(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best sewing books

The comments are split into two camps: the "get out and do it" bunch, and those actually listing books. While of course there's no replacement for practice and experience, it isn't always possible to get outdoors the practice, and reading is a good way to correct your perceptions, learn new tricks, or find new ideas and inspirations.

The internet is a great place to start. There are a ton of excellent websites and forums in a variety of topics, and of course the inevitable YouTube channels, although I'm not so much a fan of videos. Be careful about online advice though; try and check reputations first, and validate things they are saying against your own experience (and, often, against common sense). That's the bad side of a place where anybody can say anything - lots of bad advice, and conflicting opinions.

Here's my book list though:

• Finding Your Way Without A Map Or Compass (Harold Gatty), a great guide on observing the world around you, by a guy who was a navigator during WW2
  
• Bushcraft: Outdoor Skills and Wilderness Survival (Mors Kochanski), one of the classical texts on bushcraft
  
• Essential Bushcraft (Ray Mears), although Ray has allowed his name to be slapped onto a load of sub-par stuff, this one is actually a good and well-rounded reference
  
• The Ultimate Hang 2 (Derek Hansen), a packed and illustrated reference to hammock camping, which is an environmentally-friendly and space-efficient way to camp (also check out his website)
  
• Mountaincraft and Leadership (Eric Langmuir), one of the classical texts on mountaineering, but covers a load of great leadership topics on many subject areas, as well as basics like navigation and first aid
  
• Food For Free (Richard Mabey), great book about foraging, covering trees, plants and mushrooms - fairly specific to the UK but works for most temperate regions and contains a lot of interesting information
  
• Canoeing (Ray Goodwin), a fantastic reference for canoeists - basically, a canoe is a pack mule for the water, and a great way to explore new places
  
• Scouting For Boys (Baden-Powell), the original Scouting handbook, an old 1956 copy I picked up somewhere, but will prime you with the basics on camping, tracking, and many other skills
  
  I also have a bunch of guidebooks on recognising trees, wild flowers, insects, birds, and so on, which are always useful skills to have. As with Gatty's book, watching the world around you and understanding the patterns of weather, animals, birds, and insects will give you lots of valuable clues about what's happening and how to predict changes in the environment. Trust the birds and the insects; they've been doing it a lot longer than you have!

I'm a huge historical costuming nerd and 18th century is a favorite period of mine. American Duchess' patterns with simplicity are a fabulous place to start.

Use 8579 for your stays, pocket hoops, and chemise.

Watch this video from AD to get some tips about the stays before attempting to make them. They have some tips that Simplicity's pattern instructions simply don't have.

Use 8578 for your gown

For extra help with the gown, you can always check out AD's Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking. It's aimed at hand sewing techniques but has some invaluable information for how it was done back then, and very clear step by step photos and instructions that can help you if/when the pattern throws you for a loop. It also has excellent instructions for how to get the gown to fit properly.

There are plenty of hairstyle tutorials too so find one you like and don't neglect your hair after you've made your beautiful gown. :) It completes the look!

Check out the recent American Duchess book. She skips over a lot of info, not the method for the dresses and accessories are there. There are some Simplicity patterns associated with the book, too, but I'm not sure what Simplicity has done to them since they've been submitted. Definitely look up reviews before buying any of them. There have also been a series of posts on the American Duchess blog about patterns for stuff not included in the book. I linked to the one about stays.

As for patterns themselves, give Reconstructing History a miss. They are poorly graded. I haven't used them, but the JP Ryan patterns get good reviews.

If you're comfortable with flat pattern drafting, then there's a book by Elizabeth Friendship called Creating Historical Clothes that will guide you through using body measurements to create patterns. It doesn't tell you how to put them together, but if you have a difficult to fit body, you might find it a good choice.

The best thing would be if you could find a group with people who are already familiar with sewing for the period and who can help you out. Eras with only handsewing approach things differently than eras with machine sewing, so there can be some things that will take modern seamstresses by surprise.

For a beginner sewing machine I would probably look for something basic by singer or brother. I have had pretty good luck with them. Right now I am using a Singer Simple 2263 and for a fairly basic machine I have been very happy with it and have not had trouble. I see them going used for about $50.

A pillow is probably a good first project since it will be fairly simple and give you a chance to get used to using a machine etc. I don't have any real good recommendations in terms of tutorials online, but there are tons if you look around.

I will say I often times check thrift shop book sections to see if they have any good sewing books or magazines for cheap. I have found some really amazing vintage sewing books that spell things out for you. If you want to get into sewing clothing and come across a copy of it [The Better Homes and Gardens Sewing Book from 1961 is a treasure trove of information about custom fitting garments etc] (https://www.amazon.com/Sewing-Book-Better-Homes-Gardens/dp/B000HMQ2VW/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1526481104&sr=8-6&keywords=the+better+homes+and+gardens+sewing+book) I found my copy at a goodwill for a couple dollars and it was really worth getting.

