When I returned from my European holiday, two new sewing books were sitting on my desk: Home Sewn by New Zealand Fashion Museum and Gertie's New Book for Better sewing by Gretchen Hirsch. Whilst the latter is well-known and widely-discussed within the sewing community, the former probably remains unfamiliar to most. 

Home Sewn provides an insight into the history of home sewing in New Zealand and features prominent local designers. Various sections of the book explain the history of fashion in NZ, introduce local fashion designers and showcase some sewing techniques.

The transparent plastic cover protects the soft cover book. It looks classy, don't you think?

Dedicated to a new wave of fashion designers in New Zealand, the book features 10 young designers each of whom shared one pattern from their recent collection. Here are the links to the designers' websites: Company of Strangers, Cybele, Katie-Maree Cole, Lela Jacobs, Papercut Patterns, Starfish, TK Store, twenty-seven names, Vaughan Geeson, WORLD

No sewing book is complete without some explanation of sewing techniques  This gorgeous jersey jumpsuit from TK Store caught my eye!

The only designer I'd heard of before I got the book.

You can wear this dress in four different ways! The only problem: because of the dark color of fabric, it's impossible to see the lines on the garment

Love the print on this t-shirt

Most patterns shown in this book are quite easy to sew and suitable for beginners. If you are looking for a fresh and modern touch to your hand-made wardrobe, you will find lots of new additions: from skirts to trousers, from dresses to tops.

The verdict: this book is interesting, educational and definitely worth buying. We hear a lot about fashion from the US, Asia and Europe, but our attention turns rarely towards Australia and New Zealand. I find the attempt of the New Zealand Fashion Museum to promote local designers and shed the light into the country's fashion history remarkable. You can order it from Papercut Patterns website for NZ$45 + NZ$5 international shipping which converts to around €31.50 or $39.80 including shipping. Seriously, ladies, hurry up!

The second book needs less introduction. Many of us had been waiting for Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing since she announced it in 2011. Before I received the book, I got a sneak preview both from Gertie's blog and from bloggers in the US who bought it before me.


Because Gertie shares most of the garments on her blog, I just wanted to highlight my favorites which are now on my sewing 2012 list!

So pretty from the inside!

The Wiggle dress

OK, I am not a "retro" person, but I realized that my wardrobe lacks essential classics. Some people think that I dress like a teenage boy. With no prescribed dress code in my company, I come to the office in shorts/jeans and t-shirts almost every day. Until recently, I was never bothered about having a feminine look, but sewing has made me more and more aware of the beauty of a classic silhouette and simple lines. The styles featured in Gertie's book could not suit the purpose better.  

What is your style? Would you like to discover a new style for yourself?