Weekend Review: Margaret's New Look

 

Margaret's New Look / Katherine Ashenburg
TO: Knopf Canada, c2025.
296 p.

I really wanted to like this book by Canadian author Ashenburg. And there were some great things about it that I enjoyed, and so finished the story. But as a whole I didn't end up loving it, for a couple of reasons. But what is it about? 

Margaret, a curator, is putting on a big show about Dior. The story takes place all during the planning and lead-up to the exhibition's opening. It starts with her at work, heading to a meeting, where we find out about all the characters and the workplace politics that will shape her future. Then we see her at home, where her writer husband and two youngish daughters are introduced. And we hear about her family - especially her father, who never admitted to his Jewish heritage but now it seems pretty obvious to Margaret and her sisters. 

Margaret also has connections with a man who is able to source some Dior pieces for her, through an elderly lady she finally gets to meet, and she discovers that this woman was a petit main in Dior's workshops in her youth. Very convenient for finding out more for her exhibit! 

There were a lot of threads to this story, and unfortunately I didn't find it very successful. The parts about Dior and his controversial history (mostly around WWII, his sister's war, his focus on fashion during the Nazi regime etc) were interesting, but I already knew everything she mentioned, from other history books. The fact dumping really felt like it would have been better served in a nonfiction approach. If a reader was completely new to this history, though, it might feel more compelling. There was a good core to the story, which kept me reading to the end. 

However, I felt that the characters and the plot were clunky and often flat. It was easy to guess how the story was going to unfold (not much mystery there) and the element of Margaret both being very concerned about her father's possible Jewish heritage and at the same time seeming so oblivious to it all was confusing. I didn't feel that that element was clearly explored. 

So a mixed review, I guess - the idea of the novel was interesting and the look at Dior's fashion world was great. But the characters did not catch me; I like to read for characters and great writing, and neither of these was really present in this book. 

Weekend Review: Crafting a Knock-off

 

Crafting a Knock-Off / Barbara Emodi
Concord, CA: C&T Pub., c2026
232 p.

I love this series of cozy mysteries set in Nova Scotia, written by a Canadian craft legend :) When book 7 became available, I grabbed it! This details the further adventures of Valerie Rankin, middle aged craft and general store owner, as she once again gets involved in a mysterious death -- and like usual, goes off on many misguided suspicions before the truth is revealed. 

In this volume, she encounters Murray Nunn, a big talker who is trying to push business development and an export scheme. He won't leave anyone at the local craft fair alone, and while Valerie is talking to him, he suddenly drops dead. On camera. She has a wide range of suspects, from local craftspeople to those who have just arrived in Gasper's Cove for their own purposes, and even including her boyfriend's nephew -- which causes some relationship bumps. 

But Valerie must continue on her sleuthy ways no matter what, and with the involvement of the local RCMP and her crafting ladies, they eventually solve the mystery, and Valerie's fears of the end of her relationship prove unfounded. 

I love these books for their characters and the Nova Scotia setting -- and of course the inclusion of craft content! There are upcycled quilted coats, tartans and kilts, piecework sewing and craft fairs as integral parts of this mystery, and they are important. I thought this one was well constructed and entertaining. Always a treat to revisit Gasper's Cove! 

Cover Designs! #42: Hope & Glory

 

Cover Designs is a feature in which I try to match up the outfit on a book cover with a dress pattern and sometimes even potential fabric matches as well. Today's pick is Hope & Glory by Jendella Benson

What's it about? 

Glory arrives back in Peckham, from her seemingly-glamorous life in LA, to mourn the sudden death of her father, and finds her previously-close family has fallen apart in her absence. Her brother, Victor, has been jailed; her sister, Faith, appears to have lost her independence and ambition; and their mother, Celeste, is headed towards a breakdown. Glory is thrown by their disarray, and rather than returning to America she decides to stay and try to bring them all together again. However, when she unearths a huge family secret, Glory risks losing everyone she truly cares about in her pursuit of the truth.
(publisher's summary)

How could we dupe the cover of this book? Those straight legged, paper bag waisted pants call out for Vogue 1873. The Vogue version is even striped as well! 

Or you might want to try the Lois Pant by Fabrics-store. It would also give you the wide legged look, with a lot of waist frill going on here. 

The top is a bit trickier to match exactly. It's hard to get a good look at it on the cover! 

That cute cropped top could be made using perhaps a modern waistcoat pattern for a trendy look. The Puff & Pencil Waistcoat Vest looks somewhat similar, as far as I can guess, anyhow. 

Or the Cropped Waistcoat by Myrtle's Patterns on Etsy may capture this look even more closely with its silhouette. 

You might also want to try the super cropped Millie by PatternCos!

Whichever one you choose, make it in crisp white linen for a clear dupe of the cover image which is also great for summer. This look is just right for a steamy summer day, if you choose light fabrics like linen or cotton - like our cover image! 

Weekend Review: The Dream Stitcher

The Dream Stitcher / Deborah Gaal
Anchor House Press, c2018
295 p.

This was a random discovery for me, via my library, and a great find. It's a novel that moves between the USA in 2008, and WWII Poland, following a family line of women. It starts out rather fantastical, and has elements of magic throughout, particularly in regards to embroidery. But it also has realistic historical content and strong characters.

