More Fabric Savvy: A Quick Resource Guide to Selecting and Sewing Fabric Completely Revised and Updated Review

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(More customer reviews)I am a sewing professional, and I also own Clare Shaeffer's Fabric Sewing Guide, which is excellent and does cover more fabrics. However More Fabric Savvy is really the indispensible guide that should be right by your sewing machine. MFS is not as big, so one is more inclined to open it up and take a look at the suggestions. Also, the spiral binding on MFS lets it lie open flat so you can refer to it easily. MFS is a re-issue of the original Fabric Savvy, and it addresses all the shortcomings of the original - far more fabrics are covered. There is also an extensive list of alternative fabric names, so you can really find the details for any fabric one needs. The size of MFS means you can put it in your bag and take it with you to the fabric store, and I'd recommend doing this, as it will make you more aware of interlining needs, or fastening limitations, BEFORE you spend all your heard-earned money on the fabric of your dreams, only to find out you really need to spend an extra $40 (which you don't have) on silk organza to interline the garment. All the review for the original Fabric Savvy spell out the great features of this book - this edition really just fixes the few criticisms people had.

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America's best-selling quick guide to selecting and sewing fabrics is now completely revised and updated. More Fabric Savvy brings over 100 new tips, over 400 new color photos and drawings, the latest new fabrics, and entirely new and useful features, including a handy guide to stain removal. From Sandra Betzina, the dynamic host of HGTV's Sew Perfect, this easy-to-use reference belongs on every sewer's bookshelf.

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Fabric Savvy: The Essential Guide for Every Sewer Review

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(More customer reviews)Let me state my one request for a change and then proceed with my sincere, gushing praise: In the next edition, I hope Ms. Betzina will include a phonetic pronounciation next to the name of every type of fabric she talks about.Now, let's get started on what's right about this book, which is EVERYTHING. The binding shows this book is a workhorse. It's vinyl coated hardbound, with a covered spiral binding. In other words, it opens flat and won't fall apart with use.The format: a generous lower margin allows you to prop it open (flat!) in a stand to refer to as you work. Each type fabric is presented in alphabetical order and on two facing pages--it's all there when you're working, you don't have to skip around. An photograph of the garment made of the fabric is included--so you can see the subtle difference between silk dupioni and shantung...and an appropriate garment for the fabric. Under bold, clear headings are listed the recommended needle, closure, layout, marking, cutting, interfacing, thread, presser foot, closures, stitch length, preshrink, pressing, hem for the fabric. There are also fascinating tips to improve your sewing and interesting facts about the fabric. I'll never use the same old needle and thread again, and now know what would make some of my garments look couture perfect rather than homemade. This truly is an essential guide for EVERY sewer.

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Threads Sewing Guide: A Complete Reference from America's Best-Loved Sewing Magazine Review

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(More customer reviews)If you sew a lot, than you probably know why good sewing guides are necessary. A sewing guide provides a reference for how some things are done.
This guide is a good one. It's a weighty volume with lots of photos and instruction for good techniques. From Accordion pleats to Zippers, it's got you covered in those details which turn homemade into handmade. With my daughter just now learning to sew, a current sewing guide was an essential addition to our books.
The diagrams and photographs are very clear, where photos are used, they have contrasting fabrics and thread colors to make construction methods easy to see. The diagrams are easy to follow and the text is clear and understandable.
There is a detailed index in the back for looking up specific techniques, so if you need to learn how to make welted pockets or buttonholes, or you want to look at hemming options, you can find the information quickly.
I recommend this book for beginners who want to take their sewing to the next level and to more advanced sewers who need a good reference for more involved techniques.

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Readers who love to sew – especially those who know Threads magazine – will have to have this definitive sewing encyclopedia. An incomparable collection of the best sewing information available, this book promises to explain, with trademark thoroughness, the full range of garment sewing techniques. It covers all the bases for anyone who delights in sewing: tools (from sewing machines and sergers to pins and needles); materials (fabrics and threads of all kinds); basic sewing (from seams and seam finishes to hand-sewn stitches); garment construction (top to bottom, inside and out); tailoring techniques (for a professional look); even lingerie techniques, pressing tips, embellishments, and much, much more. Without a doubt, this is the complete sewing answer book.

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