95+ sewing books for children & sewing fiction for adults! This post is a bit all over the place but I wanted to create a comprehensive list of all the sewing themed picture books I could find, then I added on some middle grade and YA sewing books that I bumped into, and lastly tagged on a section of adult non-fiction that is fabric or sewing related but not project-based.
There is sewing fiction abound for adults out there, but I got overwhelmed when working on the list because there were simply so many I didn’t think a comprehensive list was possible but I hadn’t read enough to do a true curated one! If this is something you’d be interested in, let me know and I’ll get to reading. My kids have grown up watching me sew but they’re especially excited when they see books with kids sewing in them, so I’m looking forward to reading and re-reading many of the ones on this list with them!
If you like this post, check these out while you’re here:
- 11 Craft & Sewing Books to Gift
- 6 modern books on english paper piecing
- 13+ modern books on refashioning clothing & upcycle sewing
- 10 Free Stuffed Animal Sewing Patterns + Coordinating Kid Books
Pin this roundup for later with this collage image and link:
95+ sewing books for children & sewing fiction for adults
These are separated into sewing picture books, YA/middle grade books, and adult non-fiction! Please consider ordering from your local independent bookstore and of course check your local library, too!
Sewing picture books for kids
Sashiko’s Stitches by Sanae Ishida
Daddy Dressed Me by Michael Gardner & Ava Gardner
Crafty Chloe by Kelly DiPucchio and illustrated by Heather Ross
There is also a sequel, Dress-Up Mess-Up!
The Quiltmaker’s Gift by Jeff Brumbeau and illlustrated by Gail de Marcken
There is also a sequel, The Quiltmaker’s Journey and a book of actual quilt patterns to go alongside the story,
Jingle Dancer by Cynthia Leitich Smith, Illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu
The Quilt Story by Tony Johnston and illustrated by Tomie dePaola
The Little Ghost who was a Quilt by Riel Nason, illustrated by Byron Eggenschwiler
The Kindness Quilt by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
Sewing Stories: Harriet Powers’ Journey from Slave to Artist by Barbara Herkert Illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Fancy Party Gowns: The Story of Fashion Designer Ann Cole Lowe by Deborah Blumenthal Illustrated by Laura Freeman
The Quilt by Ann Jonas
My Name is Lizzie Flynn A Story of the Rajah Quilt by By: Claire Saxby, illustrated by Elizabeth Newcomb
Shop: Amazon
I Had a Favorite Dress by Boni Ashburn Illustrated by Julia Denos
Something from Nothing by Phoebe Gilman
Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson Illustrated by Hudson Talbott
The Blizzard’s Robe by Robert Sabuda
Shop: Amazon
Stitchin’ and Pullin’; A Gee’s Bend Quilt by Patricia C McKissack Illustrated by Cozbi A Cabrera
The Josefina Story Quilt By Eleanor Coerr Illustrated by Bruce Degen
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson Illustrated by James Ransome
The Patchwork Quilt by Valerie Flournoy, Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
The Flag Maker by by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, illustrated by Claire A. Nivola
The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco
The Elephant Quilt: Stitch by Stitch to California! By Susan Lowell, illustrated by Stacey Dressen McQueen
Shop: Amazon
Sam Johnson and the Blue Ribbon Quilt by Lisa Campbell Ernst
The Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrix Potter
Abbie in Stitches by Cynthia Cotten, Illustrated by Beth Peck
Shop: Amazon
My Forever Dress by Harriet Ziefert, Illustrated by Liz Murphy
Shop: Amazon
The Princess Gown by Linda Leopold Strauss, Illustrated by Malene Laugesen
Shop: Amazon
The Whispering Cloth: A Refugee’s Story by Pegi Deitz Shea, Illustrated by Anita Riggio, Stitched by You Yang
Pockets by Jennifer Armstrong, illustrated by Mary GrandPre
Shop: Amazon
Mr. Frank by Irene Luxbacher
A Pattern for Pepper Hardcover by Julie Kraulis
Shop: Amazon
Lady Hahn and her Seven Friends by Yumi Heo
Shop: Amazon
The All-Together Quilt by Lizzy Rockwell
Luka’s Quilt by Georgia Guback
Just Right for Christmas by Birdie Black, Illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw
Shop: Amazon
The Flying Sewing Machine by Nancy Zieman, illustrated by Philip Ashby
Sewing the Rainbow: A Story About Gilbert Baker by Gayle E. Pitman Ph.D.
My Grandfather’s Coat by Jim Aylesworth, illustrated by Barbara McClintock
Paula’s Patches by Gabriella Aldeman (Author), Rocío Arreola Mendoza (Illustrator)
Shop: Amazon
Oma’s Quilt by Paulette Bourgeouis & Stephane Jorisch
Shop: Amazon
Sabella Can Sew! by Jackie Cano
Shop: Amazon
Sewing novels for middle & high school
The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George
A House of Tailors by Patricia Reilly Giff
Who Was Betsy Ross? by James Buckley Jr., Who HQ, illustrated by John O’Brien
Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker: The Unlikely Friendship of Elizabeth Keckley and Mary Todd Lincoln
Ready to Wear (Sew Zoey Book 1)by Chloe Taylor, illustrated by Nancy Zhang
The Midnight Dress by Karen Foxlee
Shop: Amazon
Torn by Rowenna Miller
Ten Thousand Stitches by Olivia Atwater
Marikit and the Ocean of Stars by Caris Avendano Cruz
Shop: Amazon
Sewing non-fiction for adults
Seams Unlikely by Nancy Zieman with Marjorie Russell
Shop: Amazon
Material Lives – Women Makers and Consumer Culture in the 18th Century by Serena Dyer
The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World by Virginia Postrel
Modern Fabric: Twenty-Five Designers on their Inspiration and Craft by Abby Gilchrist & Amelia Poole
The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History by Kassia St. Clair
Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle by Clare Hunter