Goldye is the titular Dream Stitcher: in Poland she discovers an uncanny skill at embroidery early on (readers will know why). She's taken in by Kaminski Fabrics, and stitches magical wedding dresses for Christian brides. When the Germans come, Mr. Kaminski claims her as an Aryan niece from France, and Goldye changes her name to Anna to survive. But she is still in love with her Jewish resistance fighter, and uses her magical embroidery to fight in her own way. She's so good that a German officer takes interest in her, and requires her to accompany him to France to interpret the mystical imagery of the Bayeux Tapestry, which the Nazis are convinced tells of their victory. 

In 2008, we meet Maude, recently widowed and in financial straits. She has to take her mother out of the home she's been in, too expensive to continue it. When she moves her mother Bea home, she brings along a large recreation of the Bayeux Tapestry that the nurses say she stitched while there, even though Maude has never known her mother to sew anything at all. Maude's pregnant daughter also moves home, and they try to understand the family secrets that start leaking out, especially due to the large tapestry Maude has hung in the living room. 

I thought this was a fascinating read. It melds history, fantasy, mystery and some thriller-y bits too. Plus there is a lot about the magical power to stitch reality that Goldye holds, and what it can and can't accomplish. There are a couple of troubling scenes of sexual violence, during the war, readers should be aware. It can be hard to read, but it's all disturbingly real. The historical elements are strong and the WWII sections are compelling. 

When we hit the contemporary chapters, it is fascinating to feel the difference in narrative tone. Maude is flippant and childish at times, and the writing reflects this. It's like the whole story turns into Maude's story with a minute adjustment to tone. I thought it was really interesting! Maude's story slowly begins to link into Goldye's but what I thought was coming was not what was finally revealed. What a great build up to the conclusion, it surprised me. 

This was an unusual read, unexpected and memorable. I'm still thinking about it. The embroidery was a key part to the book, and makes me want to go see the Bayeux Tapestry - it's in England starting this fall, at the British Museum, for the first time in nearly 1000 years. That would be fascinating. 

But the characters and the creative storytelling are also fresh and engaging here. I am so glad I stumbled across this book. 

Weekend Review: Crafting a Cold Case

Crafting a Cold Case / Barbara Emodi
Concord, CA: C&T, c2025.
256 p.

I read the latest volume of the Gasper's Cove series by Barbara Emodi at the very end of December, during a huge winter storm. Timely, as it is set mostly during a huge winter storm! It made it feel quite recognizable. 

This is such a fun series, and the characters grow with every new story. In this 6th installment, Valerie shows her inimitable amateur sleuthing skills again, when there's a murder, a snowstorm, and a number of strangers in town outside of tourist season. 

The story begins with the usually unflappable Catherine, former librarian and Valerie's cousin-in-law, calling her in panic mode. Valerie drops everything and heads right over, to discover that the crisis is two unwanted guests at Catherine's B&B who are driving her crazy. Valerie responds immediately. 

“I went over to the pantry and found a box of Morse’s Tea, the official consolation beverage of Nova Scotia since 1870. I picked up the kettle and filled it at the deep, stainless-steel, industrial-sized sink. While I waited for the water to boil, I found a tin of shortbread and put enough for four people onto a plate. Emotional breakdowns are no time to be skimpy with baked goods.”

This book is such a great balance of mystery and humour. I love this series for this reason, and I find that each book gets better. There are two extra guests, one a prepper who follows Catherine's partner Rollie around constantly, and one a peevish old professor there to talk to a local group about antiquities. The other stranger in town is a smooth talking podcaster, unfortunately brought to Gasper's Cover by Valerie's daughter -- nobody else really likes him, but her daughter seems enamoured. 

There is intrigue from the start, but then a storm blows in, one that their local weather station seemed to miss completely. And it's a bad one. It snows them all in, even as one of the locals in the antiquities group is found dead in a snowbank. Murder, and who was it? It's a real mystery this time with some pretty plausible red herrings sprinkled around liberally. Lots of people to dislike and suspect, whether of murder, stealing a snowplow, or just being a jerk. 

I really liked this one. So many good characters, intriguing setup, funny commentary, and an unexpected conclusion. Even a big surprise for everyone (even herself) when one of Valerie's guesses proves correct. I'd read this again, just for the characters. And that snowstorm!

 

Weekend Review: Crafting an Alibi

 

Crafting an Alibi / Barbara Emodi
Lafayette, CA: C&T, c2025
224 p.

This is Book 5 in the entertaining Gasper's Cove mystery series. We meet many of the same characters we've seen over the last few books, but see them from new angles. And there are some new characters added too, perhaps ones we will see again. 

As this story begins, Valerie is invited into a big secret held by a group of senior ladies, now resident at the Seaview Manor. She is asked to find some valuable fabric hidden decades ago, but before she can do it, the hiding place is burned to the ground. Unfortunately for Valerie, it was her family cottage and there was a renter in it. 

This set-up leads to some dramatic events -- insurance investigations, attempted murders, further fires -- all while Valerie is trying to puzzle out the clues (missing important steps as usual). She is also in the midst of helping to plan her cousin/best friend's wedding, dealing with her emotions over being an empty nester, and of course losing a family property. 

