Sewing Books

I'm new to sewing.  I'm also self-taught so I rely heavily on books and online resources for instruction.  All of the books I own I've purchased via recommendations from others and so I thought I'd list the ones I've found to be the most helpful.  This list will undoubtedly grow and change along with me; if there's a book you've found helpful, especially to beginners, please share the title and author with us and why you like it.

Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing, 1976

 

This is an excellent reference.  It is very thorough, containing both general and detailed information on many topics.  It is not a sewing course and while it begins with the most basic aspects (tools, the sewing machine, etc.), it isn't intended to be read from beginning to end but to answer specific questions about various topics, accessed by chapters organized by general area.

The Complete Guide to Sewing exists in various editions.  In shopping for my copy, many reviewers said that this 1976 edition (pictured above) is the best, i.e. most complete.  Whether this is true is unknown to me but it is the version I purchased based upon these reviews.

My copy cost $2.98 plus shipping.  It is a hardcover in excellent condition, showing very little use.


The Vogue Sewing Book, 1982.

 

The Vogue Sewing Book is very similar to the Reader's Digest reference listed above.  There is a great deal of overlap and while I haven't delved as much into the Vogue version, I can tell that it has a greater emphasis on styling and couture techniques, albeit limited. The text is excellent.

I don't think both books are necessary but they do explain processes (such as zippers) differently and considering both books are so inexpensive and a great value overall, it can't hurt to own both.  As with the Reader's Digest reference, the 1982 edition is the one most reviewers recommended for its completeness and text.  

My copy was about $1.00 plus shipping.  It is a hardcover in very good condition showing little use.

(The above images are web images, not my own.)

The following three books are titles listed at Peter Lappin's blog Male Pattern Boldness.  (H/T Peter!)  In skimming their contents, I can already tell they contain a great deal of information and will be with me for a long time.  I particularly enjoy David Coffin's writing style.

Making Trousers for Men and Women, David Page Coffin, 2009

Sewing for Men and Boys, Simplicity, 1973

  
How to Make Men's Clothes, Jane Rhinehart, 1975

Purchased online for $0.30, Simplicity does it again from their popular 1970s sewing series.  I haven't yet had time to really read it (review forthcoming) but it appears to be another solid, basic introduction to tailoring including equipment, technique, fabrics, time-savers, etc.  The text is very readable but terse, so an additional tailoring reference is necessary.  Like the Sewing for Men and Boys (listed above), this isn't so much a how-to but a what-to-do, best coupled with a more complete tailoring instruction book.

Simply Tailoring, Simplicity, 1973

I found the book below in a thrift store for $1.99.  It appears to be very good, although much of it is dedicated to decorative techniques for the experienced and very crafty sewer.  336 pages chock full of color photographs, readable text, step-by-step instructions, and suggestions.

Encyclopedia of Sewing Machine Techniques, Bednar & Pugh-Gannon, 2001

When I first considered purchasing the Singer Sewing Reference Library, I balked: the books I had already purchased covered some of the subjects more than thoroughly.  One I had not considered was the following Sewing Essentials as I thought it mainly dealt in equipment, notions, etc.  While that's certainly covered, it's also an introduction to essential, basic techniques: hand stitches, machine stitches, seams, cutting, etc.  Perfect for a beginner.  Found at a thrift store, I was able to page through it; I suppose I was meant to have it.

Sewing Essentials, Singer Sewing Reference Library, 1984

Two more, received today in the mail:

Tailoring, Singer Sewing Reference Library, 1984

How To Make Sewing Patterns, Donald McCunn, Revised Edition 1977

I've seen both of these books referred repeatedly, especially the McCunn -- a classic of the genre.  I have no idea how to judge either because I don't know enough to determine whether they're worthy of the consistently high praise they receive but they certainly look like excellent learning references and methods.  The Singer tailoring book's approach is interesting in that it gives directions for hand, machine, and combination tailoring methods consistently through the various subjects (and there are many).  Both books are in excellent, nearly new condition; the McCunn was $1.99 and the Singer was $.03.  Hard to beat that!

The Shirtmaking Workbook, David Page Coffin, 2015

Here is a book I just received and am reading with great interest.  It is an excellent exploration of all aspects of shirtmaking and I'm enjoying it immensely.  It contains all kinds of useful information based upon Coffin's open-minded and -ended philosophy that whatever achieves beautiful results is what works.  I love this approach and as a bonus he includes many examples from and for menswear, which should be of particular interest to all sewers of all shirt types, from casual to couture to tailored and back to unstructured.  This book deserves a thorough review.