Are you a seasoned seamstress in need of a refresher or a beginner looking for basic needle-and-thread instruction? Grab a sewing guide to learn a new hobby or expand your knowledge. Some books outline how to use a sewing machine, others feature step-by-step instructions on how to make a particular garment, and still others are full of little known-sewing secrets. There are many manuals to choose from, and choosing the right guide can be overwhelming. Let us lend a helping hand with our selection of the best how-to-sew books, below.
1. The Sewing Book: Over 300 Step-by-Step Techniques
The Sewing Book teaches you how to sew everything from clothes to home decor. The book’s author, Alison Smith, knows all there is to know about her craft. She is the founder of one of the premier sewing schools in the United Kingdom, a contributor to Sewing World magazine, and the first person to be awarded an MBE (Member of the British Empire) for services to sewing and corsetry. A quintessential all-around guide, this book offers everything you need to know about tools, textiles, draping, and patterning.
2. Singer: The Complete Photo Guide to Sewing
Featuring step-by-step instructions and hundreds of photos and diagrams, this book teaches you both fundamentals and advanced techniques for fashion and home decor projects. Use this guide to learn how to make and finish seams, mark patterns, sew bias strips, make pillows, and more. With topics ranging from how to operate your sewing machine to how to make your own activewear, this handy manual has it all.
3. Sewing School: 21 Sewing Projects Kids Will Love to Make
Teachers looking for a kid-friendly guide for the classroom will appreciate this book. Featuring 21 kid-tested sewing projects that require minimal supervision, it helps young sewers develop the skills and passion necessary for a lifelong hobby. With easy-to-follow, illustrated instructions and traceable patterns to cut out, it will quickly have kids sewing pillows, pot holders, dolls, blankets, and pincushions. Almost of the projects can be hand-stitched and require no sewing machine. The authors write in an accessible and encouraging style, and the book features brightly colored photographs and illustrations meant to engage young crafters.
4. Sewing 101
Sewing 101 serves as a great primer on the basics of sewing. This well-illustrated book clearly delineates fundamental skills such as how to use a sewing machine and how to construct garments. The book features technique-based chapters on subjects such as patterning and hemming, and project-based chapters such as how to sew a T-shirt and how to make a quilted place mat. This guide is best for the beginner who wants to learn simple techniques and projects and to learn sewing lingo.
5. A Complete Guide to Home Sewing
This traditional how-to sewing book is a classic, intensive guide, as useful to the beginner as it is to the most experienced seamstress. With simple sewing projects at the beginning and advancing to more complicated ones as you read on, this book has it all. Chock-full of useful technical information, it will teach you how to mend tears, pattern a dress, choose the best fabric for your project, and properly use a sewing machine attachment.