Patterns from Finished Clothes: Re-Creating the Clothes You Love

this is a very practical book that delivers on its title promise. I would give it 5 stars, but the clothes featured are very outdated (1995). The techniques are still as valid the day it was published.

This book is an easy to follow, step-by-step guide to making patterns. The instructions are accompanied by detailed, helpful photographs and the book is broken down into manageable sections. The best book I have found for this task.

When you find an article of clothing which fits just right, who wouldn't love to be able to replace it when worn or even duplicate it? This gives you the tools to reproduce those items, generally without requiring that you deconstruct the item first, so that your original remains intact and wearable. I have previously had to take apart an item to make a pattern from it, or "guesstimate" and trace around it, adding on for seam allowances and such. The latter method proved faulty and left me with mismatched seams and other problems. I borrowed this book from the library first to get a feel for it, and decided it would be such a valuable resource in my sewing library that purchased a copy of my own. I look forward to utilizing these methods with future projects. Recommend!

Wow! This is a terrific book. The instructions are clear and concise. The photos are great and show you step-by-step what to do. If you have clothes that you absolutely love and want to reproduce, this book is a great aide. You get to recreate clothes that you know are going to fit you well. There is some work involved but the results are worth it (most of us spend time altering patterns anyways, which is also time consuming). Once you have recreated a pattern from a garment that you love, you already know that the end result is going to be an outfit that you love to wear and that fits you well. Buy this book! It's well worth the money!

I'm a rooky at the sewing game. Bought a bunch of books before taking lessons, and this one by Tracy Doyle is one the the best I've seen, so far... Buy it!