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Bend-the-Rules Sewing: The Essential Guide to a Whole New Way to Sew [Paperback]

Amy Karol
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (99 customer reviews)

List Price: $21.95
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Book Description

June 19, 2007
Author Amy Karol, whose Angry Chicken is one of the best-loved craft blogs on the Web, brings stitchers everywhere a down-to-earth introduction to sewing, including thirty projects so adorable and cool they’ll inspire anyone to pick up a needle and thread.

Written with Amy’s characteristic warmth and flair, you’ll find information on basic equipment and supplies, advice on choosing and using fabrics, and a fantastic section on techniques. In addition, Amy walks readers through easy, inspiring patterns designed for the fashion-savvy crafter. Playful, modern projects, which include pillows, aprons, and purses, help novices master sewing skills while providing immediate sewing gratification—and confidence. Best of all, Amy explains what’s easy, what’s hard, and when not to sweat the small stuff.

With its best-friend tone, solid reference section, and supercute projects, this is the introduction to sewing that you won’t want to be without.

Frequently Bought Together

Bend-the-Rules Sewing: The Essential Guide to a Whole New Way to Sew + One-Yard Wonders: 101 Sewing Fabric Projects; Look How Much You Can Make with Just One Yard of Fabric!
Price for both: $33.64

Buy the selected items together


Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Amy Karol is a trained interior designer, artist, seamstress, and self-professed fabric junkie. Find her popular craft blog, Angry Chicken, on her website at www.amykarol.com.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 144 pages
  • Publisher: Potter Craft (June 19, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0307347214
  • ISBN-13: 978-0307347213
  • Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.4 x 10.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (99 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #334,399 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Amy Karol is a trained interior designer, artist, seamstress, and self-professed fabric junkie. Find her popular craft blog, Angry Chicken, on her website at www.amykarol.com.

Customer Reviews

A great beginning sewing book. Caroline Devoy  |  32 reviewers made a similar statement
A much better book to buy is Amy Butler's - "In stitches". Donna Sews  |  5 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
258 of 266 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars Great Projects, Terrible Directions August 28, 2007
By Maggie
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book has some great and really accessible projects in it for a beginner and intermediate sewer. I've done three of the projects so far- the bib, scalloped blanket and charming handbag. All great things. However, I really struggled following the directions, and the sewing process was much more frustrating than it had to be. Vital measurements and directions were inexplicable left out at steps in each project. For instance, indications about whether to sew right sides together were often left out. The handbag directions never provided the measurements for the length of the handbag handles. The scalloped blanket directions did not provide any guidance on how to apply the template to the fabric (my scallops ended up not matching in the corners the first (and second) time I tried). It was really very, very frustrating to have to stop a project mid-way through to figure these things out. Another peeve was that, unlike other similar books, Bend the Rules provides the size of fabric you need to do the project (i.e. 13" x 13"), but not the size of fabric you'd need to buy (i.e. half a yard). This can be figured out of course, but I'm terrible at it. This just added another layer of annoyance to the project.

I think a true beginner would have a lot of difficuly completing these projects successfully. I'd recommend starting with Amy Butler's In Stitches: More Than 25 Simple and Stylish Sewing Projects. The directions there are very detailed and very good. Once you've got a few projects under your belt, you'll be able to figure out what's missing in Bend the Rules. I think Bend the Rules is a worthwhile book because the projects are great, but I do wish it had been better edited.
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95 of 96 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Ideas but Needs Better Editing. July 2, 2007
Format:Paperback
I absolutely love this woman's blog. Her sewing ideas are wonderful and leave so much room for personal creative expression.

Overall, this book is good for beginners, BUT I had a hard time with some of the patterns, as they were missing some vital measurements. Thus, I had to guess and I was often wrong. Perhaps I am way more novice than I thought, but I have been a quilter for over 10 years ... so I think it might have been the book, not necessarily me. I also thought that some of the step-by-step instructions needed to be written out more clearly. I had both my best friend and my husband re-read some of the pattern instructions with me, because I thought maybe I was missing something, but it turns out that they couldn't understand it either.

Yet, I am still in love with this book. The ideas alone were worth the cost of the book ... and the photos are amazing! Amy is also a fun writer - often talking to the reader as though they are old friends.

Thanks, Jodi
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80 of 85 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This isn't a bad book, and I think its a great book for beginner sewers. However, I think the title isn't clear about it being a beginner book and nor do the reviews really stress that. As an experienced seamstress, I'm disappointed because I thought it might have more "unusual" bend the rules like short cuts or quick tips for more substantial projects. I do think there's some cute projects in here, and I do think they're great ideas for those quick gifts/projects you might need and might not come to mind.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars complete
easy to understand, clean, clear directions from basics to more advanced sewing techniques. inspiring! i will be using this book as a reference over and over.
Published 2 days ago by bonnie hennessy
4.0 out of 5 stars Good for beginners
This book is a fun, non-intimidating introduction for beginners. The tone is relaxed without being cutesy, and suitable for both kids and adults. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Katie Albright
2.0 out of 5 stars Need sewing skills and imagination to make this book work
While she has great ideas, the instructions and the pictures are very lacking in how to put the projects together. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Dawn
4.0 out of 5 stars Bend the Rules Sewing
I love this book! The pictures are awesome. There are projects for every ablility level. I wanted to make all of the projects in the book right away. Glad I ordered it!
Published 20 months ago by S. Lawrence
3.0 out of 5 stars Title doesn't meet content
The book title does not really reflect the content. I did not find "a new way to sew". A better description would be a compilation of a cute fun sewing blog. Read more
Published 21 months ago by gail
4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty great book
I would like to say I have made 3 projects so far from this book. I don't know if this would be a great book for an absolute beginer though. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Cait
4.0 out of 5 stars Great for Beginners
I bought this book on a recommendation of a friend and so far I really like the book! I have NO experience with sewing and felt like picking up the skill (motivated by baby on the... Read more
Published on January 23, 2011 by J. STEWART
1.0 out of 5 stars disappointed
I didn't like the book. I was very disappointed in the content. I really want to return it, but this was the very first time I had purchased a book on line. Read more
Published on December 10, 2010 by ram112352
4.0 out of 5 stars Great for Kids + Sewing Aunts (or mom)
This was a library check out for me originally, but I enjoyed doing the projects in it so much, I eventually purchased it. Read more
Published on December 4, 2010 by K. Hatch
1.0 out of 5 stars Check it out at a library first!
After receiving a copy of this book and taking a few evenings to flip through it, I'm left utterly mystified by its high ratings. Read more
Published on March 17, 2010 by S. Srinivasan
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