Bridal Couture: Fine Sewing Techniques for Wedding Gowns and Evening Wear Paperback – January 1, 1997

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.

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then this book will not be a disappointment.The only slightly negative thing I have to say is that her gowns are very out of date.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.

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.

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.

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.

Awesome book. Techniques for fine fabrics, how to handle certain details-what a treasure trove. I should have purchased this tome five years ago.

This book does not guarantee value for money. It is unnecessarily over priced. Looking at the size and content, the price shouldn't exceed US$25.00. For a book of that price, the author can do better by giving us good content.