Book Review: Silk

Title: Silk
Author: Mary Schoeser
Source/Format: Library borrowed; Hardcover
More Details: Fabric, fiber, history
Publisher/ Release date:  Yale University Press, May 28 2007

Goodreads 

Synopsis from Goodreads:
This gorgeously illustrated volume not only offers a tour through the fascinating history of silk but also a glimpse into the future, when imaginative designers and textile producers will be changing the boundaries of what is possible with this extraordinary material. Textile expert Mary Schoeser presents an authoritative account of the development of silk, its properties and practical uses, and its role in some of the greatest achievements in the history of fashion design.

What I Thought:

Silk by Mary Schoeser is basically a big book about… silk. Due to the small text and large pictures, it’s not overly long, but it definitely was more in-depth than I thought it would be. From the historical aspects, to the process of weaving silk into fabric from start to finish, Silk pretty much covers it all. As mentioned above, there were a lot of large but gorgeous and high quality photos peppered throughout the book. I found that this only added to my enjoyment. And to boot, the last section without pictures, entitled The Science of Silk, talks about the scientific properties of silk as a fiber –right down to the microscopic portions and cellular structures. I personally found this part interesting and cool. To be honest, I haven’t read many fabric oriented books that break it down that much.

What can I say? It talked about history, manufacturing, fashion uses, and scientific properties. I thoroughly enjoyed Silk. If you want to learn more about the fine details of silk, I suggest you pick this one up.

Thanks for reading.

Book Review: The Silent Patient (ARC)

Title: The Silent Patient
Author: Alex Michaelides
Source/Format: BookishFirst and Celadon Books; Paperback ARC
Publisher/ Expected release date: Celadon Books; Feb 5 2019
Genre: Psychological Thriller

Goodreads     Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word. Find out more at Celadon Books...

What I Thought:

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides is an engaging psychological thriller that had me flying through the pages to get to the end. I such a hard time putting it down, so I stayed up to finish it the same day I got it.

In a sense, the story isn’t just about a psychotherapist’s quest to find the reasoning behind Alicia Berenson’s silence, but also about how Theo Faber deals with his own issues. Although it’s mainly told through his perspective, Alicia Berenson’s diary also makes up some of the chapters. This not only added to the suspense, but also revealed a couple of the characters’ personalities and the reason behind their actions. Eventually, I found myself attempting to predict the end. Nonetheless, I was wrong. As for the twist, I wasn’t sure if I liked it immediately after I finished reading; however, the more I considered the plot, characters, and motives, the more I loved the ending.

There is so much more I want to say, but in my opinion, those things are spoilers. Overall, I recommend checking out The Silent Patient if you like psychological thrillers with a twist.

Thanks for reading.

*I received this book from BookishFirst and Celadon Books for this review.

Book Review: The Knitter's Dictionary

Title: The Knitter's Dictionary
Author: Kate Atherley
Source/Format: *BookistFirst; Hardcover
More Details: Knitting; nonfiction
Publisher/ Release date:  Interweave, Oct 30 2018

Goodreads     Barnes & Noble

Synopsis from Goodreads:

From "alt" to "yrn," knitting patterns have a unique language of abbreviations and knitting techniques. The Knitter's Dictionary is your comprehensive resource for understanding the language of knitting in a quick-reference guide that no knitting bag should be without. For beginner and skilled knitters alike, there's always something new to discover in your next handknit project. The Knitter's Dictionary puts an expert knitting instructor in the palm of your hands to help you navigate any pattern.

My Thoughts:

I often find myself scratching my head at the various knitting terminology –that’s why I was excited to read The Knitter’s Dictionary by Kate Atherley. It explains a lot of the terminology clearly and gives tutorials with images for others.

As a casual and beginner knitter, I found this book to be an enjoyable and helpful read. With this book, I discovered techniques that I’ve never dreamed of being possible. Take bobbles (p.20) for example, it requires knitting multiple short rows with a group of increase stitches. I never heard of working rows before finishing the actual row. Additionally there are quite a few charts and extra tips throughout the book.

Overall, it’s nice to have so much information (if not all of it) in one place. The Knitter’s Dictionary is a neat, little book that I totally recommend, especially if you’re into knitting.

*I received this book from BookishFirst and Interweave for this review.

