Book Review - Stitch Savvy by Deborah Moebes

ISBN 978-1-4402-2947-3

Stitch Savvy by Deborah Moebes

This book is a fresh and modern overview of the approaches to sewing that are gripping us all at the moment.  It tackles sewing in all major areas and comes from the point of view of the author, using her experience as a sewing teacher, namely that very few people want to learn how to sew everything.  They may want to sew a quilt, or a bag or a wall hanging, but don’t necessarily want to go through the motions of learning the A-Z in order to get there.

This book is great for those people and it is a refreshing approach. You can jump straight in and find what you want to know and get on and try it out.

 The book is split into 5 main sections - Home Decor, Patchwork & Quilting, Bags, Sewing for Children and Clothing and there are 5 projects for each. Each project has full illustrated instructions that are easily followed and split into sections so that each stage is clearly defined.

Photo reproduced from Stitch Savvy for demonstration of the tips given in the book.  All photography by Bangwallop Photography and text by the author.

There are snippets of information that give extra help with relevant techniques, such as piping for cushions, using a walking-foot for machine sewing. These are useful for giving you that extra bit of help where you might need it.

Photo reproduced from Stitch Savvy for demonstration of the tips given in the book.  All photography by Bangwallop Photography and text by the author.

There is enough variety in each section that you can find something you want, and then possibly more to take it further.  This is the other appealing aspect of the book – it helps you take your sewing to the next stage.  There are plenty of tips and hints of how to tackle each kind of project, be it looking at colour combinations, hanging a quilt or making a dress, each being characteristic to that project.

What I liked about the book was that there was enough information to get you through a project.  You will find plenty of books on each subject should you wish to undertake any further extensive research on your chosen subject, but if you are someone just wanting to make a simple quilt, or a bag, you will have everything you need.  The instructions given are easy to follow and there are photographs for each step to guide you.  And all the patterns are in PDF format on a disk at the back of the book.

Great projects, good variety of techniques and a very relaxed delivery.