Use this informative book to hone your skills in the art of sewing. A Beginner's Guide to Sewing by Hand and Machine is a complete sewing course for first-timers. It starts by telling you which pieces of sewing kit you need to buy, explaining which fabrics to use, and how to use paper patterns. The second part of the book is a structured course of 12 workshops, which build from the most basic hand-sewing techniques through to more advanced dressmaking skills. At the end of each workshop, there is also a step-by-step project, which reinforces the skills mastered in the workshop, allowing you to recognize your progress as you go. The projects range from simple hand-embroidered cushions to a lined throw, and from a shirred sundress to an organdie pleated skirt. Techniques include embroidery, patchwork, quilting, dressmaking, and curtain-making, and there are useful tips and shortcuts throughout the book help you become a sewing expert!

Expert crafter, Lisa Comfort shares the secrets of her sewing passion. She guides you through all the basics of sewing by hand and machine, as well as providing you with the skills you need to follow her simple but stylish projects.

“Organizes the basics of sewing techniques into a photo-heavy encyclopedia for beginner sewers and experts alike.” —Publishers Weekly For Great-Great Grandma, sewing clothes for the family was a necessity. Today, it’s a creative and rewarding personal choice. Now learning how to sew has never been simpler, with step-by-step photographs and friendly advice from internationally accredited sewing expert Wendy Gardiner, and her clear directions ensure that even beginners will get great results. With the techniques you learn in Complete Book of Sewing Techniques, you’ll soon be stitching amazing clothes with skill and confidence. This beautifully illustrated, comprehensive guide to all aspects of sewing from dressmaking to soft furnishings: Covers sewing techniques from hand stitching and hemming to making collars and sleeves, attaching liners, adding darts for shaping, and inserting zips and buttonholes Includes comprehensive information on fabrics, threads, needles and other equipment Features step-by-step photographs and color illustrations

This jargon-free, fully illustrated guide to using your sewing machine explains essential techniques and offers easy projects for getting started. Straightforward and accessible, Me and My Sewing Machine contains everything you need to know to get the most out of your sewing machine. There are no intimidating specialty techniques, painstaking procedures, or complicated methods. Instead you will find easy-to-understand, practical and decorative techniques that make sewing simple, even if you have never used a machine before. Author and professional crafter Kate Haxell shares clever tips and shortcuts, as well as advice on when you can use these speedy methods and when it really is better to do something the traditional way. Everything is illustrated with step-by-step photography and finished samples. Haxell also includes easy sewing projects that are simple without skimping on style.

Offering easy-to-learn instructions and techniques that will have you sewing your first bag in no time Sewing is a time-honored tradition that's functional and purposeful, and is the foundation for almost all clothing and accessories as we know them today. While most books dedicated to this topic focus on machine-sewing, there's a simpler side to this craft, and learning the techniques and skills needed to hand-sew open up a wide world of possibilities from hemming your own garments to sewing on buttons to repairing beloved closet items to making your own new pieces, like the fold-over clutch featured here. Sew a Bag will introduce readers to hand-sewing, focusing on the basics and the techniques most applicable to sewing that can then be extended to a wide variety of projects in the future. Establishing the building blocks here will encourage crafters to try new ideas and develop their own style as they progress, but it all will start with a simple pattern.

This comprehensive book breaks down all of the terms, tools, and skills necessary to become an expert seamstress. More than 500 color images inspire while a detailed visual glossary outlines fabric types, sewing notions, and finishing stitches. Crafters will learn how to master the machine, hand stitch, and work with patterns in no time! Best of all, the book includes instructions for 20 gorgeous projects—pillows, totes, aprons, and more. Accessible and visually stunning, Sewing Made Simple is the ultimate resource that sewers—beginners and experts alike—will want on their bookshelf for years to come.

This book takes the mystery out of the sewing machine, holding first-time stitchers by the hand and showing the easiest ways to get the most from their machine. This book takes the mystery out of the sewing machine, holding first-time stitchers by the hand and showing the easiest ways to get the most from their machine. In the climate of “make do and mend,” sales of sewing machines have soared, but many are only accompanied by a difficult-to-understand technical manual. Here, Jane Bolsover provides a comprehensive guide for beginners. Starting with an essential overview of the sewing machine, learn how to thread it and wind bobbins, why tension is important, and which needles to choose. There's information on the basic sewing kit you will need, plus advice on which fabrics to choose and how to cut out. The chapters then build into a complete sewing course, and at the end of each chapter is a simple project to consolidate the skills you have just mastered. The projects include items for the home, including a cushion cover and a lampshade, stylish accessories, such as bags and scarves, plus great clothing basics, such as an A-line skirt and a simple shift dress. Also included at the back of the book are two full-size pull-out paper pattern sections.

Few people learn to sew from their mothers anymore but many would love to master this skill. This text presents a guide to sewing at home, making sewing accessible for all. It covers fabrics, sewing machines, hand sewing, fitting, finishing, trouble-shooting and more.

Follow Wendy Ward’s tutorials to make a collection of comfortable and stylish garments. Follow Wendy Ward’s tutorials to make a collection of comfortable and stylish garments. Wendy’s style is functional but beautiful basics, and you will learn the skills to make garments out of knitted fabrics that drape beautifully and are a joy to wear. There are t-shirts, wide-leg trousers, lounge trousers, tank tops, cardigans, skirts, and dresses made in versatile fabrics that can be dressed up or down. Both beginners and more experienced dressmakers often avoid using knitted fabrics, but Wendy will show you how to successfully sew them with just a regular sewing machine. You will learn essential skills with the help of a comprehensive techniques section that includes a guide to different types of knitted fabrics and their uses (including jersey, sweatshirt fabric, boiled wool, and many more), how to prepare them for making clothes, setting up your sewing machine, which needles you need, sewing seams and hems, and using elastic. There are also full-size patterns for every garment included at the back of the book, so you will have all the information you need to start making your own perfect wardrobe!

All the techniques, clear step-by-step artworks, and patterns you need to make 24 wonderful skirts All the techniques, clear step-by-step artworks, and patterns you need to make 24 wonderful skirts INCLUDES THREE FULL SIZE PATTERN SHEETS FOR US DRESS SIZES 4 TO 22 Follow Wendy Ward’s tutorials to make a wide range of stylish skirts. From 8 basic shapes—circle, A-line, stretch pencil, wrap, bubble, tailored pencil, front-opening, and culottes—you will learn the skills to make variations that have pockets, color blocking, gathers, ruching, darts, and much more. All the basic techniques you will need are also explained, so you’ll feel confident with essentials like inserting zippers, attaching waistbands, gathering, pleats, making buttonholes, and adding linings. There are also handy hints and tips on how to take measurements and on choosing the right fabric. Skirts are the perfect first garment for beginner dressmakers, and there are some really simple designs here—the jersey pencil skirt is just two pieces of fabric with an elasticated waistband! So arm yourself with this book, some fabric, and Wendy’s sewing wisdom, and you’ll be on your way to updating your wardrobe with unique skirts that are a perfect fit.