Sunday, February 8, 2009

Second hand bookery


There is a certain second hand bookshop in the stunningly named suburb of Fyshwick in Canberra which is presently having a closing down sale - 50% off all of their book. You read right - ALL of their books!

I pop in every now and again and rummage through the shelves to see if there is anything I missed last time. On the weekend I came across these two gems. I love ols sewing books. The McCalls one is from th 60's and the other is from the 70's. The illustrations are just great - if I had a scanner I would scan some in!

But another great thing about them (aside from the old school sewing tips) is some of the fabulous prose - as I come across some gems I'll try and post some here.

Here is a good one:

"The basic fact about clothes is that arm's go in sleeves, coats fasten, skirts start at the waist (wherever they may end) and dresses cover the body from shoulder to hem. Designers can indulge in the wildest flights of fancy, or dip into past decades for inspiration, but one thing remains constant, clothes are still cut out and made up more or less as they have been for centuries".
Dressmaking Made Simple, p6, 1974

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