Customer Reviews

Twinkle Sews: 25 Handmade Fashions from the Runway to Your Wardrobe (Book & CD)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I couldn't wait to get this book, and when it arrived, I was even more excited to realize I would actually wear 90% of the clothes in it! A couple of tips though:
The yardages are for 60", so keep that in mind when you are buying fabric!! I ran out once, and came very close a second time.

I have made two items so far (in a weekend!) and they are really cute! The biggest drawback is that you have to print the patterns out on 8.5"x11" paper and then piece it together before you can cut them out, which takes a lot of time, paper, ink, and TAPE!! Also, sometimes the paper "puzzle pieces" do not match up correctly. I found that cutting out pieces as you go helps with this. With that being said, I am having a great time, and once the patterns are put together and cut out, you won't have to do it again!

TWINKLE SEWS!!! PS. It also give tips as to where to buy fabric in some cities which led me to the most awesome fabric store in Atlanta!

The size chart is COMPLETELY WRONG!!! I am a 5'3" petite girl. Each pattern sizes in the book are in different print out files on the CD. I am a normal size 2 (in womens) or size 3 in juniors. But according to the book's size chart; I am a size 6 (based on my measurements). They don't have a size 6 pattern...they only have patterns for sizes 0, 4, 8, 10, 12. So I had to print out the patterns to the closest measurements (the book said to round up). And so I printed out a size 8 pattern. It took me 3 hours to print, cut, and tape the patterns together. I choose the most simple outfit out of the book to start out with and it took 63 pages of printed pages for this pattern! That is a lot of ink and paper...it took 25% of my ink in my brand new printer. And I used a whole roll of tape that I got at the store (thank goodness I went to the dollar store for the tape). And then to my disappointment, the size 8 was way too big for me. So I printed out the size 4 and did the entire process of printing, cutting, and taping again....another 3 hours, 25% of my ink supply, and another roll of tape later....this pattern was wayyyyyyyy too big still....Very FRUSTRATING!!!! Then, I printed out the size 0 and made some minor adjustments and everything worked out! Just so you know, I have been sewing for more than 16 years and have sewed for a living in the past...so I am a very experienced seamstress....and these patterns drives me Nuts!!! Wasted so much of my time and money, Printing, Cutting, and Taping these patterns together. These designs are cute but you must have a lot of patience if you want to use them. Especially if it is the first item that you are making from this book; must test out your size with 1 project first to get an idea of how the size chart applies to you. Also, printing, cutting, and taping these patterns together, they have cost me wayyyyyyy more than if I were to buy the patterns at the fabric store! So keep in mind that this is not going to be a cheap project! Printer ink do not come cheap! Plus who has the time to spend more than 9+ hours to figure out the right patterns to use. I want to spend my valuable time making the outfits already, not sitting there cutting the patterns.

There are some cute designs in the book, and the instructions are good. However, the PDF patterns on the CD are so difficult to work with. I don't understand why the author/publisher did not just simply include the designs on pattern paper.

You need 40+ sheets of paper to print out each pattern. Then, somehow you need to find space to lay out 40+ sheets of paper, tape them together, and then cut out the pieces. Thankfully, I have scrap paper that I could print the pattern onto, so I didn't have to kill another tree to make a shirt. However, I have to wait until I accumulate more scrap before I can print out another pattern. As an alternative, I've thought of cutting up pattern paper to 8.5x11 size, attaching those pieces one at a time to a regular piece of paper for printing, but I'm not feeling crazy enough.

There are no specific instructions on how to print out the pages either (stretch to fit or no?), so I printed them out as is. I'm a fairly careful, detail-oriented person, so I tried my best to get the pieces to match up. The small pieces that take up 1 or 2 sheets of paper usually work out fine, but getting the 4+ page pieces to line up properly was a nightmare.

Unless and until the publisher attaches actual patterns on pattern paper, I strenuously advice against buying this book. All the extra work assembling the pattern pieces is not worth it.

I absolutely love the styles in this book--they have unique details and contemporary shapes, unlike many of the patterns from the style vortex of the Big Four pattern companies. All up and coming hipster craftster fashionistas will adore the styles in this book.

However, the pattern presentation could use a little tweaking. Ok, a LOT of tweaking. Having to print off and tape together patterns is fine for online pattern shops ([...]), where the convenience of getting the pattern immediately balances out the inconvenience of wasting a bunch of time taping together patterns, but not for a physical book. Like the other reviewers, I'm puzzled by Potter Craft's choice to include a CD instead of paper patterns. Even a pattern sheet with all the patterns printed on top of each other in different colors would have been better than no pattern sheet at all. If sewing magazines like Burda World of Fashion (now BurdaStyle) can create a printed pattern sheet every month, then Potter Craft can certainly include printed patterns in a book.

Also, experienced sewists will find it insane that each pattern piece is drafted as the entire piece to be cut from the fabric. For example, the piece for the front of a shirt, which normal patterns would include as half of the front of the shirt (because both halves are identical), is included as one gigantic piece, making the patterns huge, unwieldy and inconvenient. In fact, most of the patterns require well over 50 pieces of printer paper.

