I'm an ardent hand-sewer and big fan of embroidery - probably the only girly things I love doing. There's just something about needle and thread that is just so... idk, primal and comforting to me. It's one of the oldest human arts there is!
The books I've been studying lately are by Alabama Chanin, a designer that's made her mark on the fashion world by the extensive application of hand-sewn garment construction and appliqued/embroidered embellishments. The books lay out ALL of her trade secrets, from stitching, to the applique patterns that they use in-house, to thread conditioning, to half a book's-worth of tailoring techniques. Those books are worth their weight in gold, even if you don't sew primarily knits.
My goal is to eventually, hopefully, translate the Alabama Chanin look and style of garment construction to a more masculine wardrobe for myself. I still love drapey, elegant clothes, and if I dress up to look nicely, I'll probably be much more inclined to wear something like
this than a suit and tie.
PS - I suppose, too, that that's 'seamster' to you! ;]