Customer Reviews

The Complete Book of Sewing New Edition

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I chose this book after carefully examining it against the Reader's Digest New Complete Guide to Sewing. While the Reader's Digest book occasionally went into better detail about some techniques, I chose this book because it is far easier to see how something should be done. This is largely due to the ample-sized, crisp and clear color photos accompanying each technique. The Reader's Digest book has single color illustrations throughout instead and I find photos much easier to follow.

The fabrics in the photos are presented in basic colors and the fashions shown are timeless classics, so this book won't look out-of-date in a few years like many sewing books generally do. Everything you need to know about any sewing technique is covered is this guide so you won't be disappointed. As a reference, this book is great for beginners (like myself) and advanced sewer's alike (like my mother).

I've done a little bit of sewing--skirts with elastic waists, simple tops, small accessories--but everything I know about sewing I either learned in Junior High Home Ec class, or I figured out (read: muddled my way through) on my own. This book does a wonderful job of going from the very basic to the very advanced. I learned about several things that I was doing wrong, and also about techniques to further perfect what I've already been doing.

One of the most useful chapters for beginners is the chapter called "Tools for the Techniques." It has photographs and descriptions of dozens of tools for those who sew--from the absolute essentials to the things that cost a little extra but make things so much easier. I never would have thought about buying some of these time-saving tools were it not for this book.

The chapter on fabrics is one of my favorite parts. It explains characteristics of and differences between many of the most common cotton, woolen, linen/silk, and synthetic and special fabrics. I would have liked to have seen this section expanded a bit, with more fabrics and more information about each, but for the beginner it is definitely more useful than just walking into a fabric store and wondering which of the myriad fabrics in there might work for her project.

My biggest complaint about this book is that many of the techniques are not described or illustrated very well. When describing a technique, steps are often not illustrated clearly, or are not illustrated at all. Especially getting toward the middle and end of the book, many of the descriptions have me thinking "Huh? You lost me." This book is chock full of wonderful color photos, but they're not helpful if each step is not clearly described and illustrated. It's difficult to get from Point A to Point C when Point B is not labeled. Also, the book says that contrasting fabrics and threads are used in the photos to better show what has been stitched, but in many of the illustrations, the contrast isn't great enough and the stitches cannot be seen. That makes them pretty useless.

Despite this, I know a lot more about sewing than I did before this book, and now I know I have a very good reference to which I can turn when I come across a new technique in my projects. This book will definitely get the novice sewer up to speed on all the basics. I would recommend this book to anyone new to sewing, with the caveat that one shouldn't expect to be able to execute many of the techniques in this book without assistance from other sewers or references.

This book is so great! I just bought a nice sewing machine but have no idea how to use it. So I went to a bookstore and decided to buy this book for its colorful presentation. I learn how to use my sewing maching just by looking at the step-by-step pictures since they are all very helpful. The colors of the fabrics are presented in high contrast so that the difference is obvious. There are equipment section, pattern, basic technique and professional technique and some more. I recomend it!

I have carefully compared this book with the New Reader's Digest Sewing Guide. Although some topics are covered in the Reader's Digest book (Patchwork & Quilting, Tailoring, & Projects) that are not in this book, most of the basic sewing topics (Tools, Patterns, Fabrics, Stitches, Seams, etc.)are covered in both books. What I like most about this book was the ease of finding what you need and side by side comparisons/lists, also the photos are easier to look at than the drawings of the Reader's Digest Guide. This book also has a section on mending, and separate chapters for Interfacings & Interlinings / Darts, Tucks, Pleats, & Gathers /and Edges which I did not find in the Reader's Digest Guide. It also shows you how to do things like make bows. And has a chart for fabric care. I would recommend this book for anyone, it is a great reference.

A sewing novice writes this review. Thus far my sewing has been limited to home decorating. I have made curtains, roman blinds, duvets, and most recently slipcovers. I purchased this book to help me get beyond the basic straight-line sewing that I have been doing. The book covers almost any sewing topic that you can imagine.

The book is subdivided as follows:
Introduction
Tools and Techniques
Patterns
Fabrics, Threads and Notions
Basic Stitches
Seams
Interfacings and Interlinings
Darts, Tucks, Pleats and Gathers
Necklines
Collars
Waistlines
Sleeves and Cuffs
Hems
Edges
Fastenings
Pockets
Professional Techniques

This book covers the entire topic of sewing from Sewing Machines to Couture Dressmaking and Custom Tailoring.

