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500 Sewing Techniques, Tips, Tricks, and Hacks: Must-Have Manual for Easy and Accurate Sewing (Landauer) Master Pockets, Zippers, Bindings, Edges, Buttons, Buttonholes, Curves, Corners, and More
280 pages, Paperback
Published November 11, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 1, 2026
500 Sewing Tips, Tricks, Techniques, and Hacks - Ashley Hough
I got a copy of this book from NetGalley and I’d like to say thank you, I really appreciate being able to have a nose through it and picked up a few tips aswell as a memory jog or two along the way. 👍🏻
Let’s get the moaning out of the way first…
1. First thing that I found irritating from the off is the bloomin’ watermark! Yes, I know it’s Published by ©️2025 Fox Chapel Publishing, but I wouldn’t have known if it wasn’t plastered top to bottom of every god damn page! 😤
2. I found spelling mistakes and/or wrong word placements. 😖
3. I do agree with another reviewer of this book about some of the ‘Hacks’ being down right dangerous, so you would have to use your own brain here and think about practicality especially if setting up a sewing station for children, someone disabled or elderly (and yes! All of them are able to sew, I’ve seen them do it and do it amazingly well with the correct tools and adjustments to their needs.)
📍📍📍📍📍📍📍📍📍📍📍📍📍
Let’s get to the positives…
I love sewing! I did after school sewing club as a child, as an adult I worked in a factory sewing straps and buckles onto tents and Marquees, sewn split or holey garments for family and even took up cross stitch which I went hard at for a good ten years or so. An Embroidery friend of mine once said to me ‘you can never know everything there is to know about sewing. There is always something new to learn.’ I have always had a fascination with sewing either by hand or by machine, it’s a wonderful hobby and there are some extremely talented designers and artists out there.
🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡
I love the pockets section in this book - So many different techniques with explanations to accompany each one. A simple pocket is actually a lot easier to sew on than some may expect. I learnt how to sew a pocket on to a knitted garment a few years ago and there’s not much to it really.
🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵
This book is truly informative (you can take what YOU want/need from it) with different types of pins, thimbles, measuring tools, marking tools, cutting tools, pressing tools. There are pictures and explanations for use of some of the most common types of each.
Note to self get some Bobbin Buddies, fabric weights, some new scissors and some groovy shank buttons. 😉
I got a copy of this book from NetGalley and I’d like to say thank you, I really appreciate being able to have a nose through it and picked up a few tips aswell as a memory jog or two along the way. 👍🏻
Let’s get the moaning out of the way first…
1. First thing that I found irritating from the off is the bloomin’ watermark! Yes, I know it’s Published by ©️2025 Fox Chapel Publishing, but I wouldn’t have known if it wasn’t plastered top to bottom of every god damn page! 😤
2. I found spelling mistakes and/or wrong word placements. 😖
3. I do agree with another reviewer of this book about some of the ‘Hacks’ being down right dangerous, so you would have to use your own brain here and think about practicality especially if setting up a sewing station for children, someone disabled or elderly (and yes! All of them are able to sew, I’ve seen them do it and do it amazingly well with the correct tools and adjustments to their needs.)
📍📍📍📍📍📍📍📍📍📍📍📍📍
Let’s get to the positives…
I love sewing! I did after school sewing club as a child, as an adult I worked in a factory sewing straps and buckles onto tents and Marquees, sewn split or holey garments for family and even took up cross stitch which I went hard at for a good ten years or so. An Embroidery friend of mine once said to me ‘you can never know everything there is to know about sewing. There is always something new to learn.’ I have always had a fascination with sewing either by hand or by machine, it’s a wonderful hobby and there are some extremely talented designers and artists out there.
🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡🪡
I love the pockets section in this book - So many different techniques with explanations to accompany each one. A simple pocket is actually a lot easier to sew on than some may expect. I learnt how to sew a pocket on to a knitted garment a few years ago and there’s not much to it really.
🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵🧵
This book is truly informative (you can take what YOU want/need from it) with different types of pins, thimbles, measuring tools, marking tools, cutting tools, pressing tools. There are pictures and explanations for use of some of the most common types of each.
Note to self get some Bobbin Buddies, fabric weights, some new scissors and some groovy shank buttons. 😉
December 17, 2025
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
500 Sewing Tips, Tricks, Techniques, and Hacks is a nice general guide full of tips for increasing productivity and enjoyment and getting the most out of sewing time, collected and curated by Ashley Hough. Due out 24th Feb 2026 in Oceania (Aus/NZ/PNG) from Fox Chapel on their Landauer imprint, it's 280 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats. Book released in other English speaking areas and available from Nov 2025.
This is an easy to understand and use collection of tips and hacks for sewing and fiber arts. The pages are full of short entries (several per page); most are one or two paragraphs, enhanced with illustrations and photos. The tips are arranged thematically: tools, techniques, patterns, closures, finishing, hand sewing, needle knowledge, thread, fabric, and form and function.
The author has an upbeat casual voice and a solid grasp on technique.
Four stars. This would be an excellent choice for public or home library reference, and for sewing/makers groups.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
500 Sewing Tips, Tricks, Techniques, and Hacks is a nice general guide full of tips for increasing productivity and enjoyment and getting the most out of sewing time, collected and curated by Ashley Hough. Due out 24th Feb 2026 in Oceania (Aus/NZ/PNG) from Fox Chapel on their Landauer imprint, it's 280 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats. Book released in other English speaking areas and available from Nov 2025.
This is an easy to understand and use collection of tips and hacks for sewing and fiber arts. The pages are full of short entries (several per page); most are one or two paragraphs, enhanced with illustrations and photos. The tips are arranged thematically: tools, techniques, patterns, closures, finishing, hand sewing, needle knowledge, thread, fabric, and form and function.
The author has an upbeat casual voice and a solid grasp on technique.
Four stars. This would be an excellent choice for public or home library reference, and for sewing/makers groups.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
January 30, 2026
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy!
I feel like the title of this book plays the contents down a bit. It's more of a general sewing encyclopedia that also has tips and tricks (and a couple of hacks). It's not a beginner's guide (it's too exhaustive for that), but it's a good resource for when you want to know what pins you should use for what projects. I didn't know there were so many pins.
The pictures are clear but some with some techniques I felt like there was a step missing from the description for me to be able to really follow along. But this would be a good book to have around in the sewing room as a reference.
I feel like the title of this book plays the contents down a bit. It's more of a general sewing encyclopedia that also has tips and tricks (and a couple of hacks). It's not a beginner's guide (it's too exhaustive for that), but it's a good resource for when you want to know what pins you should use for what projects. I didn't know there were so many pins.
The pictures are clear but some with some techniques I felt like there was a step missing from the description for me to be able to really follow along. But this would be a good book to have around in the sewing room as a reference.
February 5, 2026
#500SewingTipsTricksTechniquesandHacks #NetGalley
This is basically “sewing internet wisdom” organized into one big reference book and honestly that’s useful. It’s packed with techniques, shortcuts, and small fixes that answer real questions you hit while sewing: corners, curves, pockets, zippers, bindings, buttonholes… the whole chaos.
The explanations are strong, and it works for both beginners (because it removes confusion fast) and more advanced sewists, because you’ll still discover methods you didn’t know or didn’t try yet.
My one real criticism: the visuals feel a bit unpolished.
Content-wise though, it’s a very handy tool.
This is basically “sewing internet wisdom” organized into one big reference book and honestly that’s useful. It’s packed with techniques, shortcuts, and small fixes that answer real questions you hit while sewing: corners, curves, pockets, zippers, bindings, buttonholes… the whole chaos.
The explanations are strong, and it works for both beginners (because it removes confusion fast) and more advanced sewists, because you’ll still discover methods you didn’t know or didn’t try yet.
My one real criticism: the visuals feel a bit unpolished.
Content-wise though, it’s a very handy tool.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews