Literary Sewing Circle: Inspiration!

 

It's the first week of our Literary Sewing Circle featuring Snap by Susin Nielsen! Have you found a copy yet? Have you started reading? If so, how are you finding the opening chapters? 

Today's inspiration is going to look at some of the characters in this story; we'll find ideas based on their names. Here are a few suggestions of projects you could make based on these elements. 

Let's start with our main characters. Frances, Geraint and Parker are the heart of this story. One name from this trio may be the inspiration to get you started. 

There are lots of great ideas based on Frances! You could start with some relaxed Fran pyjamas by Closet Core, hopefully they'll be in better shape than the ones Frances was wearing at the beginning of the book... 

Or you could try the Frances Tee & Dress by Victory Patterns, for a comfortable but slightly more elevated look than sweatpants. 

The Frances Shirt Dress by Pattern Sewciety might reflect the kind of outfit Frances might have worn for school visits or for court dates, to look respectable! 

Or this pretty tee, for backyard parties or coffee dates with her writer friends, the Frances Top by FibreMood 

Maybe it is Frances' swimming habits that appeal to you most, and you want to make something inspired by her days at the pool. You could try the Frankie One Piece Swimsuit by Edgewater Ave

Now for Parker - she has a much younger, DIY aesthetic, with her self-made outfits. You might be inspired by a loose tiered dress that could reflect her relaxed style, like the Parker Skater Dress by Styla Patterns 

Or self-drafting a tank top could be something to give a nod to her handmade designs, too. Maybe this Parker Panel Tank Tutorial by Sew Daily  You might even be able to make this using tea towels like Parker does. 

Or perhaps you're thinking of something fancy like the silver evening dress she dons during the scene at the hotel near the end of the book, in that case you could try out something like the Parker Pencil Dress by Luyion on Etsy 

There wasn't much out there inspired by Geraint, at least not by his name! But this Geraint Bag by IThinkSew could be just the thing for him to carry as he's rescuing odds and sods from around the bay! 

There are many inspirations you can take from the family members of our main characters as well. 

Geraint's son Keanu could inspire a backpack he might use to carry his schoolbooks. The Keanu Backpack by UhOh Creations  would be perfect! 

You could also make yourself a dress just inspired by the name! The Keanu Dress by MOCHA  is a lovely one. 

Geraint's estranged wife Darlene could inspire an outfit, maybe the Darlene Dress by Tiana's Closet - it's also a free pattern.

Or Parker's family might be your inspo. Her boyfriend Alexei could be reflected by the Alexi Knit Top by StyleArc

Or her mother Sharon could spark some ideas! The Sharon Bag by Ithinksew would fit Sharon's peripatetic lifestyle. She could tote stuff in this one for sure. 

Or the Sharon Ruffled Top by Tiana's Closet is a possibility - it reflects her lifestyle down in Mexico, quite light and holidayish. 

Frances' family provides a bunch of potential! You might be inspired by Daisy and her post-uni lifestyle, with the Daisy Dress by Winslet's 

Or maybe something more functional, with the Max Overalls by Minapop Studios as a nod to her son Max. 

The Jeremy Bow-Tie by Youtique Bridal (pattern link under video) is a great fit for Jeremy

Or, Jeremy's new partner Kelly could inspire a make of the Kelly Anorak by Closet Core 

Frances' mother might make you think of the Cordelia Dress by Veronica Tucker  - it's a pretty summer dress, easy to wear. 

Frances' best friend Jules might inspire you to make the Jules Woven Tunic by Style Arc - she might wear something this casual for one of her dinner parties. 

And then carry the Jules Bag by Lacus Bags  to complete the outfit. 

Meanwhile, Jules' wife Carmen might give you ideas for a whole outfit, with the Carmen Pants by Sew Creative Lounge

Made alongside the Carmen Blouse by BianSewStudio - a free pattern

It could be a few of the side characters who catch your interest. Their Anger Management instructor Dennis might show up with the Dennis Knitted Tie by Kathleen Dames on Ravelry

While their corrections officer Carol might wear something practical like the Carol Jacket by Silhouette Patterns 

Or she might even dress up a little with the Carol Sweatshirt Dress by Pattydoo -- not too dressy for Carol! 

Their fellow Anger Management class attendee, Byron, might inspire you to make the Byron Romper set by Sinclair Patterns 

Or when we meet Parker's former boss near the end, she could inspire the Wanda Wrap Dress by Wardrobe by Me

Or perhaps you might be thinking more along the lines of this simple Wanda knit top by Sirena Patterns, which would go very well under the denim overalls that Wanda wears when she meets up with Parker, Frances & Jules. 

Frances' new friend Eoin might inspire (using the more usual spelling) the Owen Trousers by FibreMood

While nosy neighbour Cheryl, who always gets her knickers in a twist about everything, might make you think of the Cheryl Panty by Pin Up Girls 😄

For more full coverage she might also go for the Cheryl Bodysuit by FibreMood

*********************************************

I hope this journey through the character names has given you some potential ideas! If you have other suggestions or ideas for your own project, feel free to share in the comments for others to explore. And I hope you've gotten your hands on a copy and have enjoyed it so far!

Patchwork Vest finished!

The patchwork vest workshop I mentioned last week was so much fun! 

At the workshop!

There were 10 of us there, stitching together for 6 hours while chatting and enjoying. We mostly finished our vests. 

The pattern we were using has a feature panel on the left front side, and then I pulled the colours from that for the simple patchwork I made for the left front and back. Others in the group are much more accomplished quilters and they made fancier patchwork which was stunning. For mine, I used a simple block, using stitch and flip to attach the rows directly onto my precut batting and backing. 

