THE ILLUSTRATED HASSLE-FREE MAKE YOUR OWN CLOTHES BOOK by Sharon Rosenberg and Joan Wiener. Reviewed by ANN TURNBULL.

   Here's a fun book to inspire you to be both creative and practical during the lockdown.

  I bought my copy in the early 1970s.  It's American, and very much of the hippy era - for example, the authors urge you not to "let the words and pictures put you uptight."  There are instructions for almost every kind of garment you might want: skirts, dresses, pants, tops, waistcoats.  Details such as set-in sleeves and facings are explained. You make the patterns yourself, using the authors' instructions and the very clear diagrams that fill the book.

  It's all about experimenting, covering up rips and holes, recycling, embroidering and re-modelling. There are gathered skirts, A-line skirts, trousers, tops, jackets, bags, men's clothes, and children's clothes and toys - as well as the inevitable kaftans and ponchos.

  Recycling, re-designing, and mending: what could be more appropriate at this time of crisis and climate change?





Published by Studio Vista, 1971.
You may be able to find this edition online.  I did see it, but last time I looked it seemed to have gone.  However there is a new edition, with a more modern cover picture, which is definitely available. 

Return to REVIEWS HOMEPAGE