No comments about Weekend Sewing: More Than 40 Projects and Ideas for Inspired Stitching.

2 comments about Pattern Cutting for Lingerie, Beachwear and Leisurewear.

1. I'll give it 3 stars, because I got a lot of ideas in this book which actually inspired me. The fact that the patterns doesn't work for me hasn't stopped me from learning a lot from it.
   
   I have followed two pattern design courses and am designing my own clothes which fit pretty well. I bought this book because I also wanted to be able to design a bra, which wasn't included in my courses. Unfortunately the bra block givin in this book doesn't consider the underbust measurement - only the bust measurement itself. The cupsize of a bra is determined by subtracting the underbust measurement from the bust measurement and the support of a bra comes from the snug underbust fit. For that reason I couldn't get the bra pattern to fit me (cup turned out too small, while band too big around body) and I am busy to figure it out myself by adjusting the lower dart to fit my underbust measurement while making a bigger curve towards the bustpoint.
   
   Still the back cover of the book claims that all the patterns has been tested and therefore works. I suppose it could work for someone with a much smaller cupsize (the bust line not much bigger than the underbust).
   
   Also, according to the author's instructions to the bodice block, all women's bust points are at the same height. (half of the nape of neck to waist measurement plus 4 cm's toward the waist). That simply isn't true, so I'm using my own bodice block where you have to measure your (individual) height of your bust point and mark it on the pattern accordingly.
   
   I was very excited when the book arrived in the mail and started working immediately. Unfortunately I was quite dissapointed soon afterwards.



2. perfect to complete you cutting skills. a specific book on a matter which is usually superficially examined in pattern making classes.
   ok!

4 comments about Fast, Fun & Easy Fabric Postcards: Keepsakes You Can Make & Mail (Fast, Fun & Easy).

1. I have to tell you right off, I'm old enough that I had to take Home Economics (or "Home EEECCCK" as we called it) in school simply because I am a female. Allegedly other schools were more progressive at the time, allowing males to take Home Ec and females to take "Shop" (where they learned to make bird feeders). But I took Home Ec and quite got the hang of a sewing machine. My problems with the sewing machine would make a book in itself, but this is about this particular book.
   The instructions are clear and concise, plenty of photos to show you how to complete the postcard _but_ they use a sweing machine for a lot of the work. The projects are great, but that using the sewing machine puts me off of it.
   So if you like to use a sewing machine, I recommend this book to start with to make fabric postcards. You could use up your stash of fabric pieces and create a unique card for a beloved person.
   Or something truly cool for yourself.



2. Franki Kohler's slim book on making fabric postcards is long on tips, techniques and short on fluff...just the right amount of information if you are the kind that only needs a jumping off place to explore your own creativity. There are good ideas for beginning designs, but I like this book most of all because it is complete. The artist/author tells you how to start, what to use, and how to make your postcard mailable. For more help, there is a handy list of references for ideas and sources for supplies. Great book!



3. Even though I have been making quilts for years, I found some new techniques in this book! The book not only takes you step-by-step through making a fabic postcard, but shows you a variety of embellishment techniques you can use on larger quilts as well. The instructions are clear and variety of postcard photos are nice eye candy. But with book, lock yourself in your sewing room for the weekend, and have fun playing!



4. I love Franki Kohler's book on Fabric Postcards.. It is easy to follow,with clear directions, loaded with wonderful ideas, variety of applications,and a list of resources at the end of the book.. What more can you ask for! Just get the book and enjoy weeks of fun that you can share with your friends..

No comments about Crewel & Surface Embroidery: Inspirational Floral Designs (Milner Craft Series).

5 comments about Easy Guide to Sewing Linings (Easy Guide).

1. I picked up a copy of Connie Long's book from the library "just for the heck of it". I am going to purchase a copy now. It is packed full with useful tips and information about lining everything. I especially like how she presented making your own lining patterns. While reading this book I was constructing a jacket in which I had to add a partial lining. Had it not been for this reference, I would have not known what to do. The garment looked very professional. Every sewer should have a copy of this as a reference. Thank you Ms. Long.



2. Great book, everything I could have asked for to help me get on the way to sewing more advanced patterns that look professional. The instructions are thorough and easy to read, with many illustrations.



3. This is the definitive book for sewers who want to make linings. Before I bought this book, I thought linings were a waste of time--Armani didn't use them, right? Not anymore! I line most everything I sew. Ms. Long covers lining jackets, dresses, even sweaters--underlinings, classic linings, quick linings. She suggests which fabrics to use, and gives complete directions with construction & insertion. Excellent! Your clothes will hang better, look more expensive, last longer, glide over your skin--great stuff.



4. I borrowed this book from our public library to get a better look at it and it was great! It has a lot of detail and great illustrations. I am definetly going to purchase this book for my sewing library in the near future.



5. I have a lot of sewing books in my sewing room, but this is a resource I use time and time again. It contains excellent instructions for every type of lining: jacket, skirt, pants, dresses. She tells you how to make the patterns for each type as well, if they're not included. PLUS she has all of her helpful hints and short-cuts that don't show up in pattern instructions.I especially love her instructions for quick lining a skirt with waist faceings. Her techniques for bagging linings for sheath dresses is right on. Love this book, and use it all the time.

5 comments about Chic Bags: 22 Handbags, Purses, Totes, and Accessories to Make.

1. I ordered this book because of the description but returned it because the fabric/embellishments/supplies were not everyday items. They use specialty items that are impossible to find. Also, the "patterns" were just drawings/scales in the back. They would have to be resized and photocopied a couple of times to be useable...they weren't actual patterns.



2. My husband gave this book to me for Christmas this year and I was pleasantly surprised by his insight! In fact, just weeks prior, I had been drooling over this very book at my local Borders Bookstore. The patterns contained range from beginner to advanced and all are quite accessible. The illustrated directions are well laid out and easy to follow. And the bags are all quite unique. Some of the fabric choices are hideous (in my humble opinion), but it is not a far stretch for me to imagine the bags in my own fabric choices. And as I am learning, a girl can never have too many bags!



3. My sister gave me this book for my birthday since she knows I love sewing bags of all shapes and sizes. When I looked through it, it got me very excited to make a few of them. I haven't made any yet but I read through the patterns and they seem very well written and easy to understand.
   
   The only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 was due to the amount of varying fabrics she uses that are kind of hard to find like industrial felt and vinyl. She also requires hardware like grommets and snaps which I do not have but am anxious to purchase. Another reason is for the patterns in the back which need to be photocopied in order to be used. The book is laid out very well and, if you enjoy making bags of all types and are adventurous, it is definitely the book for you.



4. I am very impressed by this book. I have designed my own line of handbags and needed a reference on construction and styling. But I did not want a plain textbook, but rather someone else's collection of cohesive design with excellent tips on execution. So, for those who are looking for some great contemporary styles to make - this is a great book, and for those who just need a solid starting point that will also teach you how - this is a great book. I like the photos and the illustrations, and the overall layout. Even though there are only 22 Chic Bags, one could easily make 100 variations.



5. I was rather disappointed in this book. I didn't find the designs, materials, or patterns to my liking.

5 comments about Authentic Victorian Dressmaking Techniques.

1. This book should say that it only covers techniques from the late Victorian era through the turn of the century. Earlier techniques are not covered, otherwise it is a good book. If you are looking for dressmaking techniques prior to near the turn of the century, look elsewhere...



2. Victoria was queen from 1837-1901.
   A reprinted dressmaking book from 1905 should not have it's title changed to include the word "Victorian". It's very misleading.
   This book is for the S front pidgeon breasted style of Edwardian clothing only.
   It does not even mention bustles, hoopskirts, fitted bodices, or any of the other key elements that defined Victorian costume.

   This book does not include any patterns, but it does tell you how to alter and sew garments from existing patterns, and might be useful if you have some vintage patterns that you'd like to adjust and use.

   I am highly disappointed and I plan to return this book.




3. I make reproductions costumes for our NYS Historic Preservation Costume Department. I have been trying without success to find an authentic 1885 Norfolk Suit and knickerbockers to replicate for a boy aged 8 years old. This wonderful sewing manual had a detailed description of both. Although it was written in 1905, the sewing techniques have been the same for many, many years. This manual is my most treasured for authentic techniques of the Victorian/Edwardian era.



4. I've had it a year and the binding is unraveling. The information in this book is very useful. Some improvements to the text, illustrations and binding in the book and it would've made it a 5 star book.



5. As others have stated this book is more Edwardian period fashions and not Victorian, although one must remember that many of the same sewing techniques where used since not many people could afford to own a sewing machine. It shows how to sew even stitching by HAND which would be period correct for victorian or Edwardian sewing. Having studied and made civil war period clothing I found this book invaluable to recreate hemms, hand sewn plackards on skirts with hook and eye closures and how to finish the bottom of a boned bodice with NO lining in it. I would have been lost trying to figure all this out on my own. This book has wonderful illistrations of hand sewing and photographs from the early 1900's.

1 comments about Simple Soft Furnishings: 50 Stylish Sewing Projects to Transform Your Home.

1. Sewing projects can transform a home, especially with Katrin Cargill's Simple Soft Furnishings: 50 Stylish Home Sewing Projects To Transform Your Home in hand, which provides 50 projects ranging from cushions to fine curtains and table linens. Five key areas of the home where soft furnishings apply are reviewed in the course of project tips, which include how to avoid common problems. Materials list, color photos, and step-by-step instructions make Simple Soft Furnishings particularly accessible to beginners.

3 comments about The Complete Idiot's Guide to Sewing Illustrated (The Complete Idiot's Guide).

1. This book is really not the beginners guide I was looking for. It is probably better designed for someone who already knows something about sewing. It covers much material quickly but not throughly.



2. There's a lot of great stuff in this book. From types of seams and hems to instructions on using a sewing machine, hints for working with patterns to instructions for easy beginner projects, it includes a ton of wonderful content. Unfortunately, that content could have used another round of editing, and hopefully there'll be another, better edition later.
   
   It isn't typos that are at issue: it's the kind of mistakes you hopefully catch when you get someone who's new to sewing to run through your book and make sure they understand everything. To use the handy section on needed sewing basket contents from chapter 2 as an example, the actual list doesn't mention any kind of marking pen or tailor's chalk, even though you'll find it mentioned in the meat of the chapter. If someone went back to refer to the list to make up their shopping list, they'd probably miss that item.
   
   In part two I started to find bits of instructions that I had difficulty visualizing (and the visual part of my imagination is pretty good). The blind hem stitch is one technique I was particularly looking forward to understanding, because I've had trouble grasping it before, and this book didn't entirely help: the explanation left me somewhat confused, and naturally it was the one type of stitch for which no diagram was included. The deeper the book got into clothing and patterns, the more I ran into spots where I had trouble visualizing exactly what a given set of directions intended for the reader to do.
   
   While there are instructions for sewing on buttons, the book doesn't go into button-holes.
   
   I love the contents of this book, but I find myself hoping Alpha Books puts out a second edition with more careful instructions and more diagrams. I think someone with some experience wouldn't have too much trouble re-learning forgotten techniques or refreshing their memory with this book, but it isn't ideal for a rank beginner.



3. I agree with the reviewers who said this is not a good choice for the true novice. The prepatory chapters were easy for me to understand, but in the technique chapters, it assumed this reader knew far more than she did. It could have used more photos and much more detail. I'm looking for a book with greater details, diagrams, photos and maybe a glossary of terms.
   
   So Eager to Sew,
   Marsha

1 comments about Pillows, Cushions and Tuffets.

1. Unfortunately most soft furnishing books are disappointing. The same old stale ideas and uninspiring pictures. This book is different. The patterns are different and unique. Suggestions are inspiring. The addition of tuffets adds another inspirational component to this book. I am glad I bought it without a recommendation.