There is a lot going on here, but it's rooted in the same small town atmosphere as the previous books in the series. It has the hallmarks of a Gasper's Cove story - some Nova Scotia history, some cozy relationships which involve food and tea, and Valerie's crafting knowledge, which always plays a part. I really enjoyed the cabal of old ladies at Seaview Manor in this novel and hope to see their cleverness highlighted again.  

If you've enjoyed this series so far, this is a good addition, with some lovely scenes as well as some heart-pounding ones. Beware, you may be left craving butter tarts after this one!

Weekend Review: Crafting with Slander

 

Crafting With Slander / Barbara Emodi
Concord, CA: C&T Publishing, c2024.
242 p.

I'm going back a little in this series, as I had missed this one, the 3rd in the series, even though I recently reviewed #4! But it doesn't matter too much, as the stories do stand alone even if they are more entertaining when you read in order, since you can follow the characters. 

I really enjoyed this one. The set up was tricky and the solution unexpected. As the story begins, Gasper's Cove is being told that the larger town of Drummond across the causeway is going to amalgamate the community. The residents don't want this at all, but "Mighty Mike" Murphy, the mayor, thinks it's a great idea. (and the crafters start coming up with some wacky ideas to stop it, like blowing up the causeway that separates the two communities, or less violently, using their crafting skills to knit a giant barrier including a button up gate for emergencies.)

There is a municipal election, though, and Valerie's cousin Darlene decides to run. There are a couple of other local candidates, one who runs just to bring attention to the issues he is concerned about, and one more serious candidate, the son of a prominent local family hoping to use this as a stepping stone to bigger and better political roles. 

Valerie steps up as Darlene's campaign manager, and gets her crafters involved. They hand-stencil election signs, cross-stitch up some badges, and generally stump for Darlene. But then Valerie goes to complain to the mayor about some dirty tricks and finds him dead with one of Darlene's signs next to him. Concerned that Darlene is being framed, Valeried starts another round of investigations. 

This one was tricky and has some red herrings that were very convincing to me. There are also a few new characters added into the mix, and some moments where Valerie's nosiness gets her into some serious trouble. Thankfully, as always, Valerie prevails -- even if she starts by accusing a bunch of non-guilty characters! There was fascinating info about local Nova Scotia history, as always, and in this book it was focused on the famous painter Maud Lewis. Readers will always learn something even in these light and entertaining cozies. And as always, sewing and crafting talk is naturally woven into the story. Really enjoyable. 

Weekend Review: Crafting a Getaway

 

Crafting a Getaway / Barbara Emodi
Concord, CA: C&T Publishing, c2024.
240 p.

I found another volume in the Gasper's Cove mystery series by sewing writer Barbara Emodi! I enjoy this series so I snatched this one up. It's another episode in the mystery-solving life of amateur sleuth Valerie Rankin, resident of Gasper's Cove, Nova Scotia. 

There have been some changes in this story; Valerie is now the manager of the family hardware business, where she also runs her crafting workshops and studio. Her cousin Rollie has moved on to managing a local inn with his girlfriend. 

The action starts off with a mistake by Valerie (as it often does). She is planning a crafting retreat but realizes that she entered the dates wrong on her event listing -- she got them backwards, so instead of August 7 like she is planning for, the retreat has been advertised for July 8. Which is now. She only has a day or two to pull together her instructors and try to run it immediately, since the retreat guests are already in town. 

So she runs around, finding herself in just the right place every time to add some clues to the upcoming mystery. Her final stop, at the Inn (where the retreat is scheduled for August, and has no room now since there is a corporate event going on) is where she comes across the dead body of the marketing specialist from the corporate event. 

Valerie continues rushing around into multiple blind alleys -- it's her modus operandi in each book. But in this one, the plotting is a little more intricate and there are both more characters and more suspects. There are also tons of references scattered in about Nova Scotia ecology and history, which I always find so fascinating and a very enjoyable part of this series. Valerie also talks about craft, of course; she's taken on teaching the quilting class, which is not her specialty, so we hear all about that too. 

I really enjoyed this one. The story was more complex than the first books in the series - Emodi's writing style is growing and the setting is more developed after four books, too. The solution to this mystery was a bit out there, but it was a fun journey. 

Weekend Review: The Wardrobe Department

 

The Wardrobe Department / Elaine Garvey
Edinburgh: Canongate, c2025.
231 p.

This is Elaine Garvey's debut novel, which I found serendipitously in my library's collection. It's the story of Mairead, a 22 yr old Irish woman who has left a suffocating home life to work at a small theatre in England. But the theatre isn't the dream life she was looking for - it's still just real life, a job with many attendant issues. 

She works in the wardrobe department, and the descriptions of the actual work are great - sewing up gloves, awkward fittings with actors they have crushes on, washing and pressing until all hours, sourcing stockings at sex shops for the cheapest options and so on. I loved this part of the book; it is so rare to find a book that goes into actual daily worklife, and manages to capture the every day nature of it, the way it makes up most of a life. And also the way that coworkers shape the day. Mairead works with two other young women, one posh and one more raucous and full of desire to live life. Their interactions are so realistic, and they help to shape Mairead's story. And her direct boss is tough but ultimately supportive. Some of the other characters are ones you'd like to throttle, though!

Mairead is awkward and introverted - she's not sure she fits in here but doesn't feel like she fits in at home either. But she still misses it and feels torn between two places. Then she has to go home for a funeral, and that part of the book is the real heart of the story. Her visit shows the reader the background for all the issues she's been having in London, her numbness, anxiety, constant worrying and so on. The family dynamics are finely drawn, between Mairead and her parents but also her wider family. There are some difficult moments in her life and that of her family that are hard to read about. 

