Sewing

Amy Butler's Little Stitches

In this lavishly illustrated collection designer Amy Butler presents 20 charming contemporary projects for the nursery and beyond. There's a snuggly wrap blanket imaginative plush toys bright diaper bags handy travel bibs and much more. Our innovative packaging makes for easy useó7 pattern sheets are neatly tucked into a folder on the inside cover while lay-flat spiral binding makes for easy reference while sewing. Beautiful photos inspire while illustrations and simple instructions explain the techniques. Amy also shares tips on choosing baby-friendly fabrics and includes a comprehensive techniques section glossary and resource guide. With her eye for detail and her signature fine craftsmanship Amy has created a delightful offering of handcrafted keepsakes sure to be cherished by generations to come.

Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-Shirt

Make it yours. This inspirational guide with DIY attitude has everything you need to know about the world’s great T-shirt: how to cut it, sew it, deconstruct it, reconstruct it, and best of all, transform it. • Features more than 100 projects (plus 200 variations) for customized tees, tank tops, tube tops, T-skirts—even handbags, a patchwork blanket, iPod cozies, leg warmers, and more. • Not a DIY expert? Not to worry. More than one third of the projects are no sew, meaning anyone who can wield a pair of scissors can put a personal stamp on her wardrobe. But the sewing basics are here too: backstitch and whipstitch, gather and ruche, appliqué and drawstrings. • And the mission statement for Generation T: Ask not what your T-shirt can do for you; ask what you can do for your T-shirt. And then Do-It-Yourself!

The T-shirt is the centerpiece of a girl’s wardrobe. But even better, that same T-shirt is a blank canvas just waiting to express the personality and creativity of its owner. You can cut it, sew it, twist it and turn it. You can deconstruct it, you can reconstruct it. Recycle it, resuscitate it, refashion it, re-invent it. Make it punky, make it funky. In the hands of Megan Nicolay— who knows the DIY pride of accomplishment and the pleasure of making something chic and unique (and cheap)—the T-shirt is like fashion ore, as she shows how to turn any ordinary, preferably well-used T-shirt into a halter, a tank top, a peasant blouse, or, for a total transformation, into a T-skirt. Or a hat. Or leg-warmers, a drawstring purse, an iPod cozy. Even a patchwork T-blanket.

In 108 unexpected, easy-to-follow projects, this pied piper of DIY shows first how to tee off with the basic materials plus add-ons (ribbons, lace, safety pins) and techniques (stitching, hemming, gathering). Then come recipes: 13 projects for customizing a T-shirt (i.e., doing everything to it you possibly can and still be able to call it a T-shirt); 21 projects for tank tops (less shirt, more style); and 14 projects for tube tops and halters (even less shirt and more style).

There’s the Two-Tiered Peasant Skirt, the Bow-Tie Beanie, the Sweet Dreams pillow. Plus gauntlets, pot holders and tablecloths, pillows and braided rugs. Not a DIY expert? No problem. More than one third of the projects are “no sew,” so anyone who can wield a pair of scissors can put a personal stamp on her wardrobe.

New Complete Guide to Sewing (Readers Digest)

The best-selling comprehensive, practical, and inspiring sewing reference, now fully revised and updated. Clear, simple instructions by sewing experts, and thousands of illustrations and diagrams show each stage of the sewing process. This guide is the standard stitch-and-seam reference book for both beginner and seasoned sewers.

The Art of Manipulating Fabric

Those who knit, crochet, or embroider have long had sources to which to turn for in-depth instructions on specific stitches and stitch combinations. Now there is such a reference for the sewer--an encyclopedic approach to gathering, shirring, ruffling, tucking, pleating, and quilting and their myriad variations. Filled with hundreds of diagrams and crisp black-and-white photos, this volume explains in detail how to achieve a tremendous range of three-dimensional fabric effects. This is not a book of particular projects; this is a book of instruction and inspiration for anyone who has ever wielded needle and thread. --Amy Handy

Sew Everything Workshop

The Book A lively how to and why to sew tutorial that marries attitude and instruction while teaching everything you need to know:

• How to find the right machine, and become one with it
• Essential skills, from winding a bobbin to sewing a dart to customizing a pattern
• Preparing a workspace
• The Ten Fabric Commandments
• Laying out and cutting patterns
• With step-by-step instructions and full-color photographs and illustrations throughout

• Cuddle-Up Cardigan
• Tender is the Nightie
• Foxy Boxers
• Canine Couture Coat
• Cape Mod
• Power Tie
• Tokyo Tie Bag
• Lucky Scrap Scarf
• Naughty Secretary Skirt
• Founcy Tank Top
• Knockout Knickers
• And more!

It's hip (think Project Runway), it's hot (with a potential audience of 45 million), and it's coming from exactly the right publisher (remember Stitch 'N Bitch and Generation T). Introducing S.E.W, the beginning sewer's bible.

A reinvention of the postwar sewing how-to, here is a hold-your-hand guide that marries attitude and instruction, that speaks the language of today's crafters while teaching them everything they need to know from winding a bobbin to sewing a dart to customizing a pattern. Diana Rupp, the author, comes from a long line of crafters, and parlayed her passion into a career as the founder of Make Workshop, a unique DIY school that's been written about in Elle, Budget Living, BUST, Real Simple, Time Out, Vogue Patterns, and more. In S.E.W, Rupp brings the workshop home: buying the right machine; setting up a space and furnishing it with the right tools; introducing fabrics—manmade vs. natural fibers, wovens vs. knits, color theory, buying vintage fabric on eBay; the art of laying out a pattern and cutting; and becoming one with your machine, from best posture to seam allowances, buttonholes, zippers, and the finer points of hand-sewing.

Then comes the fun: 25 amazing projects, 8 with patterns included, all handled with clear, step-by-step instructions—gingham wrap skirt, gauchos, drawstring pants, silky top, downtown hobo/laptop bag, patchwork throw, dog sweater, unisex boxers, vintage apron, more.

Sew Fast Sew Easy: All You Need to Know When You Start to Sew

Sew What! Skirts: 16 Simple Styles You Can Make with Fabulous Fabrics

Sewing is back! Young, crafty women are discovering the fun and creativity of working with fabric, needle, and thread to create simple, colorful skirts, suitable for showing off as wearable art. Sew What! Skirts assumes no prior sewing experience (and no home ec. class or mother with sewing skills!), and doesn’t get bogged down with overly complicated instructions or patterns.

Author Francesca DenHartog, a fabric fanatic and sewing instructor, has stripped skirts down to the basics: 15 styles, ranging from an A-line to a circle, wraparound, gored panel, tiered “hippie,” layered, and more. All it takes to get started is basic body measurements (no need to go out and buy an expensive pattern), a machine, great fabric, fun embellishments, and a few sewing fundamentals.

With a creative can-do attitude, playful photographs, and super-simple step-by-step instructions, Sew What! Skirts will connect a whole new generation with the craft of making clothing that expresses your own unique look and personality. It’s all about the fabric, as DenHartog demonstrates with the colorful array of patterns and motifs featured throughout.

Whimsical, colorful, and easy, the designs in this book are sure to unleash the creative spirit of every budding seamstress.

Couture Sewing Techniques

Sewers who have ever longed to create clothing with the distinctive look of haute couture will love this book. They'll learn the finer points of hand sewing, shaping, and finishing for a high-end, professional look. This book is for all sewing enthusiasts who appreciate fine workmanship.

Bend-the-Rules Sewing: The Essential Guide to a Whole New Way to Sew

Author Amy Karol, whose Angry Chicken is one of the best-loved craft blogs on the Web, brings stitchers everywhere a down-to-earth introduction to sewing, including thirty projects so adorable and cool they’ll inspire anyone to pick up a needle and thread.

Written with Amy’s characteristic warmth and flair, you’ll find information on basic equipment and supplies, advice on choosing and using fabrics, and a fantastic section on techniques. In addition, Amy walks readers through easy, inspiring patterns designed for the fashion-savvy crafter. Playful, modern projects, which include pillows, aprons, and purses, help novices master sewing skills while providing immediate sewing gratification—and confidence. Best of all, Amy explains what’s easy, what’s hard, and when not to sweat the small stuff.

With its best-friend tone, solid reference section, and supercute projects, this is the introduction to sewing that you won’t want to be without.

Sewing for Dummies

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, 2^nd Edition, is the fun and easy way^® to get the basics and stitch up a storm in no time!