Packed with practical tips (don’t use vintage thread—it gets brittle; make notes for your future self about your progress on a project), The Act of Sewing teaches the basics in clear language and explains the importance of habits that veteran seamstresses take for granted. Tracing your patterns with chalk before cutting, for example, might reveal that your fabric’s design aligns with body parts you don’t want to emphasize.

After walking the reader through four simple garments (a top, a shirt with set-in sleeves, a skirt, and trousers), The Act of Sewing describes and illustrates how to adjust the width and length of the patterns, as well as more specific changes to the shoulders, bust, and crotch.

The following chapter is a smorgasbord of optional tweaks to add to your repertoire and make your clothing fancier (different necklines, sleeves, cuffs, yokes, and plackets), better fit for your body (gathering, pleating, tucking, and ruching) and more useful (belt loops and a variety of pockets).

The final chapter brings everything together (literally: top + skirt = dress! top + trousers = jumpsuit!) and encourages the reader to experiment with combinations of the patterns and techniques in the book to create clothing that’s distinctively your own and eminently practical for the way you live.

I strongly recommend actually sewing along with the author’s instructions for the four provided patterns (whether you intend to wear them outside the house or not); it will help you understand the instructions in the later chapters.

I am grateful to NetGalley for a free preview copy.