Fabric Savvy: The Essential Guide for Every Sewer [Illustrated] [Spiral-bound]

Sandra Betzina (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1999

Fabric Savvy is a handy, spiral-bound reference on virtually every fabric imaginable--from the newest to the old favorites. It's a must for anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed in a fabric store by all the fabric and notion choices. Fabrics are listed alphabetically for easy reference. Specific information for each fabric includes preshrinking instructions, layout, marking, interfacing, needle and thread options, stitch length, seam finishing, pressing, topstitching, closures, hemming, and more!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

For those of you who have managed in the past to find the right pattern and the perfect new fabric, only to give up in frustration when the fabric doesn't behave like anything you've used before, Fabric Savvy is here to help. Author Sandra Betzina, host of Home and Garden TV's Sew Perfect, has wrestled with just about every fabric out there, and she's lived to tell about it.

Perfectly suited to beginning and experienced sewers alike, this excellent guide devotes, in alphabetical order, two pages to each of 85 fabrics. For every material Betzina highlights a multitude of topics, including fabric facts (bulky/drape/breathable/how fabricated), suitability (types of projects), sewing tips, lay-out (and why it matters), interfacing, stitch length, seam finish, closures, and hemming. The categories are thorough, as is the scope of fabrics addressed: waterproof breathables, tencel, and lame, to name a few, along with 14 types of silk and 8 wools.

Color photographs accompany the descriptions of fabrics and projects, while helpful illustrations further explain the techniques used. Finally, Betzina offers a glossary of fabric terms and a thorough listing of contact information for fabric and alternative pattern companies, making Fabric Savvy a necessary resource for any sewing enthusiast. --Molly McElroy

From Library Journal

Betzina (No Time To Sew, LJ 12/96) is the author of the Power Sewing series and hostess of HGTVs Sew Perfect. Fabric Savvy is a guidebook to 85 different fabrics available to the home sewer, from African mudcloth to wool melton. Each fabric is given a two-page spread that includes information on recommended thread and needles, stitch length, presser foot, finishing, seams, marking, interfacing, cutting, types of hems, topstitching, and closures as well as basic information about the fabric and the types of garments for which it is suitable. Recommended for general purchase by public libraries.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 200 pages
• Publisher: Taunton Press; 1st edition (April 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561582670
• ISBN-13: 978-1561582679
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 7.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #110,811 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Expert Advice > Sandra Betzina

More About the Author

Sandra Betzina, the "power" behind Power Sewing, is the author of More Fabric Savvy, Fast Fit, Power Sewing Step-by-Step, Sandra Sews for the Home, No Time To Sew and Fear of Sewing and most recently, the Power Sewing Toolbox series. She has produced a skill series of Power Sewing DVDs and also designs a full line of patterns for Vogue under the tab of Today's Fit. Sandra hosted her own show, Sew Perfect, on HGTV for six years and now has a regular, online sewing show called Power Sewing TV, which is co-hosted by Canadian sewing expert, Ron Collins. Sandra is also a popular speaker and hosts several week-long Sewing Retreats San Francisco throughout the year.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

152 of 153 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Belongs next to every sewing machine, September 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fabric Savvy: The Essential Guide for Every Sewer (Spiral-bound)

Let me state my one request for a change and then proceed with my sincere, gushing praise: In the next edition, I hope Ms. Betzina will include a phonetic pronounciation next to the name of every type of fabric she talks about.Now, let's get started on what's right about this book, which is EVERYTHING. The binding shows this book is a workhorse. It's vinyl coated hardbound, with a covered spiral binding. In other words, it opens flat and won't fall apart with use.The format: a generous lower margin allows you to prop it open (flat!) in a stand to refer to as you work. Each type fabric is presented in alphabetical order and on two facing pages--it's all there when you're working, you don't have to skip around. An photograph of the garment made of the fabric is included--so you can see the subtle difference between silk dupioni and shantung...and an appropriate garment for the fabric. Under bold, clear headings are listed the recommended needle, closure, layout, marking, cutting, interfacing, thread, presser foot, closures, stitch length, preshrink, pressing, hem for the fabric. There are also fascinating tips to improve your sewing and interesting facts about the fabric. I'll never use the same old needle and thread again, and now know what would make some of my garments look couture perfect rather than homemade. This truly is an essential guide for EVERY sewer.

65 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dictionary-style fabric reference is indispensable, December 17, 2000

By 

E. H. Perry (CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fabric Savvy: The Essential Guide for Every Sewer (Spiral-bound)

I don't know how I lived without this book. It's a thorough discussion of how to pre-wash, mark, interface, and sew most of the fabrics a home sewer will encounter. It's organized dictionary-style, so that you can open the page (flat!) to "Silk Chiffon" and find immediately the appropriate thread, stitch length, needle, presser foot, and pre-treatment for your project, as well as the helpful advice to "Never sew silk chiffon in a hurry! It will always go wrong on you."

Indispensable to even experienced seamstresses; I've been sewing on and off for thirty years, and this book had tips I didn't know, such as that some fabrics have incremental shrinkage, and must be washed and dried twice before you cut them out.

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential for sewers of every experience level, September 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fabric Savvy: The Essential Guide for Every Sewer (Spiral-bound)

I've been sewing clothing - from baby layettes to wool suits to wedding dresses - for 20 years, and I found great new-to-me information in Fabric Savvy. I'd have saved incalculable time and money over those 20 years if I'd had this book next to my sewing machine. The format gives you everything you need to know about sewing specific types of fabric, but gives it to you concisely. Brava, Ms. Betzina!