The basic skills of homekeeping once were at everyone's fingertips. But the days when a girl sat at her mother's knee and observed the proper way to sew on a button or a young boy learned how to shine his shoes are long gone. Today, we are more likely to pay someone else to perform these minor repairs, or worse, toss something away simply because we don't know how to mend or clean it. Finishing Touches is a new series of small and stylish guides to the home arts. Easy to understand and clearly illustrated, each book offers complete instruction in the most essential techniques of each topic, beginning with a basic materials guide that details all the basic tools and products one should have on hand at all times. A Stitch in Time… demonstrates the seven basic sewing stitches that everyone should know, along with thirteen emergency fixes—from catching a hanging hem to repairing a torn pocket or ripped zipper—all completed without a machine.