Literary Sewing Circle: Inspiration Post!

It's time for more inspiration for our sewing projects drawn from Snap! This week I'll be looking at some of the outfits and imagery mentioned in the book to spark some ideas for our own sewing. 

Let's start with some of the clothing described in the book. working our way through some of the characters. 

There is of course Frances, who we meet first. There are her infamous blue cat-printed pyjamas from the beginning of the book -- you could repeat that with a set of pjs like the Havana Pajamas by Liesl & Co, in a print like this one designed by Kirsten Sevig, on Spoonflower.

Or make a functional swimsuit that you could swim lanes in, while avoiding slowpokes, like the classic Racerback by Jalie 

But there are other mentions of her clothing choices that might be the thing to inspire you. When she first looks outside after the day of the debacle, she hides herself with a striped scarf wrapped around her head babushka-style. If you feel the need to be incognito, you could copy her with a quick make of this free Burda pattern for a hooded scarf. 

Or when she's trying to dress up to get lighter alternative sentencing, she wears a blouse described as a "silk creamy number"; you could try one like this Vogue 1902 in a beautiful drapey fabric. 

On Keanu's birthday party day, Frances dresses in classic style, in a pink cashmere sweater with simple black skirt. This would be fairly easy to replicate with these patterns, if you could find just the right fabrics. Mix the Tabor Sweater by SewHouseSeven with the free Libby A-line skirt by Tessuti, and you'd get a nice outfit! 

For Geraint's court date, Frances is noted as wearing "a burgundy blouse that looked gorgeous with her salt-and-pepper hair", along with a black pencil skirt. Maybe burgundy is your colour too, and you want to try something like this outfit. You could use the Magic Pencil Skirt by Pamela's Patterns, and a more streamlined blouse pattern that feels like Frances, such as the Pleated Blouse by The Avid Seamstress. 

When she goes on her first date with a man she met online, Jules takes her shopping and they find a "teal blue wool dress that was just the right amount of sexy". You might be inspired by this to make something teal, or something that is the right amount of sexy for you! Maybe both, with Vogue 8280, the classic knockoff of the Roland Mouret Galaxy Dress.

And near the end, when Frances slips out to the corner store for birthday candles, she is wearing her favourite blue sundress, which "billowed in the wind". Maybe something that summery will be your project - I can see Frances wearing something light but not too voluminous, like the Raman Dress by Tammy Handmade. 

Geraint is usually found in tracksuits, whether blue, red, green, or black. There are many slightly more elevated matching sets you could make in a nod to this, say the Miss Trail Joggers and the Miss Clover sweatshirt by Sofiona Patterns, for example. 

But he does appear in a few other things - on his court date he wears a checkered button-up and dress pants (salvaged from the trash -- upcycling like Parker?) And during Keanu's birthday party, he wears jeans with a green sweater that's been slightly shrunken in the wash. You could use the Fairfield Button Up by Thread Theory in a nod to his outfits outside the tracksuit norm. 

Meanwhile, Parker gives us enough inspo to run with for a plethora of projects. When Frances first sees Parker at their anger management class, she describes her as an "odd-looking duck with a mass of fiery red hair, oodles of freckles, and a multicoloured tent-dress that appeared to be made out of multiple swatches of fabric". To really go to town with a multicoloured patchwork dress with a full silhouette (though not quite 100% tent-like) you could take on a big project and try the Drafter's Grid Dress by Roberts Wood. 

When Parker is first introduced to the reader, she reminisces a bit about her first sewing project, made on her mother's ancient Singer, an "upcycled skirt that was half plaid, half polka dot." You could try making something like this with a simple & youthful skirt pattern like McCalls 8409, which has multiple fabrics built into the design. 

Parker does like polka dots! At Keanu's party, she appears in a red and white polka dot dress with colourful striped tights. You could make a similar dress, or even tights! I imagine this dress in a full skirted vintage style, like the free Sonora by Tiana's Closet (maybe lengthened a touch). For tights you might choose the Footed Tights by Peek-a-Boo Patterns.

