Couture Sewing Techniques, by Claire Shaeffer   [Paperback 2001]

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Rave Reviews (19)*

• 1) Emphasis on "couture" precisely defined, not for fainthearte

  by Anonymous on May 20 1998
    290+ helpful votes

  This is truly a wonderful book for those ready to step beyond "speed sewing" and rotary cutting to creating beautiful garments with exquisit finishing. I've been sewing for 40 years and never knew how different couture sewing techniques are from those the rest of us commonly use. As precisely used in this text the word "haute couture" only applies to those 20 or so designer houses in France who meet certain strict standards regulated by the government. Fascinating!

  This is a book to read and study, lots of carefully detailed text and good photographs of haute couture designs and finishing techniques. Did you know there are at least five different hand basting stitches and even more permanent hand sewing stitches for garment construction? Did you know couture houses don't use paper patterns? That their seam allowances are usually at least one inch wide? That most of their basting is done from the RIGHT side of the garment? That most seam edges are finished by hand -- even into the curve clips? That most garments are constructed entirely by hand? That steaming, shrinking and molding garment sections by pressing are as important to the shaping process as the sewing? And I'm not just talking about pressing seams open here. Wow! And I thought I knew how to sew.

  While other books may use "couture" in their titles this book means it. While I've said this isn't for the fainthearted anyone who sews clothing will find some new and accessible technique here. Grab it, keep it near your sewing machine and if you only add one new technique with each project your skill, pride and satisfaction in your work will grow immensely.

• 2) Not just pretty pictures

  by susan402 on June 19 2000
    120+ helpful votes

  Though there are wonderful pictures of couture garments, this is a how-to book. It is filled with detailed instruction and many easy to follow diagrams. "Haute Couture" is defined, and the chapter "Inside the World of Haute Couture" will be of interest to anyone who loves sewing or clothing. Then she goes on to discuss many couture techniques and applies them to a number of garments that any intermediate sewer could duplicate. This is how you get from intermediate to advanced! The best book I've found for information on women's tailoring, and it includes my favorite reference when someone asks me how to make bound buttonholes. If you want to take your sewing to the next level, get this book in your library.

• 3) A valuable resource for those who want to go beyond "paint-by-numbers" garment sewing

  by N. Mentor on January 23 2006
    110+ helpful votes

  Firstly I'd like rebut the comment given by the person who said that the techniques were unnecessary, outdated and could easily be found in the internet. I purchased this book because I couldn't find any website that spoke to the techniques found in this book in any straight-forward detail (The pictures are invaluable). Do a search for "couture sewing" and you'll find sites by ready-to-wear vendors incorrectly labeling their garments 'couture' or fashion schools offering classes.
  
  As to the "outdated" comment, a lot of the garments shown are by the designers when they were alive. So you'll see a Dior or Chanel garment designed by THE Dior and Chanel, not the later designers working for their respective houses. Granted the designs might be considered 'dated' to some, but art doesn't go out of style; and the techniques used in the garment assembly can easily be applied to the latest runway fashions seen today. All you need is a little imagination.
  
  Most people don't have the time to sew every stitch on the garment by hand. Note, though, that this is a book on haute couture technique where handsewing comprises 95% of the work done in couture houses. There IS something to be said for the control provided by handsewing. Most of the mistakes I've done on garments may not have taken place had I sewn by hand because of fabric unintentionally caught up in seams, etc. Also some fabrics are very unforgiving, and cannot withstand repeated machine-sewing/ seam ripping. A little time spent on planning from muslin to garment goes a long way. I find this book user- friendly; easy to read and refer to while working (though it would have been nice if it were spiral-bound). There is an adequate index/glossary in the back and the few unknown terms can be Googled for clarity.
  
  Lastly, I feel that this book is for people who feel that if they're spending time on stitching a classy garment (i.e. wool/linen suit, wedding gown, vintage restoration, historical re-enactment) they might as well spend time on the detail.

• 4) Techniques that transform your work from sewing to artwork.

  by Anonymous on April 08 1997
    50+ helpful votes

  This is an indispensable guide for anyone who wants to take the next step toward creating exquisite, professional garments. It will transform your sewing from finished to "professionally finished". It is accessible even to beginners who have reached the level of creating a basic garment. The book is clearly written and walks you step-by-step through the most simple hem to complicated padding techniques, frequently using drawings to help visualize the instructions. Shaeffer includes background information and uses for each technique, as well as beautiful color photos of dresses and suits from Schiaparelli, Givenchy, Dior and others as examples. The book is a beautiful piece of publishing on its own, using fine paper, endpapers and backing, making owning the book as pleasureable as working with it. As a student in fashion design at Parsons School of Design in New York City, I have found Couture Sewing Techniques to be the book I turn to most often as a resource for sewing my designs. I couldn't recommend it more highly

