The Dressmaking Companion

Introduction
PART ONE: Sewing machine and sewing equipment
Sewing machine anatomy
Threading the machine
Settings
Equipment and maintenance
Cutting
Marking aids
Ironing

PART TWO: Fabrics and patterns
Fabrics
Patterns

PART THREE: Sewing techniques
Hand sewing
Seams
Hems
Bias binding
Piping
Ease
Darts and pleats
Gathers
Buttonholes
Zips (zippers)
Necklines and openings
Collars
Pockets

Index
Acknowledgements

About Laure Guyet

Laure Guyet previously a professional stylist turned to the teaching of sewing and dressmaking, as she is passionate about sharing her knowledge with young and older enthusiasts alike! She supports her students in understanding how to use a sewing machine to bring their creative ideas to life.

Laure sees the promotion of sewing, the understanding of different fabrics and the construction of a garment as essential to her teaching practice.

Laure works in Paris, France.

Find Laure on Instagram: @laure.guyet

Jax from Half Yard Sewing Club

It is a fantastic pocket sized book containing absolutely everything you need to know if you are going to do any dressmaking. The book is split into three key sections - Part One is the guide to using and maintaining your sewing machine and the equipment needed for dressmaking. The guide is really well illustrated with drawn or photographic illustrations. Part Two covers fabrics and recommends which fabrics to use for which items. It shows you how to measure yourself against a pattern and the vocabulary and pattern symbols. Part Three is all about techniques covering different stitches seams bindings, ease, gathers and darts and covers the tricky elements of dressmaking such as necklines collars and pockets. I think this book is a really useful reference guide for dressmakers. It has a sturdy hard cover so will withstand regular use and is definitely going to find a permanent home on my sewing table. Excellent value at £9.99.

---

Jayne from Half Yard Sewing Club

This really is an excellent 'companion', and will surely become your best friend. There is so much useful information contained in this little book - everything from a tour of the sewing machine, through to collars, pockets and buttonholes, with everything in between. 

I will keep my copy close to hand - no more scrabbling around to find sewing machine manuals or instructions on how to do a Tunisian neckline. All the help and advice is here, in one place - excellent!

---

Jules from Half Yard Sewing Club

The Dressmaking Companion by Laure Guyet is a pocket sized hardback book of information aimed at the beginner to sewing/dressmaking.

The book tries to cover everything from sewing machine anatomy to all you need to know to make your first garment, and everything in between. But of course its quite difficult to catch everything in a small pocket sized book, for instance there is very little about sleeves, but quite a bit about pockets by comparison.

For the content thats given there are good clear photographs and an easy to read font with simple narrative.  Sewing examples, in the photos, are worked up in a light or white fabric on a white background, a darker fabric might have been a better choice.

There is definitely a fair bit of beginner friendly information such as different hand and machine stitches, the importance of taking measurements and a section on sewing vocabulary to name a few.

A good starting point for a complete beginner.

---

Publishers Weekly

This effective debut primer from stylist Guyet details the sewing skills required to create a dress. Surveying needle types, Guyet recommends ballpoint for knitted fabric and stretch needles for elastics. An overview of marking aids suggests using tailors wax on wool, and a breakdown of cutting supplies notes that pinking shears are ideal for clipping seam allowances. Guyet outlines typical uses and care instructions for various fabrics, explaining that taffeta is usually reserved for formal outfits and should be dry-cleaned, while microfiber is commonly used in more casual dresses and should be hand-washed. She also provides meticulous instructions with accompanying photos showing how to thread a bobbin and needle on a sewing machine, as well as how to sew basting stitches, blind hem stitches, catch stitches, and slip stitches by hand. Elsewhere, she shares how to take measurements; create collars, darts, hems, and pleats; and decode sewing pattern symbols. There are no projects, meaning that this serves primarily as a reference guide. The straightforward explanations ensure that this largely succeeds, but true beginners might wish for a bit more detail on some of the more complex techniques, such as attaching zippers and creating piped pockets. Still, this helpful handbook has much to offer budding sewists.

---

Sandra from Half Yard Sewing Club

This is an A5 hardback book, full of useful information for any keen sewist. Although the title is dressmaking, it includes a number of good reference sections. Beginning at your sewing machine, equipment, needles, threads, fabrics etc before covering the different techniques and pattern translation to guide you through making different parts of a garment.

The book is produced on quality thick paper and printed really clearly with nice illustrations and soft coloured photographs. It is easy to follow and simply explained to assist a beginner to dressmaking, or for those that have forgotten techniques.

I have been given this book to review and think its a handy reference book for any sewing room shelf.