At another party at Frances' house, Parker wears a self-made sundress covered with red and yellow flowers. For some reason I picture an old tablecloth or 70s curtains as her fabric source for this one! But you could make one using a modern floral in red and yellow. She might wear something like the Malorie Dress by Sew Over It, with lots of floatiness. 

During trash picking, Parker pulls out a set of hot pink headphones from an iridescent gold backpack. If you're more into bag making than garment making right now, you could copy this by trying out the Lark Mini Backpack by CraftOwl Handmade on Etsy. It's so cute, and you could just find a shiny gold fabric to make it up, to really copy Parker. 

At their night class, she appears once wearing a 'hand-sewn shirt, which looked more like a painting smock' which had pockets big enough to store Twizzlers. Vogue 2030 might fit the bill for this inspiration, it's quite painter's smock like!

And of course there is Parker's infamous tea towel dress! She joins Frances and Geraint for his court case, "wearing a dress made entirely of tea towels. Frances wasn't sure what to make of it, but Geraint exclaimed, "Parker, you look magnificent." " You could freehand something like this, inspired by this trend which is apparently super hot in Australia right now. Or you could try one of the many panelled patterns created by Matchy Matchy Sewing Club, which would lend themselves to smaller chunks of fabric, ie: tea towels! 

The free Colourblock Set is just one of many options!

Or you might just be inspired by Parker's design ethos in general and decide to upcycle something yourself. After all, as she says when Daisy complements her style, "Thanks. I do a lot of upcycling, making my own creations with used clothes and fabric remnants."

You could pick another pattern just inspired by her name that we missed in the last roundup -- the brand-new Parker Pants from our sponsor Blackbird Fabrics! (and don't forget that if you are sewing along, you can use the discount they are offering by using code LSC25 at checkout for any BF Patterns or fabrics, until April 24). 

Maybe it's all three of our main characters together who will inspire you. When they trail Ron to see what he's up to, everybody wears all-black outfits, with black ballcaps. You could also make an all black outfit to blend into the background. The Rosie Utility Suit by MaidenMary Designs on Etsy would be quite functional for a spot of spying. 

Or you may be inspired by the three of them walking through the park with their "wind breakers unzipped and sun hats on". There are tons of fabulous sunhat patterns out there, and they are quite seasonal, too! Try the free Bucket Hat by Heather Handmade, the free Sun Hat by Spruce Crafts, or the free Sun Hat by Closet Core! 

 

Spruce Crafts Sun Hat

There are also a few mentions of the outfits worn by other characters. Frances meets up with Jules for some legal advice early on, and finds Jules wearing "a striking yellow power suit that managed to be stylish, sexy, and intimidating all at once." This makes me think of Vogue 1870 right away. 

Frances walks in on her mother at Shady Pines, getting ready for a hot date with her new beau. Cordelia is just slipping one of her "nicest dresses over her head, black, knee-length, with a zipper up the back." You could go classic with this, using something like the Sofi Dress by The Patterns Room.

Or make it a bit edgier with a bit of bling by using an exposed zipper on something like the Carnaby Dress by Nina Lee. 

Aside from the many, many descriptions of clothing in the book, there are places that might inspire you in a more conceptual way. Trout Lake Park, where they spend the trio spends their time garbage picking, might make you think of something like the relaxed vibe of the Lake Woven Tee and Pant set by Thread Faction Studio. 

Or Cordelia's residence, Shady Pines, might bring the Pine Dress by Mood to mind. 

But then, perhaps you'll just think of the Shade Pants by Wissew instead! 

Even Frances' kitchen, which Daisy describes as a 90s IKEA due to its yellow walls and blue & white tiles, might twig something for you. Try making something pretty in a fabric like this one from gaiamarfurt on Spoonflower. 

