So my mom is is serious seamstress. She sewed dresses for me throughout my childhood (until I hit ten, at which point I refused to wear homemade clothes) and she has some seriously strong sewing genes – my late grandmother was also quite crafty (her sewing room is a veritable treasure trove). My mom insisted that I take sewing lessons as a preteen (I refused) and then insisted that I take sewing in high school (again, I refused: how nerdy! social suicide!)

Now though, I’m starting to look into learning how to sew, mostly because I’d like to be able to offer some sewn pieces in our wedding collection. As I look at sewing machines and sewing books I feel serious twinges of guilt for refusing my mom’s efforts to get me to learn these skills as a young person. Sorry, mom! Love you!

singer pro sewing machine | DIY sewing kit | both available at urbanoutfitters.com

lotta jansdotter’s simple sewing | zakka sewing | amy butler’s midwest modern

My ‘must have’ book list keeps getting longer. Along with numerous other books (including other typography books) I now must add The Typographic Desk Reference to the list. While it looks as though it may be a bit 101, the layout looks great and a good brushup on terminology. I love the stark white cover and while I know you should never judge a book by it’s cover – how can you go wrong a book dedicated to all the elements that makes up type?

photo via http://typedeskref.com/