My Sister's Keeper

I've been reading a lot lately. Haven't had much energy for hand crafting at night b/c I've been so constantly busy. But this is the first book I've felt compelled to recommend.
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult is about a family dealing with the illness of one of the 3 children. More than that, the youngest child has actually been conceived via IVF as a genetic match and tissue donor for her older sister. She, and her older brother too, face a constant struggle for identity apart from their sister and her cancer. The parents are understandably pre-occupied with the sick daughter. Everyone lives in constant fear of the inevitable.

The story is told alternately through the eyes of the individual family members. Each person is believable and compelling. I do think I was most moved by the youngest sister Anna, though. She is the one who has been, since the very moment of her birth, providing cells and tissue for her older sister. She's smart, funny, and insightful. The oldest brother is a self-proclaimed, self-created juvenile delinquent. But he is not so bad as he seems. We actually hear the least from Kate, who has a rare and particularly aggressive form of leukemia. Besides the kids and the parents, there are a couple other key characters, interesting in their own rights, who participate in the narration.

Yes, it's a sad story. Sadder than I even imagined at the end. Definitely not your typical mindless beach read. But there are some really truly funny moments as well. And it is at times quite uplifting. Still, wander not far from thy tissues.

I was completely hooked on this one. It's my daughter's book. We stopped on a whim at Stop and Shop one night on our way home for books. I chose two others (neither worth writing about) and she chose this one. After I finished my two, I started hers. Fortunately she has a lot of studying to do for finals b/c I could absolutely not return it until I'd finished.

The ending of the book is surprisingly...well...surprising.

I've ordered 4 more of Jodi Picoult's books from the library.

Eat, Pray, Love

by Elizabeth Gilbert

A dear friend gave me this book for Christmas and it was a gift in more than just that way.

Often when I share good books with you I talk about how fun it was to dwell in that other world for awhile...how interesting it was...or suspenseful. This book is all those things...I couldn't wait to see how it turned out in the end. But it was so much more than that. This is the kind of book that changes you in some way. The kind of book you want to own rather than get from the library.

Elizabeth Gilbert was suffering through a wrenching divorce and persistent depression when she decided to embark on a year of travel in search of healing. She went first to Italy (searching pleasure), then to India (spirit), then to Indonesia (balance.) In a way, though she doesn't talk about it, she found all three in all three places.

The book is full of such colorful characters you'll want to meet them all in person. They are wise, they're sexy, they're hysterically funny. With apologies to the author...she's the least interesting character among the cast! But her journey is not. Her journey is something we all can relate to.

There is a lot of meditation and Eastern philosophy, a lot of open, liberal discussion and exploration of God. But it does not really espouse one religion over another (though Ms. Gilbert's convictions are clear.) I think it brings you closer to your own spirituality, whatever flavor yours may be. God is God after all, not likely to be hemmed in by any one discipline.

The author did not go to Rome and hang out in cathedrals viewing paintings and sculpture. She went to Rome and hung out with Romans at soccer games, pizzerias, and - get this - all night bakeries! She went to India and scrubbed floors. And she went to Indonesia and neglected the beach. It's all about the people and what they taught her. The randy young Italian soccer fans, big burly Richard from Texas (slang-slinging ex-druggy spiritual guru), and a tiny, ancient (somewhere b/w 65 and 120 years old), light-hearted medicine man are among those that surprised her and will surprise you.

You can read more about Eat, Pray, Love here on Oprah's website. But I'd say...just get the book. Then after you've read it go and see photos of the actual people and read a bit more about the author's journey. I'm afraid if you do it in reverse, you'll spoil the fun of the book!

The Ultimate Serger Answer Guide

by Naomi Baker, Gail Brown, and Cindy Kacynski

I didn't plan to write another serger book review so soon, but I really like this one. I ordered it shortly after buying my new Pfaff serger. I am very comfortable with sergers and correcting stitch problems but I wanted to see if I was "missing" anything, especially given the broad capabilities of the new machine.

Indeed I did learn some new things with this book, especially about thread selection and types of serger needles. But the best thing about this book is its exhaustive problem solving section.

It's not an overly long book. It's readable, in fact, and I think that reading through will help a less experienced serger really understand the relationships between needle and looper tensions, stitch lengths, and cutting widths.

And when faced with a specific problem, one can find it in the book and read a succinctly written but comprehensive list of possible solutions. In fact, though I tried, I couldn't think of a darned thing they'd missed in their lists of solutions to various serging problems!

It's truly as if the authors pooled years and years of hands-on serger experience and managed to get it down into an organized, user-friendly format.

In addition to all the problem solving information, there are also sections on how to rip serger stitches, threads and needles, threading tips and errors to look out for, tips for buying a serger, guide to specialty feet, and brand-specific tips. There is even a large glossary defining those esoteric serger terms like "hiccups" and "lettucing."

In short, I would recommend this book to a beginning or advanced serger wholeheartedly.

Serger Secrets

High-Fashion Techniques for Creating Great-Looking Clothes
by Mary Griffin, Pam Hastings, Agnes Mercik, Linda Lee Vivian, and Barbara Weiland

I bought Serger Secrets after perusing it at my friend Jan's house. It's full to the brim with color photos and instructions for techniques are easy to understand.

Besides the sumptuous photos, what I like best about this book is that it does not rely too heavily on the purchase of expensive specialty presser feet. Likewise, there are just as many fun things to do with regular thread as with decorative thread. I have never been a big fan of decorative threads and heavy embellishing, but this book showcases as many practical, everyday uses for your serger.

Some of the techniques in this book are completely new to me. The chain stitch shirring, for example, I find very exciting. The fabric toggle buttons are a charming way to add a subtle embellished detail to a garment. And I really can't wait to try using my serger for zippers!

There is also an extensive section on heirloom serging, something I've really enjoyed experimenting with in the past and look forward to trying again with my TOL Pfaff serger.

Many of the garments in the "Garment Gallery" are much too busy to appeal to me, but they certainly do a good job of illustrating the creative possibilities of serging and inspiring one to try the techniques within, at least in moderation.

There are some inconsistencies in the book. For example, contrary to stated on page 25, one can use all three loopers at once. (Perhaps they are considering the 5-thread chain/overedge stitch as two stitches done at the same time?) I also find the coverstitch photo on page 46 confusing. There are a couple other statements regarding tensions that I would've put differently. But then I'm not the author, am I? And perhaps, just perhaps, my way of explaining things might not always be the best. sigh....

All in all, I definitely do recommend this book. The explanations of threading, tensions, and using decorative threads are overall excellent and well illustrated. There are decorative and practical techniques explained. I also appreciate the reluctance to rely heavily on expensive feet. The photography is engaging and inspiring.

I don't buy a lot of serging books. In fact, I sold the 2 basic serging books I had at a yard sale and only kept Easy Guide to Serging Fine Fabrics by Kitty Benton. After all, one has a serger manual at one's disposal, and one only has so much shelf space. But I'm glad to add Serger Secrets to my sewing library.

The Collection

by Gioia Diliberto

At Chanel the workrooms were by no means palatial, and Mademoiselle did little for her employees' comfort - we sat on hard benches, there was no comfortable dining room or cloak room, the ventilation was bad. But the spirit of artistry compensated for the lack of amenities. The work was organized around time-honored traditions, and most of it was done by hand. How else could you control the fabric and shape a garment? Sewing machines were used sometimes for seams and to assemble the heavier garments. But the machines could never replace human hands.

This story of a young woman, Isabelle Varlet, who comes to Paris to work for Chanel while mourning the loss of her fiancé, is steeped in haute couture. That is the best way I can think of to describe it.

Couture is as much a character in the book as is Isabelle, maybe more. In fact, at times I thought Isabelle was lost to it, though perhaps that was the point....she escapes into the world of couture and it becomes her life... and she often seems strangely stoic about the happenings in her personal life.

Reading, I couldn't help wondering how accurate was the depiction of Gabrielle Chanel? Was she really that driven - that ruthless? And within the world of haute couture itself...how much jealousy and backstabbing!

More than anything, the sheer immensity of the couteriers' egos amazed me. But then, I thought, if the characters competing on Project Runway are the slightest indication, I guess it does make sense!

I am not much of a fashionista and certainly not familiar with fashion history. But I came away from this book with an appreciation of how profoundly Chanel impacted modern fashion. I have usually equated Chanel with the boxy cardigan style jacket, bouclé, with wide binding. But now I've learned that it was so much more than that. It was a revolution in what was, and still is, considered feminine and sexy. That a casual, less structured shape, allowed a woman a certain subtle, mysterious, and wholly individual appeal. At least that is my new, if poorly articulated, understanding of Chanel's impact.

Mademoiselle's lips curved up slyly. "You don't think short hair is sexy?"

"Let me tell you something, Varlet. A woman's mind is the sexiest thing about her. Even a plain girl who keeps herself neat, who doesn't get fat, who dresses nicely and has interests, is sexier than a beauty with no intelligence and no style."

And so, I also learned that sizeism, and ageism, are not new phenomena.

I also learned that my visceral disinclination to insert a label into an unfinished garment is shared even in haute couture as they are just as superstitious. They are also wont to sew a hair into a special hem, and save a tiny snippet of a completed work, loathe to give it up completely to its new owner. Now, we have digital photos that serve the same purpose!

Conclusion: Although Isabelle is likable enough, the more engaging character here is haute couture as a whole, and Gabrielle Chanel in particular. Not to be missed by any garment sewer or fashion enthusiast.

The Tailor's Daughter

by Janice Graham

And yet I stayed. I sat by the window with the warm July sun filtering through thick leaded panes, whipping thousands of fine stitches into the silk lining of the satin bodice as if it were a suit of armor, with the belief that I could render her invulnerable to his seduction by the sheer perfection of my skill.

I read several books over my break, but this was my favorite. As Call the Darkness Light, this story is set in the 1860s. But instead of New England, this is "old" England, Savile Row in particular.

Veda is the daughter of a Savile Row tailor, he the last of a long line of fine tailors. The family is well-respected, wealthy (for tradesmen), and well-tolerated, if not always accepted, by the "landed" nobility. Veda has inherited both her father's sense of style as well as his talent with needle, thread, and fabric.

Ms. Graham has definitely done her homework regarding the tailoring process and I savored the references to working with clients, fitting, cutting and stitching (and re-stitching.)

"He has very long arms" I commented.
"Does he now?" Papa replied.
"I'd guess 33". Very unfortunate."
"Indeed 33 it is," he said. "So then, Miss Grenfell, what kind of adjustments might you make?"
"Well, perhaps we could extend the shoulder," I replied confidently.
"But his shoulders are already very broad."
"Then we could lengthen the coat."
"But then it would make his legs appear short."

Unfortunately, Veda and her father never do reveal their solution to the Lord Chancellor's fitting vagaries. But it is clear that Veda is really only herself when her mind and hands are occupied with sewing. I especially enjoyed the terms she used. For example, Veda would call "our profession" our custom. "Sewing for" her husband she calls making for him. And on several occasions she would stay up all night to finish a baste. (I wonder if that term is still in use on Savile Row?)

Ah, but women in the 1860s are not tailors! How unseemly! And Veda, victim of a fever that almost took her life at age 16, is a deaf women at that! She seems destined to be a "mere seamstress," never married, never to run her own household, let alone a business.

But that would be a boring book. Happily Veda is imaginative and gutsy. She's got a few surprising tricks sewn up her sleeve, and it does not take long for one to get completely caught up in her world. By the end, I had to read into the wee hours of the morning to find out if he actually could have....and what had really become of..... And I was satisfyingly surprised with the last minute twist.

And while this book reads fast and furious like a good summer read should, it is far from shallow. Veda offers us some ingenious insights into a soundless world. How terrifying must total darkness be in the absence of sound? How isolating to not hear others in the next room, carriages on the street, even the rain falling? Indeed, the beauty of sign language is implied as a means of communication as personal as one's voice...through which one might convey and perceive nuance and style.

All in all I'd say this:

Peopled with fallible, multi-layered characters and possessed of an irresistible plot;
woven throughout and pervasively with Veda's passionate sewing;
showcasing the richness, and ostentatiousness, of high Victorian society;
and sprinkled with forbidden love, passion, death, even kidnapping....

...what else could you possibly ask for?

Lastly, my personal favorite quote from the book ~

Although my education and manners made her more at ease with me than she might have been with another woman of an inferior position, I think she trusted me simply because I was her dressmaker, because ours was a trade known for its tight-lipped service, for receiving confidences and taking them to the grave.

yup...us and the bartenders.

Uglies, Pretties, Specials

You couldn't possibly have missed the popularity of this young adult trilogy by Scott Westerfield. They are everywhere. I even saw about 10 copies on reserve at our tiny (itsy bitsy) library the other day. The covers are intriguing. Partial views of intense, unusual young faces.

Though the series is marketed to teens, the stories are ageless. If you like page turners, if you like action, mystery, surprises, novelty, romance, and sci-fi, then these books are for you.

About 3 hundred years into the future humanity has finally figured out how to make people equal. Make them happy. Make them pretty. But we soon come to see that this perfect beauty, - as seductive, as desperately desirous, as it is - masks a nightmare.

I suppose stories of utopia gone wrong are not uncommon in science fiction. But I enjoyed the freshness of this one. I hope they make a movie, though it's hard to imagine how they could smash all three books into one film, so I'm afraid they'll ruin it.

Our heroine is Tally Youngblood, 16. We join her and her peers as they go, willingly or not, from ugly to pretty to special. (You, me, and Angelina Jolie, by the way, we're ugly.) Tally's appeal is that she just has more spirit than can be contained by the technology of her day. She's a survivor - perceptive, clever and gutsy, and not averse to leaping from tall ruins without a bungee jacket.

There is not a dull moment in any of the books. Tally and her friends are too busy escaping the city, its electronic and human wardens, crazy military machines, even violent forest natives. When briefly the action ebbs, the personalities of the characters shine.

In Tally's world, the terms ugly, pretty, and special, are more than physical descriptions. They denote a status, a lifestyle, and a way of thinking. The language peculiarities of each group are interesting and fun to read. I was also enthralled by the cool technology, especially the interesting ways in which the young people embellish themselves. (You thought lip piercings were weird???)

High adventure and fantastical technology aside, some serious questions are begging attention here. Can humanity be free without being destructive? Can you be truly happy if you are never really sad? Is beauty possible without individuality? Tally is sensitive to these issues without brooding over them. She struggles to do what's right and she's ruthlessly honest with herself. You really can't help but like her, and care about her...even when she's cruel.

If you read Uglies, you will have to read Pretties, and then Specials. You might as well get them all at once. Plan a day and a half for each. That's on weekdays. If you can wait until Friday night, you'll be done before Monday. And a bit disappointed at that I bet.

P.S. Thanks for sharing, Tweety Bird.

The Lacemaker

A Novel by Janine Montupet, translated by Lowell Bair

This is another in a series of sewing related books recommended by Barb over at Sawyer Brook Fabrics.

The Lacemaker takes place in the mid-17th century France - Alençon, of course. I don't know much about lace and I was interested in the different types discussed in the book. Alençon, Venetian, Point de France, remplis, bisette. I did some cursory image searches online. Unfortunately it's difficult to discern subtle differences on screen. Possibly someday I'll catch a museum exhibit. If so, I'll definitely have a greater appreciation for the laces of that time having read just how much training, skill, discipline, time, effort, and sacrifice went into it.

We meet Gilonne at her birth. Her mother would like to end her life then and there having just committed a crime and needing to flee France immediately. Gilonne's blind grandmother, though, takes Gilonne into the poor house, where she can raise her in secret until other arrangements can be made. How such a secret is kept in the poorhouse is distressing to read, as is the treatment of young (5 years old) lace maker apprentices. Gilonne, however, is a resilient, engaging child, and she demonstrates a natural talent for lace making that serves her well for surviving in a harsh, often cruel, time when religious persecution abounds and punishments for real or imagined crimes are severe.

Many old women in Alençon, like Gilonne's grandmother and her friends in the poor house, are blind due to years of making lace for 16 or more hours a day, many of those hours by candlelight. (The "old women", by the way, are in their 40's.) They use glass bowls placed in front of their candles to improve the light, but obviously for many of them it is not sufficient to preserve their eyes.

I was amazed, even as someone who works with my hands, at the thousands of hours that went into single pieces of lace. A collar, "flounce," and dress front, for example, commissioned by nobility, might take a workshop of a dozen women 2 years to complete! And then, often, after delivery, the customer had to be hounded for months to make payment. Although they had contracts, there was little recourse for the lacemaker in dealing with nobility ~

The first duchess, who had drunk only chicory water and eaten hardly anything at all, had been exactly half the size of the second one, who consumed great quantities of beer and sausage! "Slightly altering" the dress fronts would require a complete reconstruction that would take at least fourteen thousand extra hours of work.

Imagine that fellow alterationists!

Gilonne is, as I said, resilient, and she is industrious as well. She becomes a wife, mother, and astute business woman before she is 18! I enjoyed spending time with her and marveled at just how much living she did in the short span of the story.

Call the Darkness Light

Another sewing related book recommended by Barb, Call the Darkness Light, by Nancy Zaroulis, kept me good company for about a week. An unusually long read for me, it was like a good friend each night.

Set in the 1850s and 60s this story introduced me to a world I'd known little about. I've often driven by the huge, old, red-brick buildings in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire, admiring their profusion of paned windows, wondering what had went on inside. I'd imagined countless women sewing on treadle machines and did not realize that many of those buildings were cotton and woolen mills, dedicated to making woven cloth in the years preceding the civil war.

The mills were populated by thousands and thousands of young women. First, as I've learned via this historical fiction, by Anglo-Saxon Americans. Then, later, by mostly Irish immigrants. Conditions were harrowing by today's standards - 12 and 14 hour days, few and rushed breaks, extreme heat, and no ventilation. Women literally worked themselves to death in the mills. And yet, given the patronizing, condescending attitudes towards women in those days, they were happy to earn any wage, to have the least bit of personal freedom.

Sabra, whom we meet at 15 and follow into her late 30s, labors at times in the mills, other times as a domestic, unquestioning wife, thief, even prostitute. For her, survival is what matters. And her daughter Clara, for whom she wants a better life.

I found myself googling images of the old mills, of Lowell and Lawrence, MA. Checking historical fact with the setting in the story. Was it really like that? Did such tragedy really occur? Yes, and yes.

But though it was a solemn story, a distressing glimpse of the time, it was not depressing. Sabra's dogged determination to survive, and the inexorable changing of the world around her, are both hopeful. So even as my heart broke for those women, I felt that their efforts were not in vain. They bravely did as they had to in order to bring their children opportunity to do better. So, here, in another time, we can look back and salute their ceaseless efforts. Whether in the mills or servitude of marriage, they survived. With so little power in their world, so little recourse, they survived. And you just have to admire them for that.

Threads by Joseph Abboud

This is another of the summer sewing-related reading selections mentioned by Barb (I ordered almost all of them!)

I was drawn to Threads - My Life Behind the Seams in the High-Stakes World of Fashion because Joseph Abboud is Lebanese, and he's a menswear designer. My grandfather was Lebanese and I'm currently very interested in traditional tailoring methods so how could I resist?

But the book is a fantastic read on so many levels. I think one needn't be related to his story in any way as specific as heritage or career. His very human journey and his easy, witty way of relating it are immediately engaging. Take this passage, early in the book, referring to the Italian tailors running his plant in New Bedford, MA -

God does all these wonderful things with Italians. He makes the country gorgeous, he makes the people beautiful, he makes the food fabulous. But just to prove that Italians are human and not divine, he makes it so they can't sew on a button.

You have to love that right? (Did I mention my grandmothers are both Italian?) I mean, I read all weekend, and I could not help at times laughing out loud and then reading certain passages to my family, interrupting their movie and not caring. By the time I was done with this book, there were a dozen little sticky notes protruding from the pages marking things that I just had to share with you....far too many!

Mr. Abboud relates what it's really like to be a designer. What goes on behind the scenes. The back stabbing, the egos, the competition. And though those are surprising and exciting, they are only a small part of this story of a Lebanese kid from South Boston who loves clothes, loves looking good, wants us all to look good.

We learn that it can be tricky to be a straight designer in the world of fashion, or in the gym. That models tend to traipse around mostly naked between walks. Tie-jackings are commonplace. And there really are little old ladies in the British Isles knitting those expensive designer sweaters -

"Peggy, where are the sweaters?"
"Oh, luv, there's a terrbile blizzard here, and the truckers can't get to the houses."
I had Saks and Louis choking me - "Where are they?" - and I'm explaining, "Well, they didn't shovel the path so we can't pick them up."

There is also quite a bit of interesting, insightful, and hilarious comparing and contrasting of the worlds of men's versus women's fashion. Abboud has done both though he is now in men's exclusively. I do have to admire him for his preference to use mature male models, i.e., men, rather than teens or 20-somethings. It's what his clothing is all about...dressing confidently as a man who has come to be comfortable in his own skin, in charge of his own life. A man who knows who he is.

In fact, I'd love for my son, 17, to read this book and I told him so though I doubt he'll take my advice. There is a lot of advice for projecting style and confidence, never going overboard. How to look good, damn good, never clownish, never trying too hard. How to wear clothes like Hemingway. How, basically, to look cool.

But even the Great Designer has made fashion faux pas and he generously shares those with us that we might learn from his mistakes. He has also dropped pizza on his tailored trousers just as he was approached by a fan, and had a fresh jacket shat on by Yankee birds. (It's hard to be a Red Sox fan in New York City.)

I think the irresistible charm of this book is just that Joseph Abboud is a regular guy. Behind the impeccable dress, the masculine confidence, is a guy who considers himself fortunate to be doing what he loves, wants to honor his parents, and loves the women in his life. I think we all can learn something from him. Do what you love. Respect those around you. Keep a sense of humor. Be thankful.

Dive from Clausen's Pier

Thanks to Barb's Fabric Blog, I have a whole pile of sewing related reading stacked on the coffee table. I started with The Dive From Clausen's Pier, by Ann Packer.

This was an easy, though not shallow, read. It took me 3 nights, and at the end I stayed up far too late to finish.

Carrie, 23, has become restless with her longtime relationship with her boyfriend Mike when he has a tragic accident that leaves him paralyzed. After the accident she struggles between her commitment to him and her growing need to experience life beyond her familiar, small town in Wisconsin.

Though I found her dilemma compelling, I couldn't help finding Carrie herself cold, selfish, and immature. Not so much because she escapes to New York City, but in her refusal to allow those left behind to escape her. She is at times so concerned with her own guilt, consumed with her own situation, that she completely misses the suffering of those that love her, except as they relate to her own. She is only 23. But I wondered, at the end of the book, if she'd matured, or if she was still vacillating, floundering, and had yet managed to fool herself. Maybe I just can't remember what it's like to be 23!

Carrie, in fact, I found the least interesting of the characters in the book. Although I could empathize with her confusion and even her remoteness, I didn't find her a terribly interesting person. Perhaps her commonness was her appeal. That and her sewing. I enjoyed the detailed and accurate references to sewing. (Though, for the life of me I could not imagine the "Adolpho" styled tee-shirt she made as looking anything but horrible - perhaps that is a failure of imagination on my part.)

Most interesting was her lover in the city. I enjoyed his paradoxical take on life. He was both passionate and imperturbable, dark and self-possessed. His refusal to waver was refreshing against Carrie's constant indecision.

This is a book that sucks you in and keeps you guessing to the end. There are meaningful insights throughout, it is not a shallow beach read. I can easily imagine the lively discussion it might engender at an Oprah-type book group. I have to say I didn't like the ending, but it was, to me, unexpected.

Update on Running Prom Fabric

I had also posted of my encounters with the running prom gown fabric on our PACC discuss list. Turns out it's very prevalent this year, even in relatively expensive gowns (over $500.)

