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Crazy craft-coincidence: I was just finishing up sewing a simple wool skirt (this one, modified to be a bit less full), and thinking about how to embellish it when this book arrived in the mail. Woo!
I’m really happy with 49 Sensational Skirts, because it’s as much a fiber art book as a skirt-making book. The author, Alison Willoughby, is a well-known textile designer and skirt artist. And, per my earlier rant about crafting becoming a little too safe, all the designs here have a wonderful edgy out-there quality.
Each of the projects begins with a thrifted or otherwise reclaimed skirt (we’re talking good old A-line here), or you can use the included pattern to make one.
There are great visual instructions for creating sculpted fabric embellishments, as well as simple embroidery, silkscreening, and working with various found objects.
Lots of fun details, like unfinished hems and layered fabrics.
There are also a number of deconstructed quilting ideas that are really interesting. You probably can’t see this in my photo, but those diamond-shaped patches are sewn to the skirt right down their middles, leaving all the edges loose, like butterflies.
Would I wear all the skirts in this book? Some yes, some no — but that’s not the point at all. You can follow the author’s bold design schemes, or interpret the ideas your own way. There are plenty of building blocks for inspiration here, and many, many concepts you probably haven’t seen elsewhere.
I love designs that are a bit on the outlandish side, because they shake us out of our everyday clean-and-simple mode, and help us look at our own work with fresh eyes.
By the way, if you’re in New York, be sure to see Subjectivity In Design at the Pratt Manhattan Gallery, where you can see some of Alison’s work in person.
o my i am in love. i must have this book! i can jsut imagine to wealth of knowledge it must contain for embellishments that could be used in what ever sewing project you are interested in. cant wait.
o my i am in love. i must have this book! i can jsut imagine to wealth of knowledge it must contain for embellishments that could be used in what ever sewing project you are interested in. cant wait.
oh how cool! i had no idea that she had a book coming out! i’ve been a longtime fan of allison’s work.
oh how cool! i had no idea that she had a book coming out! i’ve been a longtime fan of allison’s work.
I LOVE the look of this book, I’ll keep an eye out for a copy.
I once made a skirt in yellow upholstery fabric, with brown appliqued patches attached randomly in a giraffe-skin design. I made a shrinkie-plastic giraffe tag and attached it to the zipper pull. The whole thing took ages, and I liked how it looked as a thing, but when I finished it I realised I would never ever wear it in public. sigh.
I LOVE the look of this book, I’ll keep an eye out for a copy.
I once made a skirt in yellow upholstery fabric, with brown appliqued patches attached randomly in a giraffe-skin design. I made a shrinkie-plastic giraffe tag and attached it to the zipper pull. The whole thing took ages, and I liked how it looked as a thing, but when I finished it I realised I would never ever wear it in public. sigh.
ooo! I want this book! Marvelous! Love inspiration!
ooo! I want this book! Marvelous! Love inspiration!