20 Best Sewing Books With Sewing Patterns

Sewing books aren’t just a great resource for learning they are also a great resource for things such as patterns. Whether it is clothing patterns, home decor patterns or even soft toy patterns.

There are plenty available for every type of sewing you might want to do but as there are so many I thought it might be useful to put together some of my favourites for you to try out.

Here are my 20 best sewing books with patterns.

Clothing Patterns Books

Most people who get into sewing as a hobby will test out their skills on clothing, whether for themself, a friend or for children.

A sewing book with patterns is a great way to get into this and can give you a lot of useful information and tips to get you started.

So if you find yourself looking into making a garment here are my top 8 sewing books with clothing patterns.

1. Great British Sewing Bee Sustainable Style

I personally own this book and love it, I have made the simple top from it and find it super comfortable. I also love the amount of information you can find in these books.

As they are aimed at those who have never sewn before are at the very beginning of their sewing journey you really get a lot for your money.

The book comes in a hard cardboard cover which holds the book itself and 2 sets of folded paper. The folded papers are your patterns, they come in a variety of sizes which is suitable for many different shapes and sizes of people on the market.

What I also love in this particular version is that there are patterns for both men and women and some are even unisex.

Another great thing about this book is that there are variations to some of the patterns so even if you don’t like it one way you might like the variation instead.

2. Tilly And The Buttons Make It Simple

This is another book I personally own, it was a recent purchase so I am still testing out the patterns and reading through the helpful information.

Though what I have read and tried out I have been impressed with. Tilly was a contestant on The Great British Sewing Bee and has been successfully creating beautiful clothing patterns, helpful tutorials and clear videos for those looking to learn more about sewing.

This is her third book in total and honestly, each is different and still worth buying as they are packed with information, helpful tips and great clothing patterns.

The Make It Simple pattern book includes 6 full size printed sewing patterns and extra variations for those patterns. Personally I love the jumpsuit and the pajama set as they are so fun to make.

3. Tilly And The Buttons Love At First Stitch

Another great book from Tilly Warnes, this was her first book to be released and is still one of the best books to buy for beginners and patterns.

There are 5 full scale sewing patterns included in the book along with all the helpful tips and tricks to understand all about sewing patterns, sewing in general and the confusing words you might come across.

The book is great for walking you through the steps and creating a garment. It almost feels like you are being walked through the project and the learning with Tilly by your side.

4. Breaking the Pattern: A Modern Way to Sew

Since I didn’t own every single one of these books I got in touch with friends and fellow sewers who owns pattern books to find out which ones they liked, loved and recommended.

This was one of those books, it is different from others as it is the first book that showcases the uniqueness and clean cut style of Scandanavian fashions.

The book is easy to follow, with clear illustrations and photographs of the work being produced so you can follow along easily. What was a really big selling point to the book was the 20 different garments and patterns included.

These ranged from dresses to skirts, blouses and tops to trousers. There is something for everyone with simple and chic lines and designs.

5. The Maker’s Atelier: The Essential Collection Sewing with Style

This was another of the books I didn’t own myself but came highly recommended by some of the sewers in a group.

This book enbodies 8 essential basic patterns with the ability and scope to create 31 versatile garments due to the high range of variations for each pattern.

The patterns are also very versatile in the style of clothing from relaxing weekend clothing to office elegance along with glamourous date night wear and more.

While each pattern is highly fashionable and stylish none are dated and are still relevant no matter the year you make these in. They are all simple shapes and wardrobe staples easy to make into a versatile wardrobe for yourself.

There is a whole range of information on measuring and fitting and even altering to fit your shape and size. Pattern sizes range from 8 – 20 so the book is highly diverse for a number of sizes.

6. The Dressmaking Book: Allison Smith

Allison Smith is the creator of many highly skilled and useful books from The Dressmaking Book to The Crochet Book and more. I currently own the Crochet Book and it changed my crochet skills significantly.

It was no surprise that this book came recommended so I had to include it in my list. The book itself has a cute and easy to read the cover and is easily identifiable among other books on the shelf.

The book is easy to follow with clear and easy to follow step- by -step instructions and techniques, these are followed up with clear and procise photographs and diagrams.

There are 13 downloadable patterns included with this book, these can be found in ranges of dresses, skirts, trousers, tops and even jackets. These in total create 31 garments for you to fully fit out your wardrobe.

The book is great as it has clear sections on tools you will need, how to use them and even the techniques involved in the sewing processes from how to put in zips, top stitching and even buttonholes.

