Skirts Books

I work with secondary students who have reading problems. My students have enjoyed both of C. Anne Scott's books, Old Jake's Skirts and Lizard Meets Ivana the Terrible. The books are easy for them to read and keep them entertained. Both books have messages that kids outside the "norm" can relate to. I really enjoyed reading both these books as well, and the illustrations are well done - especially in Old Jakes' Skirts. Both books are positive in nature, but never preachy. I highly recommend both.

Old Jake is a curmudgeon. He lives alone on his farm and likes it that way. Jake just doesn't take to people. His dog Shoestring is enough company for him.

On his monthly trip to town for supplies, Jake and Shoestring find a battered old trunk resting in the middle of the road, and Jake leaves the unknown owner a lost and found note at the store. Months later, when no one has claimed the trunk, Old Jake finds many uses for its contents of calico skirts.

Jake uses the skirts to mop up rainwater that leaked through the roof of his home during a rain storm, dresses up his scarecrow, patches clothes and makes neckerchiefs for himself and Shoestring. His farm is now bright and prettied up. At least he and the church ladies think so.

One day a young girl and her father arrive at the farm looking for the trunk as it had contained the skirts of the man's wife who recently died. Old Jake expresses his sorrow and explains what has happened to the skirts. He gives the young girl the last one, now hanging outside on the clothesline. Jake also gives the young girl a beautifully hand-carved doll dressed in a calico skirt.

I love this story! It is about an unexpected gift that keeps on giving. The skirts transform Old Jake's attitude and behavior, and in turn, his transformation is felt by other people.

I would suggest that this is a book best read to children over age 7 as it is quite lengthy and pretty heavy on text.

The illustrations are stunning and could be framed!

First of all, the illustrations in this book are priceless! When I first read it to my children, I could barely turn a page without their comments and chuckles about an expression on a character or some other subtle detail they noticed. Secondly, as a home-educating mother, this book is a gold mine of themes: honesty, resourcefulness, spirituality, social skills, death, generosity, and most of all, positive attitude. My children, ages 3 and 5 are a bit young for all it has to offer but they still enjoy it immensely and request it frequently. I would recommend this to any child ages 7 and up. It is a beautiful volume that really makes your children think...and ask questions!

This is a wonderful book about how a life can be changed by an unexpected gift, and how the love of someone can spread to others who are unknown to them. I read this to my little girl, and almost couldn't finish it--I was crying so. It is a very meaningful book, and shows how God's providence can change our lives and the lives of those around us.

I almost forgot about the illustrations! They are vivid, and express the joy of a life that has been changed by love.

I'm sorry, this review is really sappy, but I loved this book!

The other review on this book is right on target. I just wanted to reiterate that this book is a wonderful basic handbook on all aspects of sewing skirts. I refer back to it time and again. I especially use the section on waistbands, even when sewing pants. The book has specific guidelines for determining the measurements of the waistline seam on the body of the skirt, the measurement of the waistband and the measurement of the elastic in order to have the best fit without bulk. Marcy Tilton offers a variety of waistband styles and has good step-by-step instructions.

I have other "Easy Guide to Sewing ..." books in my library and I think they are all great. I'm looking forward to having the full set. I highly recommend this book as a staple of your sewing library.

If you like to sew without patterns but have had a few misadventures, this book will set you straight as far as skirts are concerned. The ideas range from simple to mid-advanced but there are a LOT of projects you can just plunge into without a lot of planning. It fits in well with my style of aerobic sewing. :D

I review books that I like very much, and this is one of them. I found it in a Greek bookstore and fell in love with it instantly. Marcy Tilton has written a wonderful book on skirts with so much information on construction techniques that I find myself going back to it again and again!!

She talks about choosing the best style according to one's figure and then she goes on to talk about fabrics suitable for skirts. I liked very much the chapter on "Getting the right fit" where among others one can learn to add pockets, walking ease and linings, or change the grainline of a skirt using three alternative ways, dependent on the desired result!!

The chapter on construction guidelines was my favorite, though. This is where Marcy Tilton shows everything there is to know about each step of the process. She includes information on cutting, marking, pressing, seams and seam finishes, darts, pleats, gathers, side-seam pockets, kick pleats and french vents, zippers, waistbands and hemming.

Note however that the information on lining skirts is limited so if one is not experienced on the subject I would recommend "Easy guide to sewing linings" by C. Long that I think is a valuable addition to your library as it contains everything there is know about lining not only skirts but pants, jackets, etc.

