Better Sewing Thanks to Better Homes (Better Homes Sewing Book - Elspeth Wilding)

Member Name: shroud

Product:	Better Homes Sewing Book - Elspeth Wilding
Date:	10/03/08 (59 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: easily obtained 2nd hand, well written and comprehensive in scope

Disadvantages: no longer in print so must hand in 2nd hand markets

While I was looking for reference books to teach myself to sew properly, I came across this title. Better Homes and Gardens is well known for its magazine and its excellent cookery books, but back in the 60's and '70's when sewing machines became moreaffordable and ready to wear clothes were very expensive and available only mass market from department stores, they also came out with a very well written book about home sewing.

This was not just written by some staff writer who happened to sew at home. Instead, better Homes went to two experts in sewing, a commercial dressmakr named Lucille Rivers and Elspeth wilding from Singer's own education department. Betwwen the two experts, the reader is guided through learning about their basic sewing equipment, to looking at and understanding commerical clothing patterns, to cutting and sewing the garment. As there are many types of garments and many types of fabric, various handling information is given so that the home seamstress can have equal success no matter what she is sewing. Special tailoring techniques are also covered, including alterations to coat and suit patterns , how to change a pattern, and even improving ready to wear clothes so that they have a tailored to you look and fit and hang properly. Knowing as well that things other than clothes may be desired, other popular projects such as curtains, loose covers, canopies, bedspreads, and other furnishing type textiles also get a look in.

If you have previously read my review on the Singer Sewing Book, you may be thinking that I wasted money on a book talking about the very same things. On the surface of it, you would be correct, but it would be overlooking the fact that no one book can cover every angle, and the way one person explains certain things may not be as clear as another does. It was with this in mind that I got this book, and I have to say, I was NOT disappointed. While attempting various projects, I have found it an excellent resource for gaining a clearer understanding of a technique I was hoping to master, as well as gaining extra insights given by the authors that perhaps were missing from pattern instructions or the Singer book.

The photographs and pictures are easily understood, and on more than one occasion, it was only by reading expalantions from both books and studying the two seperate sets of drawings and/or photographs, that I gained enough confidence to use the technique they were describing.

One of the handiest sections for me has been the section entitled sewing for children. Here I learned the art of how to add let out seams to add grow room to children's dresses, shirts, and trousers so that there was grow room in the shoulders, waist, and bodice as we;; as in the length of the hems. Excellent advice for adding perky trims and adding strength to the seams to withstand the rigours of play are also discussed, and there is even a page of appliques you can trace and use to embellish children's clothes.

All in all, this book is a worthy addition to anyone's sewing refernce library and a must have for anyone hoping to learn to sew.

Summary: The Better Homes Sewing Book makes light work of learning to sew.