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 enlarge | Author: Francesca Denhartog
Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC
Category: Book
List Price: $16.95
Buy New: $9.90
You Save: $7.05 (42%)
New (31) Used (10) from $9.90
Avg. Customer Rating:  51 reviews
Sales Rank: 2869
Media: Spiral-bound
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 128
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 7.5 x 0.6
ISBN: 1580176259
Dewey Decimal Number: 646.437
EAN: 9781580176255
ASIN: 1580176259
Publication Date: September 1, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
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| Customer Reviews:
 Great book, for beginners to experienced sewers May 26, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
The book is well written, with lots of basic information for beginner sewers and tips in side panels to help troubleshoot difficult sewing techniques, such as sewing hems on curved fabric or matching curved pieces to straight pieces. I found the idea of not using a pattern refreshing and have so far made two skirts from the book.
I did run across errata, so make sure to check out the publisher's page for any new corrections or problems with older editions.
Because you make your own patterns, you need to make sure to take your measurements and determine what the "length" is your skirt will be, prior to purchasing your fabric. This is especially true if you aren't sure about the fabric amount listed in the book. Examining how the skirt is placed on the fabric will help you to determine if you need more or less fabric then suggested. It's not hard to write the lengths out on the diagrams to see how much fabric you need.
The only thing I would love to have seen in this book is a longer section on fabric choices: cottons, rayons, gauzes, organzas, silks, etc. Otherwise, there is a great deal of information in this book, both for beginners and those of us who have been sewing for years.
This isn't really a con, but the author does refer to the reader's sewing machine manual, so make sure to have this on hand, especially if you are not familiar with how to make buttonholes, other sewing stitches, or you are a new sewing machine user. I suggest you practice on something else before you use a new stitch on your skirt fabric.
Great even for a completely clueless beginner! :) May 18, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I understand the basics of using a sewing machine and have made a couple of simple home projects like easy curtains, but I have always been intimidated by garment sewing, in no small part because of the patterns, fitting, etc. This book is wonderful for a beginner like myself-- you take some simple measurements (waist, hips...), make your own one-piece pattern, cut out the fabric, and go from there. I found it a lot less intimidating than trying to figure out which size fit me on a traditional pattern, then cutting out along the correct lines, then lining up the right things... the method in this book was beautifully simple. The instructions are clear, the ideas are good and interesting, there's a lot of variety, and she really leads you through the steps to making your own skirt. Furthermore, the book is organized so that the easier styles come first and the trickier ones are made later. Every summer I have looked at the cute, overpriced skirts in the catalogs and thought, "I bet I could make that for under $20 if I only knew how to sew clothes," and I finally discovered that this is true-- and easy. After reading this book, I think that anyone who can use a sewing machine even for something as simple as fixing a hem is capable of making their own elastic-waist A-line skirt, because that's all I was able to do and I have two skirts now to prove it. :) Highly recommended.
 Got me started! May 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book turned out to be my inspiration to break out my late-mother-in-law's sewing machine and teach myself to sew. So far I've made two cute skirts and plan to make more for the summer. The book has very good instructions and really neat ideas. The only thing I wish this book had more of was illustrations/diagrams. It's great to be able to make cute skirts with awesome fabrics that you would see in places like Anthropologie for an exorbitant amount of money.
BRILLIANT! May 15, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book has been one of the best sewing books I've ever bought. I was able to do something I never imagined; sew my own fitted skirt just for me and my odd body shape. I'm so pleased that I even bought another copy for my little sister.
I highly recommend this book for beginners...even more established sewers. It's got some very sensible advice and all of it is written in a way that is easy to understand.
Very pleased.
Intuitive way of sewing, but still very practical. May 14, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
As an avid knitter, I thought sewing patterns would be as detailed and thoroughly tested as knitting patterns. They're not. I was about to give up on sewing, since I'm not a spacial/math thinker and all of the instructions are so complicated and leave stuff out (!!), but this book saved me from giving up on sewing entirely. All I really want to make is skirts, and this book shows you how to make skirts to fit you. There are good descriptions of how to calculate your measurements and how to draw directly onto the fabric. I don't enjoy the 'process' of sewing as I do knitting, and all I wanted was to make skirts that fit, and make them fast. As long as you know how to thread a machine, this is the only book you will need to make skirts. I'm not a sewing afficianado, all I want are cute, well-fitting skirts, and this book delivers.
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