I will tell u - I was very skeptical about purchasing this book. The reason? Some months aback, I had bought a book which stated that it was about sewing techniques. What a dreadful mistake - the illustrations were wack and unprofessional, I could hardly follow what the author was trying to bring across. But this book, oh my gosh!!! The illustrations are in great detail... the explanations and procedures are clear and precise! A couple of reviews of this book i noticed are from students, but if you are a home seamstress/sewist like myself, u really need this book. It covers every single thing u need to know about putting a garment together. I kid u not! If you are deterred about the price, and I know in some aspect that u are, it is definitely worth it!!! Don't waste your time and money buying any other sewing technique books, this one has every thing in it. Don't find yourself buying a whole bunch different books that concentrates on only one aspect of sewing/designing. Get this book, trust me, u will not be disappointed. I love it, love it, love it!!! At last, a book that covers all sewing techniques and problems u may encounter and how to solve them. For those who bought PATTERNMAKING FOR FASHION DESIGN by Helen Joseph Armstrong, this book I think is the 2nd step. It shows you how to put your patterns together. Just buy the thing!!! It's great!!!