Bound

Lyrical, probing, soothing, and wise, Bound is sewing diary that celebrates the remarkable, everyday process of making clothing—and ourselves. Ballard explores the sewing of seventeen specific garments over a period of great change in her life—from a jacket lined with the embroidered Cantonese names of her female ancestors, to a dressing gown made as a gift for a dear friend, to an eco-friendly, zero-waste dress. As the wardrobe grows, so too does Ballard. From her first off-kilter dresses and coats to perfectly fitting pants, readers follow along as she learns to navigate the world around her and how she sees herself in it—both as she is and as she hopes to be. Stitch by stitch, word by word, Ballard drafts her own patterns for ways of living. The book is a warmhearted celebration of the value of craft in the modern age, complete with illustrations.