Bend-The-Rules Sewing

Amy Karol, who writes the blog Angry Chicken, has written a beginning sewing book that even has some nuggets for the experienced sewer. 

This book is very approachable for the beginning sewer. Her writing style is very casual and she covers topics from choosing a sewing machine to setting up your sewing workspace to applying bias binding. She talks about the threads tangling in your machine and what to do about it, which happens to every sewer and can really frustrate a beginner.

The projects are good beginning projects- not too complicated, but you can probably find something in the book that you want to make and will actually use. And if your project doesn't turn out perfect, you won't feel like you failed-- the author explains why mistakes are an okay thing.

If you are an experienced sewer, you probably won't see any projects that you haven't seen or tried before. However, reading the first part of the book reinforced some habits I need to follow (changing my sewing machine needle often, pressing often) and gave me some technique ideas that I didn't know. I love her attitude about mistakes-- when to redo, when to take a rest and when to proceed with abandon. (I call it the "burning" stage and she is correct- it usually passes in time.)

A great beginning sewing book. Not as valuable for the experienced sewer, but worth a read for those wanting to build more confidence in their sewing style.