The Sewing Machine Attachment Handbook
by Charlene Phillips
List Price:
Our Price: $5.29
You Save: $11.70 (69%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $5.28 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Charlene PhillipsEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-05-29
ISBN: 0896899233
Number of pages: 144
Publisher: Krause Publications
Book Reviews of The Sewing Machine Attachment Handbook
Book Review: Money Saver! Truly Indispensable For Everyone Who Machine Sews
Summary: 5 Stars
I adored this book. It is very thorough, clear, well-illustrated, and well-written.
It seems that some reviewers have taken off stars because the book is more geared towards vintage machines. However, it's information actually does apply to new machines, also. 1) Many of the vintage attachments described in this book DO have corresponding modern attachments that are easily available through a good sewing machine servicer or dealer (not Sears [unless of course you have a Kenmore-but even so, the reps usually-not always-know very little about additional attachments for their machines & don't stock them anyway, so one must know about the attachment before you walk in to order it], but a place that specializes in sewing machines and vacuums, for example); 2) It gives you an understanding of the mechanical foundation upon which your computer/electrical modern machine operates (i.e. pressure regulation, tension, needle choice and fabric choice as it relates to these respectively)-thereby allowing you to make custom adjustments as needed to improve your sewing and finished product (even on new machines).
Ms. P provides a concise, but still informative and interesting history of sewing machines, and also explains things that all sewers or potential sewers need to know about purchasing a machine-any machine. I have had several hand-me-down or garage sale machines, and this list would have been very helpful to me to methodically test out the machine (and make sure that I didn't miss any expensive thing that was possibly wrong) before taking it on, whether I bought it or it was gifted to me.
I have a 1935 Singer portable and a new Brother Embroidery/Sewing Combo machine, and the information presented here is invaluable to me, not just because even though I still have the Singer's manual that explains the old attachments, this does such a better job and shows it in action, so I didn't have to rely on the written explanation alone (which can be pretty awful and make absolutely no sense to visual learners).
The reason I say in the title of this review that this book can save you money is this: With the detailed explanations of tension, pressure and how these affect different fabrics, you may not have to bring your machine in to a specialist. Ms. P not only describes and illustrates the problem (by how the thread looks on the fabric), but also provides troubleshooting to resolve the issue and/or tips to avoid it in the future. Tension in particular is a killer to master, especially on any machine-even a new one that maybe doesn't have all the bells and whistles-knowing how to handle these adjustments on your own can mean the difference between you fixing it for free or paying someone a small fortune to fix it for you (these fixes can run you $100-200!). Ruining your expensive fabric, breaking a needle into the machine where it can't be reached or does damage to the machine in some way, sloppy stitch appearance, and hours of fighting with your machine (even a brand new, expensive one) w/ problems like these can be reduced or eliminated by knowing what Ms. P has provided here.
I certainly wish I had known these key machine fundamentals when I started sewing, but am so happy that I have this reference now. And at eleven dollars and some change, this is the best sewing machine deal going, hands-down.
Thank you to Ms. P for a job well done!
Summary of The Sewing Machine Attachment Handbook
Regardless if you have a new or used machine, there are always questions concerning various attachments, how they are used with the machine and what functions they perform. This book covers a number of the top attachments as well as sewing feet in order to provide sewers of all levels the information and instruction they need to find the right attachment for any project. It is a reference that you will be able to refer to over and over again.Crafts & Hobbies Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Crafts & Hobbies Books
Collins Complete Artist's Manualby Simon Jennings
HARPER COLLINS 0 PUB; Published: 2005-10-03; Hardcover; Book
Indoor Artistby Linda Birch
Harper Collins; Published: 2004-02-02; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.39
Drawing on the Artist Withinby Betty Edwards
Harpercollins; Published: 1988-04-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $176.90
Carolyn Warrender's Book of Colour Scheming: How to Identify the Colours That Are Right for Your Homeby CAROLYN WARRENDER
HARPERCOLLINS ILLUSTRATED; Published: 1999; Paperback; Book
Learn to Paint Gouache Pbby Moira Huntly
Harpercollins; Published: 1995-10; Paperback; Book
Learn to Frame (Collins Learn to Paint)by Sheila Fairbrass
Collins; Published: 1990-06-04; Paperback; Book
Art of Preserved Flower Arrangementby Maureen Foster
HarperCollins Distribution Services; Published: 1984-03-26; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $9.94
Design-It-Yourself Clothes: Patternmaking Simplifiedby Cal Patch
Potter Craft; Published: 2009-09-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.88
Price in other shops:
Continuous Cables: An Exploration of Knitted Cabled Knots, Rings, Swirls, and Curlicuesby Melissa Leapman
Potter Craft Books; Potter Craft; Published: 2008-10-07; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.82
Price in other shops:
How Not to Look Fatby Danica Lo
Harper Paperbacks; Published: 2006-05-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.45
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
The Bag Making Bible: The Complete Guide to Sewing and Customizing Your Own Unique Bagsby Lisa Lam
F&W Publications; David & Charles; Published: 2010-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.50
Price in other shops:
Sewing with Sergers: The Complete Handbook for Overlock Sewing (Serging . . . from Basics to Creative Possibilities series)by Pati Palmer, Gail Brown
Palmer/Pletsch Publishing; Published: 2004-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.31
Price in other shops:
The Complete Photo Guide to Perfect Fittingby Sarah Veblen
Creative Publishing international; Published: 2012-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.27
Price in other shops:
Brother SA120 Gathering FootBrother; Brother; Brother; Kitchen; Art and Craft Supply
Best price: $0.01
Price in other shops:
Distinctive 7-Piece Sewing Foot Home Dec Package - Includes Ruffler, Concealed Zipper Foot, Gathering Foot, 1/ 4" Welting Foot, Adjustable Zipper Foot, Non-Stick Foot, Roller Foot + Case - Fits All Low Shank Snap-On Singer, Brother, Janome and More!Distinctive; Distinctive; Distinctive; Office Product; Home
Best price: $49.99
Price in other shops:
Singer Complete Photo Guide to Sewing - Revised + Expanded Edition: 1200 Full-Color How-To Photosby Editors of Creative Publishing
Creative Publishing international; Published: 2009-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $15.74
Price in other shops:
PatternReview.com 1,000 Clever Sewing Shortcuts and Tips: Top-Rated Favorites from Sewing Fans and Master Teachersby Deepika Prakash
Creative Publishing international; Published: 2010-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.75
Price in other shops:
Featherweight 221 - The Perfect Portableby Nancy Johnson-Srebro
C&T Publishing; Published: 2010-08-16; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.70
Price in other shops:
Encyclopedia of Sewing Machine Techniquesby Nancy Bednar, JoAnn Pugh-Gannon
Sterling; Published: 2007-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.33
Price in other shops:
The Sewing Machine Accessory Bible: Get the Most Out of Your Machine---From Using Basic Feet to Mastering Specialty Feetby Wendy Gardiner, Lorna Knight
St. Martin's Griffin; Published: 2011-06-21; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.07
Price in other shops: