People love to get their hands on new sewing publications. There are many excellent sewing books available right now. Whether you’re a beginner or searching for a reliable source of fresh designs, you’ll undoubtedly discover a new favorite book in our list of the finest sewing books.
For those of us who love to stitch, sewing books are a great resource. They also make fantastic gifts. However, finding the correct and perfect handbook might be a difficult task because there are so many options available.
To help you choose a sewing book that fits your needs, we have compiled a list of the top 10 sewing books, varying by preference.
Our Top Picks for Best Sewing Books
Best Overall: Make, Sew and Mend (jump to review)
Best for Beginners: First Time Sewing
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Best for Intermediates: The Sewing Book
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Best for Experts: The Experts Book of Sewing Tips and Techniques
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Best for Teens: Girl’s Guide to DIY Fashion
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Best for Men’s clothing: The Gentleman’s Wardrobe
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Best for Kids: Sewing for Kids
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Best for Pattern Alterations: The Fitting Book
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Best for Pros: Sewing Secrets from the Fashion Industry
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Reviews of Our Top 10 sewing books
Make, Sew and Mend: Traditional Techniques to Sustainably Maintain and Refashion Your Clothes
Individuals of any sewing ability level will find this book very intriguing and helpful. Readers will learn various techniques like how to stitch gussets, patch holes, and trim skirts, which are well-written in an instructive and endearing manner in the book.
The book focuses on affordable stitching practices as people are turning to more economically and environmentally responsible fashion choices, including repairing, as they have become aware of the costs of rapid fashion.
The author breaks down techniques with step-by-step images on obtaining the most durable results for every stitch, from stitching buttonholes, pleats, and basting to herringbone and running stitches.
- Clear instructions
- Provides information about the essentials
- High-quality pictures
- Could be considered focused on historical sewing (and not fast fashion)
First Time Sewing: The Absolute Beginner's Guide
First Time Sewing is authored by veteran staff members with years of experience in sewing who have thoroughly researched, written, and edited this excellent book.
This beginner's book teaches you to sew stitches by using both your hands and a sewing machine. The book gives you the feeling of having a personal tutor by your side. With the help of this book, it's never been easier for one to learn how to sew.
Easy step-by-step instructions for all the fundamental sewing techniques are included, and they will have you making products such as garments, curtains, slacks, and cushions in no time. The book is also filled with thorough descriptions of the different sewing tools and materials.
The easy projects available in this book will teach fundamental sewing techniques, including pattern utilization, tension balance, seams, and hems. With First Time Sewing under your belt, you can quickly sew fantastic crafts and presents for your loved ones.
- Very clear images
- To the point precise directions
- Ideal fit and ready to sew for all ages
- Limited instructions
- Some information might be outdated
The Sewing Book: Over 300 Step-by-Step Techniques
This is the definitive sewing book for intermediates, with over 370,000 copies sold globally. With detailed illustrations that will bring out the excellent sewist in you, this is the only sewing resource you will ever need.
The book covers topics on sewing materials, pattern layout, interfacing, equipment, adding godets and pleats, various types of seams, pattern alterations, and a dozen other topics. There is also a section on fixing clothing rips and broken zippers.
One can advance a simple design with the help of many diverse approaches the author offers. The author provides stitching directions for household items like curtains, totes, pillows, and potholders in addition to garments.
Whether you are sewing outfits, creating soft furnishings, or altering clothing, 300 step-by-step procedures will be of great help to you. With the addition of 5 new sewing methods, this perfect edition of the sewing book features all-new projects.
- Straightforward and understandable writing
- Great refresher course
- Very informative and easy to follow
- Great pictures
- Print is in gray, might be hard to read
- Few explanations might be confusing
The Experts Book of Sewing Tips and Techniques
The best sewing experts in America have provided a wealth of useful sewing advice in this book. Excellent advice from seasoned seamstresses is provided here. In addition, the advice is well-illustrated, direct, and succinct.
Although this book is recommended for expert sewists, even beginners, or possibly novices as well, will enjoy this book. The book provides hints for making well-made house decorations and garments by advising on choosing the right fabrics.
Experts can learn various tricks as the book divulges time-saving techniques, provides guidance on stabilizers, buttons, fabrics, and more, and gives precise instructions on sewing methods for a polished appearance.
This book serves as the ideal resource for brushing up on techniques you already know or for learning to sew virtually any sewing technique.
- Direct information
- Excellent illustration
- Finest shortcuts available
- Best sewing hints
- Some of the tips are too short
Girl’s Guide to DIY Fashion: Design & Sew Complete Outfits
This authoritative manual on sewing for girls and fashion design is written by Rachel Low, the proprietor of Pins & Needles, a contemporary craft and sewing workshop in New York City.
Girls will quickly learn how to put their own distinctive spin on whatever they wear by combining everyday items like sweatshirts and jackets with more fashionable ones like tights and jeggings.
