Easy Guide to Sewing Blouses (Sewing Companion Library) [Paperback]

Connie Long (Author), Clarke Barre (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Sewing Companion Library | Publication Date: January 15, 1997

Now you can sew beautiful blouses every time. Easy Guide to Sewing Blouses will lead you through each step of making a blouse that fits and flatters. You'll learn how to choose the right pattern, find the fabric that suits it best, and put the two together. Packed with techniques and tips that most patterns don't tell you about, this book will help you learn skills you'll use every time you sew, including how to choose a flattering pattern; understand the back of a pattern envelope; customize your pattern for a better fit; work with silky, sheer, and other difficult fabrics; know which interfacing to use; add details that give your blouse a ready-to-wear look; get a perfectly pointed collar; set in a sleeve; and make an elegant button loop that actually fits the button; . Whatever your skill level, Easy Guide to Sewing Blouses will help you produce stylish garments with ready-to-wear quality and a personal fit.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Now you can sew beautiful blouses every time. Easy Guide to Sewing Blouses will lead you through each step of making a blouse that fits and flatters. You'll learn how to choose the right pattern, find the fabric that suits it best, and put the two together. Packed with techniques and tips that most patterns don't tell you about, this book will help you learn skills you'll use every time you sew, including how to choose a flattering pattern; understand the back of a pattern envelope; customize your pattern for a better fit; work with silky, sheer, and other difficult fabrics; know which interfacing to use; add details that give your blouse a ready-to-wear look; get a perfectly pointed collar; set in a sleeve; and make an elegant button loop that actually fits the button; . Whatever your skill level, Easy Guide to Sewing Blouses will help you produce stylish garments with ready-to-wear quality and a personal fit.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Taunton Press (January 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561581089
• ISBN-13: 978-1561581085
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #512,840 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very helpful book for women's blouses, October 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Easy Guide to Sewing Blouses (Sewing Companion Library) (Paperback)

This book is very good but in my opinion it is not a reference book on blouses. I would recommend that someone read first a good book on shirts such as "Shirtmaking" by D.P. Coffin and then use this book to add details found usually in women's shirts and blouses.

The first three chapters are about choosing the right pattern and style, selecting fabrics and notions and fitting the pattern. Chapter 4 is focusing, among others, on: * Neckline Finishes (shaped facings, faced facings, bias facings and knit ribbing) * Sewing Collars (collars without a back facing, knitted collar, collars with a stand) * Sewing a Yoked Blouse (standard shirt yoke, blouse-type yoke which is worn mostly by women) * Sewing the Sleeves (flat-sleeve construction, round-sleeve construction) * Plackets (Continuous-lap sleeve placket, simplified sleeve opening) * Cuffs (standard cuff, no-cuff cuff) * Machine-Stitched Hems (turned and stitched hems, rolled hems) * Closures (hidden closure, buttonhole placement and size, sewing the buttons, gooks and eyes)

The instructions are clear and detailed, accompanied by many photographs and really helpful tips that I believe make this a very good book on blouses even for a beginner sewer. I sewed myself a blouse with a blouse-type yoke and used the technique for faced facings (the latter technique eliminates the need to finish the facings edge with a serger) and the bias-tricot bound seam to bind and finish the armhole. The results were very professional and my blouse looks as beautiful on the outside as on the inside! I highly recommend this book to any sewer!

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect companion to David Page Coffin's Shirtmaking, November 1, 2001

By 

pitsam (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Easy Guide to Sewing Blouses (Sewing Companion Library) (Paperback)

Currently my favorite sewing book. Make that my favorite book. It's very useful for sewing shirts as well as blouses. The most useful chapter is no.4, The Best Sewing Techniques. As opposed to Mr. Coffin's illustrations, (another excellent book) this one has very clear color photographs of each technique and it's various steps. Her techniques appear to come from the within the industry and should be part of any serious sewer's arsenal. The instructions are some of the clearest I've come across. Don't sew another yoked shirt/blouse until you've looked at the technique shown here. Ms. Long's work, shown as examples, is absolutely flawless. The beauty is in the crisp execution of details such as welt pockets and plackets. This book inspires me to improve and perfect my sewing skills towards that of Connie Long's.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful book!, April 5, 2003

By 

happy lady "cyn_the_win" (Provo, UT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Easy Guide to Sewing Blouses (Sewing Companion Library) (Paperback)

I can't say enough about Chapter 4 in this book, entitled, "The Best Sewing Techniques." I have already used this chapter to make a blouse. The author's instructions are SUPERIOR to those of pattern manufacturers. I've never taken a class on shirts/blouses and have always relied on the instructions included in a pattern. Not this time around! I used the author's detailed and very easy to understand instructions along with the beautifully detailed colored photos to construct a blouse just this week. The biggest difference in this shirt and others I've made is definitely the collar and facing. Makes you wonder why pattern companys don't let you in on these VERY EASY changes we can all make to make our blouses look tailored instead of homemade.