• 5) Exactly what I was looking for

  by Susie on March 22 2000
    30+ helpful votes

  I wanted to learn what differentiates a haute couture garment from a ready-to-wear garment or a garment custom-made by a seamstress or tailor. Then, I wanted to know HOW to incorporate couture quality into a custom garment. This book gives just enough history of the haute couture industry and a very detailed description of haute couture processes. The numerous hand stiches are explained in detail, along with where to use each stitch and which threads are appropriate. The first section of the book explains the couture process and techniques in detail. In addition to the above, it includes garment shaping, edge finishes and closures. The author also references techniques common to home sewing, but does not waste time describing them since they are readily available in other sewing books. The remainder of the book describes examples of different garment types and gives construction and fitting techniques unique to each type of garment. Each page is an education and the illustrations (photographs and artwork) are well selected to illustrate the techniques and results. With the anecdotal information the author provides, it's like a virtual field trip. This book is a pleasure to read and a gold mine of information.

• 6) A Fine Finish

  by Anonymous on February 06 2003
    30+ helpful votes

  I have encountered a good deal of frustration in learning to sew because it seems that most of the books available focus on sewing things fast and taking shortcuts. Given that one can buy inexpensive, fashionable clothes at Target or Ross Dress for Less, my focus in sewing is to make clothes that are better than what I can afford to buy. If you want to take the time to give your clothes the best possible finish inside and out, this is the book. The instructions are clearly written. The only draw-back to some readers might be that the book is written in narrative form. Use a hilighter while you read so you can easily find the techniques you want to use. Also, the techniques are sometimes not illustrated.

• 7) Great info for anyone interested in Fashion

  by Ms.Terry Ryder on November 05 2005
    20+ helpful votes

  My background is basic alterations and sewing from commercial patterns since I am hard-to-fit, but this book explains what goes into the $10,000 dresses that is missing from the $100 dresses. It also goes into the history behind 'couture', which is very fascinating for the layperson.
  It covers basic clothes selection for your body type, since what looks good on full-figured but beautiful Queen Latifah would look odd on thin Paris Hilton, even in a size 2. It also describes how most fashions need to be adjusted for variations in the more average figures in order to hang right, but if done right, can hide your figure flaws and make a person look as glamourous as the Movie Stars on Awards night.
  With all the specialized fitting and sewing techiniques it descibes, the book will at least sure help my $40 clothes items I make look more like professionally sewn $400+ items instead of something made in High School Home-Ec class.

• 8) Beyond the Make-It-Tonight

  by Sewcrazy on March 09 2007
    20+ helpful votes

  I based my purchase of this book upon the recommendations of the comprehensive ratings of the obvious experts. There is little I can add to what they've already said except that I concur wholehartedly that this is THE book to own if you are ready to construct pieces of art. Even if I had 100K or so to spend on a garment I doubt that it would prevent me from wanting to experiment and attempt to master the techniques of these couture geniuses. I haven't been able to put this book down long enough to start sewing anything. I have been sewing and knitting since I was five years old and I considered myself to be advanced in both arts. However, I fear that I'm but a novice compared to what I've learned from this one book. I've always considered that the inside of each garment should be as complete and as presentable as the outside so this book is right up my alley. Those who complained that the styles are outdated clearly have no idea of how classic and timeless pieces like the Chanel jacket are and how the techniques can be used for ANY fashion forward pieces. The possibilities are endless for the seamstress looking to advance and at least touch the hemlines of couture sewing. Whether your creative enough to design your own patterns or just follow the trends of pre-printed patterns, this book will be a resource for everything you make. I can honestly say that I didn't study for my MBA with this much enthusiasm. My only wish is that it were spiral bound with heavy-duty plastic-coated pages because I will use it forever.

• 9) This is a magnificent book!!!!

  by HRW on April 16 2006
    20+ helpful votes

  This is a very wonderful book! I have sewn from childhood and come from a family who worked at all levels of the garment trade from factory worker to sample maker. I never sewed professionally but aspired in my personal sewing to be the best. This book not only showed the inner workings of a world of sewing even higher than what I am familiar with but also gave explicit technical information on creating details that I had never done. One of these was how to make a corselette to go inside the bodice of a dress to preserve its line and free the wearer from wearing foundation garment that may spoil the effect of the dress. Also her list of sources is very helpful especially with so many local fabric stores closing. I was able to find a source for the spiral steel boning and cotton tulle needed to make the corselette. My factory sewing relatives could never understand the fine hand sewing techniques that make the difference in creating couture garments. This book justifies those of us in my family who have done this for years to produce magnificent results and also shows there is a level even above this.

