundry bag, the embroidered apron, the hem-stitched handkerchief, the nightgown, the bath-robe, the kimono, the dressing-sack, the pinafore, the morning dress, the flannel petticoat, the underwaist, the lawn petticoat, the drawers, the rompers, the bloomers, the leggings, the fur-lined cape, the afternoon dress, the guimpe (blouse), the party dress, the automobile coat, the automobile bonnet, the bathing sit, the fur muff and tippet, the sun bonnet, the work bag, the rain coat, the polo cap, and the wedding dress. Also included are full-sized patterns (ie for people) of a work bag, belt, baby's bib, and girl's collar.

The patterns are printed on 8 1/2 x 11 sheets that are folded into the back cover of the hardback book. I see that Lacis also sell them separately.

I think this is an excellent, charming book, but I would not give it to a child to use *entirely* without supervision -- they will need help with the patterns, layouts, fabrics, etc. The illustrations clearly explain the stitches, though, and I think many children would be able to proceed on their own with the actual sewing.