Bernadette Banner

As mentioned in the subtitle, this book is definitely all about traditional sewing techniques and traditional sewing techniques only. If you want to fix a zipper, you won't find zippers mentioned in this book--too modern! Bernadette Banner concentrates on constructing garments according to 19th century hand sewing methods. Although some of the techniques are transferrable, you won't learn nearly as much about mending modern garments (by which I mean everything in your closet, unless you're a re-enactor or a Renn faire type) as you might hope. But if you *are* interested in constructing clothes for re-enactment or creative anachronism (or still have a slew of Folkwear patterns left over from your hippie days), or if you don't already own a book on basic hand sewing, this is definitely a title you'll find interesting.

The sewing techniques are valid. The "featured" guests with life stories are a digression, often a pointless digression as these are not all people involved with sewing and mending in a way relating to the subject matter of the remainder of the book.

It's sort of like those fiction books that flip back and forth from ancient times to the present and tell parallel stories. I would rather read each book on its own.… (more)