The Handsewn Wardrobe is an approachable beginner's guide not just to hand sewing staple wardrobe pieces, but also the process of patternmaking. As someone who is just starting their hand sewing journey, I really appreciate how methodical and explicit the descriptions were of how to create a pattern for a given garment, as well as how they scaled up in terms of difficulty. I also appreciated that the sketch used to illustrate how to take measurements was not the Barbie doll we often see used for illustrative purposes, and that there was a method for how to take measurements that didn't involve numbers. Overall, I feel that Ms. Louisa Sonstroem does an excellent job of making the very overwhelming task of hand sewing garments feel approachable.

Two fun facts about me.
1. I review books
2. I love crafting

So after it belatedly occurred to me that NetGalley has a Crafts & Hobbies section, I decided I could combine the two. I found "The Handsewn Wardrobe," by Louisa Owen Sonstroem and spent a couple afternoons pretending I could understand how to read directions without doing the things the directions tell you to do.

Obviously, this isn't the kind of book you're meant to just read through. And, admittedly, my eyes often glazed over at the instruction sections, especially for the projects I knew I would never attempt. But between each of the projects is a mini biography of a handsewist (handsewer?) that explains their preferences and process. The one that mentioned they never use a thimble and only know like 4 stitches made me feel so seen.

Still, the book has a delightful overall vibe. Rather than telling the reader "THIS is the PROPER way to sew, you COMMONER," it explains why sewing techniques are used the way they are. How which way you cut on the grain affects the way the garment drapes or why certain stitches are used for stretchier fabrics. It isn't telling you that you must do things in a certain way, just be aware of the possible outcomes if you don't. For a consummate contrarian like myself, it was probably the only way to convince me to actually try the more "official" techniques.

Every project in the book is broken into two sections: patternmaking and handsewing. The instructions on handsewing advise which stitches are best used for which seams of the garment depending on how much tension those seams will be under. The book also notes that you don't actually need to use both parts. You can make the pattern and sew on a machine or use a premade pattern and handsew it.

The garments themselves are intriguing, as so many of them were created for the age of sewing machines, things like t-shirts, jeans, jean jackets, and even a hoodie. Since these garments were never meant to be handsewn, there's still an element of unknown in the process. The author emphasizes that this is what she does for the moment. Who knows, perhaps the next generation of neo-handsewists may refine the skillset and create new traditions.

Without actually making one of these garments myself (I'm working on it, I promise) the only critique I can give is that I wish the note on pattern abbreviations were earlier in the book with, not the end glossary. While I could eventually piece together what "WST" meant, patterns can be confusing enough without also having to work out what it's even telling you to do. Especially when one of the most commonly used abbreviations in the book is SA (for seam allowance), which has a very different meaning in other contexts.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend that anyone read the entire book front to back the way I did. But if you're still near the beginning of your sewing journey, there's a lot to learn from the sections on stitches and fabrics. And, of course, you could try your hand at the projects that interest you. I'm already eyeing that one autumnal bedsheet in my stash for the gathered skirt. The Thanksgiving fit this year is gonna be next level.

The Handsewn Wardrobe goes through every step of understanding patterns, fabric, and stitches. I think it would be difficult for a beginner to learn how to sew from a book, but this one does cover all the basics.
Unfortunately, none of the clothes were items I would take the time to sew by hand, as I usually save hand sewing for intricate details and finishing. I think it would be most useful for someone interested in self-drafting their own basics (like a t-shirt and jeans)!

A very thoughtful book. You can tell the author loves the craft and loves her readers — the suggestion to take measurements in a less familiar unit (cm for Americans, for example, or inches for those who normally use metric) to avoid “number shame” is very clever. This is someone who knows a lot about stitches, yes, but also the many ways people feel about clothing and making their own clothes. Every time she mentions commercial patterns, she uses very neutral language to remind readers that the pattern probably won’t fit without altering, because it’s just a starting place. The advice to “keep a sense of humor” is so charming. If I was giving my niece a book on making clothes, I would want her to read this book not just because of the technical guide, but because of how thoughtful the author is about bodies and sizes. The artwork is thoughtful too — it’s nice to see men included, normalizing sewing as a hobby for everyone.

At times the writing is a little flowery for my taste, especially for a technical guide. I think the book probably could do with another round of edits for word economy and detail (like the “see page XXX” missing the actual page number). The thimble games seemed out of place to me.

I have a good deal of sewing experience, both by hand and machine. It’s incredible that even with two decades of making clothes there’s still more to learn! Even if you are very advanced, the book is worth flipping through for tips. For example — the tip for measuring neck width by draping a stirng with two weighed objects and measuring the distance inbetween is brilliant! I’ve just been using the same bodice block with the neckline width I like, but now that I know that measurement it’s much easier to freehand new necklines and still feel confident they’ll look nice with fewer mock ups. I loved the suggestion for making a hand sewn label, I haven’t seen that before and it’s absolutely darling.

The technical aspects of the book are excellent — a lot of pattern making guides will skip teaching wearing ease for some reason, assuming people will think to add it in themselves I guess. When you’re new to pattern drafting and it tells you to take a bunch of measurements of your body, it’s natural to then plot those exact measurements on your paper — but the body needs extra room for movement and so the garment drapes nicely! This book puts info about wearing ease directly after talking about measurements, which is the perfect place for it.

I was very impressed by the range of projects in this book. Usually entry level sewing books do very simple designs that all look pretty similar, and all suggest plain quilting cotton because it’s easy to work with, like the linen top or gathered skirt. Each pattern is progressively more advanced. The pattern I was most excited about was the jeans! I have been planning for months to make a pair in some nice japanese denim I bought but have been putting it off because of how expensive the material was and how unsure I was of getting it right. I already have a pants sloper, so the guide to refining it for jeans was really helpful.

