Sewing Clothing

Learn to sew with knits and create the wearable wardrobe you've dreamed of. Create comfortable, beautiful garments quickly and easily using techniques taught by a fashion industry insider. You'll learn all the basics, from the ins and outs of the machinery to the best finishing techniques. Alyson Clair shows you that anyone can sew with knits!

• Learn how to seam and finish knit garments, whether you have a serger or not.


• See how sergers and coverstitch machines work, so you'll know exactly what to invest it.


• Explore industry techniques taught by someone who has spent years on the factory floor (and how to adapt them for home use).


• Learn how to shop for knit fabric and what to look for.


• Learn basic fitting and quick-fit techniques that work well for knit patterns.


• See a variety of methods for finishing edges, including necklines, armholes, and hems. You’ll learn techniques you can swap out on almost any knit pattern!


• Get creative with fun embellishments that work particularly well with knits.

A pleated camisole and shorts set, a holiday kaftan, a vintage lace nightdress, and a kimono with taffeta trim: these 30 sewing projects for nightwear and accessories include items for both adults and children. Includes a comprehensive techniques section and full-size patterns and templates for all the projects.

Publisher: Cico Books

Follow five "tracks" of sewing, each with five tiers of difficulty, for a total of 25 fun projects that will help you learn new sewing techniques and gain confidence and experience in your sewing! Includes CD of patterns and templates.

Deborah Moebes, author of the bestselling book Stitch By Stitch, wrote Stitch Savvy: 25 Skill-Building Projects to Take Your Sewing to the Next Level to help sewists determine their own progression in the craft.

Publisher: Krause Publications

Five simple fundamentals can help you perfect any sewing project: a thoughtful plan, a precise pattern, a fantastic fit, a beautiful fabric, and a fine finish. With these core ideas, this book shows you how to start sewing the wardrobe of your dreams.

176 pages
Publisher: Krause Publications
Publish date: November 2011

Fashion trends come and go, but certain iconic styles never fade. Make them for yourself with BurdaStyle’s new guide to sewing fashion through the decades. Five adaptable master patterns for tops, dresses, and pants are transformed into 19 projects for both women and men that draw inspiration from key fashion moments, from the Roaring Twenties to the Awesome Eighties.

Includes techniques for customizing the enclosed master patterns into new design variations, all perfectly fitted for you. You’ll also get a taste of fashion history—the essential designers, signature trends, and style icons from each era, including Coco Chanel, Audrey Hepburn, and Yves Saint Laurent. This is a follow-up to The BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook.

216 pages
Publisher: Potter Craft
Publish date: December 2012

Pattern Magic 2, partner to the original title Pattern Magic, takes a creative approach to pattern cutting, with more step-by-step projects for fashion designers and dressmakers to enjoy. These easy-to-follow illustrations and detailed instructions make it easy to create stunning, sculptural clothes.

104 pages
Publisher: Laurence King Publishing
Publish date: February 2011

Vogue magazine describes the fashions of Natalie Chanin, founder of Alabama Chanin, as “haute homespun out of the Deep South.” The company is known for the cutting-edge twist it puts on tried-and-true sewing, quilting, and embroidery techniques, applied mostly by hand to recycled cotton jersey.

After living in New York and Vienna for more than 20 years, Natalie Chanin began to transform cotton T-shirts into high fashion using the needlework skills she learned as a child in Florence, Alabama. When she moved home, Chanin hired local women (many of whom had worked in the state’s now-defunct textile factories) to stitch her couture collections with her.

176 pages
Photographer: Robert Rausch
Publish date: March 2008