There's a lot of great stuff in this book. From types of seams and hems to instructions on using a sewing machine, hints for working with patterns to instructions for easy beginner projects, it includes a ton of wonderful content. Unfortunately, that content could have used another round of editing. It isn't typos that are at issue: it's the kind of mistakes you hopefully catch when you get someone who's new to sewing to run through your book and make sure they understand everything.

In part two I started to find bits of instructions that I had difficulty visualizing (and the visual part of my imagination is pretty good). The blind hem stitch is one technique I was particularly looking forward to understanding, because I've had trouble grasping it before; this book's explanation left me somewhat confused, and naturally it was the one type of stitch for which no diagram was included. The deeper the book got into clothing and patterns, the more I ran into spots where I had trouble visualizing exactly what a given set of directions intended for the reader to do.

I love the contents of this book, but I find myself hoping Alpha Books puts out a second edition with more careful instructions and more diagrams. I think someone with some experience wouldn't have too much trouble re-learning forgotten techniques or refreshing their memory with this book, but it isn't ideal for a rank beginner.

For a longer version of this review, visit Errant Dreams. ( )