Including the words "the ultimate" in the title of any book is pretty risky. After all, you're creating some pretty high expectations before the reader even turns the first page. With The Ultimate Sewing Book: Over 200 Sewing Ideas for You and Your Home, author Maggi McCormick Gordon stepped up to welcome the challenge and hit a grand slam home-run. Filled with step-by-step instructions and beautiful full-color photographs, this book certainly lives up to its name.
The Ultimate Sewing Book provides an excellent introduction to sewing basics, which are an integral part of any successful sewing project. There is a brief discussion of the tools, equipment and fabrics used in sewing, followed by an exceptional presentation of the fundamentals, such as hand and machine stitches and seams, edges and gathering.
Dressmaking is covered in great detail. After giving you a crash course in using and altering patterns and choosing fabrics, The Ultimate Sewing Book demonstrates dressmaking techniques for the individual components that are used in the creation of garments. For example, you will learn how to make 4 types of collars, 10 types of pockets, 4 types of buttonholes and even 4 types of plackets.
The jewel of this book is the section that covers Home Furnishings. Making up over half of The Ultimate Sewing Book, this section teaches you everything you ever wanted to know about taking fabric and turning it into accessories for your home. In addition to the required sewing tips and techniques, there's information on choosing a style, choosing color, choosing fabric, measuring and assessing windows and furniture and much more. There are instructions for making curtains, blinds, bed linens, table linens, cushions, pillows and slipcovers. The first sewing project I ever attempted was a fabric blind inspired by the Home Furnishings section of The Ultimate Sewing Book; it's still hanging in my kitchen window.
Throughout the book, the instructions are detailed and guide you every step of the way. The photographs that accompany the instructions effectively utilize contrasting fabric and thread colors to further illustrate the point. All the photographs are large, colorful, intuitive and add greatly to the value of this book.
The Ultimate Sewing Book: Over 200 Sewing Ideas for You and Your Home is an excellent visual guide that will instill confidence in the beginner and inspire the experienced to dust off that sewing machine and start sewing! I highly recommend it.
