Sewing for Dummies
Sewing for Dummies
- ISBN13: 9780764568473
- Condition: USED – VERY GOOD
- Notes:
Do you love to sew—or want to learn how? Then this book will have you in stitches in no time. There’s nothing like the feeling of completing a project using beautiful fabrics and great timesaving tools and then sharing it with your family and friends. Plus, learning to sew will save you money too! Before long, you’ll be stitching your own hems, repairing split seams, sewing on buttons, and much, much more.
Sewing For Dummies is a book for both absolute beginners and experienced sewers. If you’re a stone-cold beginner, you’ll find everything you need to know to sew beginning-level projects—and the book doesn’t assume that you’ve ever even picked up a needle and thread before. If you’ve had some experience with sewing, you’ll find tips and tricks that it took author Janice Saunders Maresh, a nationally known sewing and serging instructor, years to pick up! You’ll discover how to:
- Master hand and machine stitches
- Read a sewing pattern
- Hem a variety of fabrics
- Negotiate sleeves and pockets
- Install zippers, buttons, and other fasteners
- Shape garments with tucks and pleats
- Adjust projects for better fit and function
This updated edition features a fresh 8-page color insert of all the new home decorating projects, including new patterns and instructions for a traditional living room with slipcovered couches and throws; a French country dining room with drapes and slipcovered chairs; and a bedroom with shams, duvets, dustruffles, and window treatments, as well as:
- a bathroom with a shower curtain and towels
- hip and funky tote bags
- the perfect little black dress
Complete with lists of quick fix-it tools, sewing fundamentals, and sewing resources, Sewing For Dummies, 2nd Edition, is the fun and easy way® to get the basics and stitch up a storm in no time!
Rating: 
(out of 55 reviews)
List Price: $ 19.99
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Review by M. E. Volmar for Sewing for Dummies
Rating:
Knowing nothing at all about sewing, when I first set out to master the craft I went straight to the big-name references (Singer books and the like) only to find either huge guides overloaded with incomprehensible technical information and impractical advice, or beautifully illustrated books with little or no instructions. I was about to give up the teach-yourself-idea and enroll in some very expensive classes when I chanced upon this book. Amazingly by the time it took me to finish studying it (less than a month) I had not only learned to sew, but had also completed several Halloween costumes that earned the praise and admiration of friends and family.
Written in the friendly Dummies style, illustrated with over 200 pictures, drawings, step-by-step diagrams, humorous icon guides and even hilarious cartoons, this book covers all the fundamentals of sewing from general information for beginners to tips and tricks for experienced sewers.
Through simple, yet detailed, fully cross-referenced, clearly written explanations in plain English, and using proper, well-defined terminology, this reference contains all the basics. It includes assembling a sewing kit; selecting fabrics and threads; understanding and using patterns; working with hems, sleeves, pockets, collars, and closures; sewing for the home; and making repairs and alterations. It also offers some projects to test your acquired knowledge and progress, an appendix listing wonderful sewing resources in the US and on the Web, and a very thorough index for quick check-ups and specific consultations.
Although the author could have been a bit more generous with the step-by-step diagrams, which are barely enough to get you through the instructions, and the projects could have been a bit more attractive, even if that meant sacrificing some of their simplicity, this fun to read, informative guide is still in my mind the best how-to reference available on the fundamentals of sewing, especially for those with no prior experience. The excellent instruction and practical tools and advice presented in this volume are well worth the price.
Also recommended: The Complete Book of Sewing: A Practical Step-By-Step Guide to Every Technique by Chris Jefferys.
–Reviewed by M. E. Volmar
Review by Sara G. for Sewing for Dummies
Rating:
I received this book along with another, Simplicity’s Simply the Best Sewing Book. As I began to work on my first project, I found myself turning more and more often to the Simplicity book. My pattern called for several techniques that were not described in Sewing for Dummies at all. For instance, the section on darts only covers one kind of dart. My pattern included a curved dart, but I didn’t even realize it until I consulted the Simplicity book. Also, I needed to “ease the hem.” Sewing for Dummies does not describe what “ease” means, nore does it say how to do it or what the ease-stitch is. I’m glad I had the other book to compare it too, or I may have never realized how much information is missing from this one.
Review by for Sewing for Dummies
Rating:
If you are a true beginner, this book lacks sufficient pictures and diagrams. Written instructions are pretty good. This book runs the gamut from home decor, craft projects, and any type of clothing you’d ever want to wear.
Review by Rj Belt for Sewing for Dummies
Rating:
This book is just okay really. I knew absolutely nothing about sewing when I got this book. I wanted to start sewing clothing to sell, so I thought this would be a good place to start. It’s not something you can sit down and just read at all. There’s ALOT of information just sort of thrown together. It seems less like a how-to book and more like someone who knows alot about the subject just babbling at you. Honestly, I’d suggest 101 Essential Tips Basic Sewing. It gives you good basic advice in a quick simple manner. It’s alot easier to follow. You dont have to skip from this section to this section to see what they’re talking about, AND it’s ALOT cheaper.
Review by Nadia S. for Sewing for Dummies
Rating:
If you have no prior experience with sewing, I do not recommend this book. There are no step by step photos or even illustrations for that matter, so reading through and trying to visualize what its talking about will most likely frustrate you to no end like it did with me at first. After trying to read this book a few times, I put it away to collect dust and chalked it up as a waste of money. I recently bought The Complete Book of Sewing by Chris Jefferys and remembered I had the Sewing For Dummies book so I dug it out with the intent to return it to the bookstore where I bought it. After looking through it a bit I (reluctantly) changed my mind about taking it back.After reading through the Complete Book of Sewing and also having successfully sewn a few things here and there, the For Dummies book makes a lot more sense now. There is some information in there that makes for good shortcuts and sometimes expounds upon certain topics the Complete Book of Sewing only went into at the most basic level. So the bottom line is: only after getting the Complete Book of Sewing and the Reader’s Digest New Complete Guide to Sewing do I recommend the Sewing for Dummies book, but by then you may not need it anyway.