Evanthia Economou invites us to make 20 sewing patterns from size 34 to 48 and 1 knitting pattern for a sweater. Although Evanthia did not initially intend to pursue sewing, her experience as a drawing teacher brings creativity and teaching skills that she used to create this book. This work is actually one of the first I bought as a beginner, and I found extremely well-explained and instructive advice and step-by-step guides.

Thus, the step-by-step guides follow a very simple logic to help us in the process:

• The edges of the pieces highlighted in pink are to be overcast
• The pieces colored in grey are to be interfaced
• A simple color pattern is used to distinguish the right side from the wrong side of the pieces
• The assembly steps are illustrated and accompanied by explanations.

A technical section is available at the end of the book and allows learning the different techniques used, from washing the fabric, through common assembly techniques, to the differences between fabrics…
The patterns are ranked by order of difficulty. So you can use the book chronologically and learn different techniques as you go through the pages.
I admit I did not follow the order at the time, because I fell under the spell of the Macha dress, which I sewed in fabric with a dragonfly pattern.

The patterns are very original and reflect the personality of their author. Evanthia creates patterns she would like to wear. They are practical, comfortable, and with a touch of originality. The collection of patterns is very coherent and thus allows combinations. You can create complete outfits composed of:

• a snood
• 2 trousers with elastic waistbands
• a pair of shorts and a long skirt
• a jumpsuit with thin straps
• an original tank top
• 2 dresses including a beach dress
• a romantic shirt
• a t-shirt with a lace yoke and a blouse with batwing sleeves
• a cape and a vest
• a fitted tailored jacket and a coat
• a tunic with gathered shoulders and a blouse with an original V-shaped back
• a cheeky tank top with a split back
• a bowling bag.

Thus, both the person who is new to sewing and the more experienced person will enjoy creating the different patterns according to their desires.

The pattern sheets do not include seam allowances; you must refer to the step-by-step guide for each pattern. Each pattern piece is illustrated in the step-by-step guide, with the seam allowance to add indicated on each side. The 2 pattern sheets are double-sided with good quality paper. The patterns are identified by a color on each sheet. Sizes are differentiated by the symbol pattern used for the lines. Sizes 34 to 48 allow making garments for bust measurements between 82 and 110 cm, waist measurements between 64 and 92 cm, and hip measurements between 88 and 116 cm. The technical section offers methods for adjusting the pattern. The step-by-step guides do not provide a cutting layout; this is not necessary and did not cause me any difficulty despite my level at that time.

I can only recommend this book which was very helpful to me at the start of my sewing journey. It is an excellent companion to begin your sewing adventure.