The Liberty Book of Home Sewing

Reviewed by Ellie Tennant interiors journalist and blogger for Ideal Home magazine’s award-winning Housetohome.co.ukblog, HomeShoppingSpy

From the moment I first heard the title, I knew I would love this book. I’m
the kind of person who hoards Liberty Print fabrics in boxes under my bed,
watches vintage fat quarters on eBay like a hawk and can’t walk down Regent
Street without ‘just popping in’ to stroke a bit of Tana Lawn. The Liberty Book
of Home Sewing didn’t disappoint. It’s a tome to treasure – an essential
read for all fabric geeks – an inspiring book packed full of sewing projects and
a visual feast to boot…

The hardback edition is covered with the beautiful leaf and berry Wiltshire
print (my personal favourite), so it’s pretty enough to be top of the stack
on your coffee table at all times. The overall design of the book is stunning
– elegant styled shots, chic graph paper backgrounds, full bleed pages of
Liberty Print patterns and coloured step-by-step illustrations (so you can
actually see what goes where) – it’s a treat.

I found the introduction by Liberty Art Fabrics archivist Anna Baruma
fascinating; It’s a romp through the history of Liberty and the development
of the fabric printing process. The book is then divided into four
chapters: ‘Essentials’, ‘Organisation’, ‘Luxury’ and ‘Sewing basics’.

The ‘Essentials’ chapter teaches you how to make useful household
accessories – an apron, a door-stop, a shopping bag, cushion covers and
curtains. It’s impossible not to feel inspired by Kristin Perers’ beautiful
photographs, while Richard Merritt’s clear illustrations and Lucinda
Ganderton’s concise instructions make it all look so easy, even a complete
beginner would be encouraged to have a bash.

I like the projects in the ‘Organisation’ section best – I can’t wait to prettify my
iPhone with a Liberty Print iPhone case – so cute, and such a simple project.
The book covers are similarly handy; Great for protecting cook books and
diaries, or for when you’re giving a book as a gift and want to make it look
extra special.

For the more ambitious among us, there are some more complicated projects
in the ‘Luxury’ chapter – think frilly pot holders, hand-made embellishments
and silk kimonos. Interiors addicts will be drawn to the stylish lampshade
project which shows you how to recycle a plain shade or revamp a flea market
find. It’s quick to execute and the results are impressive.

The great thing about this book is that it doesn’t assume you know much or indeed anything about sewing beforehand. There’s a whole chapter at the back dedicated to the ‘basics’ – it tells you what kit you’ll need to get started and teaches you how to sew even the most basic of stitches – it’s all clearly explained and illustrated. The glossary of techniques is useful to refer to if you’re baffled by mysterious terms such as ‘lath’, ‘bias grain’ and ‘rouleau’, and the photographic library of Liberty Print fabrics at the very back of the book is equally handy but also visually lovely – of course.

The Liberty Book of Home Sewing is published by Quadrille and is available
at Amazon for £20. Have a peep inside it, here. I’m off to sew a kimono…