[.ca] Couture Sewing Techniques (ISBN 1561584975)

How interested in haute-couture are you?:
The reviewer who said "not for the faint hearted" was understating. High fashion details, starting with the truly bizarre jacket on the cover, are probably not for the majority of us. The photos are an interesting history of fashion but I don't know how much of the interesting touches and admittedly time-consuming processes would find their way into anything I sew. I don't necessarily want my clothes to last forever and end up in the Smithsonian, so I would not recommend this unless you are really, really into detailed, multi-process construction work.

A truly wonderful book:
Having tried to find books for advanced home and hobby sewers in German (almost impossible), I came across this book, and have never regretted buying it a single second. And having aimed at perfecting my skills with regard to creating wardrobe, I was amazed about how little I have known so far. Why could I not find such book a lot earlier!! Even while browsing through it, a lot of questions that I had always had were simply solved by reading instructions, and by the conciseness of the illustrations. My only - personal - problem is that the language is quite technical, and at worst, I have to read with a dictionary by my side, as my English is not so advanced on technical discussion level, but all of Ms Shaeffers instructions are self-explanatory and very precise. I strongly recommend this book to anyone ready for a new challenge in spicing up their wardrobes. And yes, even if you 'only' use the odd trick here and there, your clothes will start looking different - much more professional - as you start paying more and more attention to little details, and learn to avoid mistakes by focusing on how something should really look like - not that I wasn't focused on what I was doing before, but this is like the difference between your first watercolours and your first picture in an exhibition. Thank you, Ms Shaeffer, for taking the time to write this absolutely, truly, wonderful book, and keeping good traditions alive.

A bit disappointing:
After hearing so much regarding this book from peers and followers of Ms. Shaeffer, I was disappointed to find the book offers little in terms of true couture technique -- it seems more of an abridged edition of some of the more complete sewing technique manuals. I am hard-pressed to find anything in this volume that I could not have learned in other, more well-rounded guides, and to top it off, several of the techniques and ALL of the stylings in this book are out dated. As other reviewers have mentioned, several of the techniques are not accompanied with pictures, and the instructions for some techniques are difficult to understand even with illustration (unless you already understand the techniques -- then why purchase this book?) I'd purchased this in hopes to add some new techniques to my repertoire, and being that I've already studied seamstressing for many years, I thought this was the ideal place to begin. I was wrong, and regret spending my money on a small volume containing no information I couldn't have found in greater detail on the internet for free.

A Fine Finish:
I have encountered a good deal of frustration in learning to sew because it seems that most of the books available focus on sewing things fast and taking shortcuts. Given that one can buy inexpensive, fashionable clothes at Target or Ross Dress for Less, my focus in sewing is to make clothes that are better than what I can afford to buy. If you want to take the time to give your clothes the best possible finish inside and out, this is the book. The instructions are clearly written. The only draw-back to some readers might be that the book is written in narrative form. Use a hilighter while you read so you can easily find the techniques you want to use. Also, the techniques are sometimes not illustrated.

Haute Couture Techniques Made Easy:
I own several of Claire B. Shaeffer's books, and I prize each one. However, this is my favorite. If you are interested in learning haute couture sewing techniques, this is the book for you. The book accurately and thoroughly describes and illustrates many techniques that will assist you in producing beautiful, well-made, and long-lasting garments for yourself or for others.