PSA: Check your local library!

I just responded to several posts with the suggestion to check your local library for sewing books. I live in a fairly small town but I've been pleasantly surprised with the selection of sewing and craft books we have. Even newer, popular ones like Amy Butler and SewUSkirts I think it's called.

Anyway, just wanted to toss out that idea if you haven't thought of it. It's also a great way to decide if you want to spend the money to buy a book! You can even do an interlibrary loan if your particular library doesn't have it but it's available somewhere in your state's system.

I'll second this and also throw out there that libraries have a lot of sewing DVD's as well.

Interlibrary loan is great! I punched in the books on my Amazon wishlist and found about half of the them through ILL! You can't cut out any of the patterns, but you can definitely spend more time with the book than you could at a book store and really decide if you want to buy it!

I totally agree with this. There are usually only a few patterns in each book that want anyways, so not worth buying the whole book.

That's a great tip, I don't think I would have thought to look there!

Vintage sewing books with patterns are also a good place to start if you're looking to design your own doll, toy, etc. 

Books published between 1923 and 1963 are still protected by copyright laws only if their initial copyright was renewed.  Look inside the front cover to check.  You can alter the pattern to your use and it is considered public property...

I do this all of the time! There are some books that I do end up going out and buying, but I almost always borrow them from the library first.

I wish I had such luck with the libraries here in southern GA.  They are really lacking in the sewing/quilting books area.

Have you tried interlibrary loans? They take some time but they will even get a book from another state if necessary. As far as I know it's a free service anywhere.

Thank you I will check into that as well because there were some books that I wanted that were in north GA.  Maybe they can send those my way.  Don't know why I didn't think of that!  Thanks for the insight.

For those of you who don't have a good selection at your local library, try filling out a comment form letting the librarians know what types of books you are interested in. When they do the ordering for your branch they might include some of those titles if they know that people are interested in them. A lot of times they really just don't know.

 ;)Great tip..Thanks much!

I just wanted to say thank you for giving me the idea to take out books instead of having to buy them! I was able to put tons of great titles on my online queue, so even if my particular branch didn't have them, they will deliver them there from other branches for me to pick up. With three kiddos under five to contend with, that is a very convenient option. I don't know why I never thought of this before...I am so excited!

Thanks again!
Amy