HELP...need some basic sewing books, articals for men to learn from!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Huh? If you're just looking to learn how to sew, techniques are the same whether you are making clothing for men or women. If you know how to sew and are just looking for patterns, go to Wal-Mart.

OP, you should NOT be embarrassed. I frequenctly enter fabric shops and you'd be surprised how many men come in there. They buy left-over remnants for upholstery and decorating and anything else they need. Fabric stores have some very good sewing books and if you become a member, those 50% off coupons come in handy. Some even offer sewing classes.

Don't forget the web! Simplicity has some very good sewing books.

[link to www.craftandfabriclinks.com]

Bull.

I sew, both by hand and by machine. Granted most of the sewing I do is for upholstery, but the same techniques apply no matter if you are making a dress or reupholstering a 66 Mustang seat.

There are plenty of fabric stores and none of them think a guys is gay if he walks in wanting to learn how to sew. They only think your gay if you are Frenching another guy when you walk in.

When women sew she is called a 'seamstress' when a dude does it he is called 'tailor'. Plenty of tailoring books out there.

There is no manly sewing. There's just the skill of sewing. Learn to use the machine and to sew straight. Who cares if the book has pretty colors. You're going to find out how hard "women's work" is. next, i suggest crochet. Even a football player does it, it's good for your hands and your brain.

I learned to sew from the book "Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing". A lot of other people did too. You can find copies at thrift stores or used bookstores, it has that oblong format like their other DIY books. Don't bother buying it new. And I kind of like the old edition better than the new one.

A great web site for learning to sew is Pattern Review, it has a very active forum and they love to help guys for sure, they have a section for total novices. You have to register to read all the forum pages, but it's free and can be anonymous:

[link to www.patternreview.com]

I think she has a lot of videos, CDs, courses etc. for sale too. I used to read there a lot more than I have lately.

Here is my best suggestion for learning to sew. Start by making sleepwear - some classic pajamas and robes. This way it doesn't have to be perfect but you can still use it even if it's a little screwed up. It has some construction details but no tailoring.

You want a fabric that has some body and isn't slippery! Very important! I would use a cotton flannel to begin with as the pieces will sort of cling together and not slip around and creep when you are sewing them. Also if you can stand to use a print, or if you can find a decent one, it is very very helpful for a beginner to use a fabric that has a clearly identifiable right and wrong side.

1. Get the Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing book.

2. Pick a classic pajama and bathrobe pattern - I like Vogue patterns best. They are always 50% off at Jo-Ann and sometimes much more deeply discounted if you sign up for their sale flyers and watch the sales.

3. Choose a cotton flannel fabric with a clearly identifiable right and wrong side.

4. Read all the information about using the right thread and the right needle for the fabric and adjusting the tension - this is better information in the earlier edition of the book I recommended. Also if you are having problems with the stitch, make sure to check if the needle is inserted correctly, that it's the right kind of needle and a new one, and that the machine is threaded correctly, bobbin inserted correctly, etc.

And a good source that I respect, Kathleen Fasanella, says home sewers set their stitch length too short - so try setting it longer, like 8 stitches per inch instead of the 10 or 12 that a lot of sewing books say. Or maybe even 6 for a beginner - it's easier to rip out that way. Here's another idea, use a contrasting thread for your first projects, then you can see what the heck you are doing and also rip out easier if you have to do it over. You could even use a contrasting bobbin thread, just to get the concepts in your mind. And use good thread!

Ladies at the sewing store will love to help a guy, take my word for it.

Last Edited by Vision Thing on 01/04/2010 02:17 PM

thx guys..a lot of usefull information!!!!

practice with pillows

to gain the technique, you'll find your 'style' of this nice 'drugfree' relaxing function of a hand/machine utility.

with pillows you're not only functionally passing the time, you'll quickly decide your running stiches(straight) and your cornering techniques.

If you want you can do some topstiching decoration, referred to as embroidery(patches are made this way) which can be VERY small, just dots, and/or long stiches, with all the colors of the rainbow out there now.

Needles can be EXTREMELY relaxing pushing through the fabrics of our lives.

and you'll have a pillow too! old used CLEAN nylons are an excellent and cheap stuffer, make a 'draft/practice pillow' to put the stuffing you choose into, to keep it from rolling around.

you can have a 'stitch an' bitch,' however beer/wine might end up ruining your hard work, stick to tea or coffee, jucing would be nice too

HAPPY STITCHIN'

Starting with pillows is great advice, probably better than my pajama advice. If you wreck it you throw away less fabric, so that's a point in pillows favor for sure!

i wish i knew how. love to make tactical gear

when i got tired of shooting at the range, i could do some needlepoint for the fellas

readers digest books are awesome, gonna go search that right now

...arent you on the internet...?

Get a frackin' bright light to light up the area and get rid of the attitude about sewing.

Hi malu! Here is a site that sells outdoor fabrics and patterns, they have been around for ever, used to get their catalogs years ago. They always had every kind of cordura, mesh, ballistics nylon, camoflage fabrics, etc. and buckles and webbing, all that stuff. They have patterns too for stuff like cargo pants, cargo vests, ski clothes, even horse equipment.

The Rainshed:

[link to www.therainshed.com]

If you look for that Reader's Digest book, I liked the old edition better, the new one didn't really add anything and just left some stuff out. The troubleshooting stuff in the old one is much better, I suppose they left it out of the new one because some new machines are so computerized and everything. But you really don't need a fancy machine. I like my Kenmore zigzag, it has always performed very well for me.

There are tons of copies of that book around, you can find it at thrift stores easily. I never looked on ABE but I bet they have 1.00 copies.

You might go check out the forum at Pattern Review
[link to www.patternreview.com]
you can read some of it without registering but you have to register, can be anonymous, to read all of it or post.
There is good beginner information and help there.