Customer Reviews

Professional Sewing Techniques for Designers

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I will tell u - I was very skeptical about purchasing this book. The reason? Some months aback, I had bought a book which stated that it was about sewing techniques. What a dreadful mistake - the illustrations were wack and unprofessional, I could hardly follow what the author was trying to bring across. But this book, oh my gosh!!! The illustrations are in great detail... the explanations and procedures are clear and precise! A couple of reviews of this book i noticed are from students, but if you are a home seamstress/sewist like myself, u really need this book. It covers every single thing u need to know about putting a garment together. I kid u not! If you are deterred about the price, and I know in some aspect that u are, it is definitely worth it!!! Don't waste your time and money buying any other sewing technique books, this one has every thing in it. Don't find yourself buying a whole bunch different books that concentrates on only one aspect of sewing/designing. Get this book, trust me, u will not be disappointed. I love it, love it, love it!!! At last, a book that covers all sewing techniques and problems u may encounter and how to solve them. For those who bought PATTERNMAKING FOR FASHION DESIGN by Helen Joseph Armstrong, this book I think is the 2nd step. It shows you how to put your patterns together. Just buy the thing!!! It's great!!!

It gives better instruction on stitching order than a lot of the patterns---and then some!! Whether you are an aspiring professional or just someone who really enjoys sewing this book has it all. This and the Reader's Digest Complete Book of Sewing are absolute MUST HAVES!!!

I graduated from the Art Institure of Chicago in Fashion Design. Many years later I took additional pattern making classes at Harper College and Julie Cole was my teacher. I learned more in her 6-month course than I did in four years of Art Institure. She is not only a great technician, but also an inspiring and selfless teacher. Before becoming a teacher in the U.S. she worked in the industry and understands how creative design must be translated for production. I highly recommend her book.

I received the book 2 days ago and have already put it to use! I love it.

Already I have found it useful in reminding me not to cut those corners we all tend to cut when we get overly confident or lazy. I found it very refreshing to see the text give examples of "DO this, DON'T do this", as well as the reasons behind it. Often times it's hard to understand when to use techniques on your own unless you know the purpose behind them.
The illustrations are great and even give a little bit of fashion inspiration. HOWEVER, they are not step by step illustrations like you may find in a flat pattern book or sewing instructions included with commercial sewing patterns. It's very important that you read the text and refer to the images as if it really were a school text book, and visualize the process for yourself.

My biggest complaints are these. The techniques really aren't "industry sewing" time saving techniques like what may be used in factory sewing. I was hoping I'd get a taste of that in this book. The techniques are the way good quality clothing should be made, which I will say is much better than most of the books available. Also oftentimes the text and the image it is referring to are on separate pages, so there are times you have to read, flip, flip read, flip.
Lastly the book really isn't like a "bible" or "encyclopedia" of sewing techniques. The chapters are set up in a way as though it's more a textbook meant to be read and worked through systematically. Which really makes sense as there is a workbook companion to go with it. I already find it a little complicated finding the appropriate technique for the garment I'm working on using the index. For example what I'd call a "bustier" or "corset" is in this book considered a "strapless bodice".

In the end, the only reason it's not a 5 star book is that it's not really industry sewing techniques, and not set up as a bible/encyclopedia reference book.

I have Julie as a teacher and all of what is written in this book she teaches us in class. I can guaranty you will learn so much from this book and the right sewing techniques that will make your garment look professionaly done. Then all there is left for you to do is to be creative.
Julie's student

This book covers it all! I have had the worst time finding information on button holes, their placement, length, ect. This book had an entire section on that covers all that info! NO OTHER SEWING TECHNIQUE BOOK had useful info on that subject! THIS IS A MUST HAVE FOR ANY FASHION DESIGN STUDENT!

This is a comprhensive book that will help any individual improve their sewing skills! I know that one of the authors, Sharon Czachor, is a well respected designer/teacher that makes more difficult sewing techniques easy to understand. Sewers were waiting for the release of her book and we are not disappointed. The book has a modern and appealing style of instruction. I especially appreciate the "review checklist" and the "self critique" at the end of each chapter.

I have an extensive library of sewing books and videos collected over many years. This is the best that I have found, next to the Taunton's series of books. I would rate this one higher except there are no actual photos of the techniques. There are complete explanations of construction techniques with clear instructions and excellent illustrations. I could replace many books in my library with this single resource. There is a 50 page chapter on seams alone and every chapter includes a "STOP! What to do if..." section, self-critique instructions and stretching your creativity. I have never written a review until now; BUY THIS BOOK.

I bought this book for my wife who has been sewing for longer than we have been married. She loves this book and has refered to it several times for solutions. Her only regret was not getting sooner. It seems pricey, but most other sewing books seem anemic when qulity and depth of infomation is important.

Although the book seems pricy, its worth it. The book covers all bits and pieces you need to complete to sew a clothing item that looks nice and feels comfortable.

It has step-by-step completion instructions and you can try to sew them all (patterns are not included with the book). I believe that these patterns are included in the accompanying workbook, as I understood, but I have not seen the workbook, so can't be sure of that.


Different shapes and sizes and design alternatives are also covered in the book. Recommend highly to anyone who plans to sew more than bedlinen and straight seems.