When talking about fit, I liked that the book gives you all the technical terms and simplified meanings. If you know those weird little bunched up lines are called “drag lines” then you have a search term to learn more on your own. The book is a great jumping off point, it gives readers the ability to read other books with more technical jargon comfortably.

The book feels mostly about pattern making since the author really wants you to make your own patterns rather than buying 'the limiting choices of premade commercial patterns (sort of a sewing purist, I guess). So for those just starting out, you'll need to also get all the tools and such that are required for pattern making as well as the sewing supplies to make the items in the book.

The stitching sections were a bit confusing for me - someone who doesn't sew. There are a few illustrations but they are mostly about what the stitching looks like on each side of the fabric rather than a step-by-step guide on how to make the stitch. The directions are rather clunky, large blocky paragraphs that can be frustrating to read, especially since I could not change the font size or zoom in with my digital copy.

There are several basic projects you will make and then sew: t-shirt, skirt, underwear, blouse, jeans, jacket, etc. The images were particularly uninspiring and I really felt the book let readers down here with what was presented. Everything was bland and unimaginative and I wasn't that eager to waste my time learning to sew on something I didn't even like. I do understand that we are to bring our own taste and creativity here - but I also want to be have an idea of possibilities and inspiration instead of just having to dream up something on my own.

While making items is nice, I was more interested in learning the hand sewing techniques. For me, I wanted to see the technique steps fully illustrated and then to have a glossary of where those stitches are most likely used (images of those stitches in actual clothes). This is in contrast to learning how to stitch from mostly text.

The author is thorough and if you can stick with it, you will have the basics of hand stitching down (though admittedly the author also says just to machine sew the projects if you want). But for me, it was confusing and incredibly unmotivating. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Lovely book about handsewing techniques. Nice photography throughout. I'd love to have a physical copy as I would probably find a digital copy challenging to use while doing sewing projects.

A very good book if you are into sewing. I have never handsewn a garment before but this makes it seem easier than I thought.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Very useful guide for handsewing clothes. It has a lot of basic information as well as more in depth knowledge of handsewing. This is a great book for patient people.

This was super informative and easy to follow along with. I loved the variety of patterns and the detailed explanations!

I didn't realise when I requested this that it was hand-hand sewing, as opposed to handmade on a machine, but I was pleased to see the amount of information in it that could apply to either!

Some decent bsic info about tools and fabrics, pattern drafting and techniques. Followed by several (basic but staples) how-tos

Will I be sitting and hand sewing my own wardrobe? No, but I will refer back to this when making clothes on my machine in future

I received an advance copy for free from NetGalley, on the expectation that I would provide an honest review.

When I requested this book, I don't think I realised that this is about handsewing (as opposed to machine sewing, rather than as opposed to buying clothes). I don't know why the idea of handsewing makes me resistant - I knit, spin, embroider. Something about handsewing seems so slow and exacting. The book itself addresses this. It talks about why we would engage in this activity, and then very thoroughly explains how to do so, including pattern drafting, sewing and everything in between. It's kind, supportive and sets the reader up for success. I don't think I am ready to try to sew my own clothes by hand - but if I get the urge, this is the book I will use.

Wow this book has a lot of information. The attention to detail was very helpful. As a sometime sewer I think the idea of sewing with just a needle and thread vs a machine intriguing. I am going to try a couple of the projects, specifically the woven boxy top with some embroidery and the gathered skirt.

This is such a helpful book! I really appreciate how half of this book focuses on how to make your own customized patterns, not just a printable cookie cutter pattern.

I have recently taken a basic sewing workshop and I believe this will be so helpful in my sewing endeavors. The images and fonts works well together to make this guide super easy to navigate.

Thank you to NetGalley & Storey Publishing for the ARC!

A very well laid out book with clear instructions. The author obviously thought very hard about how to explain everything.

I liked the accessibility of this book and the way it made it seem possible for you to sew your own clothes. And I understand the rustic homespun aesthetic. But I felt like it really cheapened the book and the garments to have the large wide stitches showing through on all the seams. Especially when with very little effort or a matched thread color they'd look so much more well finished. It left me with the feeling of a very amateur 'good enough' kind of vibe.

Very thorough book about hand sewing a wardrobe, which included how to draft several patterns to complete your wardrobe. I really enjoyed the patterns and the instructions on how to draft the pattern yourself. The patterns definitely have the room to make it you and unique to you. Great book, great illustrations and photos. Well written including a lot of detail! Thank you!

I received this DRC from NetGalley.

This book gives a very thorough overview on hand sewing and then drafting and constructing several patterns of basic pieces. The instructions were very clear and included diagrams for all of the steps. I liked that tips for customizing the pieces were also included. Overall, I think this is a good book for someone looking to start customizing or drafting their own patterns. For the actual construction part, I'd recommend having a bit of experience with sewing first, or it could get frustrating to sew around curves and such.

I love that is includes modern styles of clothing but designed for hand sewing. This makes garment making much more accessible for people who don't have a sewing machine. It has good descriptions of hand sewing techniques.

A detailed and inclusive guide to hand-sewing a contemporary wardrobe, this book covers pattern drafting, essential stitches, and garment construction with clear instructions and illustrations—making it a valuable reference for both hand and machine sewers. I think this may end up being one of the few ARCs that I buy a physical copy of!

This is such a lovely book! I loved how it walks you through everything from making your own patterns to finishing garments with beautiful hand stitching, all in a way that feels really calming & encouraging. It’s not just about sewing, it’s about slowing down & really connecting with what you’re making. The instructions are super clear & there’s a lot of care put into every page. Whether you’re totally new to sewing or just looking to be more intentional with your craft, this book feels like a gentle nudge to create things that truly last!

Thank you to Net Galley and Storey Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.