What is really great is that the projects are graded so you can start at the very beginner level and work your way up in skill level to build your confidence.

7. Wendy Ward

Wendy Ward actually has a number of books that are great for learning to sew clothing and fashion items.

There are a variety of books from A Beginner’s Guide to Sewing with Knitted Fabrics to A Beginner’s Guide to Making Skirts and many more.

Each book comes with everything you need to know from the beginning tips and tricks, how to sew the item together and tools required.

Each book comes with at least 6 patterns that transform into 20 different designs. The patterns are also printed onto 3 large sheets so there is no need to download or scale up your patterns to enable you to get started.

They come in 10 different sizes to suit a number of different body shapes and sizes.

8. Great British Sewing Bee: From Stitch To Style

Though I never watched all seasons I have definitely found a love for The Great British Sewing Bee and thoroughly love watching it now. It has enough of everything I love from humour to drama and even some lovable characters from the contestants themselves.

The Great British Sewing Bee books are great for helping those who have seen the programme and falling in love with the idea of sewing but have no idea where to go or what to do to get started.

The books in the range are always very thorough with indepth information on tools, equipment, pattern information and techniques used in sewing up fashion garments.

The chapters are broken down into sections very much like the show where you are given a pattern to try, the next part is the inspirations chapter where you are encouraged to seek inspiration from other sources and the last chapter is the Experimentation chapter which brings together everything you learnt throughout and creates the challenge to make bold choices and work with new fabrics and techniques.

There are over 25 garment ideas and designs for all including men, women and children. Which also come in a range of sizes perfect for any home sewing projects.

Soft Toys Pattern Books

Sewing can be super fun especially if you can use patterns to make gifts especially for children. I found a book when I was at University that was perfect for making soft toys and so made my nephew a soft toy as first Christmas gift.

These can be super fun as they are a little different from clothing, they can be challenging in a new way and also can give you a great sense of achievement, especially if you are giving it to a child.

Here are my top sewing books with soft toy patterns.

9. Sewing Luna Lapin’s Friends By Sarah Peel

Luna Lapin is a rabbit soft toy which is beautiful and is very popular. She has produced a number of books where you can make clothing, variations and friends for Luna Lapin herself.

They are easy to follow and come with some great ideas and styles, they can be used as shelf decorations as they are so cute or make for great gifts for others who love soft toys.

What I love about the books and the character of Luna Lapin is that it isn’t just a tutorial, it almost feels like a story and this character you are sewing is coming to life in front of you.

You can find more books of Luna Lapin by Sarah Peel in stores or online.

10. 50 Fabric Animals By Marie Claire Idées

This was one of my very first sewing books with animals and soft toys. This book is super helpful as it comes with a variety of different styles of soft toys from spooky little ghosts to traditional style teddy bears and more.

The book comes with 50 patterns that can be used as they are or can be photocopied and enlarged. I found I often liked making the smaller bears as they were great little gifts and one of the easier ones to make.

My favourite though was the 1-metre tall bear that was perfect to make for any child’s room. The instructions are easy to follow and you can find everything you need within the book from fabrics, techniques and materials required for the project.

11. Handmade Animal Dolls: 20 Simple Sewing Patterns for Stylish Toys By Melissa Lowry

Another great book for finding lovable friends for your children, grandchildren or friends is this book. It is unique in the look and country aesthetic that you can follow to create your own woodland like friend.

The animals include techniques such as needle felting which eliminates any sharp plastic components. Each animal can be adjusted and deisgned to be unique with clothing from dresses, suspenders and hats.

There is also a wide choice of animals to choose from including a whale, cat seahorse and even a unicorn. The most fun part is that each animal comes to life with its own personality and fun traits to make playing even more imaganitive.

There are 20 projects in total so you can have a whole gang of creature friends to play with. Each pattern is included and is easy to trace to create your very own loveable animal doll.

12. 50 Fat Quarter Toys By Ame Verso

Toys are very popular for making in the sewing room as they are often quite easy to come across, something small so they can be quicker to make and they can be one of the most rewarding things to make.

I love this book as it doesn’t just include soft toys in terms of a doll, cuddly teddy bear or cute carry along pal, it also includes things like soft stacking blocks, ring stack games and more.

These make for great sewing gifts for small children and babies as they are home made, soft and durable and easy to wash when dirty. I also like that you can make them personal and in a colour scheme that matches their bedroom.

Each sewing project includes a pattern and easy to follow step by step guide to create the project successfully. Some of the projects include techniques from Patchwork, Applique and Embroidery.

