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Metric Pattern Cutting for Women's Wear

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Metric Pattern Cutting for Women's Wear provides a straightforward introduction to the principles of form pattern cutting for garments to fit the body shape, and flat pattern cutting for casual garments and jersey wear.
This sixth edition remains true to the original concept: it offers a range of good basic blocks, an introduction to the basic principles of pattern cutting and examples of their application into garments.
Fully revised and updated to include a brand new and improved layout, up-to-date skirt and trouser blocks that reflect the changes in body sizing, along with updates to the computer-aided design section and certain blocks, illustrations and diagrams.
This best-selling textbook still remains the essential purchase for students and beginners looking to understand pattern cutting and building confidence to develop their own pattern cutting style.

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 29, 2008

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About the author

Winifred Aldrich

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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Profile Image for Karmologyclinic.
249 reviews36 followers
August 19, 2011
Finally a pattern making book in the metric system, my mind just refuses to work with inches. Plus it's impossible to get the same accuracy with inches as you get with millimeters.
The book has great instructions and clear illustrations and basic blocks work fine.
It seems daunting at first look, because everything is so compact and laconic in this book. Best thing to do is to just start drafting and then the pieces come together.
It includes basic pattern alterations and designs but if you want something more complicated you'll have to pair it with another pattern making book, like Helen Joseph-Armstrong's.
Also has a section for drafting blocks for individual figures which is very useful.
Profile Image for Sarah.
30 reviews
May 28, 2025
This won't teach you how to sew, but it may provide a foundation for pattern manipulation and drafting.

Using this book I was able to draft using software (Valentina is a great free option though can be daunting to learn as it's rather technical) to create skirt, pants and bodice blocks. I've used the skirt and bodice blocks to make full garments or correct commercial patterns. Eg correcting the bust dart(s).

Following some of the adaptions, I've altered commercial patterns, such as splitting the front to have a yoke, rotate the dart to the shoulder and add fullness to gather into the yoke instead of a dart.

The book does not include construction methods or instructions, for that I use my stash of commercial patterns, other sewing books or even checking Youtube videos or blogs from other makers for similar designs to see how they do things. This book provides a very specific part of creation a pattern, not how to make the garment.

I've been wanting to understand patterns and garment fitting better after falling into the historical costuming world on YouTube and having dabbled in sewing for most of my adult life but struggling to actually end up with something I will wear beyond a circle skirt.

Pairing this with the amazing tutorials from Closet Historian on YouTube has developed my understanding of clothing construction by leaps and bounds compared to what years of just using commercial patterns ever did.
Profile Image for Stacey Plumb.
58 reviews
December 29, 2020
Very informative, easy to digest and helpful for those learning with a school/college/university and for people like me teaching themselves. Step by step guides and detailed information makes it easy to understand however, there were parts I struggled to grasp as some parts were a little out of my depth. I searched the internet for the parts I needed extra help with and managed in the end. Would definitely recommend this and newer editions for those wanting to learn how to sew.
1 review
February 17, 2017
This book was initially a bit overwhelming, but one year into my fashion course it is all beginning to make sense. One of the go to books for anyone serious about making their own patterns.
Profile Image for Vanessa.
12 reviews
August 28, 2014
I borrowed this book from my local library as I have heard great things about it. It reminds me of a less detailed version of 'Patternmaking for Fashion Design' by Helen Joseph Armstrong (which I currently have on loan from my sister)

I really only did a quick flip through and I think that I would like to add it to my collection.
1 review
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August 19, 2013
I havent bought this book actually.. But I took a look at the inside from google books just bcause I dont know how to look the inside of the book from here.. But for me I'm gonna love this book a lot.. Cause it is soooo compleeteee.. All the patterns that I commonly make is heree.. And I love the simple photographs but yet so details..
Profile Image for Shauna.
112 reviews93 followers
November 8, 2011
A good introduction to pattern cutting; the instructions tend toward the needlessly awkward though.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews

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