SewBasic: 34 Essential Skills for Sewing with Confidence [Paperback]

Threads Magazine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2002

The one reference a beginning (or returning) sewer needs for an overview of every essential sewing technique. It's concise, authoritative and filled with detailed information on every step of the complete sewing process -- from choosing fabric to finishing.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

From the intelligent pages of Threads come 33 articles on essential sewing skills that originally appeared in the "Basics" column of the magazine. Each section, by an expert contributor, focuses on one specific aspect, beginning with pre-sewing considerations like pattern layout and cutting, followed by the particulars of sewing notions and how to use them. The final chapter shows how to achieve success with various types of seams, insert a zipper, build darts and pleats, make bias strips, and more. Many sewing books presuppose an existing skill level; this one carefully demonstrates just how to build that skill. --Amy Handy

Product Details

• Paperback: 90 pages
• Publisher: Taunton Press (April 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561585416
• ISBN-13: 978-1561585410
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #343,930 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Teaching Tool, July 23, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: SewBasic: 34 Essential Skills for Sewing with Confidence (Paperback)

I recently taught a small basic sewing class and used this book as a guideline and reference book for the class. My students knew nothing about sewing and in the end they did not want to become great dressmakers, they just wanted to use the sewing machine that had belonged to their Mom or Grandmother ( and had been sitting in a closet..) to do general household sewing and clothing repair. One man was starting a company and needed to learn how to sew in order to make prototypes of his products. Another was a mom who wanted to make simple clothes for her daughter. This book was helpful in that it demystfied basic sewing techniques, was reader friendly, and had enough pictures to explain the techniques without being TOO MUCH information thrown at the novice sewer all at once. My teaching time was basically a "hands on" session where I used the book as a guideline and where any question that they had about sewing could be answered. My students were the " just get to the point and skip the froo froo" type of folks. For them a book that did not assume any sewing knowledge and then gave them what was needed to get from absolutely no sewing skill to completed simple class sewing projects is a good teaching tool.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for beginners & teaching beginners, August 26, 2005

By 

BJD (Washington state) - See all my reviews

This review is from: SewBasic: 34 Essential Skills for Sewing with Confidence (Paperback)

Good for beginners, especially distractable students. The pages are not too full of information and the type is larger instead of smaller which is good for children. It includes color, which appeals to kids, without going overboard. After a child/beginner has gained basics, then a more detailed book is definitely good to "graduate to."
This would not necessarily be a reference book. Once the skills are learned, a person might move it off their shelf.
I feel a 4th grade student would understand most of the info and need help with understanding some of the techniques.
I learned a few new techniques from it. (I teach sewing) I am recommending this book to my students, along with other real good reference type sewing books.
"Tailor tacks" is illustrated better than what I have seen so far. I found "Directional Sewing" to be very informational!
"Understitching" is also very well explained.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's a guide for further reading, January 16, 2005

By 

Robert Velardo "imarseille" (NYC, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SewBasic: 34 Essential Skills for Sewing with Confidence (Paperback)

This book contains reprints of articles on sewing. Each article is only 2 or 3 pages long, and that includes one or more photos or illustrations, so the result is not too much detail. Use this text as a guidebook--if you cannot grasp a particular skill--by reading this book--look elsewhere for more info., more detail, more illustrations--you'll know what to look for. Further, each writer is telling you how they do it. Yes, there alternatives to their way--like using a ruler and a "French Curve" when tracing patterns; you can buy some "bias tape" or you can make your own--stuff like that can only be gotten by reading everything you can get your hands on! That's if you had no one to show you how to sew.