Sewing Outdoor Gear: Easy Techniques for Outerwear that Works (Paperback)

by Rochelle Harper (Author) "When you're out in the elements, what's on the very outside isn't all that matters..." (more)
Key Phrases: fleece cord, zipper box, gutter flap, Simple Ways, The Essential Outerwear Wardrobe, Maintaining Outerwear (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
The tricky finishing details and specialized fabric requirements needed for most outerwear can scare off even experienced sewers, but as Sewing Outdoor Gear beautifully demonstrates, these garments needn't intimidate. Rochelle Harper, who has designed outerwear for several major manufacturers, carefully leads us step by step through all the basics of making jackets, coats, parkas, and pants from various fabrics, including nylon, polyester, microfiber, cotton, knits, and fleece. Excellent diagrams document features such as layering garments for Alpine skiing, high aerobic activities, and creative street wear. Harper's instructions are more general than project-specific, but they are so thorough and her designs so classy that even nonathletic types may want these clothes in their wardrobes. --Amy Handy

From Library Journal
A freelance teacher and designer of outdoor gear, Harper (Sew the New Fleece) offers a technique book rather than a sewing-project book. She covers all aspects of working with specialized outerwear fabrics, including choosing patterns and fabrics, fitting, repairing, and designing your own gear. For sewing collections where demand warrants.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Taunton (August 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561582832
• ISBN-13: 978-1561582839
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #722,170 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth Every Penny, May 22, 2006

By	Jessica Stephens (All American) - See all my reviews

This book is perfect for the home sewer who wants to sew functional outdoor wear that has all of the professional looking features found in store-bought garments. The author discusses ALL of your fabric options; although many of them I have not found in retail locatios, I found the information very interesting. The book is written from the standpoint of altering ready-made patterns, so if you expect this book to cover every step of the garment construction, you will be disappointed. The photos and illustrations are thorough, clear and abundant.This book de-mystified a lot of techniques I never even thought possible for the home sewer. However- this book is not for the faint-of-heart: the techniques can be labor-intensive, but to me the results are worth it. There are plenty of fashion and embellishment ideas in this book, but I mostly bought it for the technical information, which takes into account weather, wear stresses and movement. With this book I improved upon the standard hunting gear patterns I had been making for my husband, and you almost can't tell that they are not store bought. I would recommend this book to someone who has sewn several projects and is comfortable with the basic construction process, but ready to move on to more custom, functional and professional looking garments.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Oh silly me., October 8, 2008

By	Karen Tiede (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a wonderful book, from Taunton; how could it be less? Professional models against professional backgrounds; each part of a garment examined, discussed, presented.

What it is not, however, is about "gear." I wanted a book about sewing equipment; bags, backpacks, etc. I completely failed to pay attention to the reviews, the precis, and every other comment about the book, which never once mentioned what I think of as "gear." (The dictionary corrects my assumption. Oh well.)

Good book. Won't help you sew a backpack, except to the extent you can map a parka to a backpack.