The Complete Book of Sewing Shortcuts

I have been teaching myself to sew clothing for just 14 months now. My goal is to sew clothing that fits my body that I will be proud to wear, that looks custom not home made. I have purchased many books on fitting and garment construction both old and new. My favorites out of more than 50 at this time are: Palmer-Pletsch Fit for Real People books and sewing videos, Singer Sewing Library Series Books (Perfect Fit, Tailoring and Sewing For Style in particular) Threads magazine 1985-? volumes of past sewing articles( such as Beyond the Pattern), Louise Cutting sewing videos from threads, Sew-Fit's books Sewing without Pins and Sewing Magic, Clothing Construction 2nd ed. 1974 Mansfield/Lucas and The Complete Book of Sewing Short Cuts by Claire Shaeffer. Claire Shaeffer's book is pure gold. It is probably misnamed because it does not give shortcuts as we usually think of them, but she does help you choose the best and most effective methods for sewing your particular project, shortening that ugly learning curve. She gives you more than one sewing method for a material and design, helping you choose the best one, advice that was not really given in any other of my sources. Her book uses line drawings that make the instructions very clear. She does not include serger information, or colored pictures, but who cares! I have plenty of books with colored pictures and excellent books on sergers. I have almost mastered pattern alteration for myself and Claire Shaeffer's book is helping me to learn to make well-made custom clothing. Buy it .

This book is never leaving my sewing room (unless I'm holding it while reading elsewhere)! There are no photos, just illustrations, but they are well done and clear (I'm probably rated at an advanced beginner to intermediate sewer, so not a total newbie). The book covers a lot of different techniques with step by step instructions that make sense. Chapters include pockets, underlinings/linings/interlings, collars, zippers, sleeves, hems, seams, facings, buttonholes and closures, and more! I wanted a book that covered more than just basic sewing and this is definitely it. If you are totally new to sewing, get this one and DK's The Complete Book of Sewing and you'll be well set. My mom, who used to make ballet costumes and suits, even thought this was a good one to have (might have to find her a copy sometime) This book should be in every sewer's collection for those times when you need a review or just to learn how to do something. Track down a copy for yourself, it is worth it.

I bought this book in hardcover at a Bargain rate just because I have been so plesed with purchases of her other more recently published books. I found it to be very informative. Methods are not always a very quick technique, but all are very good and sometimes a good technique is the quickest way to a desirable outcome. I taught Sewing in Home Economics classes for a number of years and this would have been a very good book to have had available for students of all levels. I would reccomend it as well as her other great books.

This book was offered in both hard cover and soft cover by Amazon. I chose a listing under hard cover but received a soft cover version. WHen I expressed my surprise to the seller, they immediately refunded me the purchase price and shipping price, which I appreciated, but I am still not sure if this was an Amazon listing problem or what. Makes me a little cautious about ordering in the future.

Very useful. Really glad I got it. I'm in my late 50's and have been sewing since I was 10. Within 15 minutes of glancing through this, I learned some great ideas I'd never thought of. Terrific resource book. Highly recommend!

