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| Couture: the art of fine sewing / Roberta Carr Vancouver, WA: Palmer/Pletsch, c1993. 208 p. |
Starting the year's book reviews off with an interesting find! I heard about this book just recently when someone on PatternReview mentioned it in reference to Spanish Snaps, a technique I'd never encountered before. So as usual, I looked it up to see if I could find a copy through the library system. I found one copy in one library in all of Canada -- and when it arrived, I realized it was from the library in the small town I grew up in. It was pretty battered, and I had to wonder if it had been borrowed by people I'd known in the years since its 1993 publication date -- had it spent time in the home of my junior high school home ec teacher? Or even my own relatives or friends? Had I ever picked up this exact book in the library and looked at it back then? What a serendipitous delight it was!
That made my reading experience special. But I also enjoyed this book for the inspiring content. It's very of its time -- the photos of the many garments are SO 80s (of course I do love the 80s and find this a plus, for me!) And the instructions for various techniques are illustrated with line drawings, not photos. But it has a lot of useful and intriguing tips.
It starts with a few chapters on the concept of couture -- she calls it "The Couture" which is a bit strange, but hey. I skimmed over these as I don't really agree that just being handmade and personalized makes something couture. However, the rest of the book deals with technique, and that is where it shines.
There are opening sections on essential fabric prep, pressing, and details (like making a Dior rose). Then there are sections on darts, seam finishes, bias, piping, gathers & ruffles, the princess seam, lots on sleeves, shoulder pads, buttonholes and pockets. As someone else mentioned in a review on Goodreads, there is nary a mention of a zipper, which is a bit of an oversight. However, what is included is great. There is clear explanation and lots of diagrams and drawings. There are a handful of large colour images in an insert, and they are all glamorous in the biggest 80s way. But there are a few that I really liked and would consider as real inspiration.
She also talks about some of the big designers and their signatures (she really loves St Laurent...) And there are some examples of those as well.
I like that it's not just dry instructional but also includes a clear love for the idea of couture and creativity. Her examples are clear on the how-to, but also on the encouragement to use these for your own ends, to add them and adapt them and make sure you are taking the time to add quality and something extra to your work.
I liked this one so much that I ended up ordering myself a copy. Now I can sift through it and try new details at my own pace. I'm loving a lot of the buttonholes, including the Spanish Snaps that originally brought me to this book. And the sleeve and pocket ideas are also calling my name... I think this is going to bring me a lot of enjoyment this year.
Roberta Carr was the best sewing teacher ever, in my opinion. Innovative techniques, such as how to shape the lower edge of long sleeves so they drape beautifully and never bind. I wish her videos were available on You Tube.
ReplyDeleteI was really taken with this one and wish I could have seen her as a teacher.
DeleteThis book was for sale at a local sewing expo I attended years ago. I pull it off my shelf once in awhile when I just want to relax with some beautiful eye candy. My favorite is the pink plaid chiffon dress with the gorgeous ruffles. It's also a great reference book. I prefer good illustrations to photographs.
ReplyDeleteYes, the illustrations are very helpful! My favourite dress is the black and white stripy one :)
DeleteI have had this book for a long time and reference it often. She came to our Sewing Guild as the guest speaker for our two day workshop in 1997. She was so interesting and I remember her telling the story of how she got the technique for the Spanish snap buttonhole even though the couture house she was visiting wouldn't give it to her. I used that technique on a suit and they turned out beautiful. To me they were actually easier to make than the more traditional way. I also used the Dior rose for the ring bearer's pillow for my daughter's wedding using the scraps from her dress. I got the book out and looked through it again after reading your review and am inspired to sew things other than what I should sew, though I will stick to my sewing plan for now. Sadly Roberta Carr passed away several years ago.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely that you got to have her as a speaker. There are so many interesting techinques in this book - the Dior rose is certainly an appealing idea and I can see how it would work perfectly in your example. I wish I had more time to try more of the ideas!
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