The BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook [Hardcover-spiral]

Nora Abousteit (Author), Alison Kelly (Author), BurdaStyle (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 1, 2011

   If you’ve ever made your own clothes, you know how empowering it can be. That awesome skirt in a fabric you adore. The blouse that fits perfectly. The one-of-a-kind dress you just knew would look cuter with a few extra details at the neck and hem. All made by you. 
   Creating fashionable, custom-fitted clothing is often much easier than you think, and in their first book, BurdaStyle—the largest community of aspiring fashion designers and style-savvy sewers—will show you how. Packed with easy-to-follow tutorials, five adaptable sewing patterns for a skirt, blouse, dress, coat, and bag, and fifteen step-by-step sewing projects, this book gives you the basic building blocks to begin sewing and the tools you need to move beyond the basics to designing and customizing your own wardrobe. 
   If you’ve never threaded a needle before, you’ll find essential information on setting up a studio, using your sewing machine and other tools, working with patterns, and getting the perfect fit. For experienced sewers, the book offer tips and tricks for mastering techniques, as well as tons of design inspiration from seventy-eight BurdaStyle members from all over the world. With its unique blend of fashion, creativity, and expert know-how, The BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook is the ultimate guide to sewing with style.
  

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook...sits at the other end of the sewing spectrum, providing inspiration for clothing designers and experienced sewers. BurdaStyle is a website for the fashion-oriented." --Associated Press

"A great new resource that is absolutely overflowing with information and inspiration." --Craftzine.com

About the Author

Nora Abousteit is the cofounder of BurdaStyle. Previously she worked on the staff of Hurbert Burda and was part of the production team for the DLD conferences, as well as for several World Economic Forum events. She earned her first money by sewing as a teenager.
 
Alison Kelly is a fashion and jewelry designer for her label, Dahl. Alison was a contestant on the television series Project Runway (Season 3). As BurdaStyle’s creative director, she continues to fulfill her undying passion for sewing and DIY.
 
BurdaStyle.com is an all-encompassing resource for the global fashion and sewing community. Launched in 2007, the website offers copyright-free downloadable sewing patterns, step-by-step sewing tutorials, interaction with other people passionate about sewing, and much more. For more information visit BurdaStyle.com.

Product Details

• Hardcover-spiral: 208 pages
• Publisher: Potter Craft; 1 Spi edition (November 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 030758674X
• ISBN-13: 978-0307586742
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 1.2 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,269 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #74 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Crafts & Hobbies > Reference

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 80 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Book For New Sewers November 9, 2011

By T. Sedai

Format:Hardcover-spiral|Amazon Verified Purchase

For the beginning sewer, I would rate this book 5/5, but for more advanced sewers I would probably rate it 4/5.

I think this book is clearly laid out - the book starts by discussing important tools, how to read and trace patterns, grainlines and fabric, and basic sewing techniques. It then goes on to give very detailed instructions for a skirt, a blouse, a dress, a coat, and a bag. It includes three variations with instructions for each pattern, as well as photographs of lots of creative ideas for each of the five designs. The pattern pieces are included with the book, which is great. I really love the blouse, and I like elements of the coat, so I may make use of these patterns in the future.

My overall impression is that this is the perfect book for someone who is interested in learning to sew clothes but doesn't have a lot of experience. The book outlines the essentials of sewing without getting too bogged down in the details. It emphasizes creativity while still highlighting the importance of technique (pressing seams, etc.). Most of the other "learn to sew" type books tend to give "patterns" for aprons or toys or crafty items, which never held much interest for me, and I am sure aren't of much interest for others who want to learn to sew garments. This, of course, is not an issue with BurdaStyle, which emphasizes the different garment patterns they have included. The instructions seem to be quite detailed, so they could be great for newer sewers. Also, these patterns do not have seam allowances (like the BurdaStyle magazine patterns), and it gives some good advice about how to add seam allowances and why it is better to make pattern alterations without them. I have always had great experiences with the drafting of the Burda patterns, so I would expect new sewers might be really pleased with the results they get from the patterns included with this book. I really think this book would be especially good for teens or young adults who are interested in sewing trendy clothes and want to learn some of the basics.

As much as I think this book is great for beginners, I don't think it is the best book for an advanced home sewer. I know this isn't going to be one of my go-to books for sewing techniques, but I do like the inspiration and advice it gives for altering patterns to get totally different styles. I don't ususally feel very confident making drastic pattern alterations with most garment patterns and I think this book may give me more ideas for making major pattern alterations, although it doesn't discuss much technique. For the advanced sewer this book is more useful in terms of inspiration and ideas, as well as use of the patterns included in the book.

Overall I would say this is a great book and fills a niche in the current sewing book market. I think it may be just a bit below my skill level at this point, but it is exactly the book I was looking for when I first started sewing. The inclusions of the patterns are great and make the purchase worth it for advanced sewers, and I really like that this book included inspirational designs from the BurdaStyle community members. However, I think where this book really excels is as a first sewing book for new sewers who want a guidebook for garment construction, but want to be able to exercise their own creativity in making clothes.

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Burda Has The Best Patterns November 10, 2011

By bibliophile

Format:Hardcover-spiral|Amazon Verified Purchase

Fantastic value...5 Burda patterns are included, for that reason alone purchase this gem.
The patterns are for a blouse, skirt, dress, coat and handbag. With different fabric choices you could conceivably create a beautiful and versatile modest-sized wardrobe from these patterns alone. The clothing shapes chosen are ingeniously universally flattering. The coat is fabulous and 'Audrey Hepburn' inspired. The skirt is A-line and can be easily modified to suit your height and preference of length. The blouse is pretty and feminine.
The pattern variations offered are creative and inspiring. The lie flat binder design should be de rigueur for all craft books.
With all the sewing basics and instructions included, this would make an excellent gift for a beginner seamstress as well.
NOTE: The patterns are Euro sizes 32-46, which are US sizes 0-14.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally a modern, fashionable + easy-to-follow sewing book! November 8, 2011

By Sofie

Format:Hardcover-spiral

Finally! Sewing is no longer a thing of the past! I am new to sewing and saw this book online and ordered it right away because it stood out as being one of the only books with a refreshingly fashion-forward and modern take on sewing. Being a sewing novice myself, I was wary about learning to sew from a book-- but this one is special because it guides you all the way from setting up a sewing area, to threading a sewing machine, to sewing your first seam. The photos are awesome, the mood boards are beautiful and the illustrations are clean and sophisticated-- and Project Runway alum Alison Kelly designed the patterns!

PLUSES: Clear and concise instructions, beautiful photography, packed with tips + tutorials, and the 5 paper patterns (included in the back of the book) are actually really cute!

MINUSES: You have to trace the paper patterns onto new paper so you can add seam allowance and preserve the original pattern to use in later variations. This is time consuming but it makes sense-- you can reuse and trace the original patterns over and over again, apparently creating countless variations.

Overall score: A+