Sweetwater's novel is a magical blend of fantasy, Native American, Celtic and other mystical samples of lore that highlights her poetic talents as a unique Storyweaver. The strength of her creative current quickly immerses the reader into this tale. I'm convinced this author is the Queen of detailed imagery and prophetic prose! The story glides back and forth in time, and is almost surreal in a supernatural way. The reader will also discover a different brand of female erotica told through the voices of her spiritually rich Native American characters. I especially found myself mesmerized by the fact that I could almost taste the flavor of 'Crazy Loon' and Black Bear' coffee!
Chrissy K. McVay - Author

The Buckskin Skirt Oar Traveler, by Sage Sweetwater, was my first experience in reading lesbian literature. What I found was a writer who crafted a tale on many levels. A reader of this book will find historical Native American lore, romance, a Fairytale and a trip to a fantasy world that the author makes as real as the character's she pens in this work.

As an author of Native American historical fiction, I appreciated the native voice given to Buck Skin Oar Traveler. The sensibilities, lore and mannerisms were all dead on. Sage Sweetwater gives voice to her characters with passion, humor and in a storyteller's voice. I could picture myself in her lodge, listening to her tell the story as she boiled down Maple sap for syrup and Maple sugar.

Intimacy is set up by the author in such a way that the reader will be drawn in by the scenery, sensitivity and passion of those involved. I could hear the "pish, pish" from under the courting blankets and imagine the scene and almost felt guilty as if I were a voyeur watching from close by. Almost felt guilty...

Sage Sweetwater has written a fine novel that deserves a place on all bookshelves. Her writing was a performance that this reader was sorry to come to a close. I could read her works without tiring. The transformations from chapter to chapter were a lesson taught and built upon in the ensuing chapters. I will recall this story from my mind for many years to come, every time I smell or taste maple syrup, or catch the glimmer of a spoon lure under the water.

Well done, well done.

Jake George
Author "Grandfather's Song"
And "A New Dawn" scheduled for release May 2006

My relationship partner just handed me a copy of a literary magazine, "The Sun." On the back page, I found an ad for one of their workshops that asks the highly relevant question, "Is is possible to write about ourselves in a way that touches others and reminds them of our fundamental connectedness? Can we describe an intensely personal event without being narcissistic or luridly confessional?"

The answer in Phyllis Moore's case is a resounding yes.

This is a book to be savored. I recommend it most strongly.

What an entertaining and moving collection of stories. I couldn't recommend this more.

the hardest part is the measuring! my husband was trained as an architect so every measurement was taken 3 times. the drafting pants and sewing pants books are just great. as a current student of laurel's, i know that she has taken her years of training and experience and written two wonderful books and then, in class, every time a student asked why or said "i don't understand", laurel has rewritten the page and made sure that we fully understood what she was saying. even as an experienced and competative sewer, i learned so much with these two books. if you are as particular as i am about how your clothes look, you'll want both of these books. if you live in the philadelphia area--you will put signing up for laurel's classes on your "must" list.
paulette heilbrun

These books are the authority on pattern drafting, fitting and construction for pants and skirts. Home sewers who are tired of poor fit and "home-made" construction techniques, apparel business owners who need to produce the best possible product and eliminate trial and error mistakes, and garment industry pros seeking to improve their knowledge and capabilities on the job will all find what they're looking for in this set. Finally, here is the information to produce professional quality garments that fit beautifully. No hype, no guesswork- this is all the knowledge you need and nothing you don't.

The drafting and fitting book covers everything: taking measurements, professional fitting, drafting a sloper, making fit corrections, drafting a pants pattern from a sloper, drafting the supporting patterns for pockets, waistband, fly, and linings. Everything is explained in a completely user-friendly manner with abundant diagrams and charts, making even the more complex concepts accessible to everyone.

The sewing book includes information on sewing machines, tools, laying out patterns and cutting fabrics, seam allowances and finishes, kick pleats, darts, setting zippers, pocket construction, linings and finish techniques. Every step of the process is diagrammed and there are even sample patterns for use in practicing new techniques.

The set is packed full of meaty information that can be used by anyone to improve the fit and construction of their garments. Ms. Hoffmann has tested the information in the books with a large variety of students, ensuring that every possible fit issue and construction question is addressed thoroughly.

