Sew Cool, Sew Simple Stylish Skirts

I found this book very easy to understand and the pictures are great. The one problem is, as other reviewers have stated, no pattern numbers are listed for the patterns they show you how to create. I have found what I believe to be the correct pattern numbers for several of these skirts. They are as follows: The assymetrical skirt is Simplicity #4966. The elegantly edgey skirt is Simplicity #4753. The sophisticated simplicity skirt is Butterick #4519. The artfully arranged skirt is I believe McCalls #4783 but could be #5331. The elegantly embellished skirt is I believe Simplicity #5914. The flirty flounce skirt is similiar to Butterick #4858, McCalls #5184 and Simplicity #4882 (I could not find the exact skirt but these all have a center back zip with a lower flounce and the same pattern piece count). I didn't find specific patterns for the others as I didn't care for them or already had a pattern that will work. Any A-line skirt pattern works for the very first skirt. Most of these sprecific patterns are now out-of-print, but can still be found fairly reasonable on eBay. I don't understand why the author chose to show fantastic step-by-step instructions on how to create these skirts and then failed to state which specific patterns they are. I found their explanation of how these are basic styles and any number of patterns could be used to be silly. I believe instead that they didn't want to pay to get permission to acknowledge them. Anyone learning to sew (which is who this book was written for) will not feel comfortable finding just any similar pattern to work on with this book. And the step-by-step instructions may not work with just any pattern. Hopefully with these pattern numbers some readers will take the plunge and give this book a try. The instructions and pictures really are very good compared to a lot of other books.

Finally an instruction book inbetween the classic "Vogue Sewing" (a bible for serious seamstresses) and kiddie books explaining how to hand-stitch a felt teddy-bear. Stylish Skirts is a fabulous sewing-course-in-a-book for beginning seamstresses who want to make their own clothing...keeping n mind that not only do they not teach much sewing in "Home Ec" these days, but most young girls' moms only stitch flat items such as quilts and decorative pillows...no help if you need advice on how to choose a pattern for an item to WEAR. Even if you could find sewing lessons for beginners, you'd love this book for reference, to review how a sewing machine works, how to measure your body for choosing the correct size, how to put in elastic and zippers, what you need hand-stitching for and how to do it. The photos are the best I've seen in any sewing book, the spiral binding makes for easy handling since you can place the book FLAT while working with your fabric or pattern or hand-stitching, etc. The writing style is up-beat and approachable. I bought this book for my 10-year-old....a whole bunch of her friends have asked for sewing machines for Christmas, so I'm going to go out and pick up a few more copies for her friends...a great birthday gift!

I wish they had chose a better title for this book. I would have called it "Learn to Sew by Making Stylish Skirts". If you are looking for a reference book for advanced sewing or fashion design methods, this is not the book you want. But other than that, I think this is a well-designed instructional tool for novice home sewers. The sewing industry has had to wake up to the fact that young people haven't been taught to sew and don't think of it as an interesting activity. This has resulted in a lot of new books and patterns targeted at younger sewers. The challenge is to get their attention, and then give them information that is helpful and clearly explained-and that beginners can digest in short segments of free time. I think this book is one of the better ones I have seen. The layout and design of the book is bright and attractive, and the sewing information is accurate and clearly explained. The book is written for beginning sewers, and assumes no previous knowledge. It covers all the basics that you need to know before starting a first garment project: how to select a pattern, how pattern sizing works, purchasing a machine, selection of sewing notions that are actually useful, etc. There is good advice on choosing fabrics that are easy to work with and that are suited to the pattern chosen. I am an experienced dressmaker who has taught beginners to sew, and I think someone who has never sewn a garment before could definitely complete a creditable first project with the help of this book. The target demographic for the book seems to be young working or student-age women who would like to sew their own clothes, but haven't had access to a good sewing class or teacher. The author takes the approach that the learning experience will be much more appealing and fun if the student starts with something she actually wants to wear, as opposed to traditional beginner projects like pillowcases and (ick) aprons. (If you are a male wishing to learn to sew, you can still use this book even if you don't wear skirts yourself. Make some for your mom, sister or female friends, and impress them with your creative side). She also assumes that most of her target audience are pressed for time, so she doesn't burden the reader with too much information. Rather than have a total beginner struggle with pattern drafting or complicated fitting methods, the author advises selecting a commercial skirt pattern in a basic style as a starting point. Choosing skirts is a great idea. They are probably the easiest type of women's or girl apparel to construct and fit. Pattern styles are suggested, with tips on how to interpret a pattern envelope to be sure you are getting what you expect. As patterns go out of print quite frequewntly, no specific pattern brands or numbers are given. However, excellent patterns for skirts can be found in every major pattern catalog, so finding a good one won't present a problem for even the most clueless beginner. The bottom line: an exc