Book Review: the BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook

Sometimes I think there's something wrong with me when it comes to my taste in clothing and design. Every sewing website and blog is singing the praises of The BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook. I love the BurdaStyle website and often use patterns from this site in my day to day sewing. I really dislike all of the patterns chosen for this book! Sure, if you sew these patterns you'll learn enough sewing that you can then take on the world of patterns and pattern alteration and variation. But you'll have some ugly-a** clothes to show for it. I am frankly saddened that I spent the money on this book. Maybe the designs are just too young for me, but they certainly don't appeal.

The book does have some good points. The "Getting Started" chapter showed some very interesting sewing spaces and included some very elementary basics information on things like threading the sewing machine. Chapter 2 is on pattern use and contains useful information, including the Burda sizing chart, how to take measurements, and pattern testing basics. Chapter 3 includes a fabric primer and covers some of the techniques required by the patterns.

Then we go through the five patterns included with the book and see some basic variations for each. Again, I disliked the patterns so much, that it distracted from the experience of the remainder of the book. The authors' stated desire was for this book to be the "new bible for aspiring fashion designers, sewing enthusiasts, and motivated DIYers.". I guess I will have to agree to disagree and seek my inspiration of biblical proportion elsewhere.