It seems like everyone's taking up the thrifty and creative art of sewing again. Whether you want to get to know your sewing machine better, make your own soft furnishings or get into patchwork quilting, read on for our pick of the crop of new and upcoming machine-sewing books.
By Olivia Gordon
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Do your children want to be the stars of fancy dress parties for years to come? Whether they wish they were an angel or an astronaut, Pocahontas or Pegleg the Pirate, a wily wizard or a fiery dragon, this collection of 20 colourful, imaginative patterns will tell you everything you need to know to make their dreams come true. Every pattern is clearly explained from beginning to end, a CD of pattern software is included and children will enjoy making the costumes as much as you!
Best Ever Kids Costumes, Vinilla Burnham (Collins & Brown, £13.88), www.amazon.co.uk
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This book is just so pretty. Who knew that making your own bras, camis and pants could be so straightforward (and also a fraction of the cost of the designer ones you buy in the shops)? You can also make sure you get the perfect fit. Many designers have contributed to this book, which includes patterns, and the projects make inventive use of fabrics like a vintage embroidered tablecloth, which becomes a delicate, flirty bikini-style bra.
Sweet Nothings, Valerie Van Arsdale Shrader (Apple Press, £13.40), www.amazon.co.uk
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‘Make the world a better place one stitch at a time' is the motto of this inspiring book reviving the long tradition of quilting for a cause. It's filled with patterns for quilts you can make alone or, even better, in a group, and donate to charity - whether for war veterans, disaster relief, children in war zones, a premature baby unit or a homeless shelter. The book features a myriad heart-warming stories explaining how quilters are helping good causes worldwide and explaining how to get involved.
Quilting for Peace, Katherine Bell (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, £10.65), www.amazon.co.uk
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If you're a sucker for the Cath Kidston look, this book by the queen of vintage-style chic will help you full your home with her style. Everything is clearly explained, so it's ideal for a sewing beginner, with over 40 simple projects from a bath hat to a bird mobile, from a felt appliqué blanket to a quilted hot water bottle. There's a paper pattern sheet for every project, and you also get ready-cut Cath Kidston fabric - and, of course, the all-important Cath Kidston label - to make up into a bag.
Sew!, Cath Kidston (Quadrille, £9), www.johnlewis.com
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If you've made skirts and dresses, but never thought about nightwear, this book will open up a sumptuous new world. With 21 patterns on tracing paper included, you can create everything from women's, men's and children's PJ sets to lacy nighties, with designs ranging from retro 50s style pink pyjamas to beautiful lounging sets, all complete with pretty trims and button details. There are bedtime goodies to make too, like felt slippers and a lavender-filled frilly eye mask.
The Perfect Pyjama, Kristina Nilsson and Jennifer Pirtle (CICO, £12.99), www.waterstones.com
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One of the biggest sewing trends this year is monster-making - everyone seems to fall for them - and this is our favourite of the many books coming out on how to create the cute creatures, using soft fleecy fabric and very simple techniques. Once you get the basic techniques set out in the book, you can have fun inventing your own quirky designs - the great thing with monster-making is there's no such thing as going wrong, because they're supposed to look odd. Fiona Goble has patterns here for a cast of adorable monster characters, and the layout is bold, bright and playful - you'll feel like a child again, and children will love making them, too.
Make a Monster, Fiona Goble (New Holland, £11.90), www.amazon.co.uk
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If you're a frustrated sewing beginner looking for a book to demystify the actual sewing process, this picture-filled practical guide will be the answer to your prayers. It sets out to make the workings of a sewing machine less daunting, so you'll never again be nervous about understanding terminology, or doing things like attaching zippers, changing a bobbin or sewing French seams. There's a selection of simple projects too, but it's the emphasis on pain-free, start- from-scratch techniques that make this book a good investment.
Me and My Sewing Machine, Kate Haxell (Apple Press, £11.99), www.waterstones.com
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Inspired by the importance of hearth and home, and also by the seasons of the year, the imaginative designs in this book guide you from sewing a fabric home organiser to help your spring cleaning, to an appliquéd picnic mat for summer, to an embroidered memory book to stitch at the end of the year and fill with family memories. There's a wealth of techniques to try, including rag rugging, stencilling and crazy patchwork, and the pictures are so pretty it's hard to resist. Our favourite is the delicately embroidered breakfast linen, reminiscent of the 1930s styles our grannies loved.
Home Sweet Sewn, Alice Butcher & Ginny Farquhar (David & Charles, £14.99), www.amazon.co.uk
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Comprehensive, clear and sensible, this is the book to have by your side when making curtains, blinds, bed linen, table linen and cushions. There are colour-filled illustrations and diagrams on every page which make the step by step techniques understandable (they're also graded by difficulty level), and there's also essential information on stitches, tools and materials, a useful explanation of different types of fabric, and a design directory which helps you choose the right window treatment to make. Invaluable.
Bible of Sewing Techniques for Home Décor, Julia Bunting (Search Press, £15.99), www.sewandso.co.uk
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All the designs in this book can be made with recycled fabric - you might use old curtains, tea towels, clothes, or even thin rugs or blankets. Of course you can use new material too, but it's so satisfying (not to mention thrifty) to see your old throwaways transformed into a gorgeous, useful bag, and the patterns here make it easy - with a patchwork tote bag specifically to be made from dress scraps, for instance, and a tartan purse you can create from an old blanket. The results are both ingenious and beautiful.
