Designing Clothes with the Flat Pattern Method - Sara Alm

Description

Learn how to customize your clothes--designing new pattern shapes, style lines, and fashion details with Sara Alm's easy-to-follow instruction!

In Sara Alm's Designing Clothes with the Flat Pattern Method, sewers learn a technique that opens up myriad possibilities for making one-of-a-kind garments. By using basic pattern blocks called slopers, Alm shows sewers how to design new shapes, style lines, and fashion details--creating patterns for nearly any piece of clothing they want to sew. Take a basic straight skirt pattern, for example, and convert it into any other skirt design. Change the hemline or the basic shape of a skirt from straight to A-line to full swing with multiple gores. Try adjusting the waistline placement or convert it from waistband to waistline-facing. Change the style and placement of the closures. The options are endless once sewers understand the basics of flat-pattern designing, which is explained in the book.

Designing Clothes with the Flat Pattern Method is divided into sections: skirts, tops, and pants. While many of the same principles apply to each garment type, there are different techniques to take into account. As soon as sewers know how to design from these three slopers, that knowledge is easily transferred to designing dresses, shorts, jumpsuits, and outerwear. The principles and techniques taught are also easily transferable to designing children's clothes. By following extensive technique instruction in each of the three categories, twelve different garments are designed from each basic sloper and photographed on models so readers fully understand the process and the end result.

Thanks to Designing Clothes with the Flat Pattern Method, passionate sewers will be as skilled as Project Runway contestants in no time!

Review

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.