MAKE, SEW AND MEND

Whether you are just getting started with sustainable fashion and need to alter your new secondhand finds, or you want an introduction to sewing techniques for making your own clothes, Bernadette Banner’s signature voice will guide you through all the traditional stitches and techniques you need to extend the life of your favorite pieces and take fashion into your own hands! From tips and tricks on choosing your materials and preparing your fabric for sewing to more complex techniques like mending small holes, adding pockets to garments, making your own buttons and beyond―this book has everything you need.

Complete with step-by-step photos and insight into what alterations each sewing technique is best suited for, Bernadette walks you through every step of your sewing journey. For added inspiration, this book also includes profiles on exciting voices in the historic sewing community and their perspectives on how taking fashion into their own hands has changed their lives for the better. Make, Sew and Mend is the perfect foundation for beginner sewers to start making their fashion their own.

“From inspirational essays on style, finding your voice, and exploring your roots through clothing, to how to mend, decorate, and maintain your modern clothes, this book is perfect for anyone who is interested in style and clothing.” ~ Abby Cox, Dress Historian, YouTuber and author of The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking

“This book is a must-have for all who sew, buy, or wear clothing. Bernadette Banner provides readers with a charming, thoughtful and informative guide to the practicalities of stitching garments by hand―yet this book is so much more. In a world that pushes for constant consumption, Banner encourages us to stop, think, and stitch our way to a sartorially sustainable future.” ~ Dr. Serena Dyer, Dress Historian

Bernadette Banner's popular YouTube channel in focused on Victorian and Edwardian garment profiles, reconstructions and history lessons. The Sustainable Sewing Guide teaches readers how to use historically proven sewing techniques to hem skirts, patch holes and sew gussets to add space to garments. As people learn the environmental and economic toll of fast fashion, they are turning toward more sustainable fashion practices like mending. From running and herringbone stitches to basting, pleats and buttonholes, Bernadette breaks down techniques with step-by-step photos to show people with any level of sewing skill how to achieve the most lasting results for every stitch. Whether readers are looking to build and maintain a vintage wardrobe or merely want to phase out fast fashion in favor of more sustainable practices, Bernadette has the basics covered for every kind of seamster.