Make It Yours with Mimi G: A Sewist’s Guide to a Custom Wardrobe

Mimi G Style blogger Ford debuts with a stylish manual for sewing customizable garments. She outlines how to make a button-up shirt, pencil skirt, T-shirt, camisole, wrap dress, duster coat, and trousers, and details how each pattern can be modified to create new articles of clothing. For example, the bottom of the fitted tee can be extended to make a “dropped waist t-shirt dress,” the trousers can be turned into palazzo pants by enlarging the hemlines for the legs, and the camisole can be transformed into a jumpsuit with the addition of trousers. Though Ford provides a brief primer on stitching techniques—including how to understitch, attach sleeves to a bodice, and create a zipper fly—she writes for readers who have mastered such “basic sewing tasks” as making button holes and applying interfacing to stiffen textiles. Opining on her favorite fabrics, she recommends cotton for its affordability, corduroy for durability, and twill for its versatility (“lightweight twill is great for shirts,” while heavier variations are ideal for pants). Beginners might be challenged, but experienced sewists will appreciate the guidance on how to modify patterns, as well as the look book in which Ford models ideas for combining different garments to create striking outfits. This dazzling design guide impresses. (June)