Sewing Books or Video Recommendations?

[Authentic_Mother]

I am a new sewer. I have made like one apron and a pillow case dress. Bought the Ultimate Sewing Bible - but I would like to know if anyone has a good recommendation for a book or video that I can watch to help me learn more about reading patterns and sewing and such. Is there such a thing as sewing for dummies???

[Golden]

subscribing to see what others have to say!

[sapphire_chan]

http://www.amazon.com/Make-Sewing-Pa.../dp/0932538002

It goes step by step through fitting, basic patterns, fitting, fitting and design ease, and has instructions for making a dressmaker's dummy out of card stock.

Which I like better than the duct tape dummy since it appears that it might be possible to collapse the cardstock dummy down for storage and not have my lumpy torso staring at me all the time.

But I've just started looking through it and haven't tried actually following what seem to be exceptionally clear instructions. I'm waiting to have a chance to have someone else measure me, since that's an important aspect of good fit.

If you lived in Indianapolis, we could do it together!

[sapphire_chan]

http://www.vintagesewing.info/1940s/...-toc-long.html

This was recommended in the review of another pattern drafting book.

[E.V. Lowi]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

http://www.vintagesewing.info/1940s/...-toc-long.html

This was recommended in the review of another pattern drafting book.

I have a copy of this book and it's wonderful. I think it's out of print but I have seen copies for sale in used book stores. It's worth searching for.

[leximom]

I really enjoyed the modern style of sew fast, sew easy, but sewing 101 really takes you step by step with the patterns and there are a lot of good beginner projects in it that won't make you want to cry.

[tracymom1]

There IS a Sewing For Dummies book! I have it! It is okay - I would recommend going to your bookstore and looking at it before buying. As a true beginner, a lot of it was over my head - the terms they used were unfamiliar to me and they just assumed you would know/figure out what they were talking about. But now that I have been sewing for a while I find it really handy when I want to check on things here and there.

I recommend the Reader's Digest sewing guide- its older, from the 70s, I think and you find it used at Amazon for a few bucks. Taking a class was most helpful for me. Have fun!

[Timmie]

There is a "Dummies" book for everything, including sewing but the one I heartly recommend to all my students is "The Readers' Digest Sewing Book" . It starts out very basic, like: this is a sewing machine, this is a needle, etc., & takes you all the way up to how to make a coutoure piece of clothing. It gives you all the sewing terms & shows how to read a pattern. It is a book a very first-time sewer can use & an experience sewer can look up something she hasn't done before. Have fun.