Sew Subversive


Book Description

Whether it's embellishing or customizing off-the-rack clothing or transforming clothes that have lost that loving feeling, "Sew Subversive" is all about making fashion personal. The book covers the basics of hand and machine sewing and offers 22 cool projects. 195 color photos. 186 color illustrations.




Queering the Subversive Stitch


Book Description

The history of men's needlework has long been considered a taboo subject. This is the first book ever published to document and critically interrogate a range of needlework made by men. It reveals that since medieval times men have threaded their own needles, stitched and knitted, woven lace, handmade clothes, as well as other kinds of textiles, and generally delighted in the pleasures and possibilities offered by all sorts of needlework. Only since the dawn of the modern age, in the eighteenth and the nineteenth centuries, did needlework become closely aligned with new ideologies of the feminine. Since then men's needlework has been read not just as feminising but as queer. In this groundbreaking study Joseph McBrinn argues that needlework by male artists as well as anonymous tailors, sailors, soldiers, convalescents, paupers, prisoners, hobbyists and a multitude of other men and boys deserves to be looked at again. Drawing on a wealth of examples of men's needlework, as well as visual representations of the male needleworker, in museum collections, from artist's papers and archives, in forgotten magazines and specialist publications, popular novels and children's literature, and even in the history of photography, film and television, he surveys and analyses many of the instances in which “needlemen” have contested, resisted and subverted the constrictive ideals of modern masculinity. This audacious, original, carefully researched and often amusing study, demonstrates the significance of needlework by men in understanding their feelings, agency, identity and history.




Subversive Cross Stitch


Book Description

Julie Jackson is back and more subversive than ever! This new anniversary edition of her classicSubversive Cross Stitchcelebrates more than 10 years of delightfully snarky, in-your-face cross stitch with 50 full-color patterns including17 brand-new designs, such as "Don't Be Such A Baby" and "Cheer Up, Loser." Subversive Cross Stitch: 50 F*cking Clever Designs For Your Sassy Sideinvites stitchers of all levels to fully express their bad-ass crafty selves, whether they need to release their inner curmudgeon or let fly with a witty insult. With alphabet charts and easy-to-follow instructions for every design,Subversive Cross Stitch: 50 F*cking Clever Designs For Your Sassy Sideincludes everything you need to get your craft on from the original instigator of subversive stitching.




Subversive Seamster


Book Description

The downtown divas of "Sew Subversive" are back with another helping of straightlaced sewing advice for stylish results every time. The authors provide a roadmap to finding items in thrift stores and the ins and outs of refashioning.




A Companion to Textile Culture


Book Description

A lively and innovative collection of new and recent writings on the cultural contexts of textiles The study of textile culture is a dynamic field of scholarship which spans disciplines and crosses traditional academic boundaries. A Companion to Textile Culture is an expertly curated compendium of new scholarship on both the historical and contemporary cultural dimensions of textiles, bringing together the work of an interdisciplinary team of recognized experts in the field. The Companion provides an expansive examination of textiles within the broader area of visual and material culture, and addresses key issues central to the contemporary study of the subject. A wide range of methodological and theoretical approaches to the subject are explored—technological, anthropological, philosophical, and psychoanalytical, amongst others—and developments that have influenced academic writing about textiles over the past decade are discussed in detail. Uniquely, the text embraces archaeological textiles from the first millennium AD as well as contemporary art and performance work that is still ongoing. This authoritative volume: Offers a balanced presentation of writings from academics, artists, and curators Presents writings from disciplines including histories of art and design, world history, anthropology, archaeology, and literary studies Covers an exceptionally broad chronological and geographical range Provides diverse global, transnational, and narrative perspectives Included numerous images throughout the text to illustrate key concepts A Companion to Textile Culture is an essential resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students, instructors, and researchers of textile history, contemporary textiles, art and design, visual and material culture, textile crafts, and museology.




Super Subversive Cross Stitch


Book Description

From the OG of the Subversive Cross Stitch movement (and brand of the same name) comes Super Subversive Cross Stitch. Featuring 50 easy-to-make designs—both brand-new patterns and fan favorites—stitched together with trademark wit. Don't freak out. Don't make this about you. May your life be as amazing as you pretend it is on Facebook. What fresh hell is this? Not today, Satan. Super Subversive Cross Stitch is here to provide crafters with the snarky inspirations they love to stitch. The book features 50 patterns—23 brand-new designs and 27 fan favorites—along with easy-to-follow instructions for the beginner and fonts and designs for adventurous crafters looking to customize their creations. It recasts a traditional, dare we say "sentimental," craft into a modern, relevant art form. It's the latest offering in the Subversive Cross Stitch brand, beloved by legions of DIYers. Less messy than graffiti, Super Subversive Cross Stitch allows crafters to adorn walls with political pith and irreverent twists on classic quotes ("I think, therefore I drink," "Let the good times be gin"). “This book reminds me that I'm not alone in being crafty and sweary all at the same time. Pass the gin.” —Jenny Lawson, New York Times–bestselling author of Furiously Happy, Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, and Broken "Julie is the true OG of the subversive cross-stitch movement. Modern cross-stitch design would not be what it is today without her. She is a positive and supportive force in the cross-stitch community, providing mentorship to other designers and welcoming new stitchers into the hobby. I am so excited about her new book!" —Stephanie Rohr, author of Feminist Cross-Stitch