Within a short period of time, you'll be sewing and making headbands, tops, skirts, pants, and even handbags! The search for your preferred clothes is now much easier and requires no leaving the house!
Sketch your designs in the book first to give your own touch to everything that you produce. By including items that you find inspiring and adore, you can learn to create mood boards for fashion design as well.
- Excellent instructions and visuals
- Excellent patterns
- The book has a cute look with great visuals
- Some of the information maybe too immature
- The diagrams do not reflect a more diverse group of girls
The Gentleman's Wardrobe: Vintage-Style Projects to Make for the Modern Man
This exquisitely designed book, The Gentleman's Wardrobe, is full of inspiration and charm and contains a plethora of fine accessories and clothing projects. This book will meet your demands if you're a dapper gentleman who usually prefers tweed to jeans and also believes that gallantry and grooming shouldn't be forgotten.
The author, Vanessa Mooncie, gives the best requisite information for every guy who wants to look more urbane with exquisite and lovely clothes like trousers, vests, pajamas, and jackets, as well as necessary accessories like cravat ties, caps, and wallets.
Making one of these vintage-style clever crafts can make any man feel more upbeat, whether they make it for themselves or for their loved ones.
- Information on garment assembly
- Includes project patterns
- Great quality pictures
- Limited size measurements
- Misinformation about some patterns
Sewing for Kids helps you to get started with the ins and outs of hand-sewing, like how to tie a knot or sew a whipstitch, and before you know it, you’ll be sewing on a sewing machine! This book includes easy-to-understand techniques for needlework newbies with projects that increase in difficulty
According to Tracy McElfresh, With Sewing for Kids, Alexa Ward provides the perfect introduction for both child and grown-up into the fun and friendly world of sewing. The tips on how to establish a learning environment are priceless and help to create a foundation for learning new skills that will last a lifetime. Sewing for Kids is a wonderful and much needed gift for discovering and sharing our common threads.
- Easy to follow
- Clearly explained
- Fun projects suited for kids
- Too much information at times can be overwhelming
The Fitting Book: Make Sewing Pattern Alterations & Achieve the Perfect Fit You Desire
Many women struggle with the standard sizing of commercial or indie sewing patterns, which often leads to fitting issues. This garment fitting guide will help you adjust sewing patterns to achieve the perfect fit you desire. This fitting book has visual sketches and links to videos to help identify the fitting issue, modify the fitting sample, and correct the pattern.
In this book, you will learn about terminology, abbreviations, pattern tools, and patternmaking supplies. The pattern corrections can be applied to womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, knit styles, and woven styles. This is a fitting book, primarily with sketches and not a pattern drafting book. Finally, you will learn about the customization scale in garment fitting and patternmaking.
- Easy to follow
- Great guide for pattern alterations
- Not a pattern drafting book
- The sketches and photos are in black and white
Sewing Secrets from the Fashion Industry
Even if there are fewer people who sew today, those who do are frequently more dedicated. This book is written for true aficionados who wish to discover the time-saving and quality-improving methods used by experts. The five authors of the book have together spent more than a century working in the clothing industry as designers, pattern makers, educators, and quality-control experts. Sewing Secrets provides readers with an inside look at how clothing is made, highlighting nuances that can separate a basic item from a statement-making piece. The book features more than 800 pictures. From awls to zippers, a large "tips & techniques" section is organized alphabetically, and sidebars with insider knowledge make for fascinating browsing. It is outstanding for all sewing collections.
- Great book with specific tips for body adjustments
- Practical suggestions
- Can replace a live class
- Most useful for intermediates or experts
Why do you need a sewing book?
If you’ve just bought your first sewing machine and are ready to get started, sewing books are an excellent way to get started quickly. Having your grandma teach you how to sew is excellent, but it helps to have a reliable resource you can turn to if you get stuck in the middle and are unsure of what to do next.
Sewing books are a great resource to learn sewing techniques. They feature comprehensive step-by-step written instructions that you can return to whenever you need. They also provide pictorial references to assist you in learning each step precisely.
With the help of many excellent instructional videos on YouTube channels, you may learn a lot about sewing. However, to learn more about sewing in a more organized way, sewing books could be a better choice.
You may quickly learn the process of setting up your sewing machine, how to make seams, when to use which stitch, and a lot more essential details that every seamstress needs to know with the help of sewing books.
Summary of Top Sewing Books
Best Overall: Make, Sew and Mend
Best for Beginners: First Time Sewing
Best for Intermediates: The Sewing Book
Best for Experts: The Experts Book of Sewing Tips and Techniques
Best for Teens: Girl’s Guide to DIY Fashion
Best for Men’s clothing: The Gentleman’s Wardrobe
Best for Kids: Sewing for Kids
Best for Pattern Alterations: The Fitting Book
Best for Pros: Sewing Secrets from the Fashion Industry
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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