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Member Reviews

A very thoughtful book. You can tell the author loves the craft and loves her readers — the suggestion to take measurements in a less familiar unit (cm for Americans, for example, or inches for those who normally use metric) to avoid “number shame” is very clever. This is someone who knows a lot about stitches, yes, but also the many ways people feel about clothing and making their own clothes. Every time she mentions commercial patterns, she uses very neutral language to remind readers that the pattern probably won’t fit without altering, because it’s just a starting place. The advice to “keep a sense of humor” is so charming. If I was giving my niece a book on making clothes, I would want her to read this book not just because of the technical guide, but because of how thoughtful the author is about bodies and sizes. The artwork is thoughtful too — it’s nice to see men included, normalizing sewing as a hobby for everyone.

At times the writing is a little flowery for my taste, especially for a technical guide. I think the book probably could do with another round of edits for word economy and detail (like the “see page XXX” missing the actual page number). The thimble games seemed out of place to me.

I have a good deal of sewing experience, both by hand and machine. It’s incredible that even with two decades of making clothes there’s still more to learn! Even if you are very advanced, the book is worth flipping through for tips. For example — the tip for measuring neck width by draping a stirng with two weighed objects and measuring the distance inbetween is brilliant! I’ve just been using the same bodice block with the neckline width I like, but now that I know that measurement it’s much easier to freehand new necklines and still feel confident they’ll look nice with fewer mock ups. I loved the suggestion for making a hand sewn label, I haven’t seen that before and it’s absolutely darling.

The technical aspects of the book are excellent — a lot of pattern making guides will skip teaching wearing ease for some reason, assuming people will think to add it in themselves I guess. When you’re new to pattern drafting and it tells you to take a bunch of measurements of your body, it’s natural to then plot those exact measurements on your paper — but the body needs extra room for movement and so the garment drapes nicely! This book puts info about wearing ease directly after talking about measurements, which is the perfect place for it.

I was very impressed by the range of projects in this book. Usually entry level sewing books do very simple designs that all look pretty similar, and all suggest plain quilting cotton because it’s easy to work with, like the linen top or gathered skirt. Each pattern is progressively more advanced. The pattern I was most excited about was the jeans! I have been planning for months to make a pair in some nice japanese denim I bought but have been putting it off because of how expensive the material was and how unsure I was of getting it right. I already have a pants sloper, so the guide to refining it for jeans was really helpful.

When talking about fit, I liked that the book gives you all the technical terms and simplified meanings. If you know those weird little bunched up lines are called “drag lines” then you have a search term to learn more on your own. The book is a great jumping off point, it gives readers the ability to read other books with more technical jargon comfortably.

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The book feels mostly about pattern making since the author really wants you to make your own patterns rather than buying 'the limiting choices of premade commercial patterns (sort of a sewing purist, I guess). So for those just starting out, you'll need to also get all the tools and such that are required for pattern making as well as the sewing supplies to make the items in the book.

The stitching sections were a bit confusing for me - someone who doesn't sew. There are a few illustrations but they are mostly about what the stitching looks like on each side of the fabric rather than a step-by-step guide on how to make the stitch. The directions are rather clunky, large blocky paragraphs that can be frustrating to read, especially since I could not change the font size or zoom in with my digital copy.

There are several basic projects you will make and then sew: t-shirt, skirt, underwear, blouse, jeans, jacket, etc. The images were particularly uninspiring and I really felt the book let readers down here with what was presented. Everything was bland and unimaginative and I wasn't that eager to waste my time learning to sew on something I didn't even like. I do understand that we are to bring our own taste and creativity here - but I also want to be have an idea of possibilities and inspiration instead of just having to dream up something on my own.

While making items is nice, I was more interested in learning the hand sewing techniques. For me, I wanted to see the technique steps fully illustrated and then to have a glossary of where those stitches are most likely used (images of those stitches in actual clothes). This is in contrast to learning how to stitch from mostly text.

The author is thorough and if you can stick with it, you will have the basics of hand stitching down (though admittedly the author also says just to machine sew the projects if you want). But for me, it was confusing and incredibly unmotivating. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

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Lovely book about handsewing techniques. Nice photography throughout. I'd love to have a physical copy as I would probably find a digital copy challenging to use while doing sewing projects.

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A very good book if you are into sewing. I have never handsewn a garment before but this makes it seem easier than I thought.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Very useful guide for handsewing clothes. It has a lot of basic information as well as more in depth knowledge of handsewing. This is a great book for patient people.

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This was super informative and easy to follow along with. I loved the variety of patterns and the detailed explanations!

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I didn't realise when I requested this that it was hand-hand sewing, as opposed to handmade on a machine, but I was pleased to see the amount of information in it that could apply to either!

Some decent bsic info about tools and fabrics, pattern drafting and techniques. Followed by several (basic but staples) how-tos

Will I be sitting and hand sewing my own wardrobe? No, but I will refer back to this when making clothes on my machine in future

I received an advance copy for free from NetGalley, on the expectation that I would provide an honest review.

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When I requested this book, I don't think I realised that this is about handsewing (as opposed to machine sewing, rather than as opposed to buying clothes). I don't know why the idea of handsewing makes me resistant - I knit, spin, embroider. Something about handsewing seems so slow and exacting. The book itself addresses this. It talks about why we would engage in this activity, and then very thoroughly explains how to do so, including pattern drafting, sewing and everything in between. It's kind, supportive and sets the reader up for success. I don't think I am ready to try to sew my own clothes by hand - but if I get the urge, this is the book I will use.

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Wow this book has a lot of information. The attention to detail was very helpful. As a sometime sewer I think the idea of sewing with just a needle and thread vs a machine intriguing. I am going to try a couple of the projects, specifically the woven boxy top with some embroidery and the gathered skirt.

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This is such a helpful book! I really appreciate how half of this book focuses on how to make your own customized patterns, not just a printable cookie cutter pattern.

I have recently taken a basic sewing workshop and I believe this will be so helpful in my sewing endeavors. The images and fonts works well together to make this guide super easy to navigate.

Thank you to NetGalley & Storey Publishing for the ARC!

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A very well laid out book with clear instructions. The author obviously thought very hard about how to explain everything.

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I liked the accessibility of this book and the way it made it seem possible for you to sew your own clothes. And I understand the rustic homespun aesthetic. But I felt like it really cheapened the book and the garments to have the large wide stitches showing through on all the seams. Especially when with very little effort or a matched thread color they'd look so much more well finished. It left me with the feeling of a very amateur 'good enough' kind of vibe.

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Very thorough book about hand sewing a wardrobe, which included how to draft several patterns to complete your wardrobe. I really enjoyed the patterns and the instructions on how to draft the pattern yourself. The patterns definitely have the room to make it you and unique to you. Great book, great illustrations and photos. Well written including a lot of detail! Thank you!

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I received this DRC from NetGalley.

This book gives a very thorough overview on hand sewing and then drafting and constructing several patterns of basic pieces. The instructions were very clear and included diagrams for all of the steps. I liked that tips for customizing the pieces were also included. Overall, I think this is a good book for someone looking to start customizing or drafting their own patterns. For the actual construction part, I'd recommend having a bit of experience with sewing first, or it could get frustrating to sew around curves and such.

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I love that is includes modern styles of clothing but designed for hand sewing. This makes garment making much more accessible for people who don't have a sewing machine. It has good descriptions of hand sewing techniques.

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A detailed and inclusive guide to hand-sewing a contemporary wardrobe, this book covers pattern drafting, essential stitches, and garment construction with clear instructions and illustrations—making it a valuable reference for both hand and machine sewers. I think this may end up being one of the few ARCs that I buy a physical copy of!

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This is such a lovely book! I loved how it walks you through everything from making your own patterns to finishing garments with beautiful hand stitching, all in a way that feels really calming & encouraging. It’s not just about sewing, it’s about slowing down & really connecting with what you’re making. The instructions are super clear & there’s a lot of care put into every page. Whether you’re totally new to sewing or just looking to be more intentional with your craft, this book feels like a gentle nudge to create things that truly last!

Thank you to Net Galley and Storey Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

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A very interesting handbook, full of very good advice and basic "sewing recipes". The schematics come very handy and it's quite thorough. It's a good book for beginners and intermediate sewists, and a good approach to "slow life" and becoming creative with useful items.

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Great book, goes into so much detail – exactly what I need.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

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Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC
2.5-3
I'm generally a big fan of Storey books, but this one puzzled me.
The author spends an enormous amount of time/pages on the very technical mechanics of drafting, which is fine, but maybe a bit daunting for beginners (yes, the blurb does say 'all experience levels). The hand sewing advice is fine, but it's available elsewhere. I personally dislike 'drawings' as instruction for books like this - I find good photographs are usually much clearer. The designs are uninspiring (especially for more experienced sewists), and I really think several of them aren't very well suited for hand sewing projects.
I've been sewing garments for many years, and I found the author's discussion of fabrics and threads somewhat superficial. The book design is cute and cozy, obviously a lot of time was put into it, but it's difficult to read, especially as an ebook with no option to change font size or style. It would have been nice to see an extra example or two from the designers mentioned as inspiration.
There seemed to be a couple of references that went nowhere, and the index wasn't included in the ARC, so I don't know if this will be remedied.
If you're experienced, and looking for a primer on drafting contemporary streetwear, I'd recommend this. If you want to learn how to hand sew tshirts, dresses, shirts and leggings, I'd recommend the Alabama Chanin books.

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