In addition, neither the book nor the CD include the finished measurements of the garments or the amount of ease each pattern includes. Relying on a sizing chart alone can be a nightmare, as the other reviewer discovered. It wouldn't be a big deal IF paper patterns had been included, so you could measure the waist, bust, and hip of the pattern pieces yourself before you print out a bunch of different sizes (each size is a different file on the CD) or cut into your fabric.

I applaud Wenlan Chia and Potter Craft for sharing cutting edge designs and for presenting them in a visually pleasing, well-photographed book. Keep up the good work, but next time, paper patterns please!

As someone beyond her 20s, I was really excited about the styles in this book! With a little change here or there, most any age woman can wear these clothes. They are finished and stylish unlike the "99 ways to transform your t-shirt" type of book which has styles that can only be worn by the very young! The patterns on CD are pretty worthless, but someone with some sewing experience can easily do without. Because of that, I do not recommend this book for the beginner.

I was so excited to see this book on the shelves. Wenlan Chia is a gifted designer and I really appreciate her making some of her work available to home seamstresses. I've been sewing for over 20 years and am always looking for a breath of fresh air when it comes to patterns. The book has many wonderful resources and suggestions for making the garments in other ways than are shown in the wonderful photographs....HOWEVER....the pattern printing and assembling are a huge pain that requires a lot of paper and a lot of space to put them together, not to mention a huge amount of time. I found the sewing directions cryptic and hard to understand, with missing steps and missing markings on the patterns. What the book describes as "easy" is actually intermediate to difficult. Some of the fabric choices: charmeuse, crepe de chine, and chiffon are definitely not beginner or easy fabrics to sew. I am still baffled by the term "combo" when used to describe what I guess means "cut 2". I kept thinking to myself that I was lucky I already knew about advanced techniques, but I still threw my hands up in exasperation. For example, I decided to make "Love In The Afternoon", which has an origami strap on one side. No pattern markings where the origami folds should be made, and no instructions other than to "pin the pleats in place and topstitch the trim to the left strap down the center." I finally figured it out through trial and error and poring over the photographs, and experimenting with ironing them the way they look in the pictures.
Most home sewers are used to drawings of the construction steps along with the wording. I for one must have some sort of picture to get what is going on.
My advice would be to be very, very studious if you decided to use these patterns, be sure to make them up in muslin first, and use your favorite calming substance to keep from tearing your hair out.

I know too little to understand the instructions in this book. However, with the help of the Internet, I managed to make one of the easiest garments. But I have not tried the rest. I wish there is a lot more pictures regarding the instruction, or the materials. This book only has pictures of some models with their garments on and only one or two pictures about the instructions. I need way more images in order to understand the instructions. So if you have time to look it up online, maybe you can try this book. They are adorable and edgy. I also have troubles finding the exact materials, so I used something else.

I am a big fan of "Twinkle Sews" and her innovative designs. They are current, edgy & classy. Women of all ages can wear them. I am 50 and Wenlan Chia's designs are flattering on me as well as on my 20 y/o daughter.

However, a word of caution: this book is not for beginners! You must have a good basic knowledge of clothing construction. Otherwise you may find this a frustrating experience. I've been sewing since 1974 so had no problems with the "interesting" directions...in other words, that means you'll need to wing it.

A few other words of wisdom: 1. all fabric yardage requirements are based on 60" width, so you'll need to adjust accordingly. 2. all seam allowances are 3/8" or 1/2" (unless indicated otherwise). 3. the author is correct-invest in quality fabric. It really does make a difference. 4. That being said, I would suggest making a muslin first - you can keep it for future use. 5. If the garment is fitted across the chest, this appears to favor smaller busted women (of which I am one!) so if you're busty, you'll need to adjust your pattern before cutting.

So if you're experienced, buy this book and have a ball. It has unleashed my creativity that has carried over to my other projects. It will do the same for you.

I've heard so much about "Twinkle" that I thought this would be a really great book. However, the designs in this book are not for the average crowd looking for nice clothing. The designs are more for the runway, being somewhat sloppy, bulky, and messy-looking, like most of the runway stuff is right now. If you're looking for edgy, "I-look-like-I-wrapped-up-in-a-bedspread," designs, this is it. I have to say that the patterns are easy to follow, and the skirts are quite adorable, but don't buy it for the tops. Twinkle does much better on her knits. I did like the fact that she accessorized many of her designs with knit scarves. Twinkle Sews: 25 Handmade Fashions from the Runway to Your Wardrobe (Book & CD)

While this book does have a lot of cute clothing options, I am not sure any of them are actually sewable. If you do manage to print out, tape together, and cut out the pattern, the instructions are so vague that I think you pretty much already have to know how to make clothes in order to do anything. Futhermore, on the first project I tried to make the pattern piece said to "cut 1" so I did. Then when I went to sew, the book said to cut 2. well, I had no more fabric, so I was out of luck. Very frustrating!! I do not recommend this book.