you sew, girl! and have a prize while you're at it.

update: all right y'all, i've got my cocktail handy and will announce the winner shortly!  bonne chance, peeps...

happy memorial day, all!

some time ago, probably when there was still snow on the ground in new york (which actually could mean any time at all, couldn't it?) brilliant gal sewist nikki of you sew, girl! asked me if i might like to have a peek at some of her garment patterns, but most importantly her book, to celebrate its northern american release at the book depository.  nikki has always been a favorite blogger of mine, so i gleefully accepted...

OH HAI PRETTY BOOK.  you want one???  read on...

yes spiral binding.  THERE MUST ALWAYS BE SPIRAL BINDING.  and look at that, there's a wee kalkatroonaan running around in a tutu!!  almost enough to make me sew up some girly clothing for a child or two...

what's that you say?  I DO NOT SEW FOR CHILDREN?!  you are (mostly) correct, my friend!  luckily it's an equal divide for the over-21 set as well.  (and i'm not above making a tutu or two for myself.)  

after comprehensive chapters on equipment, skills, and techniques, we begin sewing with all-ages-access to accessories.  tutus, belts, hats, bags-- let's talk bags.   confession:  i am sore afraid of making a purse.  did it once: a diaper bag for a new mom, to be exact, and when it was done, i was certain i would never ever never make one EVER NEVER EVER again.  the hate mail i wrote in my head was long and stupendous, pages of it, had they ever materialized the pattern company would have drowned in my novela, never to be seen again.

but nikki's drafting desk would get no such mail!  she holds your hands and your eyes with detailed, calmly worded steps, which is great for visual learners like me.  i've been slowly purchasing carefully selected parts for a go at the City Shopper.  or maybe the Bus Stop Bag.  (and speaking of parts, i read every bit of this lovely book, although i assumed i'd know most of the 43 page "skills" section.  i did not.  learned a thing or seven, including using a dowel for tubing.  MWAH.)

the book finishes with garment goodies, both adult and kid sized.  nikki's approach now takes a different path than the structured accessories: here, you need a sense of adventure, a pencil, and some well explained diagramming.  patternless!  i LOVE this, obviously.  and this isn't "sew-two-rectangles-together-and-call-it-a-couture-top."  you're instructed to use everything you've learned in the previous chapters, and really think about the shape of the body, the shape of the fabric, how they jigsaw together, and let fly.  and you've already gone through bagmaking sans terror, so obviously it's time to wing a cowl top.  

(you can also see how her garment brain works in her draped t-shirt dress pattern, which i tore through for tempest's bowie sewie.  i have three of them now and they are in HEAVY rotation.  i like to stare at the line drawing like it's a television show.)

appetite whetted?  want a copy of this gem?  nikki would love to give one away!  we all know shipping is a bear between the hemispheres (dude, we need a teleportation device STAT) so this giveaway is a happy dance meant for northern america.  if you call usa or canada home, to grab your chance, hop over to nikki's blog and have a peep at her three delicious bag patterns, then come on back and tell me which is your favorite in the comments here.  or, if you're garment minded, peep her line and lemme know which pattern floats your boat. (of course, feel free to say hiya to nikki while you're browsing the goodies.)

the winner will be drawn a week from today... if you just can't wait that long, you can snag a copy at the book depository or on amazon.  good luck, and thanks for the giveaway, superstar nikki!

this book was provided to me by Nikki in exchange for an honest review!