Home Decor Sewing 101: A Beginner's Guide to Sewing for the Home [Spiral-bound]

The editors of Creative Publishing international (Author)

Book Description

Series: 101 | Publication Date: March 1, 2004

Haven't sewn since eighth-grade home economics? With Home D¬cor Sewing 101, even you can create impressive window treatments, luxurious bed linens, decorator pillows, and other d¬cor furnishings-and in just a few hours. Home D¬cor Sewing 101 makes it easy with a complete basics section, lots of tips, and 20 step-by-step projects illustrated with more than 300 close-up color photographs.

Each project introduces several new techniques and skills. For example, the versatile knife-edge pillow teaches how to set and press seams and sew perfect corners. A fleece throw in luscious sherbet colors demonstrates using a rotary cutter and mat, sewing raw-edged appliqu¬s, and cutting fringe. The learning is painless and fun, and the results are real d¬cor items like a cushy floor pillow, an elegant banded tablecloth, a valance, a shower curtain, and a duvet cover.

Many homeowners want to learn basic d¬cor sewing because they're dissatisfied with the limited options offered by ready-made items but are shocked by the cost of custom ones. Luckily, sewing for the home is a great place to start, as there are no patterns, fitting, zippers, or sleeves.

Featuring convenient spiral binding so pages stay flat during sewing, color photographs of every step, and invaluable advice from experienced sewing teachers, Home D¬cor Sewing 101 is the perfect book for every first-time or rusty sewer.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The editors of Creative Publishing international have created more than 100 titles on sewing, crafting, and home decorating, including the best selling Sewing 101 and Quilting 101.

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 176 pages
• Publisher: Creative Publishing international (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589231422
• ISBN-13: 978-1589231429
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #676,157 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

157 of 161 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for the total novice, February 8, 2005

By 

Newmie the cat (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Home Decor Sewing 101: A Beginner's Guide to Sewing for the Home (Spiral-bound)

This book is easy to follow because of the clear photos you get for every step and along that the clear explainations. Every project is step-by-step, so it's easy to understand!
It explains everything from the very basics because the writer assumes that you know nothing about sewing.
The book starts out with the "How to use this book" chapter, then
the "Sewing basics" (principle parts common to all modern sewing machines)+ you'll need your own manual!
"Machine accessories" (all the things come with your machine and what to use them for and how),
"Getting ready to sew" (how to thread the machine, change the needle, etc),
then "Sewing your first seam" (very easy to understand and clear colord photos),
"Sewing Supplies" (pins, tape measure, shears, etc. you'll need for your projects),
and "Special products" (batting, twill tape, etc.) the explanation on how these products work, what to use it for and you get a photo so you'll know what to look for in the shop,
"Fabric information"
"Cutting decorator fabrics"
"Matching designs"
"Hand stitches"
Then finaly the "Sewing projects" which includes 20 home decor projects; scarf swags, few kind of valances, window coverings, placemats and napkins, tablecoth, cushions, seat covers, fleece throw, different kind of pillows, pillow cases, shams, duvet cover, shower curtain. Great looking projects! While you learn you make a lots of nice and useful stuff for your home.

53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Decent Start, February 19, 2006

By 

M. Miller (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Home Decor Sewing 101: A Beginner's Guide to Sewing for the Home (Spiral-bound)

I am someone who bought a sewing machine, had ABSOLUTELY NO PRIOR SEWING EXPERIENCE and I must say, this little book has helped me tremendously. There are so many little things that people who already sew take for granted such as fabric information. Sure, like any book, you may run into something that you still don't quite get, but after my first couple of projects, I dared to do a very simple pattern for my daughter and she actually likes it. I also find that while sewing, I sometimes refer to the book for reassurance for a simple technique. Again, I'm totally brand new (2 1/2 weeks of sewing). The book goes from a simple square pillow and very gradually, gets on to things that are a little more challenging that wont completely freak you out. For instance, I sewed the basic pillow, and then moved on to a box style square pillow with stripes. Until then, I had no idea about what it took to match patterned fabric. This was a wonderful introduction for me. I'm not afraid to try the stuff in the book, and for me that is totally key. Surely it's worth the inevestment.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Basic Information for the beginning sewer, June 6, 2006

By 

Sonya "readaholic" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Home Decor Sewing 101: A Beginner's Guide to Sewing for the Home (Spiral-bound)

I would be what you call an intermediate sewer. I have quilted and sewn simple garments and home decor items for years. The reason I got this book was for some help in trying to determine the best way to construct and sew a lined bedspread, something I have not done yet. I did not find what I was looking for, the closest thing being the self-line valance, but I did not want self-lined. I checked this book out of the library, but I would definitely recommend it for the novice sewer. It has really good basic information about machines, supplies, how to sew a seam, matching fabric and more. It then goes into actual sewing projects from valances to cushions, napkins and pillows. Overall, I think this is a very good book for the beginning sewer.