Threads Sew Smarter, Better & Faster: 894 Sewing Tips, Fitting Fixes, and Handy Techniques

by Editors of Threads

Unearth over 800 sewing tricks and sneak them up your hand-sewn sleeve. Did you know you could use washable crayon, instead of messy chalk, to mark fabric? Or that there’s a better way to re-attach a button, mark a pattern, or make a quick alteration? These insider tidbits, and many more, are revealed in Threads Sew Smarter, Better, & Faster. Written by the editors, contributors, and even readers of the wildly-popular Threads magazine, this all-in-one resource is bursting at the seams with over 800 tips, tricks, techniques, shortcuts, and advice for sewing everything and anything your heart desires. (Bursting at the seams, indeed, but that’s okay because you’ll learn how to fix any seam!) Organized in an easy-to-navigate format for both quick reference and leisurely reading, Threads Sew Smarter, Better, & Faster is the perfect reference for stitchers of all levels. From a basic lesson in how-to-thread-a-needle to sewing repairs, fitting techniques to advanced tricks from tailors and couture workshops, you’ll find the perfect method for matching a solution to nearly any problem. You’ll learn how Yes, you can master the mechanics of sewing, you can maximize and maintain your workspace, you can work with patterns and templates, and you can even go green as you reduce, repurpose, and recycle. Threads Sew Smarter, Better, & Faster will give you the insider’s edge you’ve always dreamed of.

Genres: Sewing, Nonfiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published February 18, 2014

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Taunton Press tried to create a book with as little work as possible and it shows. This book is a compilation of hints sent to the magazine Threads by their readers for their hints column. As part of the magazine a few hints per magazine worked well. Unfortunately including hundreds of hints in a much larger format just roughly organized by subject is unwieldy for the reader. The same ideas are presented multiple times by different people. Some are poorly explained. While the original ideas are great, this book doesn't flow in a way you can easily read and absorb the ideas. This book does not deserve your shelf space.

[Jec · Rating 3 out of 5]

some interesting tips and tricks sent in by readers
but beware.....
not all of them are of the best advice
proceed with caution

[CoCoBug · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very all-encompassing book on a variety of topics, from hemming, cleaning your machine, and all the way to the best way to organize your work space. I honestly thought it was going to be more helpful, but maybe that is because I didn't have a specific topic or issue in mind; I sort of just went through the entire book. Nothing really jumped out at me, but I've only begun sewing in the past year and following templates isn't really my thing - I wing it as I go.

This is probably useful (using the index) if you have a specific issue or question in mind, but its definitely not browser friendly unless you are taking notes as you go. Many many contributors also throw in their two cents about little ideas that worked for them, so it's nice to get ideas from other seamstresses.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was disappointing. The information was very repetitive, in some cases offering minor variations on the same tip multiple times in a row and in other cases offering the same tips under different chapters. Many "shortcuts" are so complicated that one is left to wonder how they can be preferable the traditional methods.

[Shayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A crazy quilt of tips, without much in the way of organization or theory. Best for folks who already know what they're doing.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tips are repeated so the book can use some more editing. Nice tips for someone who is more advanced in sewing and has a sewing room, not a tiny corner of a small room for sewing.