But then there is a breakthrough in mother-daughter communication which shakes Mairead up, just as she is ready to board her plane back to London. And once there, she goes back to her daily round of work and home, but somehow her mother speaks through her in a key moment -- Mairead finds her steel -- and everything changes. Although much of the book has us following Mairead stuck in her life, the ending is hopeful, and I thought it ended on a high note. 

I really liked this one. If you enjoy slower paced character driven stories with a wonderful setting, you may also like it. Of course I also found the sewing content relatable and realistic, and appreciated the metaphors arising from stitching that appeared in other parts of the book.


And here's a nice interview with the author at the blog Word Herding, about her work in theatres and how it informed this book, if you want to learn more.

Weekend Review: Sew Over It

Sew Over It / Barbara Emodi
c2023
68 p.

I read this quick e-short this week when I discovered it on Hoopla thanks to my library. It's part of the Gasper's Cove mysteries by Barbara Emodi, also known to many of us as a sewist and sewing book writer. Her sewing cozies are pretty fun, so I quickly checked this one out. 

This is kind of a prequel to the whole series, a short mystery (involving the murder of a sewing machine rep) that still satisfies, while it introduces us to Valerie Rankin and her world. In this book you meet all the characters who will make up the series, and get a feel for the town and Valerie's position as a recent returnee. 

It's a little clunky in parts -- for example, Valerie's dog's name changes suddenly halfway in -- but it's a fun intro to the series. I found that in this story, the sewing puns and sewing content are in peak form, with comments that made me laugh out loud. I really enjoyed this, after having read the first two in the series. I'm falling behind, with book 6 coming out in October. I'll have to find book 3 and get busy!

 

Weekend Review: Colours in her Hands

 

Colours in her Hands / Alice Zorn
Calgary, AB: Freehand Books, c2024.
350 p.

This was an intriguing book that I liked for a number of reasons. There's embroidery, there's Montreal, dance, colour and family drama. 

Mina is close to 30 - she lives independently although she has Down's Syndrome. Her slightly older brother Bruno is her legal caretaker, and this responsibility is something he takes very seriously, making sure he is always available when Mina (or her social workers) have an issue - which is often. His girlfriend Gabriela loves Mina, but Bruno's refusal to have a child because of his responsibilities is driving them apart at the beginning of the book. After Gabriela leaves him, he meets Iris, a clothing designer who had come across Mina in a park and discovered her artistic talents. 

Mina "knits" - it's really embroidery, but Mina calls it knitting. It seems to come naturally to her; the colours speak to her and she just knows what to put together. It's an emotional connection. When Iris discovers that Mina has bags full of her embroideries, she sees fame and fortune ahead -- this outsider textile artist needs to be known. But this goal seems to exclude her telling Bruno or even Mina herself about her plans. 

These stories swirl around each other, and include Bruno's work as a prop designer for a small theatre as well as some other side stories. There are questions of how well two people know each other, what kinds of things are revealed or kept secret, and of course ethical questions arise around art and ownership and who has the right to share things. 

The book is fascinating, and Mina's character is strong and compelling (the author says she was inspired by her own sister-in-law). But I did find there was a lot of extra stuff going on that made the book maybe a bit longer than needed. And the ending was a bit off for me; there was a character introduced near the end who had a problematic relationship with Mina and that was never resolved. 

But I did find this so different from anything I've read lately, and it was full of art and music and people who live intense lives and care about things. I'm not sure I really liked any of the characters much, but I enjoyed a lot about this story, and loved the descriptions of Mina and her "colours" as well as Iris' sewing. Other stitchers will understand! 

Weekend Review: The Green Velvet Secret

A Green Velvet Secret / Vicki Grant 
Toronto: Tundra, c2023.
256 p.

Another middle grade novel that I really enjoyed this month! The Green Velvet Secret was funny, fashionable, and it brought me to tears. What a good read.  

Yardley O'Hanlon lives with her grandmother Gidge and her two rather unusual parents. They run a small theater and Gidge is the one providing financial stability to the household. Gidge and Yardley spend a lot of their time crafting and sewing and making beautiful things -- Gidge has a large wardrobe and isn't constrained by what others think. Yardley finds it hard to make friends but she's quite satisfied with her bedazzled life as it is. 

However, Gidge gets ill, and wants to set up Yardley for the future. They donate a ton of her clothes to a new vintage shop in town, which happens to be run by an old student of Gidge's, and begin to volunteer there as well. Gidge is hoping for some socialization for Yardley, and new friends to take over when she's gone. 

But Gidge always believed in reincarnation, so in the weeks after her death, when a glamorous woman walks into the shop, Yardley in convinced it's Gidge back again. But the truth is something even more surprising. 

This book is full of clothing and making and beauty and pathos and sadness and friendship... it was a touching read, frank and honest about a lot of things for such a short, middle grade read. It's about parenting, being true to yourself, forgiveness and more. I'm so glad I picked this one up on a whim!

Weekend Review: Crafting Deception

 

Crafting Deception / Barbara Emodi
Concord, CA: C&T Publishing, c2023.
224 p.

