Sewing for Boys

There are a plethora of patterns – and pattern books – available for little girls.  It isn’t so easy to find cute patterns to sew for young boys.  This book aims to fill that gap.

Sewing for Boys is a hardcover spiral-bound book.  I love this, as it makes the book lie flat for easy use in the sewing room!  It has all of the pattern pieces in an envelope inside the front cover.  While I’m glad the full-size pattern pieces are included, I’m not crazy about this arrangement, as it makes the front cover awkwardly heavy and it just handles oddly.

The projects themselves offer a nice variety.  Tops, bottoms, and accessories are all included, so you truly could create an entire wardrobe (apart from the undies/socks) from this book.  The difficulty levels vary from beginner to advanced, so if you’re just starting out, you might have to find a friend to help you with some of the projects.  Plenty of diagrams are included, though, along with full-color photos.  Sizes range from 3 months to 7 years.

The layout of the book is rather fun.  The sections are arranged as “a year in the life of a boy,” with a section for each season, as well as a section for “on the go” and one for “save our shirts” – new ways to make use of old (favorite!) shirts and other clothing.

To be honest, I don’t love all of the projects here.  There are a few that I love and a few I am not crazy about.  Many of them fall somewhere in between.  (Some just aren’t really my style – but that might have a lot to do with the fabrics chosen in the examples.  I might really love them in different colors or patterns.)  All in all, though, I think that this is a good, solid, well-done book and one I’m glad to have in my collection.  I don’t have any little boys (yet?), but I’m looking forward to using this to sew gifts for friends.

Sewing with Oilcloth

Also from Wiley, Sewing with Oilcloth is a really helpful book.  Oilcloth and similar waterproof fabrics are becoming very popular, but they can be tricky so sew with.  (And some of us need inspiration to know what to do with them, besides line the table!)

The first section of the book is all about how to sew with oilcloth.  It talks about tools that are helpful, offers some really nifty tips, and discusses types of trim/edgings that can be used.  I found this section really helpful and would have appreciated the book just for this, even if the patterns were all useless.  (They’re not, though!)

Three chapters follow, filled with projects “for the house,” “for you,” and “for the kids.”  These run the gamut.  There are labels and storage bins, aprons and bibs, pillows and splat mats.  Each project offers the finished dimensions and a clear materials list.  This is followed by detailed instructions, including diagrams where they’re necessary or helpful.

It’s a very colorful book, with lots of photographs of items made from oilcloth in fun prints!  Some of the projects use laminated cotton instead of oilcloth because, as the author points out, oilcloth contains phthalates and shouldn’t be used around children or food.  (True oilcloth is actually linseed-treated fabric, but what’s sold as “oilcloth” today is a synthetic material.)  Pattern pieces are at the back of book, and a few of them will need to be enlarged on a copier.

This one is also worth a read. 🙂

Disclosure: I received free copies of each of these books to facilitate my review.  I was not compensated for this post, and all opinions are purely my own.