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| House of Pinheiro's Work to Weekend Wardrobe / Rachel Pinheiro Exeter: David & Charles, c2020 127 p. |
I recently took a look at this sewing book released by a well known British-based Brazilian sewing blogger. I was interested in the concept; taking one pattern and moving it from 'work to weekend' with styling and fabric choice etc. It kind of works.
The book is laid out by day, so, there are 7 patterns included. They range across a wardrobe, from trousers/jumpsuits to shirts/tees and suits. Sunday's projects even include a backpack and organizer. Each pattern is made up 'straight', so to speak, and then there are some adaptations suggested for each. For example, Tuesday's project is a basic dress:
There is quite a lot of sewing info included as well, both the basics and a bit more, from fitting tips like a chart to help you read wrinkles and fix issues, to info on finishing and alterations. The pattern instructions and diagrams are also fairly clear.
Unfortunately for my purposes, the aesthetic isn't really mine. I wasn't caught by any of the patterns enough to spend time on tracing them off. (There are pattern sheets in the book so that you can trace any of the patterns). But the biggest issue with this book is that the size range is extraordinarily limited. The patterns are drafted for a height of 5'7" and come in sizes 1-5. That means a range from a 33-39" bust / 25-31" waist / 37 - 43.5" hip. That's really limited for most sewists -- I fall at the very top of the range and my waist is bigger than the biggest size. I'm not sure why this decision was made, but it does make the book less appealing to a lot of potential readers.
If you're a fan of House of Pinheiro already and know that her aesthetic is more in line with yours, you might still find this an interesting read. There are many solid sewing basics in the intro pages and the instructions so you will certainly find something useful there. A chart explaining interfacing options was a useful element, for example. But as an actual pattern book, I didn't connect with this one very well at all.
