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Bare Essentials: Bras
This is the second edition revised July 2016. The new edition includes drafting and grading directions in Adobe Illustrator and in PolyPattern Software.
The Bare Essentials series is an invaluable resource for anyone entering into the field of lingerie design. This volume summarizes the basics of bra design, from sewing and construction to drafting and pattern grading; introducing these subjects in a manageable capacity.
Bare Essentials is organized into three main sections based on the complexities of the information provided. Included in this book are basic patterns for sizes 30A-40F.
What you will learn:
- Construction methods using elastics and stretch fabrics
- Manipulation of basic patterns
- Pattern drafting from measurements
- Developing grade rules and grading patterns
- Drafting and grading on the computer
The Bare Essentials series is an invaluable resource for anyone entering into the field of lingerie design. This volume summarizes the basics of bra design, from sewing and construction to drafting and pattern grading; introducing these subjects in a manageable capacity.
Bare Essentials is organized into three main sections based on the complexities of the information provided. Included in this book are basic patterns for sizes 30A-40F.
What you will learn:
- Construction methods using elastics and stretch fabrics
- Manipulation of basic patterns
- Pattern drafting from measurements
- Developing grade rules and grading patterns
- Drafting and grading on the computer
244 pages, Paperback
Published July 27, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 25, 2023
This is a review of the first edition (2012). I have not read the second or third editions. The book information on Amazon suggests some of the problems might have been corrected.
I found this book to have helpful diagrams, but the text... you might as well avoid the text, because if you understood the diagrams, the text will take all your understanding away and throw you in a swamp of confusion. There are several places where crucial terms are misplaced, like "cup" is used instead of "cradle", or where technical terms are used ambiguously, like "height" used to refer to some measurement you are supposed to have taken earlier, but without referring precisely to which measurement it was. The book certainly does not meet the standard of an instructional book on pattern drafting, regardless of how much Matthews-Fairbanks knows about production sewing or bra construction.
Even with the diagrams, there were a few spots where I felt a bit at sea because the drafting/pattern modification techniques were new to me, but not well-explained. I also expected a bit more detail on certain cup styles that were completely absent from this book, like the darted cup.
I found this book to have helpful diagrams, but the text... you might as well avoid the text, because if you understood the diagrams, the text will take all your understanding away and throw you in a swamp of confusion. There are several places where crucial terms are misplaced, like "cup" is used instead of "cradle", or where technical terms are used ambiguously, like "height" used to refer to some measurement you are supposed to have taken earlier, but without referring precisely to which measurement it was. The book certainly does not meet the standard of an instructional book on pattern drafting, regardless of how much Matthews-Fairbanks knows about production sewing or bra construction.
Even with the diagrams, there were a few spots where I felt a bit at sea because the drafting/pattern modification techniques were new to me, but not well-explained. I also expected a bit more detail on certain cup styles that were completely absent from this book, like the darted cup.
June 22, 2018
I learned SO much from this book.
Obviously, I'm going to have to re-read the entire thing while I'm in my basement: Doing and reading, instead of just reading. But that's how I learn this stuff. I read ALL THE THINGS, and buy ALL THE SUPPLIES, then about a year later, I re-read while doing at the same time, then it sticks.
Obviously, I'm going to have to re-read the entire thing while I'm in my basement: Doing and reading, instead of just reading. But that's how I learn this stuff. I read ALL THE THINGS, and buy ALL THE SUPPLIES, then about a year later, I re-read while doing at the same time, then it sticks.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews