- in Sewing by Evelyn Wood
What are the 3 MUST-HAVE SEWING BOOKS that will actually help on your sewing journey? Plus my favs!
In the context of what's sewing books will help you in your sewing journey, it's nice to have books as a reference.
I've broken down my reference books into three categories: the all-rounder, the fit, and the specialty books. And I have my three favorites in each of these. Now, these are just books that I own. There are many books out there that I don't have.
So maybe there are better ones. I'm going to look at the context of these books and what I like about them. So you can have a more critical eye when looking for your books and what might be helpful for you.
What I look for in different books is skills, not projects. That is my whole philosophy of sewing. That is the way I teach at Vintage Sewing School. It's about learning the skills that we need, not just projects. And so that's one of the first things you'll find in all of these books.
The All-rounder
The Reader's Digest, Complete Guide to Sewing
My most recommended above all is The Reader's Digest, Complete Guide to Sewing. This one is like the Bible. If you do not have this one, you absolutely must get it already.
I always look at is the chapters and how they are categorized. So because that's how you're going to go searching for content is by category.
So this is the sewing Bible. It has everything preparing to basic stitches and seam finishes, all the tools and everything you need that you didn't know you needed. And it's very logical, and it's effortless to find different information.
The Vogue Sewing Book
I cannot recommend this one enough. This book is the one that you should get, The Vogue Sewing Book. So this one is from 1975, and it's just lovely. And so this one goes into designing and making your clothes and color schemes, very flattering, not flattering.
And I also like to make sure the pictures are understandable. And it is something that makes sense in my mind; if I can see straight away, that's a good sign. Again, the sheer size of this, you can tell there's so much information.
You've got an index at the back to help reference and find what you're looking for as you need it. It is a great book that I love having in my collection.
The Pictorial Guide to Modern Home Dressmaking
Again, one of the first things that I look for is, of course, the size and the contents. Have a look at the categories.
I love how they've broken this down into fittings, your sewing machine, pattern drafting, making, finishing processes, tailoring renovations, there are all these older books. This particular book breaks it down into all of your basic sewing requirements, your needles, your sewing machine, different fabrics.
And the way that I look at sewing is just like these books are presented. Of course, these older books are fantastic illustrations as well. So this is another one that I love as a great sewing all-rounder.
Let's move on to the next category, and that is fit. So once you're past the primary sewing stages, you want to start making pattern alterations for fit.
And this is where a good book is your absolute reference point because it's the kind of thing you want to look for in sewing.
Fit
Fast Fit
So this is one of my favorites. This book is Fast Fit, and it is a beautiful book. You can see all the categories when you're looking for fit. You're looking for problem areas, length back shoulders, you know, your sleeves, your neckline, upper body pants, skirts, it's all broken down.
And so it's easy to look at the pictures and navigate your way through. As I said, the pictures make sense when you start doing pattern alterations of hand-making, but over time, trust me, they will make sense to you.
Figure Analysis
So another book in my collection that I love is this one; it's a Figure Analysis. I wasn't lucky enough when I went to college to get a fancy book like this.
First, you want to look for an index of contents and find the alterations you need. And they lay them all out nicely. So if you can get your hands on any textbooks like this on fit, that will be fantastic for you.
McCall's How to Fit Book
So another book in my collection that I love is this one; it's a Figure Analysis. I wasn't lucky enough when I went to college to get a fancy book like this.
First, you want to look for an index of contents and find the alterations you need. And they lay them all out nicely. So if you can get your hands on any textbooks like this on fit, that will be fantastic for you.
Specialty
Thrift with A Needle: The Complete Book of Mending
The next category is the specialty. So I think after your basic sewing, what you want is the specialty. Now, this is quite an old book, I think from the forties, from memory it's probably in here somewhere 1954.
This book is one of my favorites. And it just goes through all different techniques and situations of mending and refashioning. It is just an excellent book.
Couture Sewing Techniques
This particular book is The Dressmaker's Handbook of Couture Sewing Techniques.
So I think something on more high-end techniques is something that most of us will look for in a book. And I love this one. It's a modern book, and it is crafted well. The fantastic picture is a lot nicer to some of our eyes rather than hand-drawn drawings.
It just covers different things. So if you have a look at the contents, you'll find that it's broken down into your toolkit, bindings, and finishes, which are a lot of its underpinnings and different categories and fabrics to understand what you're doing.
So you'll want to see many different versions of how to do things that will give you great ideas. So something on some high-end tailoring with pictures that you like is something you think you want.
Commonsense Dresscutting and Drafting for Adults
Another one in this category, I think, is when you get to progress down your sewing journey, you'll start looking at pattern cutting and drafting.
This book is the Commonsense Dress Cutting and Drafting Guide for Adults. This one was a textbook in the 1950s for a school; I found many copies of these over time.
I like this one because it's just, wow, it's cute. And of course, it has a bit more aesthetic too, a little more of what I like.
So this one shows you a picture of what adjustments you would need to make to the pattern to create the style. So you're no longer looking for changes for fit, but style.
And it just goes through different ones. And so it's best to get a drafting book on styles or an aesthetic that is similar to you. So maybe it's a vintage one if you're into these types of books or a modern one, or just whoever it is that has that kind of the same sort of style that you like to be able to replicate those styles on your garments.
If you cover off a sewing all-rounder and then get an excellent book on a fit, then a few specialty items will be the staples in your sewing bookcase.
That will be that resource you need on hand. And remember, look for sewing skills, not just projects I think will help you out.
You can find some of these books (that are still in print) in my Amazon store. These are affiliate links and I earn a small commission on them. Thank you for using these links as every bit goes towards helping support me.
Until next time...
Evelyn xx
