Made to Measure: An Easy Guide to Drafting and Sewing a Custom Wardrobe – 16 Pattern-Free Projects
£15.90£20.90 (-24%)
You no longer need to feel confined by the boundaries of a sewing pattern in order to make clothes that fit beautifully and represent your style in a way that store-bought clothes never can. Designer and founder of popular pattern brand By Hand London Elisalex Jewell is known for designing beautiful, fun garments that look fabulous on women of all sizes. In Made to Measure, she guides sewers to create stylish garments while empowering them to learn new skills, be creative, and feel confident. Following an overview of essential sewing tools, a primer on fabrics, and a guide to essential sewing techniques, you will learn how to:
- Draft simple patterns based on your measurements
- Take a pattern from an existing garment
- Identify and fix common fit issues
The sixteen pattern-free projects for dresses, skirts, tops, a pantsuit, and more are a springboard for creating a versatile, personalized wardrobe. The designs include:
- Sweet Shirred Top and Dress
- Faux-Cute Jumpsuit
- Paneled Wrap Skirt
- Prairie Dress
- Not Your Grandma’s Quilted Circle Skirt
- Siren Slip Dress
- Refashioned Sweater Dress
In today’s world of “fast fashion,” sewing your own clothes is a wonderful way to slow down and create garments that are sustainable and unique. While most sewing books show you how to create garments from specific patterns, Made to Measure takes sewing clothes to the next level by allowing you to customize the designs to fit you.
Whether you’re new to sewing clothes or want to add to your garment-making skills, Made to Measure guides you to create a dream wardrobe that is tailored just for you.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Quarry Books, 1st edition (2 Nov. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 176 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0760382808 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0760382806 |
| Dimensions | 21.59 x 1.27 x 26.67 cm |
by Nerrisa Pratt
I’ve been waiting for a book like this for so long, that bridges the gap between my sewing skills. I’m not quite ready to draft from scratch using complicated techniques but modern sewing patterns bore me so it’s nice to finally have a foundational reference with modern, exciting patterns from a maker I’ve admired for years.
The book is easy to understand and use and I’m already nearly finished on my first garment – I can’t believe how easy it was too.
by IndyCurl
I like this book because Elisalex is doing something different from most other sewing books – teaching you to draft patterns from your own measurements. This is how many people sew throughout the world. Chinelo Bally does something similar but uses blocks first and I found her method more detailed but a little confusing.
The book is not for complete beginners though – if you’ve tried sewing from patterns before and tried drafting your own, or adjusting a pattern for fit, the book is likely to make sense – you’ll know what trueing and slashing a pattern means in real life, and might be able to spot fit issues with the basic drafts here earlier on. A complete newbie may find some of it mystifying when they try to follow the instructions. And they will likely be disappointed with the initial results- because while Elisalex does take you through fit adjustments – the initial draft will not include them: the back pattern is usually a copy of the front with a higher neckline, and doesn’t use specific back measurements.
The book also needs another proof read – instructions seem to miss a step (ie vertical spacing) or suddenly use measurements not mentioned before. Some more diagrams would help too.
Having said all that – I like the book and the attempt to introduce self drafting.
by Laura Jones
This is an incredibly useful book, packed full of value. I have tried to draft my own patterns before and this book gives clear instructions with great imagery. I’m looking forward to trying out some of the patterns included in the book. This book is definitely suitable for someone who has never drafted before but wishes to try and it will give you a thorough grounding in the basics that you can then build on in the future. Highly recommended.
by Kian
Made to Measure provides a wealth of guidance and knowledge to take my sewing skills to the next level. As a serial pattern hacker it is quite exciting to have a book that breaks free from traditional sewing patterns and jumps right into drafting simple patterns myself.
The book is filled with a lovely variety of basic knowledge, customisation ideas, pattern projects and their variations. Elisalex’s approach to pattern drafting is straightforward AND reassuring, instilling confidence in my ability to master simple pattern drafting.
It is the type of book that will give me the freedom to really be creative.
by Louise
I really loved this book, it’s written in a chatty and engaging way but is packed with info and inspiration. I’ve already made a project, and I know I’ll be able to use the skills to made loads of other things in the future! If you’ve sewn a few patterns but want to expand your skill-set, this is a great book.
by Fabric lover
Why is this book in imperial measurements and with US spellings? I thought the author was Uk based.
That said some great ideas can’t wait to try some of the drafts, but I will use metric…..