One member wondered if it could be interlock. She was absolutely right! (There is always someone in PACC with the answer.) I was in JoAnn's today, so I thought I'd check the knits to see if I could find it. Sure enough, I found something almost identical, a 100% poly interlock. JoAnn's has it in their Jet Set line. When I pulled the cut edge it did indeed start running. Though I don't think it ran quite as readily as the prom dress fabric.

I don't know very much about knits (though Emma One Sock and Gorgeous Things seem determined to change that.) I have a nice reference though, Sewing With Knits by Connie Long. She recommends placing the fabric so the edge with the most tendency to run is at the area of least stress, the hem, usually. Makes sense.

By the way, Taunton sewing books are exceptional. I especially like the Sewing Library and the Focus on Fabric series.

I also saw, at JoAnn's, the synthetic, drapey mesh that I've seen on prom gowns lately (encrusted with beads.) They have it as a "swimsuit lining" and it looks like "power mesh."

I want to give a call to the same client with the running prom gown and ask her permission to post the saga of the slinky prom gown (older daughter, different prom.) I've got pics of that one. I'll let you know...

Happy Mother's Day

Naked Conversations

how blogs are changing the way businesses talk with customers

by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel

Little Miss Sew N Sew recommended this book to me so I got it via the library. (If you don't know, most libraries now are online...you can go online and request a book - they'll order it from another network library if they don't have it - and they'll email you when it arrives...you barely have to step foot in the library except to pick up and drop off.)

The book took me about a week to finish. It's quite business-y and not necessarily an easy read. There are many stories about all size businesses - how and why they started blogging. I especially liked the story of Thomas Mahon, the Savile Row tailor who blogs. His blog has a lot of good information on tailoring and I have a lot of catching up reading to do there. There is also a blogging dentist featured, but the authors could not, they despaired, find a blogging plumber.

Many of the featured bloggers are employees of very large companies. The authors give a lot of attention to the risks versus benefits of employee blogging. Well-known companies such as Google and Microsoft are compared in regards to their very different policies.

Another aspect receiving a lot of attention in the book is that often, it seems, within larger companies, existing public relations departments are having a hard time adjusting to the new phenomenon. But Scoble and Israel present compelling evidence, anecdotal and statistical, supporting blogging over traditional press releases and what they call "command and control" advertising. They do concede though that not all businesses should blog, and they give a lot of advice to help one decide whether or not to take the plunge. (Interestingly, I note as I sit here at 10:20 pm writing this, one of their major determining factors is the amount of time it takes.)

Among the best features of the book are the 2 chapters entitled "Doing It Wrong" and "Doing It Right." They also offer great advice on how to recover if you make a serious blogging blunder.

Another benefit, for me, was an introduction to the world of subscription services, i.e., "readers." I had no idea such things existed! I've now got myself set up on a reader so that, rather than click through all 30 or so blogs that I follow daily (going through the entire list several times a day checking for new posts) I can rely on the reader to tell me when there is something new to read. Who'd a thunk it???

Overall, a highly recommended book for a business person who blogs or an employee who blogs. But if you are strictly a "recreational blogger" you might find all the business information tedious. I'll be very interested to see what Little Miss thinks of it. She's given us a preview here.

Tim Gunn - A Guide to Quality, Taste, and Style

I couldn't resist this new book by Tim Gunn of Project Runway fame and Kate Moloney, his assistant at Parsons.

It arrived yesterday and I'm almost sad to say that I'm done reading it. I wish it were a bit longer, more exhaustive, more idiot-proof in its advice. I wish it had color photographs of the featured style mentors. I wish I had been able to find my dictionary. (Tim Gunn is known to have an impressive vocabulary, and, as I've just learned, must also have an extensive knowledge of both classic literature and popular culture.)

There is nothing, however, pretentious or stuffy about the book. Its tone is down to earth and the writing is conversational. Best of all, it is written with real, everyday women in mind. (Not those who make a living on their looks via dieting and the gym.)

