Skirts & Dresses for First Time Sewers: Patterns, Tutorials, Tips, and Advice Paperback – February 1, 2015

I ordered this and gave it as a gift to my granddaughters. They loved it and I am hoping it inspires them to sew.

I felt like I needed to leave a review after seeing so many bad reviews for this book, because as a beginner sewist, I actually think the advice and ideas are great!1. First this book says on page 8 that all images in the book are used as inspiration of what you could make. The actual patterns are basic and can be adjusted as you get better at sewing. (Like I will not be making a shift dress with that yoke.. but with a regular collar).2. For the review that said sizes are not given (again wondering if people read this book or skim?), page 29 has the the (5) sizes the author has made in the patterns (pick which ever one is closest to your size).3. Patterns are given with a QR code and with a website. I used the bit.ly websites given and downloaded the 12-15 page patterns with no problem.4. Pages 30-33 shows how you should lay out your patterns for cutting.I gave 4 stars because I think pictures of the actual projects should have been used.I look forward to checking out the resources listed on pages 136-137!

Great book, I will start sewing in the new year!

Was debating getting this book or another e-pattern directly from Christine Haynes (have sewn her patterns before, LOVE her stuff!). Went with this book. Read the reviews, immediately regretted it. Patterns published directly by Christine Haynes are fantastic! The accompanying sewalongs/instructions are so helpful and so well done. This book - man. NONE of the links/QR codes work, so there are no patterns available with this book. Additionally, I can't find a single picture of a finished item from this book anywhere - not even in the book. The pictured items in the book don't really relate to the patterns; the shift dress pattern, for instance, has no bust darts - but all of the pictured examples *do* have darts, which translates into a much different finished item.Will be returning. Boo. :(

