I’ve known about this book for a while now, and finally had a good look at it this week. What a treasure! It’s like having your own private sewing teacher on hand all the time. Hundreds of sewing teachers, actually, because the book is mostly written by regular visitors to PatternReview.com. The book takes the best tips from a community of over 200,000 members. Plus you get mini-tutorials from master teachers and designers like Susan Khalje, Kenneth D. King, Anna Mazur and more.
You can just open the book and start reading. Most of the tips are little more than a paragraph long, but solve some of the most frustrating sewing problems like:
- Fitting problem areas
- Sewing zippers and pockets
- Organizing your stash
- Sewing with difficult fabrics like velvet, fleece, chiffon and lame
- Using tricky trims like feathers and ribbon
But this is not just a great coffee table book, it’s a useful reference volume, too. The overall chapters are organized into general topics. So, you can find a quick answer to your immediate problems. The chapters include:
- Sewing gear
- Setting up your sewing room
- Design and pattern prep
- Fabric, thread and notions
- Layout, cutting and marking
- Fitting
- Sewing
- Finishing
- Embellishments
Because the tips are written by regular people who sew all the time, the solutions are practical and easy to understand. When you finish reading a section on linings, for example, you’re left with the feeling that it really isn’t that difficult. It makes you really want to go tackle that scary technique and overcome the stumbling block once and for all.
The only thing I didn’t like about this book was that I wasn’t able to put it down. Each tip led to another and another and before I knew it, I spent hours reading and planning new projects in my head (when I should have been upstairs sewing.)
I highly recommend this book for anyone who sews, or wants to sew. It would make a fabulous gift, sure to be loved and used regularly for a long time. It’s available in paperback from your local bookstore or online at Amazon.com.
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