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Complete Photo Guide to Sewing: 1100 Full-Color how-to Photos

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Simple Sewing with a French Twist: An Illustrated Guide to Sewing Clothes and Home Accessories with Style

Design your own ready-to-wear line.

From reattaching simple buttons to creating entire outfits from scratch, sewing is a practical and rewarding skill for anyone to learn. Make your fabric projects a cut above the rest by teaching yourself to:

Choose the right sewing tools, patterns, and fabrics for your project
Sew on buttons, mend ripped seams, and hem fabrics
Set up, use, and adjust the settings on any sewing machine

Sewing Basics

Sewing involves cutting fabric, such as cloth and leather, into shapes, then using a needle and thread to sew seams, or lines of stitches, that join the pieces together. There are two ways to sew:

Hand sewing: In hand sewing, you hold the needle and fabric in your hand and pull the needle back and forth through the fabric. Hand-stitching techniques are used for detailed or delicate work or when working with hardware, such as buttons or snaps, that can’t go through a machine.
Machine sewing: In machine sewing, a sewing machine controls the needle and thread. You steer fabric beneath the moving needle at a steady rate to stitch. Machine sewing is much faster and better for creating seams over long, shaped lengths of fabric and maintaining even stitch length and tension.

Types of Sewing Projects

Sewing is a very versatile craft that allows you to work on a limitless number of projects. You can use sewing for:

Mending: Rather than throw out clothes or other items that are worn or torn, mend them. Adding buttons, closing a seam, fixing a hem, and patching holes are sample mending techniques that even beginner sewers can tackle.
Home décor: Sew a number of home décor items, from curtains to slipcovers to pillowcases. Fabric stores generally have a wide variety of fabrics, offering endless options for sewers looking to update their surroundings.
Clothing and accessories: Create clothes and accessories, such as handbags and belts, from scratch by following sewing patterns, which range in difficulty from beginner to expert. You can also give your clothes a new look or alter their fit.