Once I finished my patchwork (mostly done before I showed up at the workshop), I was able to cut it to size and then we sewed them together and made sizing tweaks. It was great to have an expert there to help us make small adjustments that made such a difference in fit! The main part of sewing that I did at the workshop was sewing the interior hidden seams by hand. It was a cool technique which makes the vest essentially reversible, if you so wish. 

I had the binding for the armholes and & edges ready, but ran out of time. So I sewed on my basic black binding at home, and decided to hand-stitch the interior down to get it as tidy as possible. It took a tiny bit of time and some punctured fingers, but it looks so much tidier at the end. 

Halfway along I was feeling pretty uncertain about it — there's always that point when you think your project is terrible. But once it was finished I loved it! Wore it to work and was able to share it with others and enjoy it all day long. I haven't really made quilted clothing before but I really like this one. So glad that I learned something new 🙂 

 

Weekend Review: Bojagi

Bojagi: the Art of Korean Textiles / Youngmin Lee
London: Herbert Press, c2024.
160 p.

What an inspiring & thorough book this was! I picked it up on sale recently, after hearing it mentioned by a nearby quilter. I was really taken with it. 

It is written by a Korean-American sewist and creator, and contains a lot of history and context around bojagi over many centuries; its origins, uses, traditions and so on. This is itself was fascinating. 

The book goes over the basics of bojagi technique, and shares 17 projects that a reader can try. Some of these are traditional, some are modern kinds of things that are made using the techniques of bojagi but which give a contemporary feel and use to the project. And there are so many bright, clear, inspiring photos! There are many techniques covered, and once you've tried them and maybe also some of the projects, you might be inspired to think about how to incorporate this into your everyday sewing as well. 

It reminds me of another book on Bojagi that I read a few years ago. I'd give this one the same rating: interesting, inspiring, full of textile history, intriguing projects, and a great cultural intro to this type of Korean patchwork sewing. 

You can find out much more at the author's website, or check out this short video at the Asian Art Museum for a quick overview. 

Literary Sewing Circle: Spring 2026

 

Our Spring 2026 session of the Literary Sewing Circle begins today! 

I'm pleased to announce that our group read this time around is:

SNAP by Susin Nielsen

Summary: 

SNAP is a tautly-written, laugh-out-loud novel that taps into the rage that lies in wait within us all, sometimes just one lit match away from igniting.

Frances Partridge, fifty-five, is a beloved children’s author. Geraint Blevins, forty-one, is an auto mechanic and devoted family man. Parker Poplawski, twenty-three, is just starting her career as a wardrobe assistant on a hit TV show. What do these people have in common?

Nothing, that’s what. Until each of them reaches a breaking point and snaps in spectacular fashion. They meet in a court-mandated anger management class: three very different people, forced to spend a lot of time together, who slowly end up bonding and helping one another in unexpected ways, whether it’s to move on or to exact revenge.

[from publisher]

About the Author: 

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.

[from author's website]

This round we also have some sponsors! Two fabric stores from British Columbia, the setting of our book, are sponsoring us this time. 

Beaton Linen is offering a digital pattern as a prize - check out her website for a look at her patterns and also the wide variety of beautiful fabrics in her online store. 

Blackbird Fabrics is also offering a digital pattern as a prize - and a code for those who sign up (for this one, please 'officially' sign up in the comments here or on IG to let me know you are sewing along. 

This book is available for purchase in multiple formats.

You can find this title at all of these locations:

IndieBound

Chapters Indigo

Blackwell's Books 

Barnes and Noble

ABE Books

Amazon.ca

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com.au

Or, of course, check your local library!

*************************************************************

How does the Literary Sewing Circle work? We read a book together, discuss it, and then make something inspired by our reading. As long as you can point out what inspired you from your reading, even if just a sentence, you can share your makes in our final roundup!

Anyone can join, and you can sew, knit, crochet, quilt or embroider - any textile art that you like doing - to participate. This is a reading/sewing circle, very low-key. This round we are lucky to have some sponsors too! 

There is no official sign-up to worry about; just start reading along if you wish, and leave your thoughts on the book or your project on any of the Literary Sewing Circle posts. And you can follow along on Instagram too if you like: look for @sewmelwyk and the hashtag #LiterarySewingCircle and you'll find us.

And when the final post goes up on week 6, so does the project linkup -- you can leave a link to your finished project in the comments, whether it is on your blog, a pattern site, or even Instagram. It's easy :)

So, join in, and share!

Literary Sewing Circle Schedule

March 20 - Announcement & Introduction

March 27 - Inspiration post 1

April 3 -Book thoughts

April 10   - Author feature

April 17 -  Inspiration post 2

April 24  - Final Post: book discussion wrap up & project linkup

We will have our project linkup live for two weeks after the final post to allow you to finish up and post your projects, which takes us to May 8, when the window to share your projects will close if you want to enter for one of the prizes. 

Patchwork Vest workshop prep!

This week I've been preparing some patchwork panels for a quilted vest workshop with my local quilt club. I haven't really made any quilted garments before so thought that this might be a good opportunity to give it a try. I don't have any quilt blocks laying around, since I don't really make quilts so decided to just do a simple patchwork block. 

It turned out to be a lot harder/more time-consuming than I'd anticipated! I am working on three panels so that we can cut the pattern to size, connect and bind it in the workshop. One front piece is a whole cloth panel, and I have tried to use the colours from that for the patchwork.

Not sure how I like it so far, but it has been a fun challenge. Maybe when it is complete I'll have a better sense of it. But at least I have tried something new -- that is one of my goals for this year!