Hrm. It’s definitely a learning process. Sorry if this isn’t super helpful — there’s so much to learn to be able to recognise a quality garment. I wrote a different comment about this a while back — if I can find it again, I’ll edit this comment with a link.

Anushka Rees has a decent beginner’s guide. link here It’s clearly written by a non-expert — like she lists “cotton” and “denim” separately, when in fact cotton is a fibre and denim is a particular weave — but I think it’s a good start.

I’ve been sewing for years, and I can’t recommend it enough if you want to learn about fabrics and construction, even if you don’t actually want to make your own clothes. Even reading sewing instruction books will teach you a lot. The Vogue Sewing Book (editions before about 1990 only) is amazing for this, and it’s dirt cheap.

I have my own kind of insane list of rules I follow when shopping that I can try to write out if you’re really interested, but trust me that they are obsessive. To be perfectly honest, most of the brands cited as being of good quality on FFA don’t pass my personal standard. No judgement at all — I think everyone should do what works for them, and I agree that many of these brands are above average for quality. I just hate shopping that much!

You have a VERY coveted machine, in an equally coveted cabinet! The 201 is/was considered the sewing machine fit for a princess. It will be EXCELLENT for learning to sew. These vintage machines are generally much more powerful than modern sewing machines, so will easily sew through many layers of thick fabric, but also will produce excellent seams on fine fabric and everything in between.

I knew nothing about fixing machines, but I managed to ressurect a completely gunked up and stuck/frozen treadled Singer from 1927. It now works GREAT and is far stronger than any of my modern machines. I expect it to outlive me! This book got me started, it's very helpful, but may not have all of the info you need: How to Select, Service, Repair & Maintain your Vintage Sewing Machine https://www.amazon.com/dp/1507500998/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_GnItDbRN626MQ

My main concern for your 201 would be that the wiring of the motor could be bad, due to age. It can be fixed! But don't try to plug it in and use it until you can be sure there is not a short, causing you to get a bad shock. I don't know if you'll find a professional to replace wiring for you, but for some machines it looks fairly straightforward.

Hang on to the old sewing stuff from the drawers, there are people who collect it. Some items might look ancient, but will be perfectly usable, so don't make that judgement yet if you don't know how to sew. Do keep the bottle of oil in a separate place, rather than risk it spilling into the either stuff.

A place to start will be to learn how to raise the machine from the cabinet into position for sewing, wipe away the dust (don't use any cleaning supplies yet, just a dry cloth), and start oiling the machine according to instructions for your machine, using fresh sewing machine oil. This is what I use, but I buy it locally at Walmart or a fabric store. Do not use anything but sewing machine oil to oil your machine!
Dritz Sewing Machine Oil, 4-Ounce https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000YQESLW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_RwItDbGTG4KXC

There is a world of info out there on servicing and using these vintage machines, but hopefully this will get you started.

May I make the radical suggestion of learning to sew yourself?

There are classes, and once you have a sewing machine, it's relatively easy to start to make things from patterns - maybe try somthing simple first, and then move onto editing or even making your own patterns from clothing scaled up or down in the right places (I'm currently doing this with a project, and it's relatively easy using deconstructed clothing [a footed sleeper in my case] as a good starting point.

If you need more information on this kind of subject, books such as the Readers Digest guide to Sewing ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/Readers-Digest-Complete-Guide-Sewing/dp/0276446410/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325004944&sr=1-1 ) or the Vogue sewing guide ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vogue-Sewing-revised-updated/dp/1933027002/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325004950&sr=1-1 ) tend to be fantastic (I own older editions of both of these books, and they are well worth getting!).

Other than that, I'm sure that some of the shops like Privatina may well be able to help you if you send them an email...

These are very basic suggestions:

Colette's Beginner Book
Very nice, focuses on sewing clothing, comes with patterns.

[Fabric Reference] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/089689536X/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00)
Tons of information on fabrics.

Reader's Digest Guide
Lots of sewing techniques and information. You can get the new edition but the old ones are cheap!

Gertie's suggestions
Most, if not all, of these books came from Gertie. Just Google "building a sewing library" or something along those lines and you will get great information. Don't neglect blogs! The internet is a vast sewing resource. Good luck. :)

Asdfjsdhj omg you two are sooo cute. What an adorable contest ;_;

Hope I'm not too late to enter!

Morthy demands:

• Item which would most make you seem like an old posh Englishman: Nothing says old posh Englishman then old world steampunk accessories and an airship. I guarentee there's a monocle in there.
  
