The Colette Sewing Handbook

The Five Fundamentals for a Great Sewing Experience

Renowned for her easy-to-use and classic-looking patterns, Sarai Mitnick of Colette Patterns provides you with five gorgeous patterns, and all the sewing knowledge you need to become a modern seamstress.

Learn to sew beautifully by practicing the Five Fundamentals:
A Thoughtful Plan— Figure out what you like, what you will wear, and how you wear it. Doing that is the most essential step to sewing a garment you will love.

A Precise Pattern— Learning to read a pattern—becoming "sewing literate"–enables you to make it your own. From transferring marks to cutting your fabric, you'll learn to master the language of patterns to help you tell your own story.

A Fantastic Fit— A custom fit is within your reach. Learn how to use darts, seams or even gathering to shape your clothing, and where and how to alter the pattern to flatter your body.

A Beautiful Fabric— Choosing the right fabric can make all the difference; making an educated choice means a beautiful garment. Learn how to determine which fabrics work best, and how to work with those fabrics.

A Fine Finish— The finishing details make the different between a garment worth wearing and a garment worth loving, and you'll get all the tips and techniques you need for that perfect finish.

The enclosed garment patterns—all graded in sizes 0 through 18—bring the five fundamentals into play. You can truly master the art of pairing fabrics with design by sewing the Truffle Dress, or you can delight in the effect of a fine finish with the Taffy Blouse. Choose from any or all of the five projects—three dresses, one skirt and one blouse—in order to develop your skills, sew a lovely wardrobe, and enjoy the results!