And Frances' resplendent garden in the final pages is described as "an explosion of colour. Her guests mingled among blue and pink hydrangeas, gladioli, day lilies, brown-eyed Susans, and foxgloves." Imagine the potential for a floral print with some of these colours, or just an abundance of flowers. Or simply a pattern using any of these flower names. Or maybe use one of those floral prints for the easy Garden Breeze Summer Dress by Stik en Dinge 

Or get more into the details with the multiple pintucks on this slightly more challenging Garden Dress by FruxStudio!

Any of these ideas would work, remember, you only need to tie your project to something you've found in the book, whether an image, a name or a description. I hope you are having fun with this part of it and you will be able to share your projects in the comments on next week's post, with the competition part open for two more weeks after that if you want to be in for the prize draw. Otherwise just keep sewing!  

80s Style Cobalt Linen Top

A vintage pattern in cobalt today! I have a wardrobe pattern from the 80s, Vogue 8617, that has a lot of nice pieces in it. I decided to finally make the top, which I've been thinking about for a long time -- it has many interesting elements. From shape to button opening to sleeve, there is a lot here that I like. 

I cut this in 14/16 and it worked out perfectly. When I looked at the pattern, I thought this would be a quick and easy project. It was a bit more complicated than I first thought - there were a couple of tricky bits getting the facings on correctly but it all worked out. After some initial confusion and having to recut the button stand as I'd put it together backwards (yes, it did have a specific orientation it needed) everything else went together nicely. 

This is a linen blend from my stash; I've had it a long time and think that it worked out really nicely for this top. I love the fit of the cut on sleeve, I really like the shape of the neckline, and the side slits make it the perfect fit and a comfortable one to wear. I might use a lighter weight interfacing on the front piece next time but that's really the only thing I'd change with this one. I love it! 

One funny thing about it, I had it cut out and ready to go but could not find buttons to match, even in my extensive button collection. I looked at the fabric store but couldn't find anything there either. I was considering using silver or clear buttons but didn't love the way they looked. Then I was at the thrift store, looked down and saw two cards of the perfect blue buttons just waiting for me. The exact tone of blue and size I needed. Such a great find! A week after I bought them, they are already in use. 

This is one of the pieces of my Sudoku Wardrobe, but I think it will also go with many of the things in my wardrobe already. I love this one! 

Weekend Review: Matchy Matchy

The Matchy Matchy Sewing Book / Amy Gonzales & Theresa Kuo

This is a newer sewing book (just published in Dec 2025) and I had a lot of fun going through it. Matchy Matchy Sewing Club is a pattern company that has a very strong aesthetic -- patchwork clothing, lots of volume and airy makes overall. I tested one of their top patterns, the Skipper, a while back, and was looking forward to checking out this book. 

It's a bit short, but even with that, there are 12 new patterns included (9 garments and 3 accessories). Lots of huge, bright photos of all the projects, instructions with illustrations, and a great opening to the book that includes basics of sewing, including terminology and tools, for those brand new to sewing, which may be a lot of their market. I thought it was really well done. 

The patterns can all be found via a QR code in the beginning of the book. If you go to that page, you can download any of the included patterns which interest you. I found 3 of particular interest, even I will likely tone down the patchwork vibe on mine as I'm not a gingham fan and don't have any scraps of it since I don't use it. But these patterns are perfect for scrap busting, as they are designed to be made up of many panels so you can interpret that however you like :) 

This is a sweet book that will likely appeal to many of the young sewists new to the sewing world. It fits in with the youthful style currently popular, and is very accessible for new sewists. I think they did a great job with it. 

 

Literary Sewing Circle: Author Feature

SUSIN NIELSEN is a multiple award-winning novelist and screenwriter who recently wrapped the fourth season of her critically acclaimed hour-long comedy-drama series, Family Law. She’s written over a hundred hours of television and is also the author of seven best-selling young adult novels. Her books have won the Governor General’s Literary Award, the UKLA award and over a dozen young readers’ choice awards. In 2019, she was awarded the Writers’ Trust Vicki Metcalf Award for a body of work. Her books have been translated around the world.

