Built by Wendy

I arrived home from our trip to find two review books waiting for me. Built by Wendy, Coats and Jackets was interesting because I already have her book on dresses. This book includes the basic patterns as did her Dress book.
The book begins with an overview of the three basic patterns and then possible design details. There is also a section on fabrics and trims.
Chapter two discusses the use of the patterns. If you already have the dress book, this section will probably be quite repetitive. Of course, a little review never hurt anyone.
Chapter three consists of sewing notes for coats and jackets, including seams, openings, facings, linings binding, collars, hoods, cuffs etc.
The rest of the book has instructions on making each of the three styles of jackets; the fitted jacket, the basic jacket and the straight coat. Each style has several possible variations which could be the jumping off point for your own creations.
This book is probably more challenging than the dress book but I believe most people with some experience should be able to follow the instructions given. There are lots of very clear diagrams and the instructions are given in point form.
I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in sewing their own clothing.
You can purchase the book from Random House.