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[Eleryth]

I must also give a thumbs up for the Vogue Sewing book. Bought it used for $14, and it's got great information in it. Read it front to back, and even brought it in to work for a girl having fitting issues (I work at a fabric store).

For Japanese clothing, I have:
John Marshall's Make your own Japanese Clothes, which is probably one of the better ones out there so far
Jenni Dobson's Making Kimono & Japanese Clothes, and although it's got information, it's aimed more at the quilter (her target audience, since she is a quilter)
Yamanaka Norio's The Book of Kimono. It's very informative, but all the pictures of how-tos are drawn, and not photos. But great info about obi and accessories and other things. I think it's a translation of his Sodo Textbooks, which have similar line drawings.

I've also got "Isshou Jidai no Nuikata", which has Heian-era garment patterns, and the Kyoto Costume Museum for historical reference images.

[Honey Usagi-chi]

Well, I'm suggesting The Complete Idiot's guide to sewing. It's got a handy index in the back for quick look ups too. The only thing I dislike about it is that some things are on making weird stuff, but other than that it's my trusty sidekick on my adventure x3

[ardhri]

I use a book about how to make a kimono (although the name escapes me). Made my life so much easier when my pattern was speaking Greek!

Sewing for Dummies has been a huge help. I also have a book on how to fix sewing emergencies, which has been a handy thing.

[Honey Bunny]

The "Singer Halloween guide" has been my absolute favorite book. As well as "Sew any Fabric" which covers all Fabric blends (needle size, pressing directions, garment care etc..)

[Winterlaurel]

This is a great thread! I have a few of the books suggested, and some of the books were good suggestions for a list of books for my workplace to purchase. ^^

[LadyAnissina]

Originally Posted by Winterlaurel

This is a great thread! I have a few of the books suggested, and some of the books were good suggestions for a list of books for my workplace to purchase. ^^

I agree, it's a wonderful thread! Thanks for all of the suggestions!

[MeahtSingan]

For millinery I highly recommend From The Neck Up by Denise Dreher. She takes you from pattern draping through all the trimmings and provides excellent instructions on classic buckram-and-wire hat construction as well as blocking, working with straw, and softer (e.g. all fabric) construction.

I've used Mary Thomas's Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches a lot over the years. It breaks down the stitches by category (outline, border, open filling, solid filling, edging, etc.) which I find very helpful in narrowing down what stitch to use.

Claire Shaeffer's Couture Sewing Techniques is one of my favorite sewing books. While I certainly don't use such time-consuming techniques all the time, I found the section on tailoring incredibly useful while making a frock coat earlier this year. It's also fascinating to see the ingenious construction methods going on inside some of these haute couture creations - gets you thinking outside the box.

[Fangirl_moments]

great thread!!
I had the library website pulled up as I was going down putting all the books on hold to my library
but I couldn't find one so looks like I'm off to chapters :P

[FE Freak]

Well I'm using the Complete Guide to Sewing.It's a really big help,has everything under the sun about sewing.From pattern alterations to tailoring,this book is for you.I'm borrowing it from our library long-term,lol.

[Fangirl_moments]

does anyone know any books that are good for patterns?
or at least pattern help when you're doing it from scratch?

[Kaniki]

After looking at this thread I went stright to Barnes and Noble {...okay, the website} and used my gift card. XD The only book I could aford was Sewing for dummies. I've waited two weeks but it JUST got here like 3 minutes ago and am super excited. XD

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone that posted a book. ^^ because ima try to buy a lot of them. XD

[Eleryth]

Although it's not a book, I was reminded of this site that I had found incredibly helpful for various things:

http://www.vintagesewing.info/index.html

Covers: dressmaking, poofy sleeves, millinery (hat making), glove making and more...

[zosma]

This is a great thread! I'll have to go and look for some of these books....

[Penlowe]

A few notes on a couple of the popular titles: Reders Digest Complete Sewing and Vogue. Both have been in print since the 50's with only the smallest changes in content, mostly just updadted pictures and information about sergers. So buying used for either of these is a great plan

Threads, Sew Stylish, and Sew Simple are all produced by the same company, Threads & Sew Stylish aimed at more experienced sewers, Sew Simple being aimed at beginners. I buy them all, all are good regardless of your skill level.

[SeveredMuse]

The book I like is kind of old and they don't make it anymore but you can find used copies on amazon. Its Cosplay Girls: Japanese's Live Action Heroines. It's a very good reference book for beginners with tutorials, posing tips and has an array of pictures to get ideas from.