As other reviewers have said, this really isn't a book of "sewing shortcuts." The author uses the word "shortcut" several times, but it doesn't quite fit. If you remove the word "shortcut," the text reads perfectly, so I suspect the publisher forced Ms Schaeffer to include it, perhaps as some kind of publicity gimmick. You won't find any shortcuts in this book.What will you find? Well, this is an in-depth sewing manual. In fact, it's a rather brilliant sewing manual, covering almost every aspect of sewing, from proper pressing techniques to seam finishing, and everything in between. Indeed, I learned things from this book that I'd never come across anywhere else! I'm a sewing teacher and I make a point of being well-read, so I can be sure I'm teaching my students proper techniques and the latest methods. I was quite surprised to find several seams demonstrated in this book that I'd never even heard of. They certainly weren't included in my big, expensive textbook,  Professional Sewing Techniques for Designers . I can't wait for the chance to use some of these new techniques!Now, if you're looking for a "pretty" sewing book, this isn't it. It was published in the very early 1980s, so it's quite heavy on text, with sparse, black-and-white line drawings to illustrate the techniques. The text is, for the most part, easy to read, but occasionally it's hard to understand the technique being described, especially since there aren't always illustrations. It would be great if the author could revise this book for the modern-era, adding new illustrations and photos. Ah, well---one can dream!The book is also a bit dated, with references to sergers being a relatively new item for home sewers, and the assumption that the USA would soon be using the metric system of measurements. Because it was written over thirty years ago, it doesn't mention modern tools and sewing supplies, but that's to be expected.I'll deduct a star for the lack of decent illustrations, giving this book four stars. If you're serious about wanting to improve your sewing skills, this is a great book to help you do that. If, however, you need something with large photos and color diagrams, try the above-mentioned "Professional Sewing Techniques For Designers."

Non sono molto soddisfatta. Il libro è vecchio: non ha fotografie, ma solo disegni al tratto. Questo potrebbe anche funzionare (ai miei tempi io ho studiato sartoria su un libro così): il problema è che non sono sempre chiari e sono relativamente piccoli.Non c'è - a quanto ho visto - praticamente nessuna scorciatoia. Ci sono le classiche tecniche di finitura della comune sartoria e ne mancano anche alcune. Ad esempio il come fare un'asola ricamata… che mi pare un oggetto molto comune e necessario.L'ho comprato usato dagli USA e ci ha messo tipo un mese ad arrivare. Le condizioni del libro sono quelle descritte dal venditore: ha segni di usura, ma è complessivamente in ordine.… boh… non lo consiglio assolutamente: ci sono libri più moderni che vi possono aiutare decisamente di più.Escludo che un principiante possa trovare aiuto in quest'opera: aiuta (forse) chi già sa.

Alle Basics ausführlich und gut verständlich erklärt (englisch) . Mit Glossar Index und Tabelle zum Umrechnen ins metrische System. .

This now out of print book is a great read, and has a great many useful and handy time saving tips for the home sewist, and indeed anyone looking to improve their dressmaking/garment construction skills. Claire Shaeffer explains the techniques and tips throughly and in a logical manner - making it very easy to follow. I'd recommend this title to anyone, especially as they're so cheap as a used/second-hand book too!If the publishers were ever to update and re-print the book I'd recommend that they number each "Tip" - and add a notes section to the front or back of the book, so the reader could easily jot down the number of their favourite tip :)P.S. I also own  PatternReview.com: 1000 Clever Sewing Shortcuts and Tips: Top-Rated Favorites from Sewing Fans and Master Teachers  (which has tips from real-life sewers, as well as in depth tutorials and how-to's by long standing experts) - and if you enjoyed the Claire Shaeffer book, then the PatternReview.com book is like modern day equivalent - they pair-up very well together, and are both favourites in my sewing library. PatternReview.com: 1000 Clever Sewing Shortcuts and Tips: Top-Rated Favorites from Sewing Fans and Master Teachers

This is a great resource book and helps fill the gaps that so many pattern instructions have. As previous reviewers have commented, it's not so much about saving time but about doing it right first time.The information in this book is divided into chapters where particular areas are concentrated on, making this a book to dip in and out of very easily.This is a very useful book for any sewer and although Claire Schaeffer is associated with couture the clear instructions and diagrams make this book accessible to novice sewers too.Any Claire Schaeffer book is worth it's place on your shelf and this one is no exception.

I've been sewing on and off for years and have taught myself so I've still got loads to learn. I found this book very informative and have learnt a lot from reading it. The thread that runs through the book is about doing things properly to begin with which is the only way to produce really good results. The book does look a bit old fashioned and it would have been nice to have some nice colourful photos to follow but I'm still happy with my purchase.