Delighted to be sharing book 2 in the Gasper's Cove series by sewing writer Barbara Emodi. I read book one, Crafting for Murder, late last year and have been lookig forward to its follow-up. 

In this story, Valerie Rankin finds herself investigating a murder on behalf of Duck, the ex-con handyman at her craft collective. Duck has been arrested, and she doesn't feel like anyone is making any effort to clear him, even though he is obviously innocent. So she gets involved, rushing around following leads and tenuous connections, coming up with likely theories.  

Tied in to all this is a mystery from the past. There's a WWII era ship that sunk off the coast of Nova Scotia, and it seems like it's cargo might be reappearing. Valerie comes across a parachute that is tangled up in all this mystery -- and through this, the history of WWII parachute packers is shared with the reader as well. The fascinating history of women's work in WWII (including parachute packing) colours the story and also turns out to be important in the contemporary side of the mystery. 

I found this volume to be a little quicker moving than the first one, now that all the scene setting and character building from the first is complete. This mystery was also really tricky, with potential solutions that seemed to make perfect sense popping up in Valerie's theories -- although she had to alter her scenarios often. The characters are developed further, more relationships are fleshed out, and we get to see our favourites from the first book reappearing. And there is also a new cat to add to the friendly old dog in Valerie's life. Bits of sewing and textile talk pepper the book, as usual, with Valerie finding relief and distraction in her sewing classroom. 

If you're a cozy mystery fan, and you like your stories to include real sewing you will enjoy this series. This one was the perfect blend for me, even if Valerie tends to act before she thinks...which keeps the story rolling! I also enjoyed the historical elements, and ended up looking up the blog post on parachute packers that the author referred to in the notes (which incidentally was written by another Canadian author!). So interesting! This is an enjoyable Canadian series that I'd suggest to any crafty cozy reader. 

Weekend Review: Cross-Stitch, a novel

 

Cross Stitch / Jazmina Barrera
trans. from the Spanish by Christina MacSweeney
San Francisco: Two Lines Press, 2023, c2021.
224 p.

When I first heard about this book during Women in Translation month, I knew it would be one I would have to read. It's a translation of a novel by a Mexican writer, which explores the role of female friendship, interspersed with the history of embroidery, to create a resonant feminist narrative. I really loved it. 

Our narrator, Mila, is now a young mother and a writer whose book on needlework was recently published. But as the story opens, she hears about the drowning death of her old friend Citlali, who along with another friend Dalia, made up a high school triangle of best girlfriends. 

Mila's narrative spools back in time, to go back to the beginnings of their friendship, to illuminate how the balance of power shifted between them, and how there were experiences that they kept private from one another even with their strong bonds. Like the author noted in an interview, there is always something that we won't know about another person, no matter how close. 

The friendship covers many tumultuous years of adolescence and young adulthood. They face sexual harrasment, abuses, everyday misogyny, as well as the trials and disillusionments of growing into adulthood. At one point, the three plan to meet in Europe (where Citlali is already living) to have a Big Trip together. But it doesn't go quite as planned - Citlali doesn't meet them in England, only making it to Paris later on; Dalia and Mila have different ways of travelling and sightseeing and have to negotiate daily routines. This felt so realistic, how you have to manage these close relationships and can be utterly annoyed with one another even while remaining the same depth of friend. 

And through their years of friendship, they all embroidered together. From samplers and unique projects in high school (like Citlali's ambitious goal to embroider an Arachniary of all known spider species) to more complex art based embroideries as they grow up - like Mila's monochrome black on black embroidery meant to emphasize texture - they've always stitched together, despite it being a bit of an outlier hobby. 

Barrera includes small sections interspersed with the fictional narrative which detail and reflect on the history of stitching, mainly as it applies to women's lives and whatever is going on in the story. There are mentions of embroidery around the world, and how it appeared both as a language and means of expression whether personally or politically. And what the role of art is, and the relation to stitching. These are facts drawn from embroidery history texts, which the author also shares in a bibliography. 

Eventually Mila and Dalia resolve their memories and come together to create a memorial for Citlali in their own neighbourhood, even including Citlali's mostly awful father. The final scene is memorable, and involves Citlali's stitching. 

I found this book thoughtful and stylistically engaging. The tone is clear and nostalgic in one sense, though never sentimental. The writing style is natural but also has a poetry to it, with imagery, resonance and the inclusion of other women's words; I appreciated the style of this novel. The way that fiction and fact are interwoven throughout the story was smoothly accomplished, and I felt that it added an extra layer of interest both in subject matter and in style. 

The characters are also fascinating. The three girls are different in many ways, but the development of their friendship felt so true to high school dynamics, as did the way they grew apart as they became adults. I think if you read for writing and characters, you will appreciate this book. And, if on top of that you are also a stitcher and appreciate the role of embroidery in women's history, I think you will love this book. 

Highly recommend. 

You can read more about it, including author interviews and a reader's guide, at the publisher's website if you are interested.

Weekend Review: Crafting for Murder

 

Crafting for Murder / Barbara Emodi
Concord, CA: C&T Publishing, c2023.
224 p.

This is the first volume in a projected series of cozy crafter mysteries, by well-known Canadian sewist Barbara Emodi. I just had to read it, having really liked her two sewing books as well as her long-running blog. 

