How to Sew a Button: And Other Nifty Things Your Grandmother Knew

by Erin Bried

Waste not, want not. This crafty guide perfect for anyone looking to enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

Nowadays, many of us “outsource” basic tasks. Food is instant, ready-made, and processed with unhealthy additives. Dry cleaners press shirts, delivery guys bring pizza, gardeners tend flowers, and, yes, tailors sew on those pesky buttons. But life can be much simpler, sweeter, and richer–and a lot more fun, too! As your grandmother might say, now is not the time to be careless with your money, and it actually pays to learn how to do things yourself!

Practical and empowering, How to Sew a Button collects the treasured wisdom of nanas, bubbies, and grandmas from all across the country–as well as modern-day experts–and shares more than one hundred step-by-step essential tips for cooking, cleaning, gardening, and entertaining, including how to

• polish your image by shining your own shoes
• grow your own vegetables (and stash your bounty for the winter)
• sweeten your day by making your own jam
• use baking soda and vinegar to clean your house without toxic chemicals
• feel beautiful by perfecting your posture
• roll your own piecrust and find a slice of heaven
• fold a fitted sheet to crisp perfection
• waltz without stepping on any toes

Complete with helpful illustrations and brimming with nostalgic charm, How to Sew a Button provides calm and comfort in uncertain times. By doing things yourself, with care and attention, you and your loved ones will feel the pleasing rewards of a job well done.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Self Help, How To, Crafts, Adult, Gardening

278 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m sure (and I’ll check once I’ve written this review) that I “discovered” this do-it-yourself guide via one of my Goodreads friends. I probably did not read a synopsis of it, so I was unaware that it was written as girl-to-girl advice. Nonetheless, I stuck it out cover-to-cover as most of the topics are of equal use to all genders.

I was fortunate enough to know both of my Grandmothers (plus one Great-Grandmother) and like those whose wisdom is ensconced in this book they had their own special skills and knowledge. They came from different backgrounds and cultures, but by the magic of city living they ended up across the street from each other (which is how you-know-who met the other you-know-who.)

I had one specific motive in reading this book. Despite knowing how to thread a needle properly, I never felt capable of sewing on a button. Sure, I could have (and may still) look it up on the ubiquitous web, but I wasn’t in any great rush or need to do so.

Thinking about this book is easy: all the subjects are well-grouped and each one is kept short with well-described steps. Most have a section of additional tips or hints, also. The book is kept slim by avoiding diagrams (except for the occasional decorative illustration), but this is also one of its weaknesses. There are some instructions that need an illustration or two to aid in visualizing the method, process, or action and because they are lacking, I imagine those trying said complex tasks will augment this book with the ever-present Internet. I think that the 5 or 10 places that it might have helped would have moved my ranking up at least a full star. But, overall this is a very readable and informative book.

Here are a few things that I thought were excellent:

     The section on button sewing was nice, short, and hopefully accurate. (In the past I always ended stitches with more of a knot to tie off the thread.) I have a shirt to test it out on.

     I found the recipe for pie dough to be a simpler one than found in many cookbooks. It matches well with my recollection of how my maternal grandmother made hers. As much as I adore JC, I am going to have to try it!

     The household cleaning suggestions (using only simple, everyday chemicals) are not unique to this book, but presented well and use the same basic items over and over. If they work for you you’ll save a ton of dough!

Here’s one item that I thought should have been “fixed”.

     The “Save for Later” subject exhorts you to open a new savings account that is FDIC insured, “has no minimum fees, and, if you can, at least 4 percent interest rate”.

     Now this book was published in 2009, long after passbook savings accounts stopped paying anything more than 1% interest. And, in this post-Great Recession world, a cursory check of current high-yield savings accounts shows 2% (for an under 18 yr-old) as the maximum rate quoted, with adult rates topping out in the 1.5-to-1.0% range. Yes, it is a quibble, but one that jarred me out of my reading pleasure.

I hope it brings you some good ideas, nice thoughts about your grandmothers, mothers, and great grandmothers (should you be so lucky), and a whole lot of fun trying things out.