SNAP is Nielsen’s debut adult novel. We are so lucky to have Susin with us today! 

Welcome, Susin, and thank you for taking the time to do this interview for the Literary Sewing Circle! Can you tell us a bit about how you came to write Snap? What was the genesis of this story?

The idea first came to me because, as the author of seven middle-grade/YA novels and a handful of picture books, I’ve done a lot of school visits over the years. A lot of surprises can happen during these visits, and I’m pretty good at rolling with the punches. But very early on in my novel-writing career, around 2010, I had a mortifying experience at a middle school that shall remain nameless. A young boy raised his hand during Q & A and said something misogynistic and just plain gross. I saw the shock on a teacher’s face. Afterward she beelined up to me, and I assumed she was going to say the boy would be dealt with and disciplined. Instead she asked, “You said you worked on Degrassi. Did you meet Drake?” 

I was furious. I asked if I had permission to talk to the boy, who was now almost out of the gym. I chased him down and gave him an earful, asking if he would talk to his mother like that, or his sister. I remember thinking, “Who is this person who’s taken over my body,” and also “I wonder who’s going to be in more trouble – the boy, or me?” A couple of weeks later I got a written apology from the boy, so I guess I was in the clear from the school. 

But by the time I was leaving the school, still shaking with disbelief, the voice in my head said, “This could be a hilarious scene in a novel.” It took me over ten more years to begin what became Snap.

I love the interplay of the characters in this novel. They are all so distinct, and their relationships make the story sing. How do you approach writing such different characters, while making their individual “snap” moments so relatable? And which character came to you first?

Frances came to me first, because she is closest to me in some ways. Geraint was the second. I love Geraint. Parker started off as quite a different character, her voice was harder to find. She had a different name in my first draft. But once I realized she was called Parker Poplawski, her character started coming to life. Regarding approaching them, I guess I just try to make everyone distinct, and it often comes from building small character traits or bits of background info. Small things like knowing Geraint was always big for his age and got teased for that and his Welsh accent as a kid, or Parker’s mom being so self-centred, or the fact that she’s into vision boards and manifesting - as you build these traits it starts to build out the character.

This story blends humour with the darker, or more serious, themes that the characters face. How difficult is it to do this?

This is a really tough question to answer. I have always loved blending comedy and humour, so I think that aspect comes naturally to me. Which isn’t to say any of it is easy; it isn’t. I find it never gets easier, either!

I really love Parker’s connections to sewing and creativity. Do you have connections to textile arts, clothing and/or fashion in your own life? If so, in what ways have you been involved in sewing or fabric arts over your life?

NO! I’m just the worst when it comes to that sort of creativity. I wish it wasn’t true, but there it is. I tried to learn to sew but it never stuck. I never learned to knit. I am creative but not at all artistic. 

Finally, there are so many threads woven in to this story for readers to explore. What do you hope readers will take away?

I always write hopeful books. I think what I would hope people could take away is that we all make mistakes, but we can also perhaps learn to forgive, and to also open ourselves up to new people, new friendships. 

And if you wish to share, are you working on anything else that’s upcoming?

Yes! I’m finishing up a new novel that should be out in 2027. We have a working title but I probably shouldn’t say it yet as it may still change. And my TV show, Family Law, is running its fourth and final season right now on Global TV. 

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I hope you are enjoying Snap so far! Please leave any thoughts on your reading or this interview here. You can also find more about Susin at her website or Instagram. 

April Sewing Plans

 

Well, March flew by! And I feel like I have an even busier April coming up. But one good thing, I did get to almost everything on my March plans list -- finished my patchwork vest, launched the latest Literary Sewing Circle, completed the Fabricville project I needed to get posted, and have made good progress on my Sudoku Wardrobe so far. 

