Weekend Review: The Hand-Sewn Wardrobe

 

The Handsewn Wardrobe / Louisa Owen Sonstroem
North Adams, MA: Storey, c2025.
344 p.

Anyone interested in hand sewing has likely heard of Louisa Owen Sonstroem by now. She's a patternmaker and hand sewing enthusiast who has appeared on a number of sewing podcasts (Threads, Check Your Thread, and Craft Industry Alliance for example) and has a website, Louisa Merry. 

This book is a large, glossy one covering her interests in making by hand. It begins with a shorter section on basic patternmaking, to get you sorted for the projects that follows. There are 9 projects, the easier ones you might expect like a boxy top, gathered skirt or t-shirt, but there's also a jean jacket and jeans. - maybe not what you might think of when considering sewing by hand. 

Each section has instructions for first drafting a pattern, then construction, including tips that are specific to hand sewing. Buttonholes are interesting, that's for sure. She discusses materials, notions and so forth that work best with the fabric you're working with, and any special considerations you should be aware of. 

The steps are logical, with some photos, many line drawings, and examples, including variations at the end of each project. There are also a variety of people modelling the makes, from toddlers to those much older. There are ten 'featured artists' sprinkled throughout, one page with some Q&A with these fellow hand-sewing enthusiasts. Their books are then also listed in the bibliography and further reading section at the end. 

I found it interesting, although my own interest in hand sewing an entire garment is low. But the way the book is laid out, and the drafting information, is all fascinating. I'd recommend this for a more advanced sewist, or one who is looking to really challenge their skills and learn something new.