  
• Most phallic looking item: Ahahaha now that I'm actually looking, holy fuck these are disturbingly phallic, the have balls and everything. Someone was highly amused when they designed the first pair of scissors o_O
  
  Akeleie demands:
  
  
• Most geeky item: Combining geek and chic :)
  
  
• Item which would most help you achieve a goal: This sewing machine guidebook would be the most helpful thing on my wishlist. Almost everything on my wishlist is actually for my project called Stich N Ditch, where I'm in the process of making 1000 plushies to "craft bomb" a poor innercity neighborhood with cute plushies. The most important thing to me is actually speeding up my process, so learning to use my sewing machine better would truly be the most helpful thing in achieving my goal. Akeleie's demands are suspiciously more helpful then Morthy's. Hmm.
  
  
• Best item to bring to a deserted island: Thread. You can create so many things! The possibilities are endless. I'd never want to leave the island if I had this much thread to work with :D

I haven't had the chance to start my own project yet, but I purchased this book and think it's an AWESOME reference. The internet is a great resource, but I'm a really visual person and like to flip through a book instead of clicking on a screen when I'm working on a project. This one is very useful too, though it has more details on working with fur.

Learn to sew with some simple projects like pillowcases and bags first, and then move on to sewing clothes, paying attention to fit and pattern alterations. While it's easy to do simple tailoring, anything more than shortening inseams or taking in side seams will require a good understanding of garment fitting, and the best way to do that is to make some from scratch.

There are plenty of learn-to-sew tutorials out there, but I recommend picking up a book to help with fitting. This one is pretty good and is old enough that there are a lot of cheap used copies floating around.

Daily Life in Medieval Europe may be a bit too general for what you are looking for, but it does include a section on clothing and even includes some cloth patterns if you are trying to make your own medieval clothing.

Another book, Fashion in the Middle Ages may be closer to what you are looking for, but again this is much broader than your specific 'winter/cold weather' clothes.

This book Medieval Tailor's Assistant: Making Common Garments 1200-1500 may be your best bet. From a customer review:
>This book covers everything you ever wanted to know about medieval clothing, from measurements, patterns and materials to methods of construction. It has over 400 illustrations of medieval clothing, and 121 patterns for shirts and smocks, cotes, doublets, kirtles, hose, surcotes, cotehardies, gowns, overkirtles, cloaks, children's clothing, headwear, and accessories.


Sorry I couldn't be of much help other than a few Amazon links, but hopefully one of these will at least point you in the right direction.

Edit: oops! Saw someone else recommended Tailor's Assistant already. My apologies, but let us know if you find anything interesting!

The pattern comes with shoes indeed! Although I might opt to re-design them, I don't know yet. I'm actually really pleased with how flat the feet turned out, even after stuffing. I should have added that I slightly changed the arms and legs for the third doll, Abbi, and her feet will be a bit smaller.
I'll make hair out of yarn, in a similar style to what the author of the pattern does. I find it really pretty, and I love working with yarn. Sometimes with acrylic yarn, I even brush it out and flatten it with a flat iron so it effectively turns into actual faux hair. But with this old-timey look, I'll just keep it as is. If anyone is interested, I can share my hair-making process with you, I'll likely make Aggi's hair tomorrow.


And of course! A challenge would be delightful!
Here is the link to the book: https://www.amazon.com/Storybook-Toys-Projects-Puppets-Softies/dp/1607055503

​

Couture Sewing by Claire Shaeffer. She also has more specialized books on the parts of Chanel-style suit, such as The Couture Cardigan Jacket and The Couture Skirt. Here's her Amazon page.

​

Thomas Von Nordheim's Vintage Couture Tailoring is excellent. He did the structured costumes for The Phantom Thread.

I've only looked through it, but Zoya Nudelman's The Art of Couture Sewing had beautiful photos.

Roberta Carr's Couture: The Art of Fine Sewing has hideous examples but good information.

​

For pattern making, Helen Joseph Armstrong's book is very popular. Books by Ernestine Kopp and Natalie Bray are others.

​

That doesn't look bad at all (and better than 95% of what you could buy off the rack). But if you want to really get a perfect fit, I highly recommend a book like this one by Nancy Zieman. You can pick it up used really cheap, or it's probably at your local library. She has you make alterations to the paper pattern, and I got very good results with it.

https://www.amazon.com/Sewing-Clothes-Barbie-Stylish-Outfits/dp/1782215972/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=sewing+clothes+for+barbie&qid=1566750682&s=gateway&sprefix=sewing+clothes+for&sr=8-3

I wish they were my patterns! ☺️ this is a great little book. Full size patterns included. I just trace with tracing paper! Some really pretty dresses. Some eh dresses and outfits. ♥️♥️

I actually made this a year or two ago but never thought to post about it until now. I am really happy with the way it turned out, and I still use it all the time! It's a great project for a beginner too.

If anyone is interested, I got the pattern from this book: Simple Sewing

I got this book on serging free when I bought my machine through amazon about a year ago, and I absolutely love it. Pair that with the manual, and you really don't need much more. The book is rather short, but the pictures are wonderful, and the detail is perfect for a beginner.

This book has always been my go to guide for sewing and pattern making. They have the basics for nearly everything in it.