The Sudoku wardrobe is the big thing I plan to keep working on during April. I've just finished the fifth piece of my plan, five more to go. Not sure I'll get there but it's still fun to make pieces that go together. I'll keep reviewing pieces as I go along. 

Other plans are to tentatively make a project from an IKEA duvet I picked up recently, for the Earth Day upcycling contest at PatternReview -- there is also a challenge at StyleArc for something similar so perhaps I will try one of my StyleArc patterns for this, the Bronte or the Xanthe, maybe. If I have time between my Sudoku sews! I've been enjoying sewing with a premade plan, it makes things a bit easier when it's time to head to the sewing room. But I also like having some freedom to switch things up so we'll see how this all goes. 

So April is already pretty full of plans, not much room for many more. I'm trying to stay focused and finish this plan off!

Weekend Review: Bog Fashion

 

Bog Fashion / Nicole DeRushie
Furulund, Sweden: Chronocopia, c2025.
192 p.

Now this was an unusual sewing book! Thanks to my library, I was able to travel back in time to find out all about Bronze & Iron Age clothing. History, examples, textile facts, plus pattern instructions to recreate tunics, capes, shoes and more. Absolutely fascinating. 

The author is Canadian but based in the UK, and is both a spinner and weaver herself as well as having a Masters in History from a UK university. So her degrees plus her hands-on experience combine to make this a great read. She covers so much about how we even know what we do about textiles from this era (hint: thank the preservative powers of a bog). She talks about important finds and places them in context, so you can understand the development of textiles in various communities in England and Scandinavia over the centuries. Absolutely riveted by this book! 

It's really well organized, covering prehistoric clothing sources, materials, tools and techniques, spinning and weaving, cloth, colours, pins and needles (plants and bone), various stitches that were found to be in use, and then the garments themselves. The projects include how to make a Blackthorn pin or bone needle, wrap garments, tunics, tubular garments, skirt, trousers, shoes, belt, and metal pins like the ones used to hold garments together. Plus a bonus hat at the end -- that one was very unusual. 

Each chapter was intriguing, and included many sketches and photos to show both historical info and her modern re-creations. It was so engrossing, looking at a garment and learning about the weave or fibres that might have been used, and how it may have been dyed or worn. And why certain things were preserved - usually as grave clothing. 

It is very well written, informative and not at all dry. So grounded in practical knowledge, and so full of human life in so many ways. I loved this one! The author includes a bibliography, some of which I've read (including Women's Work, which I also enjoyed).  Any sewist who has an interest in the past will find this book a wonderful read.  

Literary Sewing Circle: Book Talk!

Today's the day for some beginning book talk! How are you doing with the book? Have you started it yet? Finished it? Finding it slower or easy to get through? Do you have any reactions you'd like to share? 

Here are a few questions to ponder today and for the next while -- whether you have begun reading, or you've only read blurbs & author interviews so far and still have something to say, join in! Although there might be a few spoilers in the questions and discussion below so if you haven't got too far yet you might want to come back to this post.

You can reply to these questions, or add your own impressions. If you want to hear other takes on a part of the book that you are curious about, leave your own questions in the comments, too. Here is my own review of this book from the first time I read it. 

We'll be having another book discussion on the last post of this round if you would like to add more thorough comments there, after we've all finished it. 

 

1. If you decided to pick up this book and read it for this round, why? Was it the description or just the challenge that caught you first?

2. Are you at all familiar with the setting of this book? If so, does this add anything to the read for you?

3. Is there a particular character that you've enjoyed so far? Any particular themes that stand out for you?

4. Do you find the reasons behind the characters' "snap" moments believable? Relatable? 

5. What do you think of the structure, having the storyline shift between the three main characters? Does it work for you? 

6.  Is there anything specific  in the book that has sparked an idea for a project yet? Are you mulling over any ideas?