Girl's Guide to DIY Fashion

January 5, 2015
New author Low, who owns and runs a Manhattan sewing boutique, writes that this book is a guide for girls aged seven to 14 “to get them started sewing and crafting, and of course, being creative.” To that end, she presents an overview of getting started in sewing and fashion design, rightly focusing on the fun and accessible parts, such as choosing fabric and making mood boards. The book is then broken into five sets of projects centered around what Low thinks are typical parts of tween’s life, such as “Fun with Friends,” which includes patterns for sewing jeggings and appliquéing a sweatshirt with a cute cupcake. “Back to School,” “Slumber Party,” “Rockin’ Summer,” and “Going to a Party” are the other pattern collections here; the author doesn’t have anything for athletic, bookish, or tomboyish girls, unfortunately. There are some other flaws: the photos throughout the book show full-length pants, but the pattern pieces are for cropped styles, an odd discrepancy. Although parents may find the book overstuffed with designs, some girls might find the busy style fun and inspiring. Pattern pull-outs, full-color photographs.