Author Jenny Wilding Cardon has pooled all her thrifting and re-fashioning knowledge into one fabulous book! Her introduction gives you a glimpse into her fun personality, and why she likes to "resew."
Jenny shares her personal methods for thrift shopping, like keeping a running list and an open mind while shopping. The best part about resewing is that when you resew, your creation is always one-of-a-kind, and perfectly suited for you! Jenny also has "Design Diversions" for each project to encourage your personal creativity.
Jenny's projects are simple yet detailed, and the instructions are flawless. A new sewist will be equally excited by these projects, as someone more experienced as well. Each of the projects has a list of Jenny's fiber facts, the number of pieces needed, and what you should look for while shopping, including fiber content and recommended sizes. Also included are many "ReTip" sections within the patterns to teach you sewing basics, such as making casings, inserting elastic, making your piece a custom fit, sewing with wool, and dealing with imperfect pieces--really, too many to list!
Jenny has taken refashioning to a whole new level. She has over 20 projects including shirts, skirts, dresses, bags, a scarf and hat set, a quilt, rug and even a child's toy. There is something for everyone in this book, and it will definitely get you thinking creatively about your wardrobe. I really love how useful this book is--I need to look through my own closet for items to resew! This is also a great book for many of you that already quilt, and would love to learn to sew garments. --Amy Ellis, Amy's Creative Side
Are you a pattern kind of stitcher or more the make-it-up-and-see-what-happens type? I am rather a maverick when it comes to sewing and more often than not I make it up as I go along. Patterns are not really my thing, and as a result I tend to end up with a few projects that arguably would have been better off as great ideas that never got off the ground! It s all part of the fun of creating. And given that most of the fabric I use for making clothes is found in an op-shop (thrift store), the mishaps are never worth a fortune. My favorite item I ever made was a ball gown from bronze colored 1970's shot silk curtains that cost me $30!
So, it was with great delight that I came across
ReSew. While there are many patterns in this book, my favorite thing about the approach of author Jenny Wilding Cardon is her encouraging nature. Statements such as "design diversions are welcome here" and "use the designs on the page as a starting point, then jump" hooked me right in.
There's the story of how Jenny began thrifting to hints on shopping second-hand. The patterns are easy to read and use and are well illustrated with tips (or "ReTips") for techniques that the reader may not be familiar with.
But here's my favorite part, the bit that really got me excited: The designs are as simple or as complex as you dare make them and each project comes with a list of suggestions for "design diversions"--ideas, amendments and thoughts for adding a personal touch to your project. I made the "Happy Hat, Mitten, and Scarf Set" for each of my daughters and completed them in a little under an hour and a half. I do have to confess that I did the detailing with fancy machine stitching rather than hand-sewing but to have two complete winter sets in such a short time frame and for only a $3 sweater each, I am super impressed.
Next on my list is the cuffed skirt using men s suiting . . . or perhaps the knit-knot T-shirt . . . I have so many sticky notes on these pages I'm not sure where I'll start. Perhaps I'll wait and see what the op-shop gods deliver! --Whipup.net --Whipup.net
Scarlett O'Hara was on to something--curtains can be quite fashionable! So, too can sweaters, jeans, and other cast-off clothes you find at your local thrift shop as you cut up the fabric and give these items a real makeover, the soft version of transformers, as you'll discover in ReSew: Turn Thrift-Store Finds into Fabulous Designs. Fashion designer Jenny Wilding Cardon (The Little Box of Baby Quilts), Kaysville, Utah, has seen her styles on the covers of McCall's Quilting and Quilts and More. Here she offers 20 projects for beginners, among them tops, bottoms, dresses, accessories, a quilt, a rug, and a cushion. Illustrations by the author with photos by Brent Kane. Today's Books editor Lex Ticonderoga puts ReSew on the "A-List!" --Lex Ticonderoga, Today's Books
Scarlett O'Hara was on to something--curtains can be quite fashionable! So, too can sweaters, jeans, and other cast-off clothes you find at your local thrift shop as you cut up the fabric and give these items a real makeover, the soft version of transformers, as you'll discover in
ReSew: Turn Thrift-Store Finds into Fabulous Designs. Fashion designer Jenny Wilding Cardon (The Little Box of Baby Quilts), Kaysville, Utah, has seen her styles on the covers of McCall's Quilting and Quilts and More. Here she offers 20 projects for beginners, among them tops, bottoms, dresses, accessories, a quilt, a rug, and a cushion. Illustrations by the author with photos by Brent Kane. Today's Books editor Lex Ticonderoga puts ReSew on the "A-List!" --Lex Ticonderoga, Today's Books
Jenny Wilding Cardon has been designing since high school. Back then, she would create eccentric, rebellious items of clothing, and then make her friends wear them to school. After graduating from the University of Utah with a degree in Women's Studies, Jenny spent three years with her husband in Seattle. A crux of American quiltmaking, Seattle introduced her to the vibrant, varied art, along with the many coworkers she befriended while working as a copywriter for the world's largest quilt-book publisher. Jenny's passion for quiltmaking inspired her to publish a book of baby-quilt designs (
The Little Box of Baby Quilts, 2007). Her quilts have also appeared in
McCall's Quilting and on the covers of American Patchwork & Quilting's
Quilts and More and Quilter's Newsletter's
Quilt It for Kids.Jenny now lives in a quiet, quite sleepy bedroom community north of Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband of ten years, Brett, her two sons--Jack, 6, and Charlie, 2--and Niko Bear, a big silver and black cat.
Along with sewing of all sorts, Jenny's interests include eating store-bought birthday cakes, listening to classic rock and current soul, writing, and knitting. She writes about her sewing, thrifting, and family life on her blog, the wildcards.
