Sewing

Even a little thing like a hand sewing needle has had a role in the history of humans. Some facts and history in regards to the hand sewing needle:

• The basi sewing needles were made from bone and were used to sew animal hides together. The oldest known bone ones were found in what is now southwestern France and has been approximated to be over 25,000 years old.
• Needles made from copper, silver and bronze were applied in ancient Egypt.
• The oldest iron needle known was found in what is now Germany, and dates back to the 3rd century B.C.E.
• Bookbinders and shoemakers used ones made from hog bristles in the Middle Ages.
• Native Americans applied porcupine quills and the pointed end of agave leaves for sewing needles. The fibers of the agave leaf were likewise applied for thread.
• Metal needle making was perfected by Muslims in Spain in the 11th century. Spanish Muslims were galore of the most welleducated medical doctors in the world at the time, and had perfected galore surgical proficiencies that required needles for suturing.
• When the Muslims were driven out of Spain in the 15th century, they took the psychological result of perception learning and reasoning of needle making with them to Arab lands. Muslims returned to making them, and Arab traders took them to Europe.
• Europe learned the art of needle making from Arab needle makers, and it came to England in the 17th century. Before this time, metal needles were made in Europe by the local blacksmith, and resulted in very crude needles.
• The noesis of needle making was likewise applied to make fish hooks in England. The country became well known for high quality fish hooks as well as sewing needles in the middle of the 17th century.
• Metal needles were handcrafted before the industrial age. The routine begun with cutting wire long sufficient to make two needles. Then points were ground on either end of the wire, the wire was flattened in the middle and eyes punched out. The needles were then separated. This operation is still followed today, but machines now do the work rather of humans.
• Around 1850 needle making machines begun devising needles and turned needle making from a cottage industry into an industry done in factories. By 1866 there were 100 million needles being made in England a year.
• The English town and district of Redditch in central England became the center of the world’s needle production in the 19th century. The craftsmanship of the needles made there was so great that a alien manufacturer sent a hypodermic needle to Redditch claiming that it was littler than Redditch needle makers could produce. The needle was sent back to the manufacturer with a needle made by Redditch craftsman so little that it fit inside the alien manufacturer’s!
• Needle making is still being done in the Redditch area and other places in England.

Sewing

With more than 200,000 copies in print, Storey’s One-Skein Wonders series is an unqualified success. Now, for the primary time in the series, fabric takes center stage! And the timing couldn’t be better. Sewing machine sales have doubled over the past 10 years, and crafters are discovering the joy of another kind of stitching.

One-Yard Wonders will delight any person who has ever fallen for fabric – from the novice sewing passionate to the lifelong seamstress. The book presents a delightful array of simple, stylish projects that may be made with just a single yard of fabric – from apparel to accessories, from plush toys to pet beds, from baby items to bags, and from home decor to “Happy Birthday” banners. Projects have a hip,contemporary flair, and most may be finished in a few hours. For each project, the book provides a full-color photograph, easy step-by-step instructions, and simple illustrations. Templates and pattern pieces are also included wherever needed, making this collection of 101 projects the best sewing deal ever.

Great fabric demands to be purchased, even if it’s just a  yard or two at a time. But such tantalizing textiles will have to never hide in a closet; One-Yard Wonders promises gift-worthy solutions for that stash of irresistible fabric-store buys. At last, it’s time to stop storing and begin sewing!

Like to sew? Want free fabric? Visit www.storey.com to enter Storey’s Yard-of-the-Month Sweepstakes. No buy necessary. Open to all US residents, 18 years or older. All entries ought to be recieved by February 28, 2010. Complete official rules posted at www.storey.com. Void where prohibited.

From BooklistFor both novice and accomplished sewers, this spiral-bound guide offers directions that are precisely, clearly, and buoyantly written as the writers share 101 sewing projects necessitating only a yard of fabric, including apparel, toys, accessaries (human and pet), dresser organizers, and stuffed animals. For each “recipe,” the authors, in well-ordered fashion, list necessary materials and then take the reader-crafter through without doubt or question numbered, cautiously explained directions to manufacture a successful final product. For each project, too, a pattern schematic is matched on the opposite page with a full-color photograph of the finished project. This is a rudimentary crafts book suitable for most crafts collections. –Brad Hooper

Review”Talk when it comes to quality and quantity, One Yard Wonders is an impressive volume of super originative projects all utilizing our favored scraps and a simple yard of fabric. This book is a keeper!”