• 10) How interested in haute-couture are you?

  by Diane Yaghoobian on March 09 2003
    20+ helpful votes

  The reviewer who said "not for the faint hearted" was understating. High fashion details, starting with the truly bizarre jacket on the cover, are probably not for the majority of us. The photos are an interesting history of fashion but I don't know how much of the interesting touches and admittedly time-consuming processes would find their way into anything I sew. I don't necessarily want my clothes to last forever and end up in the Smithsonian, so I would not recommend this unless you are really, really into detailed, multi-process construction work.

• 11) the other things

  by M. Carpenter on June 11 2007
    20+ helpful votes

  I've sewn a lot starting with all my many cocktail and formal dresses as a teen, whole wardrobes, kid's clothes and I rate this book a deep bargain and one the home sewer who aspires to fine clothes ought to buy. Now.
  
  Who should not buy it? If you are in love with your serger and have perfected 92 ways to avoid basting or marking fabric, forget it. If a wardrobe in a weekend is what you want, this would definitely set you on a different track that's not going that way. If you can't see the difference between a $30 skirt and a $300 skirt, let alone a $3,000 one, you probably won't care for half the stuff in this book. But if the idea of making your own couture quality clothes excites you, this is your book.
  
  This is not for the uncertain beginner who wants to know everything, but a brave beginner could use it and learn a lot about finishing and fitting alongside standard pattern instructions. The intermediate and experienced sewer will get the most from it fastest. The basic theme is how couture differs from everything else. For instance--far fewer darts. For instance a lot more hand sewing, even of major seams. It is explicit in the areas it covers, exactly how to mount a collar, or exactly how long a basting stitch should be and when you should use a running stitch or backstitch. Which end of the thread from the spool goes in your hand-sewing needle. Now there's something most of us never even thought about,and it is a tiny thing, yet knowing the right way helps. There are a number of techiques that make usually difficult areas a lot easier.
  
  The beauty of this book is a subtle one. Claire Shaeffer can write lucid instructions. It is not an easy thing to explain sewing steps that don't sound like jabberwocky, and she can.
  
  Some will hate the old pictures, but those with designer instincts or artistic types will understand them as inspiration and examples to prime the creative spirits.
  
  I've already improved my finish product with a couple of techniques. Wish I had this book 30 years ago.

• 12) Inspiring!

  by Robin E. Mork on December 12 2008
    20+ helpful votes

  I got this book as an inspiration, along with another, more basic book to teach me how to sew (that's right, I am a total beginner). Now, even I made fun of me a little for buying this-- if I can't even use my sewing machine yet, isn't trying to learn Couture Sewing Techniques putting the cart rather before the horse?
  
  No. Here's why:
  This book explains something I hadn't realized. Most couture clothes are hand-sewn, and many of the techniques described are for hand sewing. But not just that- things like customizing or matching fabric patterns, attention to certain details, or even the proper way to press a garment during the making of it are all good things to know as any point in the learning process.
  
  So, now that I have read this, when I tackled my first machine-sewing project (a sewing machine cover in a pretty victorian-wallpaper patterened fabric), I didn't just cut out the pieces and go; I matched the motifs on the fabric so that it flowed nicely all the way around, and added contrasting piping and a pretty hem detail. When I needed to fix a seam that had opened at the side of a delicate top of mine, rather than just plowing through clumsily, I used a hand-sewn overlock stitch to keep the seam invisible and secure. I wouldn't have thought to do these things if I hadn't read this book. I expect that as my sewing progresses, I will discover even more wonderful tricks that I hadn't absorbed through my first read-through.
  
  Definitely recommended.

• 13) If there was a fire, this is the book I'd risk my life to save!

  by Sarah Salome on February 23 2007
    10+ helpful votes

  The first moment I got it in my hands, I nearly fainted in excitement. Never did I thought that I could ever get to see inside couture garments--at least long enough to study the details. Ms. Shaeffer had collected a majority of garments, from Yves Saint Laurent, Dior, and Schiaparelli and photographs from Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. It's rather amazing to see the inside of these garments and study their complexity.
  
  First Ms. Shaeffer reviews the basics from what thread they use to permanent stitches to sew the garments. She even reviews the steps you would take if you wanted to purchase a couture garment...if you had 50,000 - 100,000 to spend...on one garment. Then each chapter is dedicated to a different part of the garment, such as the seams, one chapter completely devoted to the sleeve, another for the lining, blouses, dresses, tailored jackets, evening wear, etc. My absolute favorite is that she goes over designer details, such as the Dior pocket, and the goodie of them all, the Chanel Jacket. Chanel is creative in ever sense of their couture garments, such as their quilted lining and gold chains basted for weight, and Miss. Shaeffer goes over it all. I'm even impressed that she goes over the embellishments as well. She guides you on how to create beaded garments with the Tambour hook, which is the fastest way to bead a garment.
  
