Built by Wendy Dresses: The Sew U Guide to Making a Girl's Best Frock [Hardcover-spiral]

Wendy Mullin (Author), Eviana Hartman (Author), Beci Orpin (Illustrator), Dana Vacarelli (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: February 9, 2010

Want a fast and easy way to look completely put together? Throw on a dress! Now, with the help of Wendy Mullin of BUILT BY WENDY, sew your own custom-fit creations—25 in all.

Dresses are as useful—and as crucial—to your wardrobe as your most beloved pair of jeans. You can throw one on in summer or winter, for a night out in heels or a day in beaten-up boots: It’s maximum style for minimum effort.

That’s why Wendy Mullin, designer of Built by Wendy—label of choice for fashion-forward actors, musicians, and artists—has created a book of DIY dress designs that are simple to sew but pack plenty of fashion punch.

All of the featured dress styles are based on three basic dress shapes: the sheath, the shift, and the dirndl. These three full-size patterns are included in the book, complete with step-by-step instructions for how to use them. From those basic dress shapes, Wendy offers multiple customizations, giving a total of 25 different dress options.

Beginner sewers will find all the basic information they need to get started. More advanced sewers will see precisely how slight pattern adjustments, such as changing a collar or sleeve or switching fabric, can create limitless possibilities for unique looks. Built by Wendy Dresses covers the basics and beyond—and proves that dresses are a girl’s best friend.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

WENDY MULLIN founded Built by Wendy, a NYC-based line of women's and men's clothing and accessories in 1991. In addition, Wendy authored Sew U and Sew U: Home Stretch and designed a line of sewing patterns for Simplicity. For more information visit www.builtbywendy.com.

Product Details

• Hardcover-spiral: 208 pages
• Publisher: Potter Craft; Spi edition (February 9, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307461335
• ISBN-13: 978-0307461339
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 1.5 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #123,931 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

WENDY MULLIN founded Built by Wendy, a NYC-based line of women's and men's clothing and accessories in 1991. In addition, Wendy authored Sew U and Sew U: Home Stretch and designed a line of sewing patterns for Simplicity. For more information visit www.builtbywendy.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

96 of 96 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Theory, Falls Down in Practice March 2, 2010

By Gwenley

Format:Hardcover-spiral

I am a huge fan of Wendy Mullin. I greatly enjoyed her first book on sewing, Sew U: The Built by Wendy Guide to Making Your Own Wardrobe, and created several successful pieces from the included patterns. So when I saw that she had written a book on dresses, I immediately bought a copy.

Mullin's book includes paper patterns for three dresses: the shift, the sheath and the dirndl. Mullin then demonstrates how these basic patterns can be slashed, stretched, cut and gathered to create totally different looks.

She mentions this fact several times in the text but it bears repeating: THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR BEGINNERS. It assumes that the reader has a working knowledge of sewing and can do such things as insert a zipper, apply bias tape and know how to hem. Further, the included patterns do not have seem allowances. These will have to be added. So you have to remember when to have seam allowances, when to make them bigger (for hems and self-facings) and when to eliminate them altogether (for edges to be finished with bias tape). This can be a lot for someone who is just learning the difference between a straight stitch and a zigzag.

I have a fair amount of sewing experience but none in pattern making. I chose the Oktoberfest-inspired frock (a modified sheath dress) and got to work. First, I made a muslin of the basic sheath pattern. Mullin covers fitting issues, mostly the bust and hips, but does not have information on more complicated adjustments. I have a swayback and square shoulders to account for. I consulted Vogue Sewing, Revised and Updated and added a back dart to fix the swayback issues. The raglan shoulders were roomy and required no adjusting. I think that a narrow shouldered person will likely have to take them in a bit.

The basic muslin done, I started on the Oktober dress. The pattern separates the bodice from the skirt (it's all one piece in the basic sheath pattern) and then widens the skirt. The neckline is also widened. The first problem I noticed is that the dress calls for two fronts but the layout on the book has the front cut on the fold of the goods. I caught it but it might be confusing the a beginner. I don't like having to second guess patterns.

I followed the measurements to a T. The second problem I noticed was the width of the neckline. It was sliding off my shoulders. My square shoulders. I can only imagine what would happen to a gal with narrow or even average shoulders. I decided to take in the neckline at the shoulder points, creating a puff cap sleeve.

After I sewed on the skirt, things really went wrong. The picture in the book and what I wanted was a sassy little baby doll dress with a German accent. What I ended up with was what looked like a grade school uniform jumper. Dowdy is not a word that I usually associate with Built by Wendy but it is the only one that describes the result. And because of the nature of the front opening, it is not feasible to take in the bodice.

I ended up whacking back the skirt and creating what turned out to be a pretty cute top. But I wanted a dress, not a blouse. Plus there is the wasted fabric to consider.

Bottom Line: I love the concept of the book but the typos are distressing. The dress I attempted required so many changes to be wearable that it really was more trouble than it was worth. However, I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt and think that perhaps the style just did not suit my body type. I just don't know if I want to sew another item out of the book.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but missing something. March 8, 2010

By K. McClain

Format:Hardcover-spiral|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have Wendy's Sew U: A Guide to Creating Your Own Wardrobe and both this book and that one are missing steps in her instructions. She leaves out complete steps on some of her projects. Important steps. I can't really understand why or how but she did. However, I did enjoy both books. There were some great tips and I really liked her patterns. And because I'm not a total beginner I can figure out where she left out steps and what to do. Even if it takes a little seam ripping or cutting out new pattern pieces. I am not "dogging" this book. So far I really like it, but her instructions are a little hard to understand and again she leaves out total steps. The dresses are great in this book, too. A few I don't like, but not everyone can like everything. I just want to let any true beginners know: this book(or any of Wendy's books) may not be the book for you.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great way to learn pattern-making! March 24, 2010

By Jay Elle

Format:Hardcover-spiral|Amazon Verified Purchase

I love this book! I'm a beginner/intermediate sewer - I can follow a pattern, but whether or not it looks like anything you'd want to wear out of the house tends to be a toss-up. But this book has really improved my skills by teaching me how to make a pattern, making me understand how patterns go together and work, and encouraging me to fix my fit problems and really learn to alter things that didn't turn out right the first time. Now that I've made and perfected muslins for each of the three basic types of dresses Wendy talks about in the book, I can toss out a new variation on any of them in a single evening and wear it to work the next day. Not ALL of the patterns are my cup of tea, but I definitely wouldn't say they're dowdy or only for very skinny girls or too young or whatever the other complaints have been. As an average-to-curvy almost-30 year old, I can certainly make and wear at least half of them (my favorites so far are "uptown girl" and "9-to-5") - and I know enough now to alter the three basic patterns into anything ELSE I'd like to make them into (I used one of the dress patterns to make my very-first-ever button-down shirt). It's definitely not a book for beginners, but it might make an intermediate sewer into an advanced sewer!

Very very very pleased with this book - probably one of my top-three most-useful sewing books.