Sew Iconic by Liz Gregory

Sew Iconic by Liz Gregory

Great for movie fans and for sewing enthusiasts alike, Sew Iconic is a great addition to your personal bookshelf. Gregory explains in great detail how to make a look-alike dresses from ten famous movies. For each dress Gregory lists the materials that are needed, cutting instructions, a description of the sewing techniques, and layout diagrams.

Learn how to make Julia Robert's (Pretty Woman) brown-and-white polka dot dress, Audrey Hepburn's little black dress from Breakfast at Tiffany's, Jennifer Grey's pink mambo dress (Dirty Dancing), Marilyn Monroe's ivory dress (The Seven Year Itch), Kiera Knightley's green evening gown (Atonement), Catherine Zeta Jones' black showgirl dress (Chicago), Grace Kelly's blue chiffon gown (To Catch a Thief), Rita Hayworth's black sheath (Gilda), Faye Dunaway's Fawn Coat (The Thomas Crowne Affair), and Kate Winslet's lace evening gown (Titanic).

The author gives a brief history of each dress' history like how costumer designer, Marilyn Vance, found the fabric for Julia Robert brown and white polka dot dress from Pretty Woman.

A table gives you a quick look at which sewing techniques you will need to use for each iconic dress. Some techniques (e.g. pleating) are specific to a certain dress (e.g. the Marilyn Monroe dress) while other techniques are used for all of the dresses.

Overall, the book is nicely organized, with the simplest project (Julia's dress) appearing first. While beginners will have trouble with some of these outfits, the explanation of each technique will benefit them.

Finally, Gregory describes how to get the movie star "look" in your new dress and how to modernize the dress for a new audience.

The one quibble is with the green evening dress which does not look nearly as fabulous on the model as it does on Keira Knightly. Fabric choice is important and, in this case, the green fabric does not look nearly as lustrous on the model as it did on the big screen.

As a book blogger, I had the chance to preview the galley for this title at no charge at netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review.

Your Child's Writing Life by Pam Allyn

Pam Allyn, a literacy educator and founder of LitLife and LitWorld, aims to teach parents how to develop their children's writing skills in Your Child's Writing Life.

The focus, she argues, has been on teaching kids to read when, in actuality, reading and writing go together. Writing fosters emotional growth and critical thinking in even very young children but parents often do not actively encourage the very young to write.

She offer practical, inexpensive tips for getting children of all ages to write. She gives, tips, for instance for setting up a "writing corner." While this is not essential, creating a space as well as providing writing tools (a variety of markers, pens, pencils) will encourage writers.

She offers a variety of writing prompts for each age group and lists what's developmentally appropriate for each age level.

Allyn encourage parents not to discourage their children from using "new media" tools such as internet, e-mail and ipads.

Lastly, in chapter 5 she lists 20 great books that can serve as "mentors." Children will often emulate their "mentors" until they find their own writing voice.

Allyn's book will remind parents that all children are "writers." Using her five writing "pillars," parents can help their children develop their writing skills.