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Rating: 
Summary: Great Book
Review: I read this book at our local library and found it so helpful that I want to get a copy of my own. But it is out of print! It would be a great service to all seamstresses to get this book reprinted!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: My hat is off to Ms. Bergh. She has successfully illustrated a simplistic method to creating original fashions. Not only are the styles contemporary, but the explanations are clear and complete. I've been hunting for such a book for three years. Having tried several books, this book has left the others wanting. It includes tools needed, step by step illustrations, color photos as well as color illustrations. I was most impressed with the pattern drawing methods which allowed me to tailor the design right down to the last mm. This is different than the general over all theories given in other books. The book inspires confidence.
Rating:
Summary: A contemporary, pleasant, thorough guide to pattern making.
Review: My hat is off to Ms. Bergh. She has successfully illustrated a simplistic method to creating original fashions. Not only are the styles contemporary, but the explanations are clear and complete. I've been hunting for such a book for three years. Having tried several books, this book has left the others wanting. It includes tools needed, step by step illustrations, color photos as well as color illustrations. I was most impressed with the pattern drawing methods which allowed me to tailor the design right down to the last mm. This is different than the general over all theories given in other books. The book inspires confidence.
Rating: 
Summary: not written for the people who need it most
Review: Patterns are so easy to find nowadays for $1.99 (or at the very least, at half price), that only those with fitting difficulties would want to draft from scratch, and this book assumes that the user has the perfect, very young figure. I am quite experienced at both alterations and drafting from body measurements, and I can tell you that the thing which is most overlooked is that the greatest variation in the body is from the side view, while her waist and hip values assumes half of each measurement falls in the front and half falls in the back of the body, which is true for almost no one who is not on the cast of "Friends." If you have fitting problems sufficient to drive you to want to make your own patterns, this book will do nothing for you, whether you have a large or drooping bust, large derriere, low abdomen, flabby upper arms, etc. I personally prefer "Boddymapping" by Kathy Illian, "Fantastic Fit for Every Body" by Gale Grigg Hazen, or even "Every Sewer's Guide to the Perfect Fit" by Mary Morris & Sally McCann. A to-die-for pattern-making book (although it does not cover fitting) is "Make Your Own Patterns" by Adele Margolis. It is not flashy, but the wealth of information is breathtaking and inspiring. If you want to be avant-garde, then "Make Your Own Japanese Clothes" by John Marshall is a super little book. A real help is an actual mold of your body (neither difficult nor expensive to do, and a hysterically funny weekend project for two sewing friends), as described in "My Twin Dress Form" by Carol Stith. I don't know if it is still in print, but it is the absolute best way to produce a proper sewing mannequin. No matter what your figure characteristics, you can produce pretty good results if you have an accurate model to drape on. I have a number of books intended for the professional that are too expensive to recommend, but if you want to be *really* chic, the absolute best of the best is "Modern Pattern Design" by Harriet Pepin. This gem is a Funk & Wagnalls Company publication from 1942, and it is utterly delightful. Many of the techniques are within the range of anyone even slightly willing to try something new, and they are so old that they are new again. You don't even have to draft a pattern from scratch (although detailed directions are given if you wish to do so) to apply some of the details. If you love the clothes in old movies, this book has more than pictures; it has details on how to produce them. I would recommend any of the above books over this one.
Rating:
Summary: Easy to understand, accurate, and illustrative
Review: This book is great for those who would rather prefer to make their own patterns and design their own outfits. The photos make following the directions easy and the explanations are perfectly understandable. What a great book!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: this book is to the point, easy and straight forward instructions,the illustrations are good. I would recommend this book for beginners or those who prefer making their own patterns instead of buying.
Rating:
Summary: Easy to understand, accurate, and illustrative
Review: This book starts out immediately with drafting a fitted bodice, which is remarkably easy and accurate. It goes on to illustrate how to draft basic bodices, skirts and pants, and how to modify them with design features. It is not in anyway a textbook on pattern drafting and does not go into any detail regarding pivoting darts, determining ease or fitting specific figures. It is more a starting point for designing independantly and could well be used in conjuction with an existing sloper or basic commercial pattern.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for modifying basic patterns
Review: This book starts out immediately with drafting a fitted bodice, which is remarkably easy and accurate. It goes on to illustrate how to draft basic bodices, skirts and pants, and how to modify them with design features. It is not in anyway a textbook on pattern drafting and does not go into any detail regarding pivoting darts, determining ease or fitting specific figures. It is more a starting point for designing independantly and could well be used in conjuction with an existing sloper or basic commercial pattern.
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