It's a fun and light cozy mystery, with many of the expected elements of such -- a middle-aged female protagonist, a dog and cat, a job that leaves lots of room for investigations, and a whole group of side characters that spice up the story. 

Valerie Rankin has moved back to tiny Gasper's Cove, Nova Scotia, now that her three children are on their own and she's an empty nester. She's returned to where she grew up, and where she has many cousins of all sorts, and a family business -- a general store -- run by one of them. She helps out there, and also gives sewing lessons in the back room. But her big plan is to open a Crafter's Co-op in the upper room of the store, to promote local craft and make Gasper's Cove into more of a tourist location. 

This is where she runs into trouble. They find out that the building's upper floor needs quite a lot of fixing up before they can let people into it, pushing back her plans. She has to consult an engineer, who becomes part of the story. And, she was just interviewed about the Co-op on local radio, but her spot is a little overshadowed by the murder of the radio host the next day. 

This book is setting up a series, so there's a lot of scene setting and introduction of characters going on. The action can be a little slow because of it, and because Valerie always seems to get the wrong end of the stick on everything; she does tend to leap to conclusions. But it's still an interesting story, and very true to small town politics (even if two murders back to back in such a small place is a bit unusual). I enjoyed some of the side issues like her relationship with her best friend & cousin Darlene, and the discussion of crafting and what it means to people. 

The mystery part of it was puzzling, with lots of suspects and drama. The conclusion was unexpected but made sense within the story, especially as the reader looks back and sees all the subtle clues that were laid down (many of which I missed on first read!) I think this is a great light read and will definitely be checking out book 2 when it's published on Christmas Day this year!

Weekend Review: The Seamstress of Sardinia

The Seamstress of Sardinia / Bianca Pitzorno
translated from the Italian by Brigid Maher
NY: HarperPerennial, 2022, c2018.
287 p.

It's 1900 in Sardinia, and a young girl lives with her only surviving relative, her grandmother. Her grandmother is a seamstress, and to help scrape out a living, the girl learns to sew from a very young age.

This young sartina (seamstress of sheets, linens and basic clothing) relates her life story from her youth to her advanced age. And as she does so, she sheds light on the society she lives in. As a seamstress who goes to people's homes to do their sewing, she is privy to many family secrets. The book is told in episodes that interrelate and create a picture of her town and its many layers of social class and privilege. 

There is a rich and complex cast of characters, all seen through the eyes of this poor girl who has ambitions and respect for herself. There's the Marchesa Esther, an intelligent girl whose upbringing is unusual, and who doesn't put up with the misogyny of her husband and their society; there are the Provera sisters, a family who is rumoured to be so wealthy that they order all their clothing directly from Paris (but when she is called to work for them, our seamstress discovers the secrets of the household, and the wardrobe). There is an American lady who pays well to have her linens managed, and her tragic story is revealed in one whole section of the book. And there is the neighbour child Assuntina, who somehow becomes the responsibility of our narrator. 

Plus there is romance and pathos and tragedy and class strife -- so much drama & excitement, told in a flowing style. The story involves so many details of daily life, from food to social events to transportation to landscape to expectations of women of different classes -- it's illuminating and fascinating. 

And for sewists, this one is a must read. The author is clearly a sewist as well, the descriptions of actual sewing are fabulous. The main character is not just a sartina in order to provide inside eyes for the author, rather the sewing is a key part of the many stories she tells. From descriptions of fabrics, to her first sewing machine, it is all very realistic and engaging for anybody who can imagine it right alongside the characters. At one point, she's told that you can only sew baby layettes from old sheets that have been laundered over and over, as they are the only fabrics soft enough for infants. At another, she raves over the beautiful silks and prints she's never had a chance to work with before. And one key element near the end will be guessed ahead by sewists, but I'd say probably not by other readers! 

I really enjoyed this book -- for the strong sewing content of course, but also for the story. The characters were so engaging, the stories were dramatic and focused on the female experience. And the setting was completely absorbing. I couldn't stop reading. One of my favourite kinds of historical reads are ones that travel alongside a woman over her whole life, and this is a great example. So good! 

Weekend Review: Private Label

 

Private Label / Kelly Yang
NY: HarperCollins, c2022.
404 p.

I wanted to read this one because of its link to fashion -- the main character, Serene, is the daughter of a fashion designer, Lily Lee. And the fashion house is a big part of the story. 

Serene is 17, still at high school, and she also works at her mother's business - interns, really. It's difficult to see how she manages both, timewise, but you just have to go with it. She's also dating a big blond surfer, one of the popular kids, and hangs out with the popular girls, even though she is the only Chinese person in her entire area. Until Lian Chen shows up. He's moved to this California town with his family, thanks to his Dad's new job. But his parents are quite traditional, and both he and his little sister spend most of their free time prepping for college entrance exams. Well, they're supposed to be prepping, but his sister skips lots of her prep to go to a dance studio, and Lian is trying to become a stand-up comic. 

The good things about this story are the main characters - they are interesting and developed well. Their struggles with being Chinese in a bland white California town are clearly drawn, even if some of the other characters are a bit one dimensional in order to keep the story going. Serene's boyfriend is obviously a jerk right from the beginning, but she goes along with it. When she meets Lian there is an instant attraction but it's not really explained much, and it's hard to see how someone who has worked so hard to be one of the popular crowd would just suddenly flip to dating one of the very out crowd. Plus, how does she even have time for dating?? 