13. Sew Fantasy Toys: Easy Sewing Patterns for Magical Creatures from Dragons to Mermaids By Melly & Me

Who doesn’t love a supernatural friend? Not all children love dolls, pretty little people or even cuddly teddy bears and so this book really fills that market for those who enjoy a little bit of space and friendly monsters.

Melly & Me created this book to add diversity to the land of toy making including fairies, mermaids and even monsters to put out another narative into the playroom which I love.

The book itself includes 10 projects to create beautiful and super fun magical creatures for your little ones. Each one is huggable, snuggly and super fun!

Each one is super easy to sew with clear instructions and easy to follow images so you can keep following at an easy pace. You can create your own soft toy magical scene with each of the characters included.

14. Making Waldorf Dolls By Maricristin Sealey

While the book itself doesn’t come with any definitive patterns to cut out, print or trace it is very easy to follow the instructions to create your own Waldorf Doll.

The instructions are made and look like a simple drawing your grandmother would have done to pass on a family recipe or to show you how to do something.

It is charming and elegant in an old fashioned homey feel.

The book comes with clear illustrations on how to contruct the dolls, shapes to cut and sew lines to help you step by step through the book. The book also builds the user up in confidence from a basic baby doll to those that are larger and use limbs or joints for movement.

Home Decor Pattern Books

15. Sewn Animal Heads: 15 Trophy Heads to Stitch By Vanessa Mooncie

While you might think this belongs in the soft toys section it actually is more of a decor piece.

I love the fun feel of this as you can create your own fun characters to sit on your wall, make your home look fun and different while being creative at the same time.

I love the added aesthetic to the project as there is a little more crafting involved but it all becomes worth it in the end.

There are 15 different animal heads in total with helpful and clear instructions on materials and techniques needed for each projecet.

16. Stylish Home Sewing: Over 35 sewing projects to make your home beautiful By Torie Jayne

If you are looking to make stylish and useful projects for the home then this book is for you. This book is great for creating matching sets of oven gloves, table runners and more.

Within this book there are over 35 projects for you to make to create beautiful pieces for your home.

There are different chapters that include a kitchen chapter where you can find things like table linen, a bread basket and then you can explore the bedroom chapter and so on.

The thing I love most about this book is that you can create your own appealing look that matches your room and decor from fabrics you love. The projects are easy to follow with clear information on materials, measurements and techniques.

17. Home Sweet Home By Carolyn Pearce

Carolyn Pearce created a chic, cute and easy loving book that quickly became a phenomenon upon its release in 2011.

The project of creating the English Cottage with beautifull stitched garden and 12 gorgeous accessories is perfect for those looking to make something beautiful and functional.

The book comes with precise instructions on how to construct, techniques and advice on fabrics and stitches to use.

The English Cottage is a small storage box for your sewing equipment such as needles, scissors and pins. It is a stunning sewing room staple along with the design and beautiful aesthetic of green garden vines and cute stitched flowers.

18. Handmade Interiors: Make Your Own Cushions, Blinds and Other Soft Furnishings By DK Crafts

If you are looking at getting into making your own cushions, blinds or curtains this book is extremely helpful and easy to follow.

It presents easy sewing projects with clear instructions to making beautiful yet useful items for your home.

Sewing projects include things like Roman blinds with step by step guide along with all the techniques you need.

The book also includes all the information you need from how to measure, what materials are good to use and even how to install the finished project.

19. Half Yard™ Summer Collection By Debbie Shore

I love books which give you plenty of ideas and inspiration which you can make from smaller sections of fabric from fat quarters and half yards. These are really fun to have as they often make for great gifts to friends and family and are a great way to get into sewing as a beginner.

There are 40 stylish summer designs included in this book which is perfect for anyone looking to boost their confidence and use up some of those scraps of fabric they have laying around.

You can find super fun creations from picnic and party sets, kids crafts, home decor and bags for all occasions.

Each project is easy to follow and comes with clear instructions along with clear photograph images to see the process.

20. Tilda Homemade and Happy

Tilda is very popular with creating amazingly cute and chic homewares and dolls that are perfect for both displaying in your home, giving as gifts or giving to a child to love.

This book encapsulates the Hygge feel through the colder months of Autumn and Winter with comfortable and cosy accessories such as quilts, cushions and decorative items.

This book is perfect for those looking to add a little soft glamour to their home over the festive period with gold winged reindeer and sheep, plump pigs, angels and stars each with their own unique style and design.

The book includes the patterns within the back pages of the book to create all that is included inside with helpful and clear instructions. Along with beautiful photographs in the owners own log cabin in Norway.