Taunton Press Easy Guide to Sewing Tops and T-Shirts, Skirts, and Pants

I have received the book today and was mightily impressed with it. I feel compelled to write this review especially because you cannot preview this book on Amazon but I promise you it answers any questions you might have on sewing items, I literally looked at every single page of this book.I particularly liked the section on adapting the fitting of trousers and how to make variations on the trousers patterns to allow for larger legs, hips, bust or tummy.Lots of sections of measurements, body shapes and fitting as well. Good pics and drawings of sewing items.Step by step guides on anything - sleeves, zips, all sorts!It does not talk about dresses as such, but the section on the skirts and tops covers so much that you can actually construct a dress starting from there. Also there is quite a bit of info on how to create your own clothes and also working from patterns,I need to state the obvious here, but it does not include patterns because this is intended as an overall GUIDE on anything you might sew, but do not let this deter you from buying this book. you need to know how to sew what you want before you actually decide on a pattern.It is a very complete guide, dare I say it a bible! Experienced people might be impressed with the quality of the items covered, but it is highly recommended especially for beginners and intermediate people. The book is very thorough on the items discussed. Therefore, I am very happy!

An excellent book. I wish I had found this book sooner, so I would have used these some excellent tips which have been gathered over lifetimes of experience by the authors Marcy Tilton and Lynn MacIntyre. For example, the difference between American and European pattern fitting is fully explained on p12-13. This alone, would have saved me hours of pattern adjustments and making mistakes, through ignorance! Moving the dart position explained on p40 is simpler than the Palmer Pletsch method explained in Fit for Real People book by Pati Palmer and Maria Alto - this is the book I mostly use for pattern adjustments. It is thorough but complicated. I have not tried the new-to-me method yet, however. Also, what a clever idea to gluestick piping (p112), or making tailor tacks with embroidery thread to save losing your easily-lost-stitches - and your temper(p163)! The section on hems from p218 - p221 is a mine of useful stuff too. I have used the Calvin Klein machined hem p220 on silk blouses to obtain a fabulous professional looking finish, instead of hand sewing which I think makes the garment look home made. It is well illustrated with many photographse and excellend line drawings. The only snag is I find the index not detailed enough and have had to resort to post-it notes to help me find exactly what I am looking for. All-in-all, it is a super book - a must have for referring to often.

I bought this along with The Colette Sewing Book The Colette Sewing Handbook: 5 Fundamentals for a Great Sewing Experience , having made a skirt once and wanting to really get to grips with making my own clothes.The Colette Sewing Book gave me a great framework for thinking about the whole dressmaking (as opposed to sewing) process, from choosing the right projects to some basic skills which are needed with most projects. This book doesn't do so well at setting out a framework in the same way, but what it spares in structure it gains in detail - five paragraphs on interfacings, what the technical differences are, and then how the author chooses and uses interfacings. Those paragraphs are replicated throughout with factual followed by the wisdom of experience and advice. It's like having your grandmother constantly on hand to offer advice, although the photos are styling are probably more to a Grandmother's taste than my own! The book goes through four projects, t-shirts, tops, skirts and trousers. In each section you encounter and are taken through technical skills for the first time.I plan to use the Colette book to plan my projects, and dip in and out of this book as I encounter more technical issues where i want more detail than the pointers the Colette book offers.

I agree with the other reviewer. This is an excellent book. A "must have" if you want your clothes to fit well and hang well. It is a compilation of the three other books by Marcy Tilton. It is a very thorough and comprehensive sewing guide. It shows you how to alter and fit patterns, and how to sew and finish the garments. It gives information on fabrics. It also gives information on which styles will flatter the various figure types and face shapes. It even touches on advice for choosing flattering colours. Detailed information on basic sewing techniques and what I'd term couture techniques is also included. The information is clear, concise and easy to understand. It is illustrated with photographs and good clear diagrams. I highly recommend this book to any dressmaker, beginner or advanced. If you have limited space on your bookshelf and can only squeeze in one sewing book, make sure it's this one, it really is that good.

I know it says an 'Easy Guide' but I'm still struggling. It's very in depth and although I'm sure it's really good it isn't easy! I'm an experienced dressmaker, although slightly out of practice and I had hoped this book would update and improve my existing skills.It hasn't and I'm disappointed that it isn't what the title says.

Wasn’t what I was expecting. Found it more of a theory book and quite expansive with the information given.Was looking for an easy how to guide with clear step by steps.

This book is really well illustrated with high quality images.It contain tons of information on how to adjust patterns to fit well in all the areas of your body.The book also covers various techniques for constructing garments.Don't let the old fashioned cover fool you, it's a very good book. :-)

Excellent. It was just as I expected it.