I’ll get this part out of the way first and say yes, the other reviewers are right: you won’t be making any of the exact dresses or skirts featured in the photographs. I think it’s misleading to put photographs on the cover that aren’t of the actual projects, but since I checked out the reviews here before finally deciding to buy the book, I was prepared. I can definitely understand why it would be frustrating to those who may have pre-ordered it or couldn’t look at it in a bookstore first (which is what I did).Having said that, there is still more in the book that is misleading. The provided drawings of what you will be making aren’t accurate either. The style for most of the drawings is pretty close, but don’t base your purchase on the length or the fit in the drawings. The tunic “dress” is a top. There’s no way it could ever BE a dress unless you’re five feet tall. And, some women are. So maybe a five-foot woman who wants to sew her own clothes will be fine with that. But I’m 5’7”. And in the picture, the tunic looks much longer than the pattern you download actually is.It’s the same with the A-line skirt: it’s drawn in the picture at knee length, but is in fact much shorter on the provided pattern. (Which reminds me of another issue: there are no lengthen/shorten lines on the patterns, nor are the pattern pieces labeled as to which piece is what. It’s not difficult to figure out, but a “first-time sewer” might have a bit of trouble.)What else? Well, some of the project titles are also misleading. Take the “pencil” skirt project. I downloaded and taped together the pattern... and it looked exactly like the A-Line skirt, only less flared. So you’re actually getting two A-line skirt patterns, and no pencil skirt pattern. Since I bought the book specifically for the A-line skirt (which is too short for me) and the pencil skirt (which is not a pencil skirt), I was rather disappointed.Any other issues? As a matter of fact, yes, and they are with the PDF patterns. I downloaded the A-line skirt, the “pencil” skirt, and the tunic “dress”. Those in the know regarding PDF patterns are aware that you print them out on regular-sized 8.5x11 pages and then tape them together by matching the numbers.Which is what I did... except, the numbers did not match up with the pattern lines. If I had put the pattern pieces together using the numbers, the lines of the patterns would have been off, not even connecting with each other. So I put them together following the pattern lines, but doing that took inches off the lengths of the skirts.The tunic pattern was off the most: the sleeve and collar pieces just would not match up, even WITH following the pattern lines, so I had to cut all the pattern pieces out and then assemble them. A little tricky, but doable. Still, that’s pretty shoddy work there, and might be too frustrating for a true “first-time sewer” to want to bother with. Really, a book for someone who has never sewn before ought to have come with full-size patterns provided in an envelope in the back of the book, to eliminate all this arts-and-crafts work prior even to picking out a fabric.Now, if you’ve actually read this far, you’re probably wondering why I gave this book 3 stars and not 1, with all of this against it. Well, here’s why. After I finally got the tunic pattern figured out, I made it. And I swear, it was the EASIEST piece of clothing I have ever tried to make. I made a muslin to get an idea of what size it would be (which also reminds me: there are no finished garment measurements provided either, which is annoying because there appears to be a ton of ease in these patterns). And I finished the thing in half an afternoon.I’ve sewn before (crafts, mostly), but that’s only the second piece of clothing I’ve made (and actually was able to finish) on a sewing machine. Ever. And after prepping and cutting the fabric, it took less than two hours! The instructions were clear; there was very little guesswork involved. Not only that, it turned out well. It’s way too big, but I would not be embarrassed, after adjusting the size, to wear it in public. I happen to think that’s pretty amazing. So, when it says on the back that the patterns are all “super easy,” I think, based on my experience with the tunic top, I’d have to agree. Making that tunic has already given me confidence enough, at last, to tackle projects from other sewing books. And for me anyway, that right there made the book worth it.One other thing I’ll throw out there is that, as a sewing reference, this is the most basic book you’ll likely ever find. If all you want to do is to start sewing your own clothes, NOW, without caring too much about the parts of your sewing machine or the nuances of fitting, this may well be the book for you. There is a market for a book like that, I think, which is why it might be worth getting for some people, in spite of all its flaws.Still, if you’re truly a first-time sewer, I would also recommend the book LOVE AT FIRST STITCH by Tilly Walnes to be used in conjunction with this one, because it will fill in some important blanks that this book only touches on, or leaves out entirely. If, on the other hand, you have a little sewing experience, you could likely get away with just getting this, provided you like your clothes billowy and are willing to put up with the many, many areas in which the book is lacking.Bottom line? Yes, I would recommend this book to a friend, but only after telling her all the things wrong with it first. Peace!

Awesome book filled with so many great project.

I love it, thank you.

I will admit that I read the reviews here on Amazon before purchasing this book. What others say is correct -- there are photos in the book which don't correspond to the patterns. It's really a shame, because the patterns are so simple & cute -- perhaps the editor didn't have enough time to have testers make a variety of the patterns. Seeing the patterns made in different, creative ways is what would put this book at 5 stars -- as it is, I give it 4 stars because of the patterns that are included. I am an advanced beginner / intermediate seamstress but as I have a family and work full time, I have little to no desire to push myself further. I love to find cute, quirky fabrics and make my own clothing - so for me, these patterns are keepers! I bought this book for the Shift Dress pattern alone but will find myself venturing into the other patterns at some point in the near future, I suspect.By the way, I had no problem accessing the patterns online with the QR code - if you are having problems you should use a different QR reader as they are not all created equal.I advise others to browse the author's website as she has a lot of example images included that give you an idea of what the patterns are like.

Just bought this book, and can't wait to get going on it. The designs in it are lovely, and look very easy to make. It's a nice looking book, too. I tried out the links to the patterns, and they all worked perfectly - no problem there at all.

I really like this book, I think that this book is better for the beginner sewer than comparable books such as Love at First Stitch. There is a great range of patterns and instructions are clear and detailed. The only thing I would have liked in this book would have been photos of actual people wearing the projects as well as the cute illustrations. The photos in the book are for inspiration only, and not the finished garments.

The only pattern book i will ever need! All my favourite styles in one place, and so simple! All so easy to adapt to style and fit.

Some goos ideas but I prefer patterns to be included in the book.

Great start to sewing, well written, easy to follow