Dressmaking Companion

Laure Guyet – previously a professional stylist – turned to the teaching of sewing and dressmaking, as she is passionate about sharing her knowledge with young and older enthusiasts alike! She supports her students in understanding how to use a sewing machine to bring their creative ideas to life.Laure sees the promotion of sewing, the understanding of different fabrics and the construction of a garment as essential to her teaching practice.Laure works in Paris, France.Find Laure on Instagram: @laure.guyet

This effective debut primer from stylist Guyet details the sewing skills required to create a dress. Surveying needle types, Guyet recommends ballpoint for knitted fabric and stretch needles for elastics. An overview of marking aids suggests using tailor’s wax on wool, and a breakdown of cutting supplies notes that pinking shears are ideal for clipping seam allowances. Guyet outlines typical uses and care instructions for various fabrics, explaining that taffeta is usually reserved for formal outfits and should be dry-cleaned, while microfiber is commonly used in more casual dresses and should be hand-washed. She also provides meticulous instructions with accompanying photos showing how to thread a bobbin and needle on a sewing machine, as well as how to sew basting stitches, blind hem stitches, catch stitches, and slip stitches by hand. Elsewhere, she shares how to take measurements; create collars, darts, hems, and pleats; and decode sewing pattern symbols. There are no projects, meaning that this serves primarily as a reference guide. The straightforward explanations ensure that this largely succeeds, but true beginners might wish for a bit more detail on some of the more complex techniques, such as attaching zippers and creating piped pockets. Still, this helpful handbook has much to offer budding sewists.

• Introduction PART ONE: Sewing machine and sewing equipmentSewing machine anatomyThreading the machineSettingsEquipment and maintenanceCuttingMarking aidsIroningPART TWO: Fabrics and patternsFabricsPatternsPART THREE: Sewing techniquesHand sewingSeamsHemsBias bindingPipingEaseDarts and pleatsGathersButtonholesZips (zippers)Necklines and openingsCollarsPocketsIndexAcknowledgements