Customer Reviews

Basic Pattern Skills for Fashion Design

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I encountered this book at the beginning of trying to teach myself clothing design, and found it immediately illuminating.

The book is divided into four sections: Bodice, Collar, Skirt, Sleeve. Using a series of pictorial examples, you are shown how to progress from the basic pattern through many, many variations, using dart movement and seams. Each example takes up a full page, with the minimum text needed and lots of illustrations. (Each example is given a punny name, such as "Seams to Me" or "Absence makes the Dart...Grow Yonder".)

The book starts with a section on the Bodice, covering close-fitting, loose-fitting, and flared versions. The Bodice section starts with a basic pattern, showing how a simple piece of fabric drapes across a bust form, and then showing the flat pattern version of the same thing. A series of examples then show you many ways to modify the basic pattern by moving darts, combining darts with seams, gathering excess fabric, and slashing and spreading the pattern. Each technique is shown by multiple examples, starting with the simplest changes and progressing to complex ones.

If you like learning by example, the detailed drawings in this book will make it very easy for you to learn flat pattern clothing design.

For a sewer who has a basic pattern that fits, this book is very easy to understand directions on how to change the basic pattern for many, many designs. It was clear, with simple pictures that made the instructions easy to follow. Great learning tool for a professional learning to design, and for the amateur who would like to make changes in her patterns without constantly purchasing new patterns.
To learn how to draft a basic pattern, or sloper, this is not the right book -- it doesn't give directions for turning measurements into a pattern. But for what it does, it does very, very well. Loved it.

This is a beginner's book, full of pictures and helpful, but not great at explaining how to do things, is more about seeing examples of what you can do, once you learn the technique.

Loads of info on tops and skirts but not a thing on pants. Crazy man... Crazy!

grea