Power Sewing: Step-By-Step

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Summary: The best sewing reference....
Review: Being a Sandra Betzina fan with two of her books already, I had to have this one . The book is fabulous - hard-back, spiral bound, multiple clear color pictures, easy to read print, and the book size is very comfortable to handle. Instructions are clear and pictures are referenced by step-number to the project instuctions. Full of tips and sewing alternatives for vests, pants, skirts, dresses and jackets...some are simple...some more complex and challenging, but with the understandable directions given, anyone who sews can have their finished project look so professional! Have read the entire book through once - just like a novel - and continue to spot read certain areas...have already learned many new techniques. If you love to sew and want to improve your skill level, learn new techniques, and make clothes that fit, this is the book to buy.

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Summary: Helpful Even For an Experienced Seamstress
Review: Having sewn since I was an 8-year-old 4-H-er, (more than half a century ago!) but now experiencing arthritic hands and much less time to sew, I find Sandra's tips and descriptions are extremely helpful. She recommends interfacings and linings by brand name and suggests, in great detail, ways to prepare and use current fibers. Though experienced in classic tailoring, I find her tips most useful and am expanding my library with her books just to improve my techniques. Thank you, Sandra, for permitting me to continue to show creativity - more easily!

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Summary: Good book - requires some sewing skills
Review: I bought this book thinking it would be good for a beginner like myself. I soon found out that it assumes you already know basic construction. With that in mind I found it useful once I learned the basic contruction technique for a given garment. As a beginniner I still struggle with it though. I think its better suited for the more advanced sewer.

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Summary: Helpful Even For an Experienced Seamstress
Review: I was an absolute beginner when I purchased this book. I sewed my first real skirt based on her construction techniques--including the zipper, which when I followed her technique, was a breeze! Zippers seem easy to me now. I love her ideas, and her vision of how things should flow on the body. It is a fountain of useful information, but also it offers great inspiration. Most of all this text enabled me to let go of my fear about sewing and embellishing patterns to make clothes that are truly your own.

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Summary: Great photos alone worth the purchase!
Review: Seeing all the photos of Sandra's creative wardrobe in Fabric Savvy was enough to make me decide to order this book. The book is very well organized with lots of great tips and photos. Wish something like this had been available when I started sewing... My favorite part of the book is seeing all the great photos of Sandra's clothing - this is enough to inspire anyone! She provides pattern numbers for most of the clothing shown - which is great for now because the book is new and most of the patterns are still available! This book would make a wonderful gift for a beginning sewer who is interested in making fine clothing.

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Summary: Think twice
Review: The title might lead you to think this is a way to sew like store-bought, with tricks and tips to do it all faster and better. Not! With the cost of her patterns, the double and triple sample make-up before you actually cut the fabric you wish to make an item out of, this is only for emulating stores where clothes cost the same as my car. There are helpful tips and tricks but they won't make anything faster or easier; they probably will make the end result better, however and that is worthwhile.

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Summary: Not what I was looking for
Review: This book has some great tips, but it is for a rather advanced sewer. I'm certainly not a beginner, but I was hoping for some basic instruction, like how much fabric you should buy to make your own bias tape. I did like the zipper techniques, and have used them successfully. I thought way too much time was spent on vests. If you like Betzina's style and want to emulate it, you will probably get more from this book than I did.

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Summary: necessary source
Review: This book is a must for sewers of all levels. I wish this would have been available when I was teaching sewing to adults. Ms. Betzina is clear on all instructions, and has obviously put in an extrodinary amount of time sharing her expertise with us. Along with Fabric Savvy, all sewers would benefit from the tips and wonderful photos.

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Summary: A MUST!
Review: This book is fabulous for sewers. She even explains how to alter ready-to-wear clothes you already have. If there is a crease under the waistband in the back iof your jeans..here is the problem, and here is what you doDo you have "smile" lines in the front or the back of your pants..here is the problem and how to correct it forever.I got out my jeans and fixed the problem immediately and this information..on all kinds of clothes I already own and am about to make has proved to be so useful..you cannot begin to imagine

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Summary: The best for mastering technique
Review: This is a wonderful resource for sewers of all levels who want to learn professional sewing techniques for garments. Clearly written, well-illustrated and thorough in detail, the book will spend many hours as your "mentor" on sewing projects. The language is plain and easy, and takes care to explain technical terms. In addition to some up-front info on interfacings and fabric selection, each chapter is devoted to a clothing piece -- jackets, pants, vests, dresses, etc., and is chock-full of specific walk-me-through-the-steps instructions on how to do this or that part of a garment in a better, faster, or more specialized way. Lots of great tips for customizing pieces, too, and lots of examples of pieces that Sandra has made, with a "how I made this" explanation. Also, she occasionally deconstructs ready-to-wear and couture pieces as a way of showing different options for different effects. The only critique I have is that Betzina's self-promotion is a little heavy-handed, though not offensive.