The Perfect Handmade Bag, Clare Youngs (CICO, £9.09), www.amazon.co.uk
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This latest in the queen of home-making's series of craft books is possibly our favourite of all. It's packed with truly lovely patchwork techniques and projects - we love the crazy patchwork cushion made of old embroidery, the flower picture and the hanky bedcover, as well as the explosion of Suffolk puffs.
Patch! by Cath Kidston (£16.00, Quadrille) is available from www.cathkidston.com
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Learn how to embroider on unusual surfaces like lampshades, T-shirts, paper or even wood, or stick with traditional designs on cushions and pillows with this idea-crammed book.
Better Homes and Gardens Embroidery (£15.99, Wiley) is available from Amazon
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If you love the quirky, kitsch look of vintage, this book will help you brighten up your home with 35 bright and flowery appliqué and embroidery projects. Our favourites are the stunning tablemats with appliquéd birds, flowers and hearts; and the adorable woodland table runner. For babies there are some wonderful patterns too - the baby cot quilt in a rainbow of vintage fabrics; the bright pom-pom skirt and bibs; and the inspired use of 1970s orange and brown fabric to make George the soft giraffe.
Buy 'All Sewn Up' by Chloë Owens (£11.99, Cico) from Waterstones
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This book, translated from the Japanese, opens up a whole new world of sewing - Japanese design is all about clean lines and beautiful simplicity. Eight excellent patterns are included which make up to 25 tops, trousers, skirts and dresses for a complete wardrobe - from long trousers to a wraparound dress to a butterfly sleeved blouse. With sizes from XL to L, this doesn't just cater for the diminutive Japanese form. A great buy.
Buy 'Simple Modern Sewing' by Shufu To Seikatsu Sha (£14.39, Interweave)
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How amazing is Jane Brocket? The ultimate domestic goddess, we adored her previous books on the gentle arts of knitting, quilting and domesticity: we want her lifestyle and we want it now! There seems to be no end to her homemaking abilities; this latest work is all about stitching, focusing on embroidery to needlepoint, patchwork and cross stitch (and some more obscure kinds of needlework too). As always, there are patterns to follow, but the real joy here is in the amazing presentation and rich text - this is a book to savour at bedtime, not just flick through on the sofa.
Buy 'The Gentle Art of Stitching' by Jane Brocket (£16.99, Anova Collins & Brown) from Waterstones
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Flummoxed by all those leftover scraps of fabric you don't quite know what to do with? We love the fact that this smorgasbord of simple sewing patterns is organised by fabric - so you can look at your metre of cotton, flannel, knit or oilcloth and decide what to do with it. This book takes you far beyond the usual clothes and cushion cover ideas - it will have you making lampshades, nappy bags, fabric clocks, hanging book displays, ottomans, travel games and even umbrella covers. Every pattern sheet is included.
Buy '101 Fabric-by-Fabric Ways to Sew a Metre' by Rebecca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins (£15.99, David and Charles) from Waterstones
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A lovely, bright and funky collection of 35 patchwork and quilting projects, from traditional bed quilts to bags, cushion covers, bags, seat covers and placemats. Some of our favourites here are the adorable yellow-bobble edged retro crib quilt, and the vintage embroidered quilt made of exquisite patchworked tray cloths (often to be found in charity shops for a pound or so each) - the clever way to show off your favourite embroidered finds. The tablecloth made of vintage tea towels looks great fun, too.
Buy 'A Passion for Quilting' by Nicki Trench (£10.39, Cico) from Waterstones
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For those sewers left cold by the current fashion for all things twee, this is a refreshing, grown-up change. All about sophisticated, minimalistic style, here you'll find inspiration for modern-looking, neutral-coloured garments and home furnishings, as well as a proper, no-nonsense introduction to machine sewing. Two paper patterns are included.
Merchant & Mills Sewing Book by Carolyn N.K. Denham (£20, Collins & Brown) is available from www.merchantandmills.com
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It's fun, fast and full of impact - the new cross stitch craze is all about oversized stitches, and we love it. This fantastic book gives you all the inspiration you'll need to whizz up huge, bright cross stitched cushions and wall pictures in next to no time. All the techniques and materials you will need are clearly explained.
'Supersize Stitches' by Jacqui Pearce (£16.99, Fil Rouge) is available from Waterstones
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A lovely modern embroidery book, full of tasteful stitch projects which work not just as gifts but also for decorating your home or creating heirlooms like immortalising loved ones' signatures and children's artworks, for example. All the techniques you need to learn are included, and the designs are a beautiful mixture of whimsy and tradition. We love the nursery alphabet sampler and the family tree, as well as all the stitched letters, words and names.
'Stitched Gifts' by Jessica Marquez (£11.69, Chronicle) is available from Waterstones
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Whether your passion's for patchwork, quilting, embroidery or needlepoint, we thoroughly recommend this superb all-round hand-sewing guide. From crewelwork to candlewicking to ribbon work, and from trapunto quilting to reverse appliqué to bargello, here's a great visual guide to all the different styles of stitchcraft - followed by a comprehensive directory showing you clearly how to do every conceivable stitch from running and chain through to shisha and byzantine stitches. Inspirationally wide-ranging.
'The Needlecraft Stitch Directory' by Sarah Whittle (£20, Jacqui Small) is available from Waterstones
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A complete guide to sewing curtains, blinds and cushions is stylishly laid out here, together with sound design and colour advice. If you want to make your own home furnishings, look no further.
'The Home-Sewn Home' by Vanessa Arbuthnott (£13.59, Cico) is available from Waterstones
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