Three and one-half (3.5) Stars for How to Sew A Button and Other Nifty Things Your Grandmother Knew. Good Luck!

[Jenn Estepp · Rating 2 out of 5]

i'm pretty sure that i heard about this book in an issue of real simple magazine. and, if i hadn't than i should have because it's a lot like reading real simple, only not as good. i.e. a few bits of "oo, fab idea" nestled amidst lots of painfully obvious bits that you should've learned in elementary school. and, everything was just so random and simplified - although written in a tone which i think was supposed to be snarky and fun, sort "you go girl!;" only instead of being snarky and fun, it was grating. and the stuff i'd like to try out, the information was so limited that if i really wanted to try it out, i'd just get a real book on the subject (say, canning or quilting or whatever).
and, overall that just annoys me, because i think the title and the premise are kinda cool and, if executed differently, could have been awesome. alas, alack.

[Lorraine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this was ok but a lot of info you could just get online if the problem came up.

[your mom · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected to like this book much more than I did. I really agree on the overall premise. I think we could learn a lot and utilize our resources much better if we took a cue from the older generations. I know many women who can't sew a button.

One of the issues is with the writing style which is forcefully cheeky. Sometimes you find this forced humor funny and other times, annoying. Also, the book is peppered with illustrations of various retro women engaging in the tasks being explained, but what it really could have used are a few illustrations to clarify the more complicated instructions.

There is some very useful information in this book, but not any you wouldn't find through a google search in a much more clear and concise manner with pictures included.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute, fast, informational read. A lot of these things I know how to do or grew up watching my mom and grandmothers do. I might keep this around for some of the handy how-tos, and I kinda feel like cleaning my kitchen!

[K · Rating 1 out of 5]

The male version contains all kinds of useful information about how to do well at work, how to provide for your family, how to be a role model, etc.

The female version contains tips and tricks on cleaning your house, saving money, and hosting parties.

I found the male version more applicable and useful to my life as a modern female with a job and financial responsibilities -- please don't give your daughter the female version of this book unless you don't think she's very capable.

I should have seen this coming after seeing that the biographies of the "grandfathers" are 3x as long as the "grandmothers".

These books enforce unfortunate stereotypes - don't force your children into these pigeon holes.

[Alethea · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one of those faintly aggrivating books that don't quite get the balance right between interesting information and witty voice. I think perhaps I'm not the best target audience, as I already know much of what's included; it seems to be rather a graduation-gift type book. I was really hoping for something with a little more substance--since there's some neat things to be learned from the grandmothers who survived the depression and World War Two and the Cold War and the Sixties and...

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept, but poor execution. Many parts are dated (where do I sign up for a 4% return on my savings account?) and many sections would have benefited from photos of video links (on EBooks) of many concepts in the book.

[Abigail B · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing style got annoying really fast but in general, good advice for practical living

[Chloe · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was fine, most of the information wasn’t that useful, but I do feel motivated to bake a pie from scratch for the first time in my life

[Mollie *scoutrmom* · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the tone of this book, what might have been a dry how-to manual is brimming with humor. For instance, a recipe on page three calls for "1 egg (beaten but not conquered)". Step two begins with, "Did that take you forever?" Step four instructs, "Pop a few blueberries into your mouth...."

Instructions for preparing a chicken include these words of wisdom, "If you're temporarily grossed out, there's no kind way to say this: Get over yourself." and these words of encouragement, "It's hard to cluck it up."

I liked the directions for making dandelion wine, I might want to do that someday. Lord knows we have plenty of dandelions!

I found this on the "new nonfiction" shelf of the public library, labeled as dewey decimal no. 640 B853.

[Cynthia D · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's another book about adulting, but feels more aimed towards women than young adults as a whole. There are a lot of basic topics covered (e.g. cooking, cleaning, gardening, etc) but it kind of rubbed me the wrong way. The topics mainly revolved around the whole retro 50's idea of a woman staying at home, handling money, doing cleaning, etc, which just doesn't really jive with reality nowadays. Not something I would recommend to others.