The book encourages us to evaluate, mercilessly, what is in our closets, pare down on the quantity of clothing and concentrate instead on the quality. (Quality not necessarily equating expensive, but in terms of usefulness and versatility.) Ten essential fashion items are suggested. Then we are guided through shopping via various venues such as the discount store, online, or boutiques.

Tim does not shy away from frank discussion of some common but embarrassing fashion faux pas. Dressing too young or old, poor posture, and clunky walking to name a few. (It's worth the price of the book just to assure yourself you are not committing any of these sins!)

There is also a handy section offering fashion guidelines for common occasions such as weddings and office parties, and also helping to decode some of the confusing terms one might find on an invitation today, such as "California Casual."

I do wish that the authors had spent some time encouraging people to have fitting alterations done to their RTW. After all, I am a firm believer that the right alteration can take a garment "from frumpy to fabulous." Perhaps this point was implicit in the writing but I'm afraid many will miss it.

Also, for me personally as someone who works with clothing design and construction on a daily basis, I found the most inspirational tidbit in the book was not directly about fashion and style, but in Tim's explanation of his oft quoted advice "Make it Work."

I plan to recommend this book to friends and clients. I also will peruse it again myself, this time in front of the computer so I can google images of the fashion mentors and designers as I go. All in all, a fun and informative read!

Linen

Linen is my favorite fabric. It's easy to sew and I suppose that's part of it. But also I like the idea that it's the most ancient woven textile. Mummies are found wrapped in linen. It's a fiber not only of the earth, but of human history.

I like the very smooth (but not slick) feel of linen. And it stays smooth and refuses to pill. I like the natural look and feel of the fabric...you can just tell it's not far removed from nature. And, linen is clean and orderly. Uncomplicated and unfussy. Yet...also rich and luxurious. Always classy.

Linen wrinkles. Shhh...don't tell anyone! Honestly though, I don't mind linen's wrinkles. It's part of the character of the fabric. And did you know that the more you wash linen the softer, more supple, and less wrinkly it gets? I'd much rather use linen in a blouse or dress to be worn directly against the skin than a springtime suit with a lining.

There are a lot of linen blends out there. Linen blended with rayon or cotton especially, to "reduce wrinkling." But if you buy a linen blend, it's just not the same. It doesn't have the same natural, serene feel to it. The one situation where I might make an exception is for pants. That is because linen is very inelastic and it has a tendency to "bag" at the butt and knees after wearing for a few hours. So, for pants, I like a linen with a bit of lycra blended in.

I have made linen dresses, blouses, vests, skirts, and pants. They were/are all wonderfully comfortable and versatile. My all time favorite was a red princess seamed sleeveless dress with a square neckline and lantern skirt. The crispness of the linen really showed off the shape of the skirt. Come to think of it...it was a bit loose...maybe I can still wear it...

Linen is great for styles with simple lines. Any shaping must be done within seams and darts, it won't respond to heat and steam. It does show off topstitching spectacularly. And regular machine-sewn buttonholes will look especially neat and tidy in linen.

Linen is a great fabric to use if you want to try out a bias pattern. It won't be nearly as incorrigible as silk. I've never made a bias linen summer dress, but I will...it's been on my mental sewing list for years.

If you're going to use linen in a garment that will be washed, be sure to pre-wash and dry...maybe even a couple times. I have to say though, that even as I hear a lot of people warning sewers to pre-wash linen several times, I think it shrinks much less than cotton, and stops shrinking more quickly. I also have some garments that I've dyed several times (as the colors fade over years) and the linen takes the color beautifully. Some garments I'd press after drying, and some I prefer to leave rumply.

Use a sharp or universal needle, appropriate to the weight of your linen. You might even want to experiment with embroidery or heirloom techniques such as hemstitching with a wing needle, or pintucking with a twin needle. Any of these embellishments really sing on linen.

I learned a lot about linen in Linen and Cotton: Classic Sewing Techniques for Great Results by Susan Khalje (Taunton Press, 1999.)

One of my dressforms is named "Uma," the Sanskrit word for flax. In linen, I always feel well dressed on the outside, and my casual self on the inside.