The book is written in a very easy to read style and format. The numbered step-by-step sequences explain how to accomplish all the various stages of each sewing technique that is covered in the book. The authors also include tip boxes that give additional tips or hints on the related topic that is being addressed.

The book does a great job explaining how to alter patterns. In this section alone they cover the following information:
1. How to take all the measurements you will need to know what to adjust
2. Lengthening and shortening patterns
3. Lengthening and shortening darts
4. Lengthening and shortening hem edge
5. Raising or lowering a bust dart
6. Increasing a bust dart
7. Shoulder alterations for square, sloping, broad or narrow shoulders
8. Increasing or decreasing the crotch point or seam

There are more alterations discussed but I thought his would give the reader a good idea of the depth of the topic that the book covers. The entire book is written with this much depth. If you have a question about how to sew something properly, this book probably has the answer. I have been very impressed with the depth that this book covers on the topic of sewing.

This book is a sewing course in hardback cover. I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to learn how to sew, or just wants to sew better. I think there is something for everyone in this book.

If you're looking for a basic beginner's sewing book that will ease you into the world of sewing, this is a GREAT place to start. The heavy photo content is utilized wisely to show you what a given process should look like from start to finish, as well as show you the differences between a variety of fabrics, even if the descriptions of fiber content aren't always as accurate or all-encompassing as they could be (for example, not all charmeuses are made from silk nowadays - that's not even mentioned in the small amount of text found under the fabric swatch's photo - and often the average chain sewing store will only carry non-natural fiber versions).

This IS a great book to use to get your feet wet with sewing, but I just didn't find it to be as extensive as I was hoping it was, and I used the Amazon reviews to help me determine which sewing book to start with. The book that's completely blown me away with its vast wealth of knowledge is Vogue Sewing: Revised and Updated (Vogue Knitting Magazine). When I told my mom that I had decided to pick up Vogue Sewing as well, to cut down on my hollering-for-sewing-help phone calls to her, she couldn't say enough about how wonderful and extensive "Vogue Sewing" is. Mom even had "Vogue Sewing" in constant rotation as a recommended text for her Advanced sewing (high school) classes. When it comes to sewing (and everything else) my mom ROCKS! She knows her stuff backwards and forwards, so if she tells me that this is a great book to sew from, I believe her. And my brief perusal of "Vogue Sewing" only served to confirm for me just how great a sewing resource it's going to prove to be!

So, long story short, if you want a book that will show you, in a way that's easy to understand, how what you're doing should look as you're doing it, this is the book to get. If you want something that will require a little more effort to figure out, but will help you to grow as a seamstress or tailor, go for Vogue Sewing: Revised and Updated (Vogue Knitting Magazine). Or, do what I did, and buy 'em both!

I love this book, it is truly the most complete book of sewing with EVERY technique in it any sewing beginner OR advanced seamstress would ever need or desire. I am in love with this book and I have truly learned so much about sewing. I am an heirloom seamstress - this book has taught me so many new techniques and is a true encyclopedia of sorts. I love it!!!

I find this a really handy and useful guide to basic techniques. I've been trying to improve my sewing skills and have found this enormously helpful. The sewing techniques are clearly illustrated with photographs, and an enormous range of things is covered--everything from how to match plaids and stripes when cutting patterns, to how to make a jabot collar.

Beginners with absolutely no sewing experience will probably need more than just this book. It doesn't assume a lot of prior knowledge, but it doesn't go into excruciating detail either. Also, if you want a "project" book, this isn't for you. It will give you knoweldge you can apply to any project of your own, but it doesn't give you sample projects to work on.

Because no technique is covered in extreme detail, one could argue that some things get short shrift. For example, Sandra Betzina's "Power Sewing Step by Step" illustrates a better method for raising or lowering a bust dart, and certainly goes into more specifics about making cuffs. But overall, this an excellent resource that will find many uses in the home sewer's library.

The Complete Book of Sewing New Edition is a wonderful new reference book. I think that it is important to have a handy guide that you can use as a review, while you are working on large projects. This book has wonderful photos, and direction. I think that is successfully joins that advanced sewer and beginner together nicely in this book.
I am always looking for a book that is clear and will "remind" me how to fix something I might have done wrong. This is a good buy for the money.

I purchased this book to help me learn how to sew. It is jam packed with awesome details, terms and pictures to describe almost any sewing technique you can think of. It is definitely a great resource for beginners as well as the advanced. I preferred this book over the Reader's Digest New Complete Guide to Sewing because it explained the methods in better detail and started more at a basic level. I definitely recommend this book as a must buy.