How to Make Sewing Patterns solves the mysteries of pattern drafting with easy, step-by-step instructions and clear line drawings that show how to create custom-fit garments in a wide range of designs. The book s detailed instructions on measuring and fitting include do-it-yourself photographs as well as directions for creating custom dress forms. Don McCunn has certainly mastered pattern drafting and fitting a wide range of bodies. Whether or not you have taken pattern drafting in a class, this book is a good reference in a very readable style. I especially liked the exacting instructions on taking measurements on the body and the solution for side seams which are not perpendicular to the floor. --Sandra Betzina, the power behind power sewing. Author of 10 books, a syndicated column for 37 years, and a host of her own show on HGTV for 6 years. Beyond the impressive range of material in How to Make Sewing Patterns is the author's obvious concern that readers understand what they are doing and why. There are many helpful tips throughout the book, some quite clever and unexpected. The section on drafting a sloper contains excellent explanations of the various body contours, measuring, and fitting. Text, drawings, and photos of the human body from every angle illustrate the various interrelated contours and just how a pattern accommodates them. He even gives detailed instructions on how to measure and fit yourself. --Threads Magazine McCunn's book dispels the mysteries of pattern drafting, an area which was once the province of the couturier. A do-it-yourself text in which lessons build upon one another, this book provides detailed guides to creating patterns. --Library Journal The most readable pattern drafting book I've found. The drawings are the simplest line drawings possible but executed with concise purpose. --Whole Earth Catalog Donald McCunn leads the beginning seamstress or the advanced into pattern drafting via a thorough introduction. He shows that drafting is easy if each step is clearly related to the final outcome and if the drafter visualizes what he or she is doing. --Christian Science Monitor"

How to Make Sewing Patterns solves the mysteries of pattern drafting with easy, step-by-step instructions and clear line drawings that show how to create custom-fit garments in a wide range of designs. The book's detailed instructions on measuring and fitting include do-it-yourself photographs as well as directions for creating custom dress forms. "Don McCunn has certainly mastered pattern drafting and fitting a wide range of bodies. Whether or not you have taken pattern drafting in a class, this book is a good reference in a very readable style. I especially liked the exacting instructions on taking measurements on the body and the solution for side seams which are not perpendicular to the floor." --Sandra Betzina, the power behind Power Sewing. --Author of 10 sewing books, a syndicated columnist, --and host of HGTV's "Sew Perfect." "Beyond the impressive range of material in How to Make Sewing Patterns is the author's obvious concern that readers understand what they are doing and why. There are many helpful tips throughout the book, some quite clever and unexpected. "The section on drafting a sloper contains excellent explanations of the various body contours, measuring, and fitting. Text, drawings, and photos of the human body from every angle illustrate the various interrelated contours and just how a pattern accommodates them. He even gives detailed instructions on how to measure and fit yourself." --Threads Magazine "McCunn's book dispels the mysteries of pattern drafting, an area which was once the province of the couturier. A do-it-yourself text in which lessons build upon one another, this book provides detailed guides to creating patterns." --Library Journal "The most readable pattern drafting book I've found. The drawings are the simplest line drawings possible but executed with concise purpose." --Whole Earth Catalog "Donald McCunn leads the beginning seamstress or the advanced into pattern drafting via a thorough introduction. He shows that drafting is easy if each step is clearly related to the final outcome and if the drafter visualizes what he or she is doing." --Christian Science Monitor

A nationally acclaimed sewing expert provides simple, step-by-step directions and more than 1,000 illustrations for making clothes for work, home, and play — everything from stylish skirts, dresses, and jackets to children's clothing.

Express your personal style and make clothes that are comfortable for you and your body! Maybe you learned to sew in school and have a sewing machine, but it hasn't seen the outside of the closet since your last move. Or maybe you are completely new to the craft, with a lot of enthusiasm, but no idea how to thread your machine. No matter where you're coming from in terms of experience, this sewing workbook offers four basic patterns--two tops, a skirt, and a pair of pants--that empower you to express your personal style and make clothes that are comfortable for your body type. After explaining the basic concepts of sewing and construction, 100 Acts of Sewing designer Sonya Philip then provides suggestions for mixing the basic patterns together to create new garment iterations as you gain confidence--structural adjustments such as full bust, no bust, long torso, big, small, etc., as well as a range of possible alterations and embellishments including sleeves, pockets, hems, and more! Going beyond simple pattern instructions, this book will make sewing garments accessible for every body type--each pattern comes in sizes ranging from XS to 5X. With inspiring essays on Sonya's sewing philosophy that speak to the slow and ethical fashion movement, this will be the go-to guide for all aspirational and seasoned sewists.

What’s the Secret to Sewing Great-Fitting Garments? The Rub-off—the Insider’s Technique for Creating a Great-Fitting Pattern! Do you love to sew your own clothes but find it difficult to make commercial patterns fit? Has your favorite blouse seen better days but is no longer available in stores? Have you gained or lost weight so that your most flattering skirt doesn’t fit quite right, or would you like to update it by remaking it in a new fabric or adding new details? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you’ll find the solution right in your own closet—by creating customized sewing patterns using garments you already own and love to wear. In Patternmaking for a Perfect Fit, Hollywood and theater costume designer Steffani Lincecum demonstrates the rub-off, a method of pattern drafting used by fashion and costume industry professionals that traces an existing garment or accessory without deconstructing or damaging it. Steffani starts with the basics, outlining two rub-off methods—tracing onto paper or draping with fabric—and explaining essential tools, materials, and sewing techniques. She then shows how to duplicate a skirt, a dress, a blouse, and a handbag, from rubbing-off the original, to creating the pattern, to cutting and sewing the new version, to making adjustments and incorporating a variety of other elements and details—not only refreshing your favorite fashions but replenishing your whole wardrobe with brand-new looks.

Summary: "The perfect introduction to the core principles of garment construction, "How Patterns Work" simplifies and explains the relationship between pattern making and the body." -- Back cover.