Designing Clothes with the Flat Pattern Method

I love this book. I bought a sewing machine last year. I love making clothes for myself and making sure they fit perfectly. I love that I'll be able to adapt my patterns and move on to making my own from scratch. This would make an ideal present to inspiring designers, although I keep my own clothes somewhat more tame.

Easy to follow, with ample clear illustrations and step-by-step instructions. Written in clear, plain language, which I - as an amateur home sewer - found easy to understand.

I've been trying to learn about pattern making for a while now, mostly via online written and video tutorials, as I have found most pattern making books to be aimed at someone formally studying clothing design.

Nowhere have I found anything that I could use so easily to get me on the way to sewing well fitting garments.

I would definitely recommend this to a friend and will be purchashing a hard copy!

I have been a dressmaker for over 40 years and was intrigued by this book as years ago I did make garments cut from other garments - hence flat pattern. However, this is not what this book is about really. The book shows you how to make a pattern from which you will make a muslin or shell as the author calls it. You will then use this as the basis for your other makes.

There is no basic pattern included, you must draw your own, either from scratch or an existing pattern you own. You can see this is not really a book for a beginner as you will need to have some understanding of how patterns work first.

Personally I have done this method without the need to make an actual paper pattern and am confident with adjusting patterns so found the book is maybe not for me. If you do purchase the book you will find it very comprehensive and all aspects of pattern making are covered.

I must say that it is a beautifully photographed book and I love the clean and simple layout of the pages. It is a lovely book to just flick through and be inspired.

I am extremely impresses with this book, I have done a fair bit of dressmaking in my time and even tried drafting my own patterns, but have never bee satisfied with the results.
This book is a very well explained method of altering your shell pattern to make clothing that you can design. The method is fairly simply and the results are very professional, I don't think I will need to buy a pattern again, as not only does explain the method but gives confidence to mix and match the alterations to great results

This is a very well written book, easy to navigate and easy to use. Instructions are very well written and a must for anyone wishing to extend their patter skills

I have been sewing for years and have altered a few patterns, and the explanations and suggestions in this book take out some of the guesswork. I would recommend it for anyone who needs to make adjustments to a pattern...and isn't that just about everyone?
I requested and received an ARC from Netgalley to read and review.

A great book with clear instructions and illustrations.........

This book is beautifully laid out and has some great images, a really interesting book for anyone interesting in alternative pattern making!

As a basic seamstress who loves to sew, this is book explained so many things about sewing I did not know. This is a great reference book, since the author covers every area of the body parts in detail and how to alter the pattern to make it fit. And the best part is, the very detailed pictures showing exactly how to do what she is saying, without those pictures I would of been lost.

I waited to review this title until after my clothing construction class began. This title offers clear informative information regarding how to design a pattern for a beginner. This technique offers the sew-er the opportunity to create pattern masters that can be used to create multiple project and make modifications. The information provided matches the information provided in my college level course in fashion design and would be useful to the design student as well as the home sew individual.

A very great book with clear photographic step-by-step help on pattern creation. It assumes some basic sewing knowledge from the reader, but the steps are easy to understand. The presentation is somewhat simple and could be worked on more to make it look more professional

As a self taught costume and clothing maker I rely heavily on books for my learning with the occasional video thrown in. This book was a fantastic resource and I learned so much from it.
The steps are accompanied by picture which make it even easier to follow, I appreciated the pictures as I often find it easier to retain the information if I see it rather than just read it.
I would recommend this for a beginner or those with a basic understanding of pattern making. I personally went in as a beginner and now feel more confident with my patterns and even comfortable stepping away from the tradition shapes and trying something more daring.
On a side note I did have a problem with the digital copy I received. It was difficult to open and the spacing of pictures and text were a little out of sync, but overall it was good.

This book is beautiful, but is a bit advanced for me. Excellent for someone who is adept at following patterns and want to learn to create their own tweakable basics.

Reviews are currently backlogged; placeholder reviews are in place and will be updated to reflect my review as I'm able to get to them.