Book Review: A Guide to Fashion Sewing 6th Edition

Title: A Guide to Fashion Sewing 6^th Edition
Authors: Connie Amaden-Crawford

Source/Format: Library/Borrowed; Paperback

More Details: Fashion Design; Sewing; *copy did not include studio accesses
Publisher/ Release date: Fairchild Books; March 12, 2015

Bloomsbury (7th Edition)     Goodreads     Barnes & Noble (6th Edition)

Synopsis from Fairchild Books:

A Guide to Fashion Sewing, 6th Edition, provides a comprehensive fashion sewing resource for beginning and advanced sewers alike. Readers will learn how to assemble and construct designs of various styles using proven industry methods for more than 100 sewing applications. Chapters cover everything from sewing equipment, measurements, and fabric selection to actual garment assembly. Filled with easy to follow, step-by-step instructions and large, clear illustrations, this book is an indispensable resource for constructing quality garments. Accompanying video demonstrations help readers learn at their own pace basic sewing skills and techniques such a seams, darts, bias binding, zipper, and garment assembly.

The new edition features an updated design, new industrial sewing machine information and photographs, and expanded information on tailoring. Amaden-Crawford has added convenient metric measurement equivalents to the text, helpful project checklists to aid self-assessment of completed project, and 1/2 scale patterns to make sample garment assembly easier than ever before.

My Thoughts:

A Guide to Fashion Sewing 6th Edition by Connie Amaden-Crawford details the basics of creating fashion for all levels. I became interested in reading this book after reading the author’s other book, The Art of Fashion Draping 2nd Edition. Despite its length it was a smooth, easy read, making it pleasant to follow along.

I already know a bit about sewing, but this book was still helpful. The decent size illustrations make the steps easier to follow. Steps are clearly illustrated identifying what goes where, and where to place the pins, seams, etc. There’s even an appendix with practice patterns for things like welt pockets, button plackets, and darts!

I don’t know what else to say about A Guide to Fashion Sewing except it’s one of the best in-depth sewing books I’ve recently read. I totally recommend checking it out.

Thanks for reading.

Book Reveiw: Couture Confessions

Title: Couture Confessions: Fashion Legends in Their own Words
Authors: Pamela Golbin, with introduction featuring Hamish Bowles
Illustrator: Yann Legendre

Source/Format: Library/Borrowed; Hardcover
More Details: Fashion Design
Publisher/ Release date: Rizzoli Ex Libris; June 7, 2016

Rizzoli         Goodreads     Barnes & Noble 

Synopsis from Rizzoli:
Late legendary couturiers of modern fashion speaking eloquently about life, design, and inspiration. Vionnet, Chanel, Dior, Saint Laurent, McQueen—these names define haute couture, and long after the designers have passed away, their influence on fashion continues to be profound. In an exceptional compilation of the original words of these couturiers, Couture Confessions provides a unique and in-depth look at the lives and work of these fashion icons. In this engaging, beautifully designed book, Pamela Golbin, acclaimed chief curator of twentieth-century fashion and textiles at Paris’s Musée des Arts Décoratifs, has ingeniously constructed conversations in the designers’ own words that highlight their compelling personal stories as well as essential fashion "moments"—from designers Paul Poiret, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Madame Grès, Alexander McQueen, Madeleine Vionnet, and Gabrielle Chanel to Elsa Schiaparelli, Yves Saint Laurent, Jeanne Lanvin, Pierre Balmain, and Christian Dior. Featuring striking illustrations by internationally recognized illustrator Yann Legendre, each "interview" asks the questions every fashion lover has always wanted to ask, making these legends approachable, human, and ever more inspiring.

My Thoughts:

Couture Confessions by Pamela Golbin is formatted in an interesting way.  The author poses questions and uses quotes from  late designers such as Lanvin, Chanel, and Vionnet  to answer them. This was definitely an interesting take on some of the greatest fashion designer's thoughts; making it an interesting read.

I have to admit, I went into the book blind. I didn’t even look at the synopsis. At first I couldn’t get into the book; however, I kept reading as I was curious. Eventually it captured my attention. As the synopsis explains, the questions Goblin posed were ones I would have asked. From it, my appreciation grew for the designers, their life, their creative process, and the teams working behind the scenes. Also featured in the book are illustrations from Yann Legendre, which were beautiful.

As I said above, I like Couture Confessions and found it to be an interesting read.

Thanks for reading.