Gertie Sews Jiffy Dresses


Book Description

Gertie Sews Jiffy Dresses is Gretchen Hirsch’s modern reinvention of a simple idea, focusing on easily mastered sewing skills, minimal pattern pieces, and fabulous designs. “Gretchen ‘Gertie’ Hirsch is a passionate home seamstress, a sought-after sewing teacher, and the creator of one of the web’s most popular sewing blogs.” —Creativebug In the ‘50s and ‘60s, Simplicity released their popular line of Jiffy sewing patterns, which had minimal pattern pieces and simple constructions, yet were chic enough for fashion-conscious customers. This approach appeals now more than ever to stylish women who are continuously looking for ways to fit their love of sewing into busy lives packed with family, work, school, and countless other obligations. With the lessons offered here, you can make a Popover Dress, Chemise Dress, Swirl Dress, Boatneck Dress, and Patio Dress. Everything you need is included: pattern maps, finished garment measurements, and more. And the best part? Readers will end up with a sparkling wardrobe of easy-to-wear, fun-to-style dresses that will fill busy modern lives with retro charm. Chapters include: Supplies and Tools Fabrics Getting Ready to Sew Dress Construction: The Basics Dress Construction: Essential Skills Trims and Flourishes Fitting Hirsch writes in her introduction, “So why did I write this book? Because I want to show that it’s possible to cultivate real sewing skills without spending days or even weeks on a project. Sewing more projects means more practice!” The vintage aesthetic of these projects will appeal to beginner and expert crafters alike. They stand on their own as great examples of retro fashion. They aren’t just simple sewing projects. So, don’t wait. Start sewing! Includes color photographs and illustrations Also available: Gertie Sews Vintage Casual Gertie’s Ultimate Dress Book Gertie’s New Book for Better Sewing Gertie’s New Fashion Sketchbook




Chic on a Shoestring


Book Description

Chic on a Shoestring is your entrée into the world of high fashion that will inspire you to create your own covetable clothes and accessories. Learn to transform ornate trims and vintage buttons into spectacular brooches, craft a favorite silk scarf into a chic top, or rework flea market shoes into fashionable showstoppers. With more than 40 unique and stylish ideas—including quick and easy no-sew projects—Chic on a Shoestring will inspire first-time and experienced crafters alike.




Sew Your Own


Book Description

What happens when a man, dazzled like most of us by hi-tech, happy to have his suits made by robots in New York, sets out to find the meaning of life? John-Paul Flintoff's improbable and very funny book charts a journey through call centres and allotments, rat-catching and Savile Row tailors, to some kind of enlightenment. It is also a book about a man who learns how to crochet - and how you might too. John-Paul Flintoff is a bit of a one-off: a man who embarks on a spiritual pilgrimage by outsourcing his life to Bangalore, then hooks up with Mormons and Buddhists (well, Richard Gere), on a quest for truth and fulfilment. His journey is like a twenty-first century Candide, learning that life's satisfactions, and some kind of response to the concerns of economic meltdown and climate change, lie in learning how to make things for oneself, and mending things that fall apart. Along the way, Flintoff paints pictures with Brit-art oddball Billy Childish, gets apprenticed in Savile Row, grows his own food and spins fibre from nettles. Daringly, he also turns his book over to his wife Harriet, who likes nothing better than a fancy spa and a shop at Liberty's. The results are comic, heartwarming and inspiring.




How to be a Craftivist


Book Description

'This is mindful activism . . . thought-out, strategic and engaging' Guardian 'I love what Sarah does! It's quiet activism for everyone including introverts' Jon Ronson 'Sarah Corbett mixes an A-grade mind with astonishing creativity and emotional awareness' Lucy Siegle If we want a world that is beautiful, kind and fair, shouldn't our activism be beautiful, kind and fair? **Award-winning campaigner and founder of the global Craftivist Collective Sarah Corbett shows how to respond to injustice not with apathy or aggression, but with gentle, effective protest. This is a manifesto – for a more respectful and contemplative activism; for conversation and collaboration where too often these is division and conflict; for using craft to engage, empower and encourage us all to be the change we wish to see in the world. Sarah's craftivism has helped change laws and business policies as well as hearts and minds; here, with thoughtful principles and practical examples, she shows that quiet action can speak as powerfully as the loudest voice.