Lots of issues; her mother is diagnosed with cancer, and names Serene as the new head of Lily Lee, despite their investors' objections. The company investors want to sell; Lily wants the company to stay small and independent, and a couple of the board/investors are pretty cartoon villianish. Serene is also trying to find her birth father, in China, while dealing with her snobby social circles and her soon-to-be ex posting nudes of her online. Meanwhile, Lian is trying to develop his dreams of stand-up, against his parents' very clear expectations, and he's dealing with bullying and loneliness in America. Plus trying to date Serene on the q.t. without his parents finding out. 

I found it a quick read with some interesting themes. But I did feel like there was a bit too much going on at times, and also that the romantic teenager elements clashed a bit with the Serene-as-business-maven parts. I'm not sure that both were equally believable. But as a teen read, it's quick and with lots of glamour, teen angst and rebellion to attract readers. A light summer pick with some more intense themes included. 

Weekend Review: The Missing Pieces of Nancy Moon

 

The Missing Pieces of Nancy Moon / Sarah Steele
London: Headline, c2020.
416 p.

This is a typical kind of British family saga, in that there are multiple generations involved, family secrets, and a young woman at the heart of it all. But it's also particularly fascinating since it includes two women who are fashion sewists, lots of talk of dresses, fabrics and vintage sewing -- the structure of the book depends on it. 

As the book begins, Flo is at her grandmother's funeral. She was mostly raised by her gentle grandparents, so this is particularly wrenching for her. Also, her marriage is cracking up due to a miscarriage she had in the last year. All the sorrow is getting to be too much for her. 

She decides to stay at her grandmother's house after the funeral for some alone time, and wandering about, looking for an old sewing machine she knows must be there somewhere (Flo is one of the sewists in the book) she stumbles across a box of vintage patterns in her grandmother's bedroom closet. Flo has never seen it before, and as she opens it, she discovers a seamstress named Nancy - who is unknown to her. 

Nancy is from her grandmother's generation; the reader certainly knows a lot more about Nancy Moon than Flo does. It's a long trek for her to find out more, and that is what the book is all about. Flo's husband goes to American for a teaching gig, leaving her at loose ends; with the encouragement of her friend Jem, she decides to travel across Europe, following Nancy's path as much as she can from what she can decipher from the sewing patterns, which have postcards, ticket stubs and fabric tucked into the envelopes. She also decides she is going to duplicate the dresses that Nancy made so that she can wear them on her trip. 

While we don't see or hear much about Flo's process of making the dresses (pretty quickly I'd say) we do follow her to Paris, and then to Venice and beyond, as she tries to replicate Nancy's movements and research where and what and why. Each section, based on a location, moves back and forth between Flo's era and Nancy's, and we get to engage with both of them and their varied experience in different decades. It's also interesting to read it this way, as the reader can follow Flo's investigations and see whether she's on the right track or not. 

I enjoyed the descriptions of the dresses that open some of the chapters, and the discussion of style and fabrics and individuals who are highlighted because of the statements they make with their wardrobe choices. The author has included a gallery on her website that shows all the vintage covers of the patterns she discusses in the book, if you want a good look at the outfits that both Nancy and Flo are making. 

There a few moments in this book in which coincidences strain credulity, but overall it was an engaging read with some good character development. And the settings are also quite lovely to read about! If you like books about family secrets and sewing, I'd definitely recommend you give this one a try. 

Weekend Review: A Dress of Violet Taffeta

 

A Dress of Violet Taffeta / Tessa Arlen
NY: Berkley, c2022.
335 p.

This novel is based on the life of Lady Duff Gordon, otherwise known as British fashion designer Lucille. I've always been interested in this figure, the sister of sensational writer Elinor Glyn, as they have a Canadian connection. Their mother was Canadian, and they both spent some childhood years living in Guelph with their maternal grandparents after their father died. When their mother remarried, they returned to England. 

In any case, this book focuses on Lucy at the moment that her first marriage is breaking down. Her husband James Wallace was a drunk and a philanderer, and he walked out on her and their daughter Esme. She, somewhat scandalously at the time, filed for divorce. But to support herself and her daughter, she started designing and selling dresses from their flat. 

This took off and she kept growing, with her finger on the pulse of fashion -- less restrictive clothing, less corsetry, lower necklines, and skimpy & silky underclothes. She was a hit. The book focuses quite a bit on the business side of things, describing the dresses and clients well. There is also an assistant who is important in the book, who is an amalgamation of two real people in Lucy's life. The character is interesting, so I was disappointed to learn she was a mashup of sorts. 

Lucy also meets a Scottish lord, Cosmo Duff Gordon, who she eventually marries. They end up travelling on the Titanic, and both survived, though they were accused of bribery afterward as the way they survived. They were completely cleared of the accusations in an inquiry, but Cosmo never got over the character assassination during the trial, and they separated a few years later, he retiring back to Scotland and Lucy spending much time in New York where she'd launched a shop. 