[Danette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh
I liked the quotes from the depression-era grandmothers and I think we need more of their make do, save, don't waste way of living. I think it would be more effective to find an older woman to walk through life with you and show you how to do these things if you were not blessed with a mother who taught you. It's just hard to learn how to sew on a button from a book.

[Caro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. I really liked the information and how this was written. It was a little fun, easy to understand, intriguing with great tips and tricks. I really liked this and the information shared. Great for anytime reading. Good Luck

[Heydi Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super helpful, brief instructions for a ton of things that you just don't learn in everyday life anymore but you really need to know when they come about. A great resource!

[Amy Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful book presented in a fun way! There were some sections I personally skipped because they weren't of interest to me, such as knitting a scarf or gardening, but I read most sections and enjoyed this easy-to-read format. The grandmothers' stories were excellent!

[Hunter Vance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who doesn’t love some grandmotherly advice. Yes you could find most of this on the internet but the tone of the book is really fun and cute. I loved reading about the different grandma’s and their upbringing.

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this book in a local free little library. Lots of good tips especially when it comes to cleaning. Most is common sense, but fun to read on a rainy afternoon.

[Aric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ummm... sexism?

I was curious about this book having read one of her other books "How to Build a Fire: And Other Handy Things Your Grandfather Knew". Looking at the cover to this one had me concerned that it was targeted to a purely female audience; right down to the choice of pink for the primary color on the cover.
Well, it kind of is I suppose but there are a lot of tasks detailed here that I know MY grandma never did. Cleaning fish? Right. She would gladly fry it for you in that tasty, heart rotting oil everyone cooked with back in the day but one of her rules was if you catch it, you clean it.
In short: useful stuff to know no matter what your orientation is but there is a lot tailored to female specific tasks. Think lipstick and centerpieces I guess.

[Sannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would actually give this book 3.5 stars because there are a lot of helpful tips. There are a lot of nifty little tricks that I never knew about, like using vinegar and baking soda for everything with cleaning, or how to clean an oven properly.

However, Erin Bried writes with a bit too much familiarity; it's almost as if she is writing the book as tips to her friends. I can understand the appeal, but the little interjections got annoying at some points. I also think she is writing it for a politically more liberal-minded audience, which I don't think is necessarily fair. At one point, she made a comment about Fox News which I thought was unnecessary. I'm not defending Fox News but for people who are more politically conservative, the book can come off almost as preachy. It's as if Bried thinks that politically conservative women should know how to sew a button already and that only liberals are the ones who would read a book like this. I don't think that's true.

How to Sew a Button is really for people who have no idea how to do a lot of these little things; for me, I thought the cooking and cleaning tips were the most helpful, though how to hem pants is pretty handy. It's not just a book for women, either; men could definitely learn how to fold sheets properly too. It's definitely for the super modern person (there are mentions of iPhones and Facebook as asides), but it would have helped with some illustrations to really show how some things work.

As long as you don't take the preachiness to heart, it's a great guide for simple things in life that we really should know how to do but just don't have time for.

[Jen • Just One More Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is also posted on my blog.

That was an adorable read!

Not only was it super informative and REALLY useful for learning how to do timeless home ec skills, the language and wording was just hilarious. It didn’t sound sterile, like so many how-tos do, and instead was worded like I was writing it myself. Nothing was disrespectful or condescending, and everything was explained and detailed down to the finest points, so that there’s really no doubt in how to do much of anything, and you never feel stupid for not knowing anything in the first place.

And just - seriously - so many of what’s in this book is just so useful, I fully intend to read the companion book about advice from grandpas, and to buy this one just so I can have it on hand. This shit is so good to know, regardless of what gender you are!

I don’t even know what else to say, really. This was a wonderful read, I learned a *lot*, I couldn’t really pick up any kind of problematic language or topic, and I want my own copy. :o

If you’re interested in learning these kinds of things in a really endearing way, and if you can manage to get your hands on a copy of this, you should definitely give it a go, too! You can get yourself some good learning, and start to feel like you’re actually a responsible, capable adult!

[Sophie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I agree with some of the other reviewers that this was a neat idea, but it could have been executed a bit better. For starters I would have loved more diagrams - some things like knitting, hemming, and folding a fitted sheet really deserved pictures.

Content-wise there were highs and lows, in my opinion. I wasn't expecting such a substantial cooking section... I kinda figured anyone looking to make a pie would buy a cookbook. Also the author mentioned pilling on sweaters in the introduction, but never gave a handy solution. (And it must have been a misprint, but my copy said that one of the grandmothers was born in 1929, and married in 1940 - at the age of 11?) But I will definitely try out some of the cleaning tricks and make more use of vinegar and baking soda.

Also to comment on some of the other reviews that some of the content was really simple - well, what did you expect with a title like How to Sew a Button?

Finally, I actually enjoyed the author's conversational approach and sense of humor, but I understand that it may be off-putting to some. It does seem to be a trend with magazine writers-turned-authors (and bloggers, for that matter) to be that casual, and it doesn't always come across well in full books.

Overall this was a very quick read with some helpful information, but I can't imagine it would be helpful for anyone who's already successfully running their own home (without a maid, chef, and two nannies at their beck and call).

[Marfita · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must be somebody's grandma because I know most of this stuff. While Bried offers a list of the actual grandmothers who contributed information and stories, it is apparently her own attempts at humor that I found annoying. It's a sad, sad commentary that these "skills" are becoming lost. The most interesting piece was the one on making dandelion wine, which my own grandfather used to do. He swore that the dandelions they found in cemeteries made the best wine. That may only have been to trick my mother into helping to clear family graves. [He also said that "cuttings" you nipped off without permission grew the best.]
Only read this if you have no idea how to sew, knit, cook, wash dishes/clothes, and save money. I don't think it's worth reading it just for pleasure. For advanced information on cleaning, check out The Queen of Clean (Linda Cobb). Find a new use for Tang (r).

[Dianna · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you don't want someone telling you to take your "vities" or take good care of your "ticker," this book isn't for you.

If you already know how to sew on a button, roast a chicken, etc., this book isn't for you. Most of the things explained here are quite simple and some are just plain obvious.

If you would like to know how to knit a scarf, darn a sock, etc., this book isn't for you. The descriptions aren't specific enough for me to feel like I could actually do those things after reading the book: it could really benefit from some diagrams.

If you really, truly are completely clueless about cooking and housekeeping and you pay other people to do everything for you, this book may be for you.

This book was not for me.

[Catrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute and quirky book to get you thinking about knowledge that is being lost with modern conveniences. As some people commented, it is far from being an end-all in cooking, sewing, or socializing; more like dipping one's toes into a pond of tradition. I personally found the sections about canning, darning and gardening especially helpful. And though this isn't a book most people consume whole, I nibbled at it all the way through, piece by piece, for some light night time reading. Can't wait to try to make some jam!

[Dara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I liked the concept of this book, but not the execution. Instructions are either ludicrously simple (how to shop locally: join a CSA or shop at the farmer's market. REALLY????!?? Also explained: how to plan a weekly menu (instructions: pick recipes for 7 days (seriously, that's in there))) or useless without pictures or more detailed instructions (I have absolutely no clue what the "how to darn a sock" instructions were describing).

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ummm really? I guess if you work in New York for a magazine you don't know how to do anything except hail cabs? Most people I know can do most of the things in this book, but I do live in a small town so maybe it's different. I was hoping for some more obscure skills that Grandma knew, these seem more like basic life skills.

[Books 92 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that I'm going to have to read again with a notebook next to me so that I can remember the advice! This is one book that I am going to purchase and keep in my home, both to use and to loan. I cannot wait to get ahold of How to Start a Fire and Other Things Your Grandfather Knew.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erin Bried complied some great skills in a easy to read format. My favorite tips were about cleaning....I think I still have the nesting urge. And I'm impressed with all that my mother passed on to me. Being self-sufficiet is so empowering.

[Angel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some gems in the book, mostly in the cleaning section, though the rest was intuitive and definitely written in a tone that was so over the top that it got grating within a few pages of starting the book.