For those seeking a slower, gentler way to make clothes, this book will serve as a guide to sewing clothing by hand — without use of a sewing machine. Learn the techniques needed to stitch sturdy, modern adult clothing by hand. Ponder the bigger picture with several contextual essays, and then settle in for storytime, as you read a set of stories about hand-sewn clothes. Hand sewing clothing can be a radical act of slow fashion. Reclaim the democratic, accessible, ancient power of sewing that needs no machine.

Louisa Owen Sonstroem believes there is little more powerful than working with one’s hands, because manual skills are enduring, egalitarian, and slow. Whether drafting sewing patterns at the kitchen tables, hand sewing clothing, or foraging plant fibers to spin on a drop spindle, she celebrates using primitive tools in sophisticated ways. Through classes and other educational outreach projects, she hopes to make manual skills accessible, attainable, and empowering. By day, Louisa works in technical design for the fashion industry. By night, she is a maker, educator, and writer. She is also founder of Patternmaking in Public Places, a project seeking to democratize access to patternmaking skills by removing barriers of geography, economics, age, language, intimidation, and more.