The Bottom Line
I strongly recommend this book for anyone trying to wrap their mind around fitting and sewing techniques. The couture techniques detailed in this book can easily be applied to many different style garments.
Pros
- Excellent photos accompany text directions.
- Contrasting fabrics make photos easy to see details.
- Luxury fabrics and techniques to sew them are detailed.
- Hidden details in garment making are revealed.
- Couture tools are explained and shown.
Cons
- Some techniques assume some basic sewing skills.
- Glossary defines terms but sues not detail procedure involved.
Description
- The Dressmaker's Handbook of Couture Sewing Techniques by Lynda Maynard, ISBN: 978-1-59668-247-4
- A spiral bound, hard covered book that will lay flat and stay open.
- Easy to follow step-by-step directions for the many sewing techniques describe in the book.
- Photo intense easy to follow directions.
- Descriptive table of contents and thorough index make it easy to find an area of interest.
- Comparison photos for things like backing silk velvet, make it possible to see the results for various backings.
- Techniques entailed as couture can be applied to many garment applications.
- A great resource for DIY fashions and revamping ready to wear clothing.
- Learn the details that create runway clothing through the techniques entailed throughout this book.
- A great resource to enhance basic skills, enhancing patterns and to start creating your own designs.
Guide Review - The Dressmaker's Handbook of Couture Sewing Techniques by Lynda Maynard
The first thing I look for when I open a sewing book is clear concise pictures. A picture truly is worth a thousand words when you are trying to understand a sewing technique that you have never seen done or sewn yourself. I was pleased to see clear images that focus on the techniques being described when I opened The Dressmaker's Handbook of Couture Sewing Techniques by Lynda Maynard.
Once I am done with a quick browsing of the book, I settle down to actually read the book. Starting this book with the introduction is a not to be missed step. The introduction keys in on how the author started sewing as a child and how the thought process progresses from a pillow case to truly couture sewing techniques for professional results that are far from a little girl running around wearing a pillowcase with holes cut in it to make it "wearable".
