Book Review: How to Sew Leather, Suede, Fur

How to Sew Leather, Suede, Fur
by Phyllis W. Schwebke and Margaret B. Krohn
Published in 1974
ISBN: 0-02-011930-5

Some Chapter Headings:
Leather-Then and Now
Making a Leather or Suede Garment
Selecting Furs and Patterns
What About Mink?

I liked:

• The plain and simple instructions.
• The "clean" explanation of the preparation of leather and suede.
• The list of types of skins and their common uses.
• Specific instructions about which needle to use and how to find the correct machine stitch for sewing with skins.
• Instructions for recycling (restyling) old fur garments

My dislikes:

• Not any really. The book appears to deliver on its title.

Conclusion:
While this book isn't cute or trendy, I think it serves its purpose right well. If you are ready to tackle a garment of skins, check this one out before you cut.

Would I buy it for myself? Probably not. If I decide to remake an old fur or tackle a genuine leather garment, I'll just check it out again.

Would I buy it for a beginner sewer? Not a beginner's book.

Berry Picking

We went blueberry picking yesterday. I was able to snap a few pictures before the natives got too restless (10 minutes into it!).

The haul:
Watching the sorting:

The 3rd little blond is a friend from kindergarten and a neighbor.

We ended up with 4 full quart-sized bags. That's plenty for this crowd.

Things are hoppin'...

Several weeks ago, the Little Man discovered some frog buttons at the local fabric shop. This led to jubilant exclamations over frog appliques, frog fabric, frogs in general. I let him pick out a fabric and opted for the frog applique in a $9.99 grab bag (50 appliques and I have a 6 year-old designed diva). Here are the results:

The top and shorts are Simplicity 5537 (OOP, I think.).

I cut a size 4 in both. The only changes I made to the pattern were:

• The pattern called for contrast flaps on the shirt pocket, contrast bands on the sleeves, and a contrasting collar. I chose to leave those off because my green was "just" the wrong color.
• I interfaced my pockets on both the shirt and shorts with a very lightweight interfacing. That always seems to make my patch pockets look so much nicer.

Here's a close-up of the pocket:

The shorts include cargo pockets. I didn't have any twill tape, but I discovered some very well aged bias tape in my stash that worked for the tab. Here's a close-up:

And of course, the frog applique...I just fused it, then outline stitched it onto a store bought tee.

And last, but not least, I picked up this piece during our beach trip. I'm thinking the LM needs some boxers.

And the frog buttons? Well, they didn't get used at all. Oh well.