  I haven't been able to put this book down. It is filled with pictures, actually couture garments--vintage and new (new at publishing date in 1980/1990s). I've learned so much and I hope to put these techniques to use.

• 14) A truly wonderful book

  by Anonymous on February 04 2003
    10+ helpful votes

  Having tried to find books for advanced home and hobby sewers in German (almost impossible), I came across this book, and have never regretted buying it a single second. And having aimed at perfecting my skills with regard to creating wardrobe, I was amazed about how little I have known so far. Why could I not find such book a lot earlier!!
  Even while browsing through it, a lot of questions that I had always had were simply solved by reading instructions, and by the conciseness of the illustrations. My only - personal - problem is that the language is quite technical, and at worst, I have to read with a dictionary by my side, as my English is not so advanced on technical discussion level, but all of Ms Shaeffers instructions are self-explanatory and very precise.
  I strongly recommend this book to anyone ready for a new challenge in spicing up their wardrobes. And yes, even if you 'only' use the odd trick here and there, your clothes will start looking different - much more professional - as you start paying more and more attention to little details, and learn to avoid mistakes by focusing on how something should really look like - not that I wasn't focused on what I was doing before, but this is like the difference between your first watercolours and your first picture in an exhibition.
  Thank you, Ms Shaeffer, for taking the time to write this absolutely, truly, wonderful book, and keeping good traditions alive.

• 15) A good start

  by Jessica on November 15 2004
    10+ helpful votes

  I was so excited when I first got this book. I thought I was going to enter the world of couture and not have to go to France. I like how the author talks about the couture world, it gave me a lot of inspirationg. When it got down to technique, I thought some of the descriptions were a bit confusing and I wish the author would have said more on pressing. She showed the pressing tools, but did not explain the techniques in using them. Other than that I thought this was a very excellent book on couture for someone beginning to study it.

• 16) Eureka!

  by ReeQueen on March 08 2007
    10+ helpful votes

  This book is full to the brim with all those details that make the highest end clothing so desirable, with clear instructions, detailed diagrams, and photos of couture garments with the techniques discussed (and cross-referenced on other pages where additional techniques appear). My only complaint is that I didn't even find out about this book until very recently, and it wasn't for lack of research. I highly recommend this book not only for constructing a personal wardrobe, but also for hand-stitching instructions and construction on authentic historical replica costuming, as the details are more than clear enough to transfer to disparate applications.

• 17) couture Sewing techniques

  by Anonymous on June 14 2001
    10+ helpful votes

  Fantastic book, hand sewing techniques being the art in itself. Written in a friendly way, making it possible to achieve a really finished fit and look for the clothes. Details on how to make clothes structurally is something you always wanted to know, and this book gives a profound help. Not as nice layout as in High Fashion Sewing Secrets, which has better print quality, larger font and clearer pictures. Copy I received is even smudgy partly.

• 18) Not the same-old, same-old; wonderfully different from basic how-to books

  by aubergine on December 26 2008
    10+ helpful votes

  If you buy only one book about sewing...well, it probably shouldn't be this one. But if you buy more than one, this would be an excellent choice.
  
  This book was something of a godsend for me. I draft many of my patterns from scratch, and heavily alter any store-bought patterns I use. Some of the standard sewing how-to books (like Vogue's) are hard to beat for easy reference and the sheer breadth of topics they cover, but because they are written for the widest possible audience, they can be frustratingly over-simplified on certain topics.
  
  Example: I had spent hours scanning through books and the web trying to demystify set-in sleeves. I kept turning up the same information over and over again: how to ease the sleeve cap, how to join the sleeve to the garment, how to perform very basic alterations. None of this was very helpful when it came to drafting a sleeve. How wide should the sleeve cap be? How tall? How steeply should it taper? How much extra, exactly, should be added for ease? Here, at last, are the answers to those questions.
  
  I found the writing to be exceptionally clear and accessible, in fact more so than most "beginner" books. Even if you have no intention of copying the painstaking construction techniques detailed here, there are lots of little tricks and techniques to help you fit garments more precisely, construct them more easily, and achieve a finer end result.
  If you like making clothes but hate for things to scream "home-sewn!" then this book is for you.

• 19) Truly Amazing...

  by Anonymous on July 13 2001
    10+ helpful votes

  An excellent, excellent book. Beautiful to look at, and wonderful for all seamstresses.

  This book is good in particular for costume/ historical sewers. It describes each technique it detail, and revives the fine art of hand sewing. It also outlines embellishing methods, such as couching, beading, and so on. If you want to bring your sewing to the level of true art, this is the book for you. Highly recommended.