Sewing Book Club: Couture Sewing Techniques by Claire Shaeffer


couturesewingtechniques

Why, hello there sewing book readers!  You may have noticed some lag-time between our first book and this one.  My apologies – the advent of the holiday season caught me off guard and left me with little time to properly review this book.  Let’s just make this our October/November book and pick up from there, shall we?

From the back of the book:

“With clarity and a profound respect for technique and application, Claire Shaeffer brings one into an haute-couture atelier, where the realm of possibility has no boundaries. She imparts the secrets of hand-work that allow a garment to become weightless, a wisp of dimension for the wearer.   She pays homage to the gods of the craft and bows to the church of haute couture.” 

And

Claire B. Shaeffer’s authoritative guide goes beyond couture sewing: an all new chapter on designing with special fabrics; gorgeous photos, step-by-step illustrations, and concise technical instruction; trade secrets and insider tips from an international expert on couture

There’s no doubt about it: Claire Shaeffer is a couture sewing guru.  I knew when I picked up this book this summer that I would learn a lot from her experience behind-the-scenes in haute couture design houses.

Knowing very little about couture sewing to begin with (read: almost nothing), I appreciated the way the book was set up to guide me in the right direction for what I wanted to do.  The book is divided into two parts: the first being “The Basics” of couture sewing, the second “Applying” the techniques.  For those interested, Claire goes into detail about the history of couture sewing and what couture sewing looks like today, the differences between haute couture and ready-to-wear garments, and even explains the uses of different types of hand-sewing thread (who knew?).  I skimmed most of that section since I had already learned quite a bit from Gertie’s book about couture sewing, but then skipped on to the application portion of the book.  That’s what we’re here for, right??

There were two projects that I made using the techniques from this book: my zombie skirt and Moss Mini Skirt.

plaidskirtmoss mini 5

Zombie Skirt:  Since I was sewing with a heavy cotton flannel, I wanted to avoid a bulky waistband on my skirt.  Flipping to the Skirts and Pants section, I found just what I was looking for: a faced waistline a la Chanel.  Instead of using self-fabric for a waistband facing, I used grosgrain ribbon to achieve the same effect without the bulk.  I loved it!  I highly recommend this technique for garments requiring a waistband facing – it gives the garment more of a “J Crew” effect in the inside.  I also inserted a hand-picked zipper to the back of the skirt following her instructions for a Slot Zipper (and also using Gertie’s instructions in her book as well).  Not sure if I’d try that again since I wasn’t too happy with the results but I’m guessing it’s a technique that needs practice in order to achieve a crisp, finished look.

Moss Mini: encouraged by this book, I took a stab at top-stitching most of the seams on this skirt.  Not totally a couture sewing technique, but Claire claims that it’s an “elegant and versatile trim,” and why wouldn’t I want that for my skirt!  I patiently stitched down all of my main seams with a contrasting gray thread and panicked when I realized that my stitching down the back of my skirt wasn’t even, thinking that I would need to rip it all out and start again.  But have no fear!  Claire writes that I shouldn’t “worry if the topstitching is not perfectly regular; Chanel’s is not always perfect either.”  Well there!  If it’s ok for Chanel, it’s ok for my corduroy skirt.

I think this book would have been more useful if I was sewing a more complicated project, like a jacket or fancy dress.  When that day arrives, I will be reaching for this book for sure.  It’s chock-full of information that the more advanced stitcher can use to elevate a home sewn garment from Holly Hobby to Holly Golightly (ok that’s kinda cheesy, I admit).

Have you used this book for any of your sewing in the past/present?  What did you think of it?  Did you find it useful?

And now, for the unveil of next month’s book:


designityourself

I’ve been itching to draft some of my own pattern ideas I have floating around in my head and wanted to give a shout-out to this book.  If you haven’t yet tried Design-It-Yourself Clothes by Cal Patch, it will open up your eyes and lift the veil of mystery surrounding pattern drafting.  I’ve used this book to make one or two tops, but I want to give it another go this month and try out a new design that’s been lingering in my head.

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Gertie’s New Book For Better Sewing [Sewing Book Club]


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If you aren’t a Gertie fan, aka Gretchen Hirsch, you will be after reading Gertie’s New Book For Better Sewing.  I found Gretchen’s blog not that long ago and fell in love with her tongue-in-cheek writing, clear explanations on (to me) mysterious couture techniques, and retro aesthetics.  Plus, check out her awesome tattoos!  She’s inspiring to me as well: she started as a blogger sharing her sewing experiences and has expanded into offering classes online (her Bombshell class on Craftsy is great) as well as at The Sewing Studio in NYC, teaching on TV, a pattern line with Butterick, and now has her very own book out.  All of the above is why I chose her new book as the first book of the Sew Wrong Sewing Book Club.