I highly recommend both books in the set for anyone who is intent on learning professional methods and techniques for fitting and garment construction.

this must be what its like to be a crazy genius. reading this book will bring you closer to the mindset of absolutely uncompromising artists. i think bringing up william shakespeare when discussing the mysterious-to-me "Lostchijd" is very apt, while the style and context is completely unrelated, the new use of language, the creation of a whole other style is what links them. this may possibly be just as influential as shakespeare, only time will tell. it makes sense a novel that utilizes a completely original and unique writing style be realized in the completely modern age of online publishers at the wonderfully modern retail of amazon.com. after reading "GiRS" you will get the feeling olden time visionaries must have felt when discovering the initial publishings of then new unknown classic writers like rimbaud or joyce. please purchase this book, you will not regret it and even if you can't mentally handle really really artistic prose poetry 20 steps ahead of everything if nothing else it may prove to be a great investment in the future when it is regarded as a seminal work ($$$). Lostchijd and Girl in Red Skirt is truly the most exciting development yet in early 21st century art, the paradigm has just changed, folks.

Move over, William Shakespeare. This new novel by Lostchijd, "Girl in Red Skirt", will change the way you think about art, relationships, psychology, and the written word. Two thumbs up!

I bought several Dover books of paper dolls, and this was one of the best. The gowns are gorgeous, colorful and very detailed. Inside the back cover, you can read historical information about each fashion. That was very interesting for me, although my daughters didn't care about that. They just like the pretty dresses.

I would also recommend another Dover publication, "Traditional Folk Costumes of Europe Paper Dolls in Full Color."

Every page made me ooo & ahhh over each gown Tom had designed. This whole book is full of beautiful clothing that makes you want to wear them yourself.

This one is SO worth it! I am so glad I did!

I don't often recommend books of poetry but Ms. Shin has a wonderful of sharing the passion of struggles with language. Passion in terms of frustration, enthusiastic joy, and fear of the power of words. Her poems separate the various meanings of English words and terms, break them down and show the hidden meanings.

While many other poets attempt this, they lose the beauty of words along the way, the ability for words to combine and ring a note. Skirt Full of Black is an exception book because it's author never rings a sour note even while de-constructing a language.

Rage becomes "slow like glass as a verb" in this amazing collection of poems. I really enjoyed the insights into both the Korean and American cultures and languages, from a unique perspective. Where do people such as Asian adoptees fit into the narrative of America in general, and specifically Asian America, which has a long history, and isn't going anywhere but deeper? Read this book for beautifully-rendered clues.

By women, for women; SkirtWorking is progressive women's business know-how in action. The authors believe that women can help each other by collaborating, not competing; and they've put their philosophy in action by distributing their method for success to women on the greater scale.

As a reader who is generally skeptical of anything that looks like self-help, I was really impressed by the wisdom and readability of this book, without the confidence-building fluff that so many other books in this genre subject their readers to. Don't get me wrong, SkirtWorking definitely discusses methods for developing and building one's own self-confidence -- and the authors explain why confidence is essential to business success -- but they write from the perspective of women who have gotten past their own social apprehensions without becoming sharks in masculine waters. And it has worked phenomenally for them.

I write from my own perspective (college graduate cum law school student) when I say that SkirtWorking opens up like a door into a life that I want, but I really believe that you could put this book in any woman's hands, be she corporate mega-star or household mega-star, and she would really believe the same thing. SkirtWorking is a handbook for how to make your own innately feminine characteristics work for your success in life and in business by doing what women do best: by building relationships.

The book closes with a number of anecdotes of how the authors have used SkirtWorking (the method) to their great success, and they're like the book equivalent of the-cherry-on-top. Just to give you a taste: collaborating with a spa-owner, the authors invited twenty business women for a spa-day. Each paid for her own facial or massage, and was surrounded by other amazing women in bathrobes to talk to. No one talked about business that day, but that day has helped their business ever since.

Don't let the femine look fool you. This book is seriously the best networking book you will ever read. By using the SKIRT method (which stands for Sharing Knowledge Information Resources Together) you can dramatically increase revenues and propell your bottom line straight to the top of the Fortune 500. In fact, the Fortune 500 are now hounding these authors to come teach them the SKIRT method!

After reading this book, I now have easy to implement empowering strategies that no other referral book has ever given me. I strongly recommend that if you want to supercharge your referrals, you read this book NOW.

An Army in Skirts: The World War II Letters of Frances Debra collects the letters Frances DeBra Brown sent to her family, while she served in the Women's Army Corps in World War II as a draftsman at American headquarters in London and Paris. Chronicling her WW II service from her training at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia to her assignment at an army air field in Florida to surviving buzz bomb and V-2 rocket attacks in London and witnessing the devastation of Paris a scant two weeks after the city's liberation, An Army in Skirts is the candid testimony of a woman's perspective - thoughtfully discussing the connections Brown made with individual people and the simple day-to-day matters of survival as well as larger issues of war and peace. Highly recommended.