A novel approach to bias-cut garment design and construction. You've probably heard a lot of hearsay about the bias-cut. It's tricky. It's hard to sew. It uses too much fabric. The seams sag or ripple. It needs tons of basting. What if you could stop trying to control the bias and instead start using its unique properties in your favor? What if that enabled you to make fabulous clothes that fit and flatter? Our method: * eliminates bias-cut sewing almost completely; * simplifies textbooks' worth of pattern drafting with a simple math formula, no scientific calculator required! * produces complicated-looking designs with a streamlined process; * is efficient in both time and fabric, with only tiny slivers of material left over. The projects in this book are modular and have many options to create various garments. There are five blouses, three neckline variations, three sleeves, and eight skirt variations. Over 200 unique combinations are possible! Embrace bias-cut garment design with ease and flair!

A Novel Approach to Bias-Cut Garment Design and ConstructionTimeless, sexy, and romantic. A bias-cut dress can make any woman feel like a goddess. However, when you talk about sewing one, you might hear some negative views about it. "It's tricky to sew." "It uses too much fabric." "The seams sag or ripple." "It needs tons of basting."What if you could stop trying to control the bias and instead start using its unique properties in your favor? What if that enabled you to make fabulous clothes that fit and flatter?The Bias Cut Blueprints method:- Eliminates bias-cut sewing, most seams are on the straight-of-grain- A wide range of sizes is included, as well as a method to make the garments for any size!- Produces complicated-looking designs with a streamlined process- Is efficient in both time and fabric, with only tiny amounts of material left overThe projects in this book are modular with many options for mixing and matching.5 Blouses3 Neckline Variations3 Sleeves8 Skirt VariationsAdd in tunic and dress lengths and over 200 garments are possible!

This book has step by step instructions and diagrams for making over 40 items of bias-cut clothing - including lingerie, skirts, dresses and eveningwear - with a spread for each item. The information is clearly written and laid out, making bias-cut accessible to those not overly familiar with this type of dressmaking, including fashion students and amateur dressmakers.

Famous for the "bias cut," Madeleine Vionnet’s sophisticated approach to couture remains a pervasive influence today. Eschewing artificial and restrictive padding and stiffening, she liberated the female form with designs that integrated movement and comfort into women’s fashion. She also championed unusual fabrics that were luxurious and sensual yet simple and modern—chiffon, silk, crêpe de chine, gabardine, and satin. Her most revolutionary creations—the handkerchief dress, cowl neck, and halter top—cling to and seamlessly move with the wearer. Vionnet’s principles of elegance, movement, architectural form, and timeless style continue to inform contemporary fashion. This lavishly illustrated book showcases Vionnet’s daringly original designs worn by 80 internationally famous models photographed especially for this book alongside original patterns and archival images by such icons as Horst and Steichen.

A top behavioral geneticist argues DNA inherited from our parents at conception can predict our psychological strengths and weaknesses. This “modern classic” on genetics and nature vs. nurture is “one of the most direct and unapologetic takes on the topic ever written” (Boston Review). In Blueprint, behavioral geneticist Robert Plomin describes how the DNA revolution has made DNA personal by giving us the power to predict our psychological strengths and weaknesses from birth. A century of genetic research shows that DNA differences inherited from our parents are the consistent lifelong sources of our psychological individuality—the blueprint that makes us who we are. Plomin reports that genetics explains more about the psychological differences among people than all other factors combined. Nature, not nurture, is what makes us who we are. Plomin explores the implications of these findings, drawing some provocative conclusions—among them that parenting styles don't really affect children's outcomes once genetics is taken into effect. This book offers readers a unique insider’s view of the exciting synergies that came from combining genetics and psychology.

"The discourse on "Smart Cities" is everywhere. It promises an era of innovative urban planning, driven by smart urban technologies that will make cities safer, cleaner and, above all, more efficient. Efficiency seems uncontroversial but does it make for great cities? In this book, Maarten Hajer, Director-general of PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency and Ton Dassen, urban sustainability researcher at PBL, plea for a "smart urbanism" instead of uncritically adopting "smart cities". Such smart urbanism needs to find solutions for what modern 20th century urbanism has forgotten to take into account: the "metabolism" of cities - the variety of flows that connect city life to nature. What are we taking in, what are we discharging, and how efficiently are we doing that? Illustrated by 50 infographics, this book highlights both the challenges and opportunities for change. It calls for a "globally networked urbanism" that allows cities worldwide to learn faster and jointly identify effective strategies. A viable 21st century planning, rather than including top-down innovation, opts to embed technology in social innovations."--Contratapa.