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Birthdate: 20th Century
Gender: female
Education: American University
Nationality: USA
Places of residence: San Francisco, California, USA
Associated Place (for map): California, USA

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13 reviews

reader1009 4,305 reviews

Power Sewing: New Ways to Make Fine Clothes Fast by Sandra Betzina

Sewing tips for intermediate sewists (not for beginners) - a good reference to keep on hand.

I have the 1993 edition (with hand-drawn illustrations by A.Maeda) and I understand it's since been revised in a new photo-heavy volume. I've skimmed/read about half of it and have been impressed with the helpfulness of the tips--I feel like each page contains exactly the info I needed to adapt my patterns to be 10x better made, better fitting, & more flattering. Unlike Threads magazine, which seems show more like it would be good information but which frequently goes over my head with its technical descriptions, I found Sandra's tips to be immediately useful and much easier to grasp.
Other notes:
This edition is spiral-bound (lies flat) and indexed, making it great for reference.
It's very comprehensive, and covers techniques that are useful in vintage pattern sewing (such as how to make custom shoulderpads--or how to alter the pattern to leave the shoulderpads off), as well as techniques to make pre-made garments fit better.
I also have a copy of Sandra's show less

Jul 3, 2021 (Edited)2 other reviews

bostonbibliophile 901 reviews

All New Fabric Savvy: How to Choose & Use Fabrics by Sandra Betzina

GREAT reference for the new sewer- fabrics listed out one by one with what needle to use, what presser foot to use, tips for good handling, etc., then all kinds of reference materials about stitches, seams, etc., just a great one-stop reference for someone tackling garment sewing either coming from a quilting background or not. my only complaint is that the author doesn't cover different cotton substrates like double gauze or Indian cotton. Otherwise it's helping me a LOT.

Jul 2, 2020

neefer 12 reviews

Fast Fit: Easy Pattern Alterations for Every Figure by Sandra Betzina

This book is okay. I like Fit for Real People better. I do use this one for altering for a tilted waist.

Sep 1, 20061 other review

reader1009 4,305 reviews

More Power Sewing: Master's Techniques for the 21st Century by Sandra Betzina

Advanced sewing reference. [Note: I have the 1993 edition.] This contains different info from Sandra's Power Sewing, with a different illustrator. I think P.S. is overall more useful in terms of sewing and adapting vintage patterns, but M.P.S. contains some additional tips so I would keep it on hand as a secondary reference (I received both books for free, so it can't hurt).

Jul 3, 2021

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