Bridal Couture: Fine Sewing Techniques for Wedding Gowns and Evening Wear

The Susan Khalje book is an excellent source of its sort - not speaking of the nice design and pictures, it tells you everything you would want to know when trying to make an evening or wedding dress. Susan Khalje gives many interesting tips and tricks that would otherwise be very time-consuming to figure out, like how and where exactly to attach boning, what layers to use under skirts to make them look as you want to, how to work with lace and how to place it on the curved bodice while hiding the cut places, she gives suggestions as what fabrics to use for what garments - she is very fond of silk organza - for petticoats, underlining, bone channels. This is one of the rare books that show you professionally-done garments and reveal all their making secrets. Even if you're an advanced sewer, I still think you'll find many good tips here. Maybe a pure beginner would not be able to appreciate the value of the information given. Edit: To make it clear, this book is rather a collection of sewing tips that give your clothes a professional look than a step-by step sewing quide. If you already are a sewer and are longing to go pro and more into detail, this book is exactly what you need. It is supposed that you already know how to sew, draft and fit patterns and that you know how to put the garment together.

Received my order a day before its initial delivery date. The book is used however, still in good condition! No torn or super wrinkled pages everything is in tact. Very happy with my order.

As many others have stated, yes, the dresses featured in this book are very dated. But I didn't buy it to make one of those dresses, but more as a resource for the techniques needed for this type of sewing. There is a section with a lot of detailed information about common bridal fabrics including an in-depth portion about different types of lace, which is fantastic and a great help! Some of the sewing techniques, I feel, are not explained well or in-depth at all. This book pairs great with the book Couture Sewing Techniques by Claire Shaeffer (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1600853358) (who wrote the forward for this book) for more of the in-depth techniques to pair with the fabric and bridal-specific knowledge this book gives you. Considering the affordable price of the Shaeffer book, however, this one is not as good of a value due to the lack of depth.

Book is as listed in description. Great shape.

I needed to take my sewing skills up a notch to sew a wedding dress for my daughter. This book is proving to be a great resource so far. It covers various fabrics and any special associated treatments. Included is a section on lace and how to pick, cut, and apply the lace. Probably most important for me is the construction of the muslin and fitting the muslin, as well as construction of the bodice, including underlining, boning, basting and sewing the sections together; and constructing and inserting the lining. There is also a section on sleeves and the skirt, including various skirt styles with layers or tiers and attaching the lining. The author also goes through the construction of the various gowns she includes for inspiration, each a very different variation. While I haven't completed my gown, I'm sure this resource will be an important resource to get me through this challenge.

I can't say enough good things about this book. She goes into such detail on everything from the beginning to the end of making a gown. I got this book mostly for the chapter on boning the bodice and where exactly to place the boning channels. I was very happy to see that I actually got the information I was looking for on this subject. Susan Khalje also writes how to choose the right interlining for the shell fabric you intend to use. There's so much more this book has to offer but I just can't list everything. If you are into making wedding and formal gowns and need a little help on the fine details (even how to stabilize a neck line) then this book will not be a disappointment. The only slightly negative thing I have to say is that her gowns are very out of date. But this book isn't about the gowns, it's about the techniques that have been used that will never go out of style.

This book is fantastic, regardless of how much knowledge you have on the subject of sewing or textiles. Susan's discussions of the various types of fabrics used in formal and bridal sewing will help novices speak knowledgeably about what they want. As a professional bridal seamstress with a background in costuming I was particularly impressed with the way the author emphasizes how a garment should "behave" and that she gives suggestions on fabrics to be used as linings and interlinings. How a dress is made on the inside is vitally important to how it looks on the outside, and this book will help novices understand why that is and help professionals to achieve it. This book is definitely a must have for anyone involved in making a wedding gown, whether you are a bride or a seamstress.

Nice companion to the craftsy video on the couture dress. Way too expensive. Old book out of print so caught between a rock and hard space.

I like the well detailed techniques and the clearly written information. The fact that it has been written by an experienced author makes it a valuable tool for my Bridal & Evening Wear Class. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to design or construct detailed Bridal Wear.

This is a great book for really understanding the construction techniques used in evening wear. The styles are old fashion but the sewing skills are the same. I bought this book as an add on to couture sewing techniques, which I think is great. For anyone wanting to get a little better at sewing this book, is a useful reference book.

... but the sewing and constructing techniques in this book are timeless. Would recommend (for both reasons!)

I enjoyed reading this very much. Definitely a must for the sewing library

This book is a must for dressmakers, would - be dressmakers and for those who just love wedding gowns and working with beautiful fabrics. The technical advice is clear, instructions well illustrated and the data regarding fabric properties both useful and informative. The gowns and embellishments although perhaps a little conservative are nevertheless inspirational and thought provoking which is precisely what such a book should aim for. I particularly found the quote from Gianni Versace most interesting: '....It's a designers role to make people dream...' This book certainly made me dream and I just couldn't wait to get started on a new project. As well as being a truly useful book it is also a book which can be enjoyed for its own sake and most worthy of a place on the bookshelf of such readers. A welcome addition to the home dressmaking library and a book I shall treasure.