How to Design Your Own Clothes and Make Your Own Patterns

I owned this book for 30 years, but sold it because it did NOT teach how to start with your own measurements to make slopers. Instead, it taught how to buy a basic commercial fitting pattern & then fit it to your own body. Since my body is SO non-standard, that didn't work for me. I've since found several good books that explain how to make slopers from your own body measurements, but NONE of those books are as good as this one for how to make any style you want using your basic slopers. This is the very BEST book I've ever found to explain how to duplicate just about any clothing style, collar, or sleeve design you see or can dream up for yourself! The book shows how to take basic bodice, sleeve, skirt, & pants slopers to design ANYTHING else you want to wear. So I bought it for the second time, & I'll never be without it again! BOOKS on how to make basic slopers from your own measurements: Make Your Own Patterns, by Rene Bergh How to Make Sewing Patterns, by Donald McCunn How to Draft Basic Patterns, by Lee Gross Pattern Making By the Flat-Pattern Method, by Norma Hollen (expensive, but worth it!)

I disagree with the previous review. The basis of pattern design starts out with using basic sloper patterns. This is exactly what this book takes you through. Once you have mastered the basic slopers (base patterns), then you are shown how to modify the basics and create your own styles. For myself, after I read this book, I have been able to look at almost any commercial pattern and understand how to make the pattern myself without purchasing the pattern. I also understand how to create my own patterns with new designs. The drawings are out of date, the the basic information is very usable and the slopers themselves are still the same.