Book Review: Sewing for Fashion Designers

Laurence King Publishing recently sent a copy of Sewing for Fashion Designers by Anette Fischer, for me to review.

As many of you know, I have a sewing library of well over fifty sewing books, dating from the early 20th Century to the present.  Sewing books have changed a lot over the years, even if most of the techniques have not.   A good sewing book should be not only informative, but also inspirational.   It's the inspiration I have often found lacking in many of the books I own, particularly the better-known encyclopedic tomes like Readers Digest Complete Guide to Sewing and the cutesy, quilting-cotton-into-baby-bib project-oriented books which proliferate today.  Most sewing books, moreover, still address a female audience exclusively.

Right from the start it's clear that Sewing for Fashion Designers has a different mission:



This is a book for those who may be home sewers or not, but it specifically addresses readers with an interest in the fashion industry and includes techniques for both womenswear and menswear.  My male readers will find this fully inclusive approach especially refreshing and practical.











No sewing book can cover everything.  Sewing for Fashion Designers isn't geared to the sewer whose primary concern is fitting commercial patterns.  It doesn't address pattern drafting in detail.  Its focus is the basics -- machines (domestic and industrial), needles, stitches, fabric -- and clothing construction techniques: zipper insertion, interfacings, waistbands, pockets, collars, cuffs, hems, basic corsetry, etc.   Supersize the photo below to view the table of contents in detail:



I think Sewing for Fashion Designers would be ideal for a beginner or intermediate sewer who wants to approach sewing from more of a ready-to-wear perspective.  As a largely self-taught male home sewer (I took one course at the Fashion Institute for Technology, last year) who has struggled to find sewing books I could relate to, I found it comprehensive, beautifully laid out, and well written.  Its fashion industry flavor is just enough for me.  I'm not in the industry myself but I didn't notice any conspicuous gaps; the focus is sewing.

You can view more than 60 photos of the inside of Sewing for Fashion Designers and see for yourself.  Or just click on any of the photos below:



You can pre-order Sewing for Fashion Designers (release date is May 2015) here.   If you have any specific questions about the book, please ask them in a comment below.

Have a great day, everybody!