Book Review - Sweat Shop Paris

I'd never heard of the Sweat Shop in Paris when I saw this book available for review on Netgalley, but it seemed so interesting that I decided to take a look at it anyway.

The book Sweat Shop Paris: Lessons in Couture from the Sewing Cafe by authors Martena Duss and Sissi Holleis begins with the story of how the sewing workshop/coffee shop first came into being.  The Sweat Shop is a place where crafters can gather to exchange ideas and rent machines by the hour to do their crafting.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this book is not like any other craft or sewing book that I've seen.  Since my taste runs more to the simple and classic, I probably wouldn't be interested in any of the projects in the book.    However, the book intrigued me because in addition to a sewing section, there was also a section on knitting, a section on customizing pre-made pieces, one on decorating, one on how to use different techniques like weaving leather, another with recipes, and a final one with a guide to sewing, crafting, food, clothing and general useful yet cool places in Paris.

In order to be able to use this book, you'll need to have at least the basic of sewing covered.  I'd say that it might be frustrating for someone who is just starting out.  As far as knitting, I can't judge the difficulty of those projects since I don't knit.

I would say this book is definitely for someone who's interested in the more in and edgy side of DIY and crafting.  All of the projects are unconventional and feature techniques that aren't commonly used. If it just isn't quite your style, that's perfectly ok.  As much as I love Paris, it isn't quite for me either.  I'd suggest clicking through a few of the preview pages on Amazon.  If you like what you see there, then you'll love this book.