The Modern Maker vol. 3: Handsewing Stitches for Garment Construction

This book is aimed at historical seamsters, but is helpful for anyone who does hand stitching. It's on the closest shelf of my reference library and I refer to it often. Mr Gnagy explains his processes clearly in both words and photographs. I have often suggested it to friends.

This beautiful book was not for me, so I had to return it. It is not for beginners. He tells you what to do, but not how to do it! I suspect there have been a few returns mostly because of the way it has been marketed.. not the author's fault. I think this book WOULD be great for: advanced sewists, hardcore handmakers, costume students, historical restoration and reconstruction.

I'm not into costume construction, but I've found over the years that sometimes I avoid sewing, because I don't enjoy sitting at another machine at the end of a long day of working on a different machine. Hand sewing is relaxing. I've had the Natalie Chanin book for years (awesome book), and I love it and have successfully used the patterns and techniques, but that book focuses on embellishments and sewing with very high quality jersey. I wanted something focused more on woven garments. Yes, some of the techniques in the Chanin book are universal, but fabrics like flannel and denim do behave differently than jersey. For me, the Gagney book was worth it for the section on hand-stitching a modern flannel shirt and denim. The author also included sewing a practical knit favorite- the hoodie.The strong environmental focus, reduced waste cutting, and the myth-busting about hand sewing were wonderful bonuses. I've only hand stitched zippers, buttons, linings, hem, and bias on wovens before, but now I feel much more empowered to tackle a woven blouse, denim, etc.The tools recommended by the author are in general easy to find.Room to grow:Where is Appendix B in the print edition? If I was a novice, I'd be more than a little vexed this was omitted. It's still concerning given the price of the print book. I hope the author will make a good faith effort and make Appendix B available to purchasers of the print edition book as a download or edit the book if Appendix B is not meant to be a part of the text.I'd also have liked to have seen the three modern garments on an actual body.

Confession: I'm neither seamstress nor tailor. I bought this book because I was curious about the kinds of repairs a bachelor without a sewing machine might hope to make by hand. I feel an able-bodied man should be able to change a tire, fix a leaky faucet, and sew a button onto a favorite shirt without a trip to the tailor or dry cleaner. This book answered my questions and then some, and provided a look into an intriguing craft. The advice on needles and threads for hand-sewing is good stuff! I struggled to connect some descriptions to the accompanying photographs. Some descriptions of technique seemed a bit ambiguous. At times I longed for a simple line drawing to illustrate needle manipulation sequences (rather than photographs). I suspect that many things I struggled to understand would be readily apparent to the intended readers of this delightful little manual. There are some very helpful recommendations to suppliers of things you might otherwise have trouble sourcing -- hand-tailoring supplies are not as ubiquitous as the machine variety. All in all, even for a curious dilettante, this was a fascinating book well worth the time spent reading it. If you're committed to making clothes by hand, this book (and a boatload of practice) should get you there. And if like me, craftsmanship of all varieties fascinates you, this book will be a delightful look into the craft of hand tailoring and its history.

I love making garments by hand as I find hand stitching relaxing....wrangling a sewing machine not so much. This is a valuable guide to making garments by hand and the stitches needed to assure a competent garment. There is some open work instruction but mostly effective stitches for making clothing.There are a lot of books on the market right now focused on hand stitching but almost all of them lean towards ornamental embroidery. This one stands out in the field for functional use.

Growing up we never knew there was more than one kind of thread and needles were just needles. Didn't realize that finding the right tools to make the job easier and why they make it easier. Since taking a class from the author and reinforcing with this book when I need to has changed me from a machine sewer to a hand sewer. Does it take longer to hand sew? Not as much anymore. Clear away the panic, fear and distractions and you can feel yourself become the sewing machine. Its enlightening and refreshing to find someone to help you on your journey explain how and why you do this.

I sew reenactment clothing and this is a big help. Lots of opinionated tips on sewing (love it!). Could use some proofreading.

This has stitch examples and pictures, and detailed instructions on when to use what. I sewed a knit sweater by hand from the suggestions, and learned great things about sewing in general. This book improved my machine sewing, too, by offering suggestions for basting and finishing.