The book was mostly interesting, though it did drag on a bit. I enjoyed the descriptions of the fashions and the sewing, as well as the actual running of a business by a woman at this time. The problem with the book is one I often have with these kinds of stories: the reliance on real people as fictional characters. I don't mind real people showing up as side characters, or having a walk-through role. But when they are the main characters and their motives and personal thoughts are created by a fiction writer, it makes me uncomfortable. Where does truth end? It's not always clear what the author is basing their interpretation of a character on. And I found that in this book, the author tries very hard to create a great love affair between Lucy and Cosmo that I just don't think is based in real life. She focuses heavily on romance, perhaps because this book falls into that kind of genre. But I feel like Lucy would have been a much more self-focused, pragmatic person, as shown by the couple's eventual separation as well. 

In any case, I enjoyed the dressmaking parts, found the writing adequate, and was a little unsettled by the heavy use of real people as main characters. Despite the fact that Lady Duff Gordon had an eventful life, full of moments perfect for a novelist, I am not sure that in the end I wouldn't have just preferred a good biography. 

Literary Sewing Circle: Sisters of Grass

Our Spring 2023 session of the Literary Sewing Circle starts today! 

I'm pleased to announce that our group read this time around is:

Sisters of Grass by Theresa Kishkan

This is an older novel (2000) by a Canadian author, but one that speaks to those of us who love history and textiles. It's a slower paced, literary and poetic novel - I try to have a variety in our titles and this one is quite different from our last middle grade mystery! The author is also a poet, essayist and maker, and I hope that you will enjoy all of those elements in this novel. 

Summary:

In her vibrant first novel, Sisters of Grass, Theresa Kishkan weaves a tapestry of the senses through the touchstones of a young woman's life. Anna is preparing an exhibit of textiles reflecting life in central British Columbia a century ago. In a forgotten corner of a museum, she discovers a dusty cardboard box containing the century-old personal effects of a Nicola valley woman. Fascinated by the artifacts, she reconstructs the story of their owner, Margaret Stuart. Margaret, the daughter of a Native mother and a Scottish-American father, she tries to fit into both worlds. She's taught photography by a visiting Columbia University anthropology student that she falls in love with.

With strong, poetic language, Kishkan makes the past reverberate through the present in a richly patterned work celebrating the complexities and joys of life and the sustaining connections of family.

(via publisher)

Photograph by Alexandra Bolduc

About the Author: 

Theresa Kishkan is a writer living on the Sechelt Peninsula on the west coast of Canada. Her work has appeared in many literary journals and she has published 14 books, as well as 3 chapbooks. Her titles range from poetry to essays to novels and novellas.

Her work has been shortlisted for a number of awards, including the Pushcart Prize, the Relit Award, the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, and the Hubert Evans Prize for Non-Fiction (three times). Inishbream won an Alcuin Award for Design Excellence and Phantom Limb was given the first Readers’ Choice Award by the Canadian Creative Non-Fiction Collective at Banff in 2009

She was born in Victoria, B.C. and has lived on both coasts of Canada as well as in Greece, England, and Ireland. She makes her home on the Sechelt Peninsula with her husband John. She says "My interests include natural history, ethnobotany, textiles, and music. I’m an avid if sloppy quilter. I grow vegetables and flowers happily, if carelessly. John and I operate a small private press, High Ground Press, printing broadsheets on a 19th century Chandler and Price platen press and an Adana tabletop press."

(from author's website)

This book is available for purchase in multiple formats.

You can find many formats at all of these locations:

IndieBound

Amazon.ca

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com.au

Book Depository

Barnes and Noble

ABE Books

Biblio.com

Or, of course, check your local library!

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We also have two sponsors for this round of the Literary Sewing Circle! This book is set in British Columbia, and in recognition of that, we have two pattern companies based in British Columbia offering a prize for participants. Both prizes will be drawn randomly among participants who have posted a project by the deadline of April 21, whether here at the blog or on IG using the #LiterarySewingCircle hashtag. 

Thank you to our sponsors for this round!

Helen's Closet (based in Courtenay, BC) is offering one PDF pattern to a winner. 

DG Patterns (based in Mission, BC) is offering 3 PDF patterns to one winner.

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How does the Literary Sewing Circle work? We read a book together, discuss it, and then make something inspired by our reading. As long as you can point out what inspired you from your reading, even if just a sentence, you can share your makes in our final roundup!

Anyone can join, and you can sew, knit, crochet, quilt or embroider - any textile art that you like doing - to participate. This is a reading/sewing circle, very low-key; no competitions here, just reading and sewing for fun. That said, we are fortunate to have some sponsors for this round! The two prize offerings will be drawn for from all participants who have linked up a project by the end of the roundup (April 21) and awarded by random draw. 

There is no official sign-up to worry about; just start reading along if you wish, and leave your thoughts on the book or your project on any of the Literary Sewing Circle posts. We do have a dedicated book discussion post halfway through and again at the end, but leave your thoughts anytime. And you can follow along on Instagram too if you like: look for #LiterarySewingCircle and you'll find us.

And when the final post goes up, so does the project linkup -- you can leave a link to your finished project there, whether it is on your blog, a pattern site, or even Instagram. It's easy :)

So, join in, and share!

Literary Sewing Circle Schedule

March 3 - Announcement & Introduction

March 10  - Inspiration post 

March 17 - Author feature

March 24  -  Preliminary book talk

March 31 - Inspiration post

April 7 - Final Post: book discussion wrap up & posting of project linkup

We will have our project linkup live for two weeks after the final post to allow you to finish up and post your projects. The linkup will close on April 21 and prizes will be drawn for at that time.