[.ca] New Complete Guide to Sewing (ISBN 0762104201)

Not for beginners:
The book is too advanced for beginners. The book starts off assuming you know how to read and cut patterns, piece together parts, and construct clothing. It also assumes that you are very comfortable with using a sewing machine. The photographs are beautiful, but it hasn't served as a how-to manual that I had hoped. For the same retail price, you can buy at least two other better books.

Good, but not the best sewing book:
This book is comprehensive, but I recommend instead "The Complete Book of Sewing," by DK Publishing, August 1996. I found that many things only partly explained in this book were fully explained with better and more detailed pictures in "The Complete Book of Sewing." If I had to do it all over again I would not have purchased this book and bought instead "The Complete Book of Sewing" because "The Complete Book of Sewing" is a much better book that has pushed this book to the back of my bookshelf.

Nice overview of sewing techniques:
I purchased this book when I had a general understanding of sewing and wanted to improve my skills without having to take sewing classes. I refer to this book when I have a slight understanding of what I'm doing and need to see the details about how it's done step by step. This book does just that - no skipped steps, illustrations for every step. There are few photos, but the drawings actually serve you better because you can see the seams more clearly. The book covers a very wide range of assembly techniques, which is quite helpful if you've got a blouse all done but are stuck on sewing the collar. I have bought a lot of sewing books and find that any that include "complete guide to..." in the title try to cover too many topics and lack the detailed content many of us are searching for. If you are really lost on how to do pattern alterations or working with knits etc., you will be much happier with a book that only deals with that topic and has the space to give you in-depth instructions. Overall, it is a very good book to have for reference when the pattern you are working with does not give you the extra help you need.

If you're looking for a basic instruction book - this is it!:
I am an experienced professional sewer and have an older edition of this book. I refer back to it often. If you need basic instruction - get this book! It covers patterns, fabrics, fitting, contruction, finishing, tailoring and much, much more!

A Must for all Sewers:
If you're new to sewing or just want a bit of a refresher, this is one book I'd recommend. This book covers everything you need to know about sewing. The New Complete Guide to Sewing gives you everything you need to know to create the wardrobe of your dreams and fill your home with original decorative accents. Clear, simple instructions throughout, written by Reader's Digest sewing experts tell you what to do and how to do it throughout. Plus, thousands of illustrations and diagrams illustrate each stage of the sewing process. Sewing will become fun and easy to do.