A Sewing Course in a Book

If you have just decided that you want to learn how to sew, this book has been designed for you. Learning to sew can be simultaneously frustrating and rewarding, so you want a book that will start slowly, build your confidence and help you avoid common problems. Designed as a thorough sewing course, How To Start Sewing will walk you through the entire sewing process, from your first hand sewing stitches to your first complete garment. You don't even need to have a sewing machine to start learning. Just like having a sewing teacher in your own home or studio, let us show you how to choose and use your first sewing machine, troubleshoot your way through common sewing issues and build your sewing confidence. Go easy on your budget by buying new equipment and materials only as you need it, then put your new supplies and skills to use in hands-on exercises. Don't let the large size of this book intimidate you; everything is explained in straightforward language with practical examples. No prior experience required.

The Perfect Reference Book

For the more experienced sewer, How To Start Sewing is designed as the perfect reference book. Forget trawling multiple books and videos to decipher sewing instructions, sometimes you just want a book on your studio shelf that you know you can trust. Use our Table of Contents and Index to get right to the technique that you need. We have focused on the most versatile techniques and explained them step by step with detailed drawings. Use our troubleshooting guides to master your sewing machine, improve your stitch quality and solve recurring construction issues to raise your sewing skills to the next level.

Practical Sewing Exercises with Patterns to Match

It can be frustrating trying to learn how to sew a detail when your pattern doesn't match the instructions. To solve this common problem we have included a whole library of small sewing patterns. Trace off the patterns, cut them out in fabric and follow the step-by-step exercises to sew seams, darts, pockets, zippers, vents, and plackets. This process will help you to create a reference folder full of your favourite techniques. Next time you forget how to sew the lining for an invisible zipper, or how to adjust the tension on your overlocker, you will have your reference sample there to remind you. And next time you want to swap or modify a detail on a sewing pattern, you will have the pattern library to use as a handy reference.

Professional Techniques for Superior Results

Whether you are studying fashion design, have your own label or sew for yourself at home, we know that you want to master techniques that are of a professional standard. We have specially selected the details that are the most versatile in womenswear and menswear collections so that you can mix and match them endlessly across your own garment patterns. Or apply the details in this book to your favourite commercial sewing pattern. We will only teach you the details and methods that are used to create high-end ready-to-wear garments. With practice, you will be able to consistently create garments of a superior quality.

Designed for Different Types of Sewers

If you are a perfectionist, this book will suit your pragmatic desire to know everything about the how and why of sewing and will help you build your skills and knowledge in a specific order. Learn to analyse garments and diagnose construction problems like a professional and fine-tune your techniques. Or if you prefer to make mistakes first, and then ask questions later then we are here for you too. Just use our troubleshooting guides to tell you why you keep breaking needles and tangling your thread so you can quickly solve your issues and plough through your first projects. The sooner you start making mistakes, the sooner we can help you fix them.

Assembil is a fashion innovation company. We believe that the fashion industry needs a rethink and that every step in the creation of fashion has the potential to be reimagined using new techniques and new technology. Future Assembil projects will examine the way that fashion is taught, designed, manufactured, distributed, consumed and appreciated, and offer alternative solutions to traditional models.

Unlike some industries, fashion has been slow to embrace the agile nature of digital products and services. We believe that one of the ways that technology can be better utilised in the fashion industry is in the way that people learn about the design and construction of fashion.

We believe in the power of great design, but professional quality design has traditionally been expensive or out of reach for most people. We want to change this. We are passionate about helping people of all abilities to design and make their own high-quality fashion by giving them access to the necessary skills and knowledge to create beautifully crafted clothing.

Our first project began in the world of fashion education. Our first book How Patterns Work provides a very simple introduction to the complex world of pattern making. Since its launch How Patterns Work has helped fashion students and home sewers to decode the complicated processes often used in dense pattern making textbooks.

We believe that the best way to learn a new skill is not just to know how to do something, but to also understand why. We don't just want you to follow a process step by step - we want you to understand it, question it, change it and make it your own. We believe it is this approach that many people enjoyed about How Patterns Work. By understanding the reasoning behind the processes, you can feel more confident in making your own decisions about when and how to follow the "rules."

This approach has also been the driving force behind our new, and more comprehensive book, How To Start Sewing. Everything about the book has been designed to help you build a thorough knowledge of garment construction. Whether you just want to glance at the pictures for a quick refresher of a technique, or you want to read deeper into the reasoning behind certain methods, you will be able to indulge your inner sewing nerd through these pages.

Visit www.assembil.com to see our other Assembil projects.