good book, but needs a couple of pointers

books:


	• Sew What! Skirts: 16 Simple Styles You Can Make with Fabulous Fabrics Francesca DenHartog Storey Publishing, LLC, 2006 - 128 pages average customer review:based on 55 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Simply Amazing-

I was a little skeptical when I ordered this book but I just completed my first project from this book and I am thrilled. I wish I had this book many years ago. I have always been frustrated with patterns and that whole messy process of getting them ready for use etc(not to mention the price). For the first time I have been 100% satisfied with my finished garment. I loved the easy directions and the method of marking directly to the fabric. The result was gorgeous, trendy, and the process was FUN. I cannot wait to make my next skirt. This book should breath new life into the art of creating one of a kind garments!

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Fun and Fashionable

I read the reviews for this book before I purchased it. I was a little taken aback by the negative reviews, but with all the positive ones, I bought it. The book arrived and I was making skirts within the week. My two daughters and I wear loads of skirts. I am a professional quilter, so I know how to sew, but making clothes is different. The book is great in giving me clear directions and great tips. The first two skirts I made were not exactly ones in the book, but slight alterations based on existing skirts. In one afternoon I made two beautiful skirts. When I wore one to the quilt shop, everyone wanted to see the book. I highly recommend it. I am already on to my third skirt. Enjoy, as I do!

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Good Ideas, Great Instruction

Lovely ideas, clear instructions. Spiral bound is awesome so you can leave it open as you sew. Loved this book because it helped me work out how to draft a pattern JUST RIGHT for my body. If you want to be able to make yourself a variety of skirts - this book is perfect for you!!

good book, but needs a couple of pointers

I too wish they'd included yardage and layout requirements for bias sewing.

A couple of things I learned the hard way:

1. At least for the first A-line or straight skirt with a zipper, put the zipper in the back. Yeah, it's an extra seam, but it makes taking in the sides and/or adding darts if necessary easier.

2. Give a lot more ease through the hips than the book calls for. Otherwise, especially if you're working with a thin fabric, it will bunch up when you sit down and stay that way when you stand up. You can always take it in later.

3. If the skirt is a straight or A-line skirt that hits at or above the knee, you are sewing with a lightweight fabric, and you are reasonably well-proportioned, you can probably get by with a straight hem and waistline. To keep the hem from "bunching," prepare the bottom following the instructions for sewing a straight line to a curve and then hem.

4. If possible, cut out the facings so that their bottom edges run along the selvage. Nobody sees them anyway, and it saves you from having to staystitch them.

5. You can "line" the skirt by making longer facings and sewing them to the front and back pieces first, before stitching the side seams.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Sewing is back! Young, crafty women are discovering the fun and creativity of working with fabric, needle, and thread to create simple, colorful skirts, suitable for showing off as wearable art. Sew What! Skirts assumes no prior sewing experience (and no home ec. class or mother with sewing skills!), and doesn?t get bogged down with overly complicated instructions or patterns.

Author Francesca DenHartog, a fabric fanatic and sewing instructor, has stripped skirts down to the basics: 15 styles, ranging from an A-line to a circle, wraparound, gored panel, tiered ?hippie,? layered, and more. All it takes to get started is basic body measurements (no need to go out and buy an expensive pattern), a machine, great fabric, fun embellishments, and a few sewing fundamentals.

With a creative can-do attitude, playful photographs, and super-simple step-by-step instructions, Sew What! Skirts will connect a whole new generation with the craft of making clothing that expresses your own unique look and personality. It?s all about the fabric, as DenHartog demonstrates with the colorful array of patterns and motifs featured throughout.

Whimsical, colorful, and easy, the designs in this book are sure to unleash the creative spirit of every budding seamstress.

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