I bought Sew You: The Built by Wendy Guide to Making Your Own Wardrobe hoping for some information on fitting patterns, which it doesn’t really get into. The first half of the book provides straightforward information about tools, different types of fabrics, preparing the fabric and the pattern, understanding how the pattern pieces work, and basic sewing techniques. The second half of the book focuses on sewing and customizing the three patterns that come with the book (an A-line skirt, a shirt, and pants).

My background in sewing clothes is limited, but I’ve been quilting for years, and I have made a couple of skirts from commercial patterns. On the whole this book is a bit too beginner-level for me. However, I did find a few useful tips in it, and the suggestions for altering the patterns (making the skirt more or less A-line, changing the collar type or cuff on the shirt, narrowing or widening the legs of the pants) were helpful in giving me ideas for future changes. There is a fair amount of information given the price of the book, and I like the format. It’s a book that can (and must) be flipped through from section to section.

The patterns included in the book appear to be relatively easy (I have only tried the skirt pattern so far, which has front and back darts and no waistband). There are only four sizes: extra small (size 0), small (2-4), medium (6-8) and large (10-12). One annoyance is that the seam allowances are different for these patterns than those of most of the commercial pattern companies, and there are two different seam allowances factored in to the pattern pieces depending on the piece.

I made a muslin of the medium skirt pattern in about half an hour, without any finishing or adding the zipper, just to test the fit. As is, it’s a nice, flattering, below-the-knee skirt without being too A-line. Trimmed to above-knee length it fits a lot like my favorite Banana Republic box-pleat skirt. I’m not 100% happy with the back darts, which don’t seem to take in enough fabric on me, but this may also be due to the fact that I used the size that fit me around the waist and is actually one size too big in the hips. I plan to try to alter the pattern to blend to the small size around the hips to see if I can correct this, and then I’ll make another muslin.

On the whole I think I’ve gotten my money’s worth from this book and the patterns. It’s a good value for someone with limited sewing experience, and the skirt pattern (at least) is wearable. I’ll update this review as I complete the other patterns.

UPDATE: My first attempt at the skirt is here, and my third attempt (where I finally got the fit the way I wanted it) is here.