Gain Self-Assurance in Pattern Design: 7th Edition

Rita: Good sewing book

United States on Jul 17, 2023

Kathleen Field: late delivery. worth the wait. i have skimmed through it. looked up issues i have dressmaking. the solutions in this book makes sense. can't wait to put into practise.

United Kingdom on May 26, 2023

Keisha Gist: Nancy addresses lots of issues we face when trying to adjust patterns to OUR SIZE. The instructions are clear and they work!

United States on Feb 13, 2023

Ben T.: Well written, but a little complicated for beginners.

United States on Dec 12, 2022

Brenda Miller: Honestly you cannot go wrong with any instruction that Nancy has written. This book make sense, is well illustrated and easy enough to follow when making alterations on existing sewing patterns.

Canada on Oct 09, 2022

borealcrone: As with her other books, Zieman's publication about pattern fitting is great! She adapted the general body analysis to help choose the best size of printed pattern to use for yourself, based on a measurement of your upper chest that usually isn't included in conventional pattern fitting systems. It can be quite surprising to see the size of printed sewing pattern that this system "says" you should use compared with the size of pattern you may be used to using. Your existing pattern stash isn't automatically ruled invalid with this new information; Zieman shows how a "pin and pivot" system can be used to adapt any existing pattern to your amended sizing and thus continue to make use of it. So, get some help taking those measurements, log them, and use them to sew away, assured of a better-fitting garment!

Canada on Feb 20, 2022

MajorPrice: This is a nice book and well written. I also watched the video on uTubes. I’m a male and make dresses, skirts, and coats for my wife. I normally buy patterns by the bust size and end making alterations to make things fit. In her book, she suggest starting with a simple pattern at first. But, me being a hardheaded male decided to try vintage Vogue pattern V1669. Using her measuring technique, the pattern size I needed was a 14 which measures out to a 36 bust. She a 42 so I needed to add 6 inches and with this pattern it required some work. But, I got it finished and it fits like a glove without any additional alterations. So, start off with something simple. Lol.

United States on Feb 03, 2022

Amazon Customer: I'm new to sewing clothes. I was all in with this concept when I first bought the book. I figured out my "size" and bought accordingly. The intention is really to redraft each pattern. Turns out that my "size" is actually too narrow through the shoulders and I should be 1 size up. Also, this method really doesn't need to be applied to every pattern. If you have a pattern that is very close to your measurements, work with that one. Especially if the shoulders are dollman and it has a cowel neck. Otherwise, pivot and slide is a good technique, but redrafting EVERY pattern can take the fun out of sewing because its very time consuming. Be aware that there are other methods too besides pivot and slide like slash and spread. If you really do like this technique, Nancy has coinciding videos on YouTube. I will use this technique in the future, just not on every pattern. Glad I have the book.

Canada on Jan 28, 2018

mellow: Nancy's tips in this book are so useful. I have used one of her McCall's patterns before which shows some of her time saving techniques. As I expected from using this book, her instructions are clear and organised in a rational sequence. I am now in the process of making a jacket based on her pivot (to increase width) and slide (to increase length) techniques, which have saved me having to redraw a Vogue jacket pattern. It's nice to know that I can make the garment fit my back width and length and hip measurements, while making adjustments for my other body measurements which don't quite conform to the pattern designer's ideal. I'm not a confident dressmaker, but one who has tackled redrawing patterns to suit me, for those patterns that I will use again and again, but if Nancy's techniques work out well, I will just use them for one-offs garments or patterns that I do not use so much. Thanks Nancy. A bit expensive for a small book, though - it's what you might expect from an American import. Amazon offered cheaper it in Kindle, but I would have found it more difficult to follow in this format. Other people may be ok with Kindle, however.

United Kingdom on Apr 09, 2013

JReader: I was able to use this book to help me with some pattern fitting issues this weekend. The book suggests starting with a simple pattern (no yokes or gathers, etc). I started with Simplicity 2054. My problem with patterns is that I am in between sizes. For example, I am a 12 or 14 on top and then a 16 or 18 on the bottom. It's not a big deal if those sizes are all in one package, but on this particular pattern - the size goes up to 14 in the smaller envelope. Size 16 starts the next envelope. Well, I don't want to buy two so I figured I would buy for my top half since hip sizing is "easier".
Simplicity 2054 is a one piece dress with sleeves and a cowl neck. Until I read this book, I wasn't sure how to increase the size I needed and still keep the integrity of the pattern. This book showed me how to do that perfectly. It uses the pivot method which is so helpful.
I also had to increase the size of the sleeve. Again, using the pivot method - I was able to create a wider sleeve to fit my arms. I guess I have big arms :/
I also learned I could use simple tissue paper (as used in gift bags) to trace the pattern and such. This made the process so much easier and my pattern pieces...

United States on Sep 24, 2012