Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

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.

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

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.

The pictures are beautiful, but the substance is lacking in some important (and frustrating) ways. I'm not a complete beginner, have used my machine quite a bit before, to hem and take in clothes, and successfully make a square-bottomed purse from a tutorial online, but I wanted to refresh my basics- and her "bend the rules" approach seemed attractive. However, she really doesn't bend any rules, except one- she's completely against fusible interfacing, and recommends using instead a layer of cotton flannel. So I made the "charming purse" project in the book (couldn't have been less aptly named), substituted cotton flannel for the interfacing, and as one would logically expect, I ended up with a very floppy, amorphous looking purse- very disappointing. Cotton flannel is like the softest fabric in the world, I'm not sure what she's thinking. And the handles have a very unfinished, unprofessional, and just not aesthetically pleasing look. In other words, I was just really not impressed with the pattern. And the instructions- even though I've made a purse before- were confusing (especially if one considers that this book is geared toward people even less experienced than me)- it says "sew the two notches together on all pieces"- but it doesn't tell you how to do this- handstitch?- just baste the two corners together?- machine sew?- with what seam allowance?? And then it tells you to "Iron flat"- which throws the reader off again-- how do you iron something flat that you just sewed a curve into?--isn't that SUPPOSED to be a curve?? As you can see, I was frustrated, and the results were not worth the effort. If I had to do this all over again, I would go for Lotta Jansdotter's sewing instruction book (can't remember the name), or just follow the tutorials on [...].

This book is very approachable for the beginning sewer. Her writing style is very casual and she covers topics from choosing a sewing machine to setting up your sewing workspace to applying bias binding. She talks about the threads tangling in your machine and what to do about it, which happens to every sewer and can really frustrate a beginner.

The projects are good beginning projects- not too complicated, but you can probably find something in the book that you want to make and will actually use. And if your project doesn't turn out perfect, you won't feel like you failed-- the author explains why mistakes are an okay thing.

If you are an experienced sewer, you probably won't see any projects that you haven't seen or tried before. However, reading the first part of the book reinforced some habits I need to follow (changing my sewing machine needle often, pressing often) and gave me some technique ideas that I didn't know. I love her attitude about mistakes-- when to redo, when to take a rest and when to proceed with abandon. (I call it the "burning" stage and she is correct- it usually passes in time.)

A great beginning sewing book. Not as valuable for the experienced sewer, but worth a read for those wanting to build more confidence in their sewing style.

OK, I am a true beginner and not a good one at that. But this book is not for beginners. This book is for people who are not concerned with little things like measuring. I totally get how most thought this is a beginner's book because the book devotes a lot of time to supplies. And even I had the cut-to-the-chase moment with it. However, if you are new enough like me and would like usable patterns and dimensions, this may not be for you. The patterns in the back of the book need to be enlarged and my Canon simply was not up to task. I hated having to tape together two sheets of paper. I guess you could go to a printer as she suggests in the book, but I am not willing to do that. I found the hand drawn patterns shoddy and made for a consistently lopsided bib. The written instructions are very poor and assume you know some steps she has let out. Like hand stitching the opening left to turn a blanket right side out. Part of the instructions for a scalloped baby blanket read: "Trim and notch around the scallops, leaving about 1/8" edge and snip at scallop inside points really close to the stitching. Turn inside out and iron all the scallops out. Use your finger to help ease these out. Press." Huh? Am I reading that I should trim the right side of the blanket? I doubt that is right, but she then is telling me to turn the blanket inside out. My point is, perhaps a true newbie would assume to notch the right side of the blanket. All that said, the book is lovely and I do wish I was a better sewer and did not need precision and hand holding. I would make almost all the projects in her book, but not yet. The frustration may turn me off from sewing ever again. If you are the type of sewer that can wing it, you will love this book. I just wanted to dispute that this is a true beginner's book. Not in my case, which is a pity because the learn to sew books have the worst 1982 projects in them. She is brilliant and I think poor editing and proof reading is to blame for what is lacking in content.

I have to agree with a lot of the reviews of this book. I was busting to buy this book after continually reading about it in most of the craft blogs I visit. But what a disappointment. If you are a beginner, stay clear of this book. My biggest gripe is the hand-drawn diagrams. Authors/Artists take note.....creating a computer drawn image or even a hand drawn image using a ruler is much better on the eye than the sloppy diagrams in this book!!! I've made the bib, scallop blanket and bag and they all disappointed me. The scallops on the blanket were a real mess and I'm an accomplished quilter who always measures twice and cuts once!! The scallops did not match up on the corners and I ended up running around the edges with perl thread to tidy them up a bit. The bag was a nightmare as a few important steps were missing and I ended up winging it just to get it finished. The start of the book however contains some great information for the beginner with tips on fabric and tools. A much better book to buy is Amy Butler's - "In stitches". That one was well worth the extra money.

Simple and lovely projects good for a beginner sewer. The photos are gorgeous as are the fabrics Amy has chosen for the examples. But this book is not really a new way to sew. It includes no revolutionary ideas or projects more unique than what's popular in the "modern" sewing camp. The directions and ideas are mostly clear and straightforward but tend to provide a finished project that is, well, sometimes sloppy. "Homemade" can be well-made, too, not necessarily hastily-finished or simplistic.

I love this book and have been carrying it everywhere with me, in the bag I made from the pattern in the book! Such a cute book with lovely, quickly-do-able projects. I've made three items in less than one week. However, the buyer should know some things before buying this book:

I am a beginner sewer but I've been quilting for 4 years. I am used to seeing thorough patterns but this book lacks in: (1) how much fabric to buy - took the book to the fabric store and realized I had to figure out the yardage by myself, not an easy thing to do if someone's in the car waiting for you; (2) how to sew the layers together - right sides out or right sides in, I don't want to think and figure it out. (3) missing measurements - for the life of me, I couldn't find the measurement and directions for the casing of one bag (pg. 64) and one of the pockets came out way different from the photo (pg. 68).

This book is great for bouncing off the projects in here. I have learned to LIG - not be such a perfectionist, to Let It Go or I will never be happy and satisfied. I have taken the ideas and now I know how to use those ideas for other projects. Perhaps some of the rules she bends are not ones I prefer, but they are still good to know, just in case. And you do learn different techniques - for example, in the two patterns mentioned above, you learn two ways to do a bag's bottom. As far as the 'mistakes' in the patterns, I have included personal post-it notes in my book and am in the process of looking for a website that publishes updates - didn't check the author's blog yet. A minor thing, I do love her blog and her ideas but was kind of surprised with her photo in the back of the book.

Do buy this book! It is worth the price of the many patterns and projects, even if you have to take time out to figure them out. The end outcomes are worth it. However, even if you never get around to sewing the projects, it's a great picture book worth having. It will inspire you and put a smile on your face everytime you turn through its pages. I'd buy Amy Karol's next book, whenever that should come out.

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. I am a big fan of the author's blog, style sensibilities, and writing style, but I found this book completely useless even as a beginning sewist. The patterns are uninspired and the beginning "tips and basics" section was rudimentary and lacked any depth or detail. I'd recommend just buying a basic pattern and practicing on muslin--you'll learn a lot more that way and be more likely to create something worth having.