Customer Reviews

Fantastic Fit For Everybody: How to Alter Patterns to Flatter Your Figure (Rodale Sewing Book)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

OK, I'll try not to get too touchy-feely here...but what I am going to remember about this book is how it has helped me accept my body the way it is! (protruding outer thighs, and small bust and "handles" on the back out of my thighs...in case you were curious! ; ) ) It has almost been a spiritual experience!
Ms. Hazen is a "round" woman with sparkle and a big heart. And almost every page there is a quote about how to accept yourself, don't be too critical, etc. etc. Truly, after realizing how NORMAL it is to not be the "norm", and after realizing how hard I've been on myself because I don't have slender lower hips...I have now accepted my body. I am truly grateful to Ms. Hazen for this one gift.
The croquis exercise was excellent...made the book worthwhile. You really do learn how your body is shaped in a 3-demensional way...wonderful! It is a great experience you should do as a sewer to understand your shape.
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because after she explains the need to fit, and the philosophy of fitting...I was left wondering how MUCH to fit and some exact details. I'll get these other details from other books. And the only other criticism is that all of these women used as fitting examples were plus sized. It's great to fit ALL sizes, and I am so glad women of that size can create clothes they feel good in, but it made it harder for me to relate because I am not in that size range. Also, it's harder to see fitting problems in the bigger sizes.
Even with these small criticisms I still think this is a very worthwhile book and I have only the utmost love and respect for Ms. Hazen. She is a very special woman. Thank you Gail!!! By the way, you look great in the clothes you make!

There are better alteration books out there, including the Vogue Sewing Book and the new Palmer/Pletch (sp?) alteration book.

Many alteration books, including this one, assume that all women require the same alterations -- increasing the hip size, decreasing the shoulders, etc. If your patterns require alteration in other areas (say, to accommodate broad, high shoulders or a thicker waist), you may not find this book as useful.

This book has marvelously inspirational before and after photographs of garments made and worn by real women who appear in all sizes and shapes. The three dimensional alteration concepts presented are very different from those in other books that discuss pattern alteration as a two dimensional project. Hazen also is the only author I've seen who discusses alterations in the context of the fabric being altered. Her style is breazy, motivating and fun to read. For these reasons the book is well worth owning. This is not a technical reference manual though. The information sewers need to answer a single question is scattered throughout the text. There are no reference charts for standard measures used by various pattern companies and there is no information on how to select an appropriate pattern size. The text is very repetitious with the same paragraphs, diagrams and captions appearing throughout the book. Also, while I'm all for being environmentally conscientious, a book that will be turned to frequently needs to be printed on better quality paper than this. This is a great book for inspiration and new ideas but you'll probably want something else for your workhorse reference manual.

The book set me up for the grand finale which never came. Most of these women were on the ample side. I am short and thin but with a thick long waist and I am swayback. The majority of the alterations were on separates; not much attention was given to dresses. I did however like the croqui. I need to do this and find my own way. There are probably better, more direct books out there.

I'm just a so-so sewer, and this book was tremendously helpful to me. First, it gave me hope that I might actually be able to sew something that would fit. Second, it gave me focused instructions on how to make particular changes. Third, they worked.

If you are looking for the a-z of pattern fitting, this isn't it. But for a refreshing point of view and great ideas, I haven't found anything else in its league.

(It's fun, too.)

This is a fun and helpful book. It was beneficial for me to learn that I should EXPECT my body to vary from the pattern standard - rather than beat myself up over it. I particularly liked the book's "before and after" photos. It's good to have so many visual images showing "this is what it means". Gale's insights will help me for years to come.

I found this book to be quite interesting as far as facts went. The photos of real people in before and after were okay, but I would rather know how to do alterations. In other books (Fitting and Pattern Alteration, Fabulous Fit, and some others) alterations for sleeve, full bust, square shoulders, etc. is given. I may not be the same size as the person in Gale's photo and may not be making the same garment, so I really am not interested in how the garment got to be from poorly fit to better fit. I did enjoy some of the interesting facts in the book especially regarding sizing of patterns, dress forms (and where are the tummies on those size 24 dress forms!). The paper did not seem to be of the best quality. I thought the book was a little pricey and felt that better value could be found in other fitting books. I would recommend the new Palmer/Pletsch fitting book over this one.

I used this book to finally make a pattern that fits, as I am unable to buy retail clothing, even though I am of petite size. This book is full of wonderful inspiration and practical wisdom. I noted that one of the customer reviews complained that the book left off before the solution was offered. I couldn't agree more. There is so much in the book that fitting a pattern (and Thank you, Monster Paper!) is done with book in hand and not for the faint hearted, but worth the effort. Only through the princess seaming was I able to get the fit correct. Thank you, Gale grigg Hazen?

This book is fun just to read, but I used it this week and already had terrific results. It's distinctive and maybe a word about who will benefit should guide you. I already know a lot about alterations, including complex ones, and have been making my own clothes since I was a teen. I adjust height and width, relocate darts, change shoulder profile, adjust for posture, change seat width and crotch depth in pants, redraft for the combination of thin arms with large bust and smaller than standard neck... and this book showed me something new. I finally solved the back of neck gaposis. It encouraged me also to continue in some directions that standard books like Vogue don't go in at all. And it emphasizes an important point... standard sizes are cut to look good on hanger for merchadising. A garment that fits you might look funny hanging up.

So if you have already tried all the usual alterations and still feel something is missing, get this book. I'll bet you find it here. If you don't know alterations yet, but you are adventurous and sew with confidence, get this book. You will love it. If you want seemingly precise directions and no intuition, avoid this book and stick with the Palmer/Pletsch/Vogue systems that view the body one part at a time. And finally, if you want your clothes to make you look great, get this book. Yes, the models are plus sized, but the ideas work on any size. The croquis instructions alone are worth the price of the book. I have a lot of sewing resources and many on fitting and none is as much fun or as useful for the fine tuning as this. The only downside is that it's about fixing problems caused by standard patterns, so doesn't take a pattern drafting view. But since I draft my own in most cases from clothes I like, it still helps.

Thought that this was a great reference book on alterations, but short on details for various pattern changes. This book showed that the thought process of alterations started with your own body, Gale's process of fitting was a good way to find out of the item to be sewn will work for your body type before you sew a stitch. Pattern, fabric and body type are all taken into consideration rather than fit the pattern to the measurements. This is what I have been looking forward to and needed, but the illustrations on alterations were a bit wimpy. And for the price I was surprised at the quality of paper used for the book.