Celebrating 40 years of catwalk collections, this book records the inimitable creations imagined by Vivienne Westwood since her first runway show in 1981, as well as those designed by her husband and long-time collaborator, Andreas Kronthaler. Complete with an introduction and collection texts by Alexander Fury, and biographies written by the designers themselves, Vivienne Westwood Catwalk offers a rare opportunity to chart the development of a uniquely creative fashion house.

After Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent and Prada, Vivienne Westwood – is the sixth new volume in the best-selling Catwalk series, which offers an unrivalled overview of the collections of the world’s top fashion houses through original catwalk photography.

With 1300 illustrations in colour

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More than just How To Start Sewing, this book will help you start sewing, keep sewing, and sew better than ever before.

Whether you have been sewing for years, or just starting to learn how to sew, whether you are studying fashion design, or sewing for yourself at home, How To Start Sewing has been designed with you in mind. This is a sewing book you will want to keep beside your sewing machine for reference whether you are learning a technique for the first time, or reminding yourself of a detail you haven’t sewn for a while.

The Perfect Reference Book

For the more experienced sewer, How To Start Sewing is designed for quick reference. Forget trawling multiple books and videos to decipher sewing instructions, sometimes you just want a book that you know you can trust. Use our Table of Contents and Index to get right to the technique that you need. We have focused on the most versatile techniques and explained them step by step with detailed drawings and matching patterns. Use our troubleshooting guides to master your sewing machine, improve your stitch quality and solve recurring issues to raise your sewing skills to the next level.

A Sewing Course in a Book

If you have just started to sew, this book has been designed for you. Learning to sew can be both frustrating and rewarding, so you want a book that will start slowly, build your confidence and help you avoid common problems. Designed as a thorough sewing course, How To Start Sewing will walk you through the entire sewing process, from your first hand sewing stitches to your first complete garment. You don’t even need to have a sewing machine to start learning. Just like having a sewing teacher in your own home or studio, let us show you how to choose and use your first sewing machine, troubleshoot your way through common sewing issues and build your sewing confidence. Go easy on your budget by buying new equipment and materials only as you need it, then put your new supplies and skills to use in hands-on exercises. Don’t let the large size of this book intimidate you; everything is explained in straightforward language with practical examples. No prior experience required.

Practical Sewing Exercises with Patterns to Match

It’s frustrating trying to sew a new detail when your pattern doesn’t match the instructions. So inside this book you’ll find a whole library of small sewing patterns. Trace off the patterns, cut them out in fabric and follow the step-by-step exercises to sew seams, darts, pockets, zippers, vents, and plackets. Then you can create a reference folder full of your favourite techniques. Next time you forget how to sew the lining for an invisible zipper, or how to adjust the tension on your overlocker, you will have your test sample there to remind you. This pattern library is also the perfect reference for when you are pattern cutting your own patterns or amending sewing patterns.

Sew Like a Professional

Professional sewing machinists know where to invest their time and effort to get the best results and you can learn the construction principles at work and achieve a finish worthy of high-end ready-to-wear too. This book focuses on the most versatile garment details used in womenswear and menswear collections for you to apply to your own designs.

Designed for Different Types of Sewers

If you are a perfectionist, this book will suit your pragmatic desire to know everything about the how and why of sewing and build your skills and knowledge in a specific order. Or if you prefer to make mistakes first, and then ask questions later then we are here for you too. Just use our troubleshooting guides to tell you why you keep breaking needles and tangling your thread so you can quickly solve your issues and plough through your first projects. The sooner you start making mistakes, the sooner we can help you fix them.

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