Bet you never made these in home-ec class: A skirt made out of old ties. A purse fashioned from a pair of jeans. A department-store jacket gussied up with handcrafted designs of beads and sequins.

Any girl worth her salt would be envious of Azure Messmer’s sewing prowess. She is skilled enough to design her own patterns, and her collection includes numerous skirts, tops and some jeans. If she ...

In the latest from Asian specialist Tuttle in a series of Japanese books on sewing, with patterns translated into English and converted to American measurements, designer Yamada focuses on patterns ...