To be honest, I wasn’t a big vintage sewing fan before I read this book.  Maybe it’s because I don’t want to look like I’m going to a costume party (went through that phase before) or that I find it too fiddly to size a found pattern up/down to get the right fit.  It’s not necessary, however, to have a love for vintage clothes to appreciate the wealth of info in this book. Everything is covered from the pretreating of fabric, how to properly true up fabric and layout pattern pieces, and different hand stitches for hemming and finishing seams.

Probably my favorite section of the book was Gretchen’s explanation of tailoring.  I had no idea so many stabalizers existed out there to give structure and body to a garment – I can say I definitely want to try using organza for, well, everything now!  Tailoring essentially is the practice of molding and shaping fabric to retain a shape, and stabilizers play a big part in it as well as hand stitching and using pressing aids.  After reading her overview of tailoring, I think I want to learn more and try my hand at it, and her tips also come in handy for her coat sew-along happening on her blog now.

Another section that’s helpful for home sewists is her in-depth section on patternmaking.  I haven’t seen an instructional sewing technique book yet that goes so into detail on altering necklines, dart manipulations, and slashing-and-spreading.  Usually that’s found in books on that particular topic, but Gretchen presents it as necessary skills for every stitcher.  Who doesn’t need to make adjustments or want to alter a design element on an existing pattern?  I was thrilled that she broke down patternmaking into simplified instructions; sometimes those pattern drafting text books can be really technical and difficult to understand.

She also touches on some couture techniques I want to try as well: picked zippers, different types of seam finishes (great for those of us who don’t have access to a serger), and bound buttonholes.  They’re small details that can be included on any garment to elevate it from Becky-Home-Ecky to chic and professional.

And best of all, Gretchen has patterns at the end of the book that allow the reader to practice all of the different techniques she covered in the previous sections.  They’re vintage inspired, but no so much that they look out of place today; they have a modern styling to them that makes them ok to wear to the office or out for dinner.  I’m adding the Tiki Dress and The Bow-Tied Blouse to my must-sew list

How did you like Gertie’s New Book For Better Sewing?  What parts did you find helpful or useful?  Do you plan on sewing some of her patterns or have you made some already?

I’m also announcing October’s new book for the Sew Wrong Sewing Book Club: Couture Sewing Techniques, Revised and Updated by the fabulous Claire Shaeffer.  This time, in addition to reading the book, let’s try to use a couple techniques in our sewing projects for October.  You know, incorporating some sewing into our reading.

I look forward to reading your responses and hope you enjoyed the book this month!

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Have You Finished It Yet? [Sewing Book Club]


gertie

I’m plugging right along and am almost finished with the first book of the Sewing Book Club, Gertie’s New Book for Better Sewing.  I’m learning so much!  Even if you’re not into vintage sewing, the tips and techniques are invaluable in this book and can apply to a wide range of sewing aesthetics/garment types.

Just as a reminder, since next week is the first week of October, I’ll be posting my review of the book on the blog towards the end of the week (I’m thinking around Friday).  If you’ve read the book and posted a review, or you’re planning on doing so sometime next week, please leave a comment below or send me a tweet with the link to your post.  I’d like to have a comprehensive list of everyone who’s participated in the read-along for September added on to my post next week.  In the meantime, grab a button to show your participation!

Sew Wrong's Sewing Book Club

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Alright I’ve got a Renfrew to cut out…happy reading!

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I Collect Sewing Books.


books

I have a confession to make: I buy sewing books and don’t read them.  Criminal, right?  I see reviews of them on blogs, stumble across them on Amazon, and I snatch them up thinking that they’ll help improve my sewing skills/solve my fitting issues/turn me into a fashion designer/whatever.  And then I open them up when they arrive, flip through them, and then file them away onto a shelf in my bookcase. For shame!  Claire Shaeffer will not be put in the corner!

Today that’s going to change.  I was giddy when I saw that Gertie’s New Book For Better Sewing was on my doorstep when I came home from work.  I rushed in, opened it, and immediately became absorbed in all of the knowledge Gretchen shares in her book on vintage sewing (more on her book in a later post).  And then I thought: what other great information and tips are sitting on my bookshelf just waiting for me to read and discover?  It’s all right there, I just need to open them.

So I’m starting with two books at once:  High Fashion Sewing Secrets by Claire Shaeffer (love her!) and Gertie’s New Book For Better Sewing by Gretchen Hirsch.  I’m going to read both of them, cover-to-cover, and share new tips and tricks each week from whatever sewing book I’m reading at the time.  That way, I get to power through my sewing library and learn all sorts of new stuff to apply to my sewing and share with you too, dear readers, tidbits that will hopefully be helpful for you as well.

Edit: for the sake of simplicity, I’m going to start with Gertie’s New Book For Better Sewing by Gretchen Hirsch.  Two books at one time is going to be a bit much for me to power through with my limited reading time available.

How about some kind of Sewing Book Club?  Leave me a comment if you plan on joining me for a read-along on either book and share your thoughts of the book on your blog.  When I do my post on the book, towards the end of the month, I’ll include a link to your blog as well.  Sound fun?

Now if this works out, I need to try this with my knitting books as well…stay tuned!

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