Nancy Cornwell's Polar Magic

Sewing fleece doesn't really fit into my plans, but after checking this book out from the library, I almost wish it did. LOTS of suggestions for embellishing basic fleece garments that are much more refined than I expected when I first picked up the book. I don't own any of her books, but should my life take me to a climate where fleece-wear was needed outside of December and January, I just might have to get them.

Polar Magic, third in the Polarfleece series by Nancy Cornwell, is a not only a great source of ideas, but also is a wealth of information for handling this tricky material. The first two chapters condense her first book (for those of us who haven't yet bought it) into the bare minimums of successful sewing with fleece. They cover special requirements for stitch lengths, tension, foot pressures, stabilizing, and helpful or necessary notions. These are covered in more detail in "Adventures in Polarfleece," her first book. Okay, I've seen it and borrowed it at the library several times, just haven't bought it yet. After that, there are ideas and techniques galore! From creating your own matching ribbing (which I thought was a great idea), to trapunto, to reverse and double applique. This fabric is actually becoming fun to work with. After struggling with stretched wavy hems, bulky seams, and ending up with plain, unembellished robes (blanket stitched edges don't count), I've been inspired to sculpt, brand, and fringe to create more interesting effects on my Hawaiian style winterwear. This book is a welcome addition to my collection. It looks like I will have to order the first one as well. Back to the shopping cart.......