Fabric Savvy: The Essential Guide for Every Sewer

Rating:
Summary: Everyone should be Savvy about Fabric Savvy!
Review: This book is a must for every home sewer. I have worked in retail in fabric stores, sewing machine shops, and have a certificate in Apparel Design; but in all of my experience, I have never come across a book as well written and informative as this one. These are things you just don't learn in your basic sewing classes. Great Job Sandra!

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Summary: Good for reference, but not everyday
Review: This is a good reference book. I wish it had a glossary of sewing machine accessories, since I wasn't sure about some of the feet Betzina was recommending (my machine is older). I also wish she had more pages about the kind of fabric you find in the local fabric stores. There are many different kinds of cotton and poly-cotton blend fabrics. It is very handy, though, when you are unfamiliar with a fabric. I used the interfacing suggestions for voile for my daughter's Easter dress. All in all, a good book to have, but not one that I use constantly

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Summary: A Sewing Room Necessity!
Review: This is a great reference book for everyone who loves to sew! I have a vast selection of sewing books, but this is one that I refer to time and again. You won't regret buying this book.

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Summary: Ok at best; get Shaeffer's guide instead
Review: This is a terse book, nice and colourful but really not indispensible. Get Claire Shaeffer's Fabric Sewing Guide instead which really is encyclopedic. Unfortunately both suffer from not having things like cross-names (parachute cloth = supplex) but Fabric Savvy is just a little too brief and does not totally handle all the problems in sewing for that particular fabric like Shaeffer's does (it's a 4th the size).
Also Fabric Savvy covers of course allot less different fabrics batching them together and ignoring the nuances.

Rating:
Summary: Ok at best; get Shaeffer's guide instead
Review: This is a terse book, nice and colourful but really not indispensible. Get Claire Shaeffer's Fabric Sewing Guide instead which really is encyclopedic. Unfortunately both suffer from not having things like cross-names (parachute cloth = supplex) but Fabric Savvy is just a little too brief and does not totally handle all the problems in sewing for that particular fabric like Shaeffer's does (it's a 4th the size).
Also Fabric Savvy covers of course allot less different fabrics batching them together and ignoring the nuances.

Rating:
Summary: A necessary REFERENCE TOOL for sewers.
Review: When we think of reference tools we generally think of dictionaries, sets of encyclopedia, etc. This is definitely one not only for sewers, but anyone who buys clothing. Fabrics are listed in alphbetical order. Each entry describes the characteristics of the fabric, its uses, its shortcomings, which needle and thread will give the best results; and also the care of the finished garment. Taunton Press is to be complimented for the book's format - spiral bound, hardcover (it lies flat when open), glossy pages, with clear photographs; and print size which is easy on the eyes.

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Summary: A "Must Have" for Serious Sewers
Review: With all of the different types of fabrics that are available to home sewers now, knowing how to handle them can be confusing. Some fabric shops do not include care information or you may have misplaced the information that you received. Fabric Savvy is an excellent, clear, and concise guide that allows you to search for specific types of fabric and find out, not only the properties of the fabric, but the kinds of hand needles, machine needles, stitch lengths, threads, interfacings, linings, buttonholes, etc. to use in its construction. Plenty of illustrations and charts. Also like the spiral-bound design that allows the book to be laid flat.