Sew Everything Workshop: The Complete Step-By-Step Beginner's Guide [With 10 Patterns]

I am 31 and never touched a sewing machine in my life. Thanks to this book I am sewing up a storm. It feels as though Diana is there with you talking you through the process. Very easy to read and full of useful information. A must read for all beginners!

Start to finish, Sew Everthing Workshop is just plain good. Diana Rupp got so much so right! There are two parts to my review: the technical aspects (novices, don't be scared!) and the projects. First, the tech stuff. She makes the nuts and bolts (or bobbins and pins) of sewing seem less mysterious, whether this is your first time sewing, or you picked up the book as a refresher, or you're very experienced and found the projects appealing. There will be something in the front part of the book for everyone to learn, regardless of your sewing level. I love that. Ms. Rupp covers everything from hand sewing to details of a machine needle. When she addresses sewing machine bobbins, she does a pictorial how-to from a variety of ages of machines, something I found personally helpful! The book covers equipment and tools. She gives advice about what you need to start, and what you'll need as you continue. There's information about maintenance of your tools and your sewing machine. It's especially helpful in the section about the sewing machine needles: when to change, how to recognize faulty needles, and so forth. For your interest Ms. Rupp also covers the history of sewing machines; again, don't be turned off by what could potentially be a dry topic. She's conversational and fun! It's good stuff to know, and who knows? It might just come up in a game sometime. Impress your friends! ;-) There is a section that discusses fabric, fiber content, choosing the correct fabric for your project, how much fabric to buy if you just can't leave the store without it but don't have a project for it yet, different weave structures, woven fabric compared to knit fabric and how that affects sewing and your project. All of these things are very important to sewing, and can be SO overwhelming! But the way Ms. Rupp writes, you feel as if she's right at your side with a friendly, reassuring voice. There's no project you can't handle without the instruction from the front part of this book. The instruction compiled in the front of this book is so wonderfully comprehensive, I wish I would have had it way back when I first started sewing. I wish I would have had it in art school! Nevermind: I'm glad I have it NOW. This is a gem. I love this book. I will be contacting my former professors to recommend it as a first year textbook/handbook for Fiber majors. It really is that good. So: the projects. To begin with, there are 25, a refreshing change from the oft-encountered 12-15 project books. Not only is she generous with the number of projects, Ms. Rupp provides 10 of the patterns with this book. (Working with and choosing patterns is also covered extensively in the front part of the book, by the way.) All of the projects are well described, easy to follow, and have both photographs and diagrams that guide the maker in executing the design. Measurements abound. There is a materials list, accompanied by a techniques list, with reference pages

I am an experienced veteran sewer and am teaching my daughter (13) and my niece (11) how to sew. This is their manual, I bought it for both of them. After years of complaining about there being NO good books that teach you to sew, finally Diana Rupp has written a fantastic book that sounds like a real person (who is hip and funny) is teaching you one on one. The projects are great and her lesson progression is brilliant...you just want to keep reading. The book is geared to adults who want to learn how to sew, I will need to work with my girls on some of the stuff, but I consider this THE HOW TO SEW BOOK for the world. Don't waste your money on any other sewing book--this is the one.

I absolutely ADORE this book. It has all the desirable elements of a book for a beginning-to-novice sewer: spiral binding, clear and concise instructions on sewing basics, and patterns (ten of them!) to start you off. All this combined with Ms. Rupp's easygoing voice and approachable and fashionable projects makes S.E.W. practically required reading for any level sewer! Not too long ago, when I lived in NYC, I took a sewing class at Ms. Rupp's Make Workshop in the Lower East Side. It was so much fun! Ms. Rupp's approachable attitude that she takes during class translates well in book form. It's like you're there in Make Workshop, hanging out and learning how to thread a machine and make a cute skirt. I'm glad that I have this book now that I have moved away from NYC and can no longer drop by the studio. As mentioned before, the book includes about 10 patterns to start you off, ranging from easy (yoga pants) to difficult (knickers). I especially loved reading about Ms. Rupp's introduction, how she got into sewing and why she loves it. I also really appreciated the comprehensive sewing basics section, including the pictures of fabric swatches and explanations of different sewing tools. The pics of fabric swatches definitely makes it easier for me to visualize a project. This book comes highly recommended! I know that I will be a reference book for me for a very long time. I hope that everyone else enjoys it and learns from it as much as I have.