Couture: The Art of Fine Sewing

Really good information not found in most sewing books. I have enjoyed reading all the different couture techniques.

First, I'll state that I'm a new sewer but a technical person and can tell when a topic is over my head or is simply poorly explained. In my experience a well-written technical book makes the complex easy to understand. That said, I've been reading several haute couture titles to understand the process so that I can apply it to the garments I intend to create. I own and have read Claire B. Shaeffer's Couture Sewing Techniques, High Fashion Sewing Secrets and Carr's Couture: The Art of Fine Sewing and believe it is worth owning all three as each has a technique the not covered by the other two. If I had to narrow it down to two of these three selections I'd purchase this and Couture Sewing Techniques by Shaeffer. If I had to buy only one I'd probably go with Carr's. Here's why. First you have to discount the reviews which knock the finished examples (i.e. pictures of couture dresses). In most couture instructional books the dresses are dated and show little if any construction detail. One has to consider that any book will be limited in haute couture examples as even a hundred dresses would only a drop of water in a sea of creative fabric work that dates back over a hundred years. Also, fashion is subjective so no book can please every customer. What one reviewer finds heinous another may find appealing. These books are not meant to be art galleries, they are to instruct. If you consider them from a purely technical standpoint you'll get the most from them. Second, Haute Couture is an expressive and sometimes experimental art. I'm guessing that some reviewers feel these books should tell you how to perfectly mimic current couture dresses but that would be like a painting book telling you how to copy a Monet. I don't expect a book like this to tell me what to make. What I do expect is for it to introduce and explain as many techniques as possible, suggest problems they can be used to solve, and put it all together so that I can make a finished product that helps me express my idea closely to the original concept. Shaeffer's "High Fashion Sewing Secrets" comes off a little hodge-podgy (i.e. it lacks cohesiveness) and the page formats are hard on the eyes. You have to sort through a lot of miscellaneous, unrelated information on each page to get to the one technique she's trying to explain. Still, there are techniques not covered in the other books so it's a worthwhile third book to get after her other title and Carr's book. Shaeffer's Couture Sewing Techniques has a better format than her other title, has much more content (techniques) but is still not quite as clear, cohesive, or comprehensive as Carr's book. If you're an experienced sewer you may get more from this book than Carr's but, again, the cohesiveness is its weak point. I didn't walk away from it with that mental 'click' that gave me the confidence to put together that lingering vision of a garment. However, it does have many useful techniques not covered in her other title or by C

This is the first really good and very inspiring book about couture sewing techniques. Wonderfully illustrated. It goes into: -which fabrics are appropriate for lining -pleating out stripes -how to block fabric -how to use grain boards -flat hand held chalk -even bias tape makers -innovative techniques on seam allowance -how to preserve structural effects by using scalloping as an alternative clipping method -thread tracing in order to ensure your fabric remains flat on the seam, darts and pleats. -Cross basting for multiple layers fo fabric -why not to back stitch -proper way to press fabric to that it lies flat -how to sew a french seam -hong kong seam finish -tucking -how to cut out fabric correctly And so much more!! This book is a very good investment, and I highly recommend it to any serious designer, or any one obsessed with sewing :D

If you are a lover of fine clothing and dressmaking this is the book for you. Roberta Carr's dedication to teaching techniques that elevate sewing from mundane to extraordinary is evident on every page. The extremely readable instructions and georgeous examples make this book a must have for home sewers who want to take their clothing construction to a higher level.

This book is so good that I am going to purchase it. I checked it out of our local, public library and someone else must have loved it enough to cut pages out of it. Roberta Carr writes about what every sewer wants to know. She tells what a perfect fit entails. She describes perfectly how to make a "single-thread" dart, how to work with the forbidden BIAS, the dos and don'ts of buttonholes, etc. I learned volumes from this book.