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Garment Construction: A Complete Course on Making Clothing for Fit and Fashion
What are the building blocks of a great wardrobe? For men - the shirt, and pants. For women - the blouse, skirt, dress, and pants. The Illustrated Guide to Sewing: Garment Construction will teach the home seamstress how to make them all, as well as learn how to design and sew garments that flatter their figure and reflect their personal style.
From learning how to take proper measurements and make a muslin, to fitting and making common adjustments, the basic order of construction for each garment, such as fitting the bodice before attaching sleeves, is covered. Detailed chapters on elements—sleeves, collars, waistbands, hems, and more—provide valuable insight on how each piece is created and joined to the whole.
From learning how to take proper measurements and make a muslin, to fitting and making common adjustments, the basic order of construction for each garment, such as fitting the bodice before attaching sleeves, is covered. Detailed chapters on elements—sleeves, collars, waistbands, hems, and more—provide valuable insight on how each piece is created and joined to the whole.
176 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 9, 2025
Some of the diagrams were a little hard to interpret and some steps are skipped.
May 15, 2012
5-Stars!
MUST-HAVE if you are going to sew clothing! This book is VITAL to your library if you are going to sew clothing! This book teaches you from the 'ground up' of sewing garments. There are not many types of books like this out there like this one to rely upon, except perhaps textbooks from schools of design, and then you are in the hundreds of dollars for one book. This book is your A, B, C and more of learning how to sew a garment. I only know this because when I was a teenager, (and when I was younger, my mother taught sewing at a local school, and they always started out with muslin!) I made almost ALL of my own clothing. There was nothing MORE frustrating than ending up with a finished piece of clothing that did not fit. UGH.
When you are in the fabric store looking at a pattern, you are looking at the back of it at the measurements. You think to yourself, if I buy this size pattern, there is NO WAY this garment is going to fit! I know it! Well, take a step backwards, and start working with this book, first. It is going to teach you about taking correct measurements so that a pattern WILL fit! It is going to teach you what size pattern you need to purchase, and will also teach you how to alter that pattern as well. Alter a pattern, you ask? Yes! This is how the designers do it! ALL designers start with a pattern. Did you know that? Generally there are done in the muslin first. This is the proper way of sewing a garment. If you just stick with this book and make ONE garment with it, such as a pair of pants, (these are what NEVER seem to fit when making them for ourselves, or so is my opinion!) you will see that this book is going to prove you wrong, and you WILL have a perfect fitted pair of pants from a pattern, once and for all! You will never again want to buy an 'off the rack' pair of pants again! I promise you!
Not many people understand 'why' a pattern does not fit them after they are done sewing it and have used priceless fabric for doing so. This is one of the most frustrating things about sewing there is. This book takes ALL of that frustration out, as long as you are willing to go step-by-step with these directions. Yes, they have you make a garment out of muslin, first! What? You ask. Yes! Like I said above, even designers make garments out of muslin FIRST before making the finished piece! Yes, that is so true! Sometimes on the television show 'Project Runway', you may hear one of the contestants make a statement that their muslin outfit did or didn't work, or that they learned this garment will or will not work with the choice of fabric they have chosen to make the garment they want because of the muslin dummy they made first.
This is where THIS BOOK COMES IN! This book has you make your shirt, pant, skirt, or whatever you are going to make IN MUSLIN FIRST. It teaches you the BASICS of sewing garments. Without having the basics, you are lost and frustrated with all those garments you have made that just don't fit! With this book, this will no longer happen! This is why I say this book is VITAL to have! Why not do a little extra work, and have a MASTER pattern? This IS worth the investment. A little extra work goes a LONG way!
This book then takes you further and teaches you how to put the garment together, step by step. NO! Not the sleeves, but the bodice next. NO! Not the skirt, but now do the sleeves!
So make that garment in muslin first, then go on and make it in the fabric you LOVE! You will be SO happy with the outcome of your hard work! I guarantee it! Just to be able to have this type of book is a HUGE plus! We are very lucky this author has written this book for us so we can make those good fitting garments. Get your copy today! You will NOT be sorry, but OH, SO happy!
I received this book for FREE from NetGalley, through their Book Reviewers Program in exchange to read this book and write a review about it. It is NOT required for this review to be either positive or negative, but, of my own honest opinion. “Free” means I was NOT provided with ANY MONIES to read this book nor to write this review, but to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/wa...
Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
MUST-HAVE if you are going to sew clothing! This book is VITAL to your library if you are going to sew clothing! This book teaches you from the 'ground up' of sewing garments. There are not many types of books like this out there like this one to rely upon, except perhaps textbooks from schools of design, and then you are in the hundreds of dollars for one book. This book is your A, B, C and more of learning how to sew a garment. I only know this because when I was a teenager, (and when I was younger, my mother taught sewing at a local school, and they always started out with muslin!) I made almost ALL of my own clothing. There was nothing MORE frustrating than ending up with a finished piece of clothing that did not fit. UGH.
