Did you know that the Davenport Public Library Main Street location has a Studio 321 Makerspace full of different equipment available for our patrons to use? Today I wanted to focus on the sewing machines available for you to use in our Makerspace! You can find information about the sewing machines as well as the link to make an appointment on our website. Looking for a project to do? Below you will find a list of materials about how to sew your own wardrobe. As of this writing, all of these titles are owned by the Davenport Public Library. Descriptions are provided by the publishers.
The Dressmaking Companion by Laure Guyet
The practical, pocket-sized dressmaking manual that every sewist needs.
Tips, techniques and trusted advice on everything from threading your machine and selecting your fabric to fitting zips, darts, pockets and vents.
Whether you are making your first garment or your fiftieth, this comprehensive mini guide is a treasure trove of knowledge, perfect for dipping in and out of for quick reference and trusted advice. Inside you’ll find:
- Sewing machine anatomy: a tour through a machine’s anatomy along with advice on choosing needles, threads and feet.
- An overview of essential tools: everything you need to get going, including cutting tools, marking and measuring aids and pressing tools.
- A complete guide to fabric: understand construction, grain and bias, and discover an indispensable photographic library of 30 key dressmaking fabrics, each given with suitable garment use and care instructions.
- Patterns demystified: understand pattern language and symbols, how to take key body measurements and learn how to arrange your pattern pieces on fabric most efficiently.
- 40 key hand and machine sewing techniques: discover 40 essential techniques, each shown clearly step by step. Start with hand-sewing, seams and hems; discover more advanced techniques such as adding bias binding and piping; before moving on to adding details and features such as darts, pleats, pockets and gathers. – Search Press
Not Your Gran’s Sewing Book: Easy Alterations for the Perfect Fit at any Size by Allie Luecke
It’s finally here: The holy grail for creating clothes that celebrate your body and let all your curves and swerves sing! In this guide to easy alterations, flip-thrift guru Allie Luecke shares all the top tips to have your clothes fitting like a glove. Perfect for beginners, Allie’s book has got you covered with easy-to-follow guides and fantastic projects including:
- Starting Strong: Learn how to hem and dart everything you own
- Take It All In: Turn oversized into just-the-right size
- Let It All Out: Seam rip the shit out of too-tight clothes
- Mind the Button Gap: Close the gaps on a button down shirt (buh-bye, peeking bra!)
- Zipper-ty Doo Dah: Add zippers to form-fitting pieces (or any piece, really)
Whether you’re tailoring the fit of a waistband or adding a pocket, Allie’s clear tutorials guide you through the process with ease, and her signature voice and sense of humor will have you smiling while you sew. So don’t give up on those unworn pieces haunting you from the closet; join Allie and let your clothes adorn your body the way they were destined to! – Page Street Publishing
The Perfect Fit: Creating and Altering Basic Sewing Patterns for Tops, Sleeves, Skirts, and Pants by Teresa Gilewska
Design, draw, and alter sewing patterns to achieve the perfect fit in your homesewn garments!
Every body is different, and standard sizes certainly do not fit all! You’re going to spend hours making your homesewn garment, so you want to be sure the final product will fit flawlessly. This starts with a pattern that is drawn to your (or your model’s) exact measurements. With The Perfect Fit as your guide, you’ll learn the necessary skills for altering “off-the-rack” patterns to measure, and even drafting your own creations.
For amateur sewists who want to bring their craft to the next level in accuracy, The Perfect Fit offers detailed explanations of the role and meaning of each line on a pattern, and how to build basic patterns for tops, sleeves, skirts, and pants that you can alter for ideal style and fit.
Discover the skills necessary to draw the patterns that will bring your imagined garments to life! – Rocky Nook Inc.
Sewing Clothes: Elevate Your Sewing Skills: A Master Class in Finishing, Embellishing, and the Details by Joi Mahon
Elevate Your Sewing is comprehensive book featuring more than 30 different techniques from changing design lines to honeycomb smocking. Includes clear and easy instruction with illustration or photo step outs to guide you as you work. Includes a stitch dictionary for both couture work and unique embroidery detailing including monograms and a chart for handling and sewing a variety of couture fabrics. Nothing is forgotten in this comprehensive book. Chapters include zippers, edge finishing and embellishments, beading, bead and sequins, stitches and seams, and more! There’s even a new stitch dictionary for couture work and unique embroidery detailing including monograms. Revisit some well-known techniques with a new twist on style. – Fox Chapel Publishing
The Tailoring Book: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Custom Garments by Alison Smith
Whether you want to alter a vintage jacket or create a full-tailored suit, this tailoring reference guide has everything you need to produce elegant, bespoke garments that last a lifetime.
With over 80 step-by-step techniques on measuring, cutting, altering, and finishing, this is the only book you will need to create and alter a tailored garment.
Alison Smith MBE is one of the world’s leading tailoring experts, and in her new book, she reveals trade secrets and all the practical know-how necessary to master this heritage craft. The Tailoring Book is the latest title in Smith’s best-selling sewing series. It covers everything from choosing patterns and fabrics to fitting and construction, including techniques that can be applied to both womens- and menswear.
With this book, you can learn how to:
- Tailor garments by selecting the right tools to create a toile and picking the perfect hand stitch.
- Follow 10 detailed garment projects to create shirts, jackets, coats, and trousers
- Master the techniques of tailoring with step-by-step instructions and downloadable patterns that guide you through every part of the process
This book includes key equipment and techniques, garment projects with clear step-by-step processes and downloadable patterns, and tips on repairs and alterations. It takes the reader from the basics through to couture techniques. – DK