(Amy Butler, Amy Butler Design )

For both novice and accomplished sewers, this spiral-bound guide offers directions that are precisely, clearly, and buoyantly written as the writers part 101 sewing projects calling for only a yard of fabric, including apparel, toys, accessaries (human and pet), dresser organizers, and stuffed animals. For each “recipe”, the authors, in well-organized fashion, list necessary materials and then take the reader-crafter through distinctly numbered, cautiously explained directions to develop a successful final product. For each project, too, a pattern schematic is matched on the opposite page with a full-color photograph of the finished project. This is a rudimentary crafts book suitable for most craft collections.
(Booklist )

Lacking just a bit of the focus on modus vivendi and more directed toward stand-alone shots of each project, this quirky and hip sewing book is nonetheless a outstanding follow-up for Butler fans. Here, one yard of fabric is transformed into projects fit for teens and stylish young moms. Bright and cherry pops of color spotlight a collection of quilted lunch bags, yoga mat totes, a range of pocket books, a baby tactile blanket, and a doggie bed. A fun collection staged in a cheerful style with easy-to-follow instructions. (Library Journal )

From the Back Cover101 Irresistable Options
Gather your fabric odds and ends and get started sewing! In just a few hours you may turn a single yard of gorgeous cloth into a sturdy buying goods tote, a cuddle plush turtle, or any of 99 other gift-worthy items. All the pieces for sewing success are here — great patterns in a special pull-out pocket, easy instructions, and originative inspiration!

Sewing Pic

Sewing Photo

Sewing Image

Sewing Picture

Most helpful client reviews

177 of 181 persons found the following review helpful.
Great for beginners, not much new for experienced sewers
By MelanieTX03
I actually want to like this book, but I’m still on the fence. I’m not new to sewing (I’ve been sewing for 20+ years and have a degree in fashion design), but I pre-ordered the book hoping to find galore *new* ideas for quick, fun, projects.

I don’t need instructions to cover a cork board or line a bookcase with fabric. Most of the other projects are the same old thing: aprons, laptop and CD sleeves, laundry bags, a yoga mat bag, a basic bias skirt, placemats, handbags, a sewing machine cover, pet beds and toys, lunch and trash bags. Over 30 (out of 101) of the projects are for children’s items (clothing, toys, etc.). There are a heap of fresh ideas though, I love the origami box and a couple of the women’s summer tops are cute.

Overall, if you are new to sewing, you’ll in all likelihood love this book and it would be a great place to start. It has a outstanding section on basic sewing proficiencies and the book itself is beautifuly photographed and laid out. I like the spiral bindng and I be grateful for that it came with pattern pieces for all but the most basic projects.

If you are not new to sewing, don’t suppose to find a lot of new ideas here. However, it is a great collection of classic projects all in one place and nicely photographed.

112 of 115 humans found the following review helpful.
A beginner’s perspective: fun projects, but needs more detail
By CJ
I am an experienced quilter but a beginner for all other types of sewing, so for me the projects in this book are new and fun. I have tried four of them so far: the kid’s apron, the wine glass coasters, the bean bag booster seats, and the catch-all/charging station. I have two main difficulties with the book so far:

1) Many of the projects don’t require a full yard of fabric, but except for the wine bag/coasters project, I haven’t seen this fact addressed. It would be nice to have the minimum fabric requisite for each project, so that if I’m on purpose purchasing fabric I don’t have to buy a full yard unless it’s genuinely needed. For instance, I made the charging station with 1/2 yard of fabric.

2) My more spectacular issue is that there is not sufficient detail in the written instructions and not sufficient pictures for 3 of the 4 projects I tried. The wine coasters were easy, but the other three all could have benefited from more information. For instance, the bean bag booster seats have you create a 3-sided box and then sew on a square of fabric for the bottom. The instructions just say to sew them with right sides together, but it is more elaborated than that and I had to drag my sewing machine over to my mom’s house to get her support figuring it out. Similarly, the apron says to fold over a 3/4″ seam along a curved piece of the fabric, which is almost inconceivable to do without a million pins and even then it produced unwelcome pleats in the fabric. I realize I might be missing a simple technique to get it right, but without extra pictures I don’t recognise how to do it and I ended up improvising a wholly dissimilar way to attach the neck loop and ties for the apron. Finally, the charging station instructions are mixing up for sewing the corners that develop the boxy shape for this project. I was competent to find the author’s blog and check out instructions for a similar project she has there. It’s in truth not difficult once you see the extended text with photos, but the brief text-only instructions in the book would never have been sufficient for me, as a beginner, to figure it out.

I realize that they had to condense text and reduce pictures to fit so a good deal of projects into an lowpriced book, but I think they went too far and it would have been better to have less projects with more instruction. I still like the book and I am having fun working through projects in it, but I have learned to make a prototype with scrap fabric first. Having access to a more experienced sewing guru is necessary for when I get stuck.

53 of 56 people found the following review helpful.
Great for thosw new to sewing
By Amber Williams
I am very new to sewing and found a lot of good data on basic proficiencies in this book. The projects are in truth cute and fashionable, and seem to be reasonably easy to whip up for the most part. The book itself is spiral bound to lay flat and sturdily constructed. I would definetly commend it to other.

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