When you are in the fabric store looking at a pattern, you are looking at the back of it at the measurements. You think to yourself, if I buy this size pattern, there is NO WAY this garment is going to fit! I know it! Well, take a step backwards, and start working with this book, first. It is going to teach you about taking correct measurements so that a pattern WILL fit! It is going to teach you what size pattern you need to purchase, and will also teach you how to alter that pattern as well. Alter a pattern, you ask? Yes! This is how the designers do it! ALL designers start with a pattern. Did you know that? Generally there are done in the muslin first. This is the proper way of sewing a garment. If you just stick with this book and make ONE garment with it, such as a pair of pants, (these are what NEVER seem to fit when making them for ourselves, or so is my opinion!) you will see that this book is going to prove you wrong, and you WILL have a perfect fitted pair of pants from a pattern, once and for all! You will never again want to buy an 'off the rack' pair of pants again! I promise you!
Not many people understand 'why' a pattern does not fit them after they are done sewing it and have used priceless fabric for doing so. This is one of the most frustrating things about sewing there is. This book takes ALL of that frustration out, as long as you are willing to go step-by-step with these directions. Yes, they have you make a garment out of muslin, first! What? You ask. Yes! Like I said above, even designers make garments out of muslin FIRST before making the finished piece! Yes, that is so true! Sometimes on the television show 'Project Runway', you may hear one of the contestants make a statement that their muslin outfit did or didn't work, or that they learned this garment will or will not work with the choice of fabric they have chosen to make the garment they want because of the muslin dummy they made first.
This is where THIS BOOK COMES IN! This book has you make your shirt, pant, skirt, or whatever you are going to make IN MUSLIN FIRST. It teaches you the BASICS of sewing garments. Without having the basics, you are lost and frustrated with all those garments you have made that just don't fit! With this book, this will no longer happen! This is why I say this book is VITAL to have! Why not do a little extra work, and have a MASTER pattern? This IS worth the investment. A little extra work goes a LONG way!
This book then takes you further and teaches you how to put the garment together, step by step. NO! Not the sleeves, but the bodice next. NO! Not the skirt, but now do the sleeves!
So make that garment in muslin first, then go on and make it in the fabric you LOVE! You will be SO happy with the outcome of your hard work! I guarantee it! Just to be able to have this type of book is a HUGE plus! We are very lucky this author has written this book for us so we can make those good fitting garments. Get your copy today! You will NOT be sorry, but OH, SO happy!
I received this book for FREE from NetGalley, through their Book Reviewers Program in exchange to read this book and write a review about it. It is NOT required for this review to be either positive or negative, but, of my own honest opinion. “Free” means I was NOT provided with ANY MONIES to read this book nor to write this review, but to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/wa...
Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
April 19, 2011
I own a lot of books about sewing and fashion, but rarely do I just sit down and read them. Mostly I use them when I need to know something specific. For this one, however, I actually sat down and looked through it from cover to cover and noted some of the things that differentiate this from other books.
This book is for a beginner and they do a very thorough job of taking you through the construction of a garment. Some of the things that stood out to me:
Explanations of the different type of machine stitches. That's usually only in the manuals that come with the machine
The illustrations of hand sewing were very detailed and helpful
Assurances that space shouldn't be an issue when setting up your sewing area
Guide to the use of color and pattern to enhance different body types. That's usually in books about fashion, not sewing
Detail about how to straighten fabric and concise and clear instructions on preparing fabric to sew
Rudimentary instructions for altering patterns made the process seem not so intimidating
Directions on pinning patterns to fabric and matching plaids and checks. Good for those of us who are slaves to the pattern instructions
Shows how to assemble five basic garments based on logic not pattern instructions
Includes men's clothing
After showing basics, goes into more details with seams, zippers, pockets, etc.
Good for a beginner and also a great addition to any sewing library.
This book is for a beginner and they do a very thorough job of taking you through the construction of a garment. Some of the things that stood out to me:
Explanations of the different type of machine stitches. That's usually only in the manuals that come with the machine
The illustrations of hand sewing were very detailed and helpful
Assurances that space shouldn't be an issue when setting up your sewing area
Guide to the use of color and pattern to enhance different body types. That's usually in books about fashion, not sewing
Detail about how to straighten fabric and concise and clear instructions on preparing fabric to sew
Rudimentary instructions for altering patterns made the process seem not so intimidating
Directions on pinning patterns to fabric and matching plaids and checks. Good for those of us who are slaves to the pattern instructions
Shows how to assemble five basic garments based on logic not pattern instructions
Includes men's clothing
After showing basics, goes into more details with seams, zippers, pockets, etc.
Good for a beginner and also a great addition to any sewing library.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews