Innovative Sewing

Covers using a sewing machine to make women's clothes and interior furnishings.

The award-winning textile artist presents her modern approach to 150 fabric manipulation techniques in this fully illustrated sewing guide. In Fabric Manipulation, Ruth Singer presents the most in-depth and comprehensive guide to sculptural and embellishing effects since Collette Wolff’s The Art of Manipulating Fabric. Divided into three sections—Pleat and Fold, Stitch and Gather, Apply and Layer—Fabric Manipulation teaches sewists of all skill levels 150 creative sewing techniques with clear instruction, photos, and hundreds of full color diagrams. Ruth explains her innovative variations on traditional fabric manipulation techniques such as pleating, folding, gathering, smocking, quilting, trapunto and applique. She also offers inspirational project ideas for accessories and home décor that demonstrate practical uses of fabric manipulation.

Create gorgeous one-of-a-kind handmade fabrics and transform them into fun and useful projects with this guide to distinctive cloth-making techniques. This innovative how-to resource uses classic and modern techniques to create interesting custom fabrics that are used in a dazzling array of fresh, stylish yet practical must-have items for one's wardrobe or home. From laptop cases to evening bags, elegant wraps to flirty skirts, floor pillows to whimsical curtains, this tutorial uses a variety of easy fiber-art and fabric-manipulation techniques to create original fabric projects from wearable designs and touching gifts to home decor. In addition to the cloth-making techniques, there are 17 projects that show what can be made with each unique fabric. Additional instruction is included to create unique effects with pleats and crinkles; puckers and tufts; cut-and-fray fabric techniques; laminates that add colorful, versatile, and playful layers; surface embellishment techniques like cording, applique, and crazy stitch; heat-treated techniques like burn-out, burn-away, and fabric etching; fabrics designed with solvy and repeating notions like rickrack, hooks and eyes, and zippers--leading to many endless possibilities.

Easy no-sew techniques combine with serger finishes, decorative threads, and simple sewing to offer something for everyone.

Let your quilting creativity soar with these magical machine techniques! Are you using your sewing machine to its fullest creative capacity? Do you know what each foot can do? Expand your repertoire with machine techniques, embellishment, surface design, and thread painting skill, thanks to your sewing machine. Nine highly qualified, experienced sewing machine educators have developed 13 delightful projects to show you how to make the most of your machine's technical possibilities. From pillows to bed scarves, from wallhangings to table runners, any quilt will benefit when its creator uses these techniques. OUT OF PRINT

Learn quilting basics from a YouTube sensation and practice your skills with 12 fun projects suitable for all skill levels. Her instructional videos have inspired thousands to start sewing. Now for the first time, sew-lebrity Laura Coia shares written patterns for the most loved video tutorials on her “Sew Very Easy” YouTube channel! Learn the basics of quilt making, from cutting and pressing to borders and finishing. Then practice your skills with a dozen beautiful projects—quilts you’ll come back to time and time again—all suitable for beginners and beyond.

The Creative details section shows you how to look for and copy design details for that "designer" look. It also gives you some special couture techniques to make your tailored garments especially professional, with an added design touch, such as channel-stitched cuffs or bias-cut sleeves

Expert crafter, Lisa Comfort shares the secrets of her sewing passion. She guides you through all the basics of sewing by hand and machine, as well as providing you with the skills you need to follow her simple but stylish projects.