>Books on Fitting: > IF: Introduction to fitting > VF: Vogue Fitting. Sandra Lenker. > FF: Fabulous Fit. Patricia Perry (editor) > MYCF: Making Your Clothes Fit. Patricia Burkhart Smith. > >Books on Pattern Drafting: > IPD: Brief intro to subject of pattern drafting > PFD: Patternmaking for Fashion Design. Helen Joseph Armstrong. > EK: Ernestine Kopp's series of books. Ernestine Kopp, et. al. > PPfD: Professional Patternmaking for Designers. Jack Handford. > DD: Dress Design: Draping and Flat Pattern Making. > Marion Hillhouse & Evelyn Mansfield > MPD: Modern Pattern Design. Harriet Pepin. > AFD: Art of Fashion Draping. Connie Amaden-Crawford. > DfFD: Draping for Fashion Design. Hilde Jaffe & Nurie Relis > PD: Precision Draping. Nelle Weymouth Link. > PoFPD: Principles of Flat Pattern Design. Nora MacDonald & Ann Weibel. > HtMSP: How to Make Sewing Patterns. Donald. H. McCunn. > FoMFD: Fundamentals of Men's Fashion Design. Nasaaki Kawashima. > MPCfM: Metric Pattern Cutting for Menswear. Winifred Aldrich. > TS: Tailoring Suits: The Professional Way. Clarence Paulin. > S: Sleeves. Louise Todd Cape. > FDPS: Fashion Design for the Plus-Size. Frances Leto Zangrillo. > GTfMD: Grading Techniques for Modern Design. > Jeanne Price & Bernard Zamkoff > MNPD: Miscellaneous notes on Pattern Drafting >Miscellaneous: (todo) > DD: Decorative Dressmaking. Sue Thompson > MYOJC: Make Your Own Japanese Clothes. John Marshall. > FYF: Flatter Your Figure. Jan Larkey. > GE: Great Expectations (maternity) > ARtW: Altering Women's/Men's Ready to Wear >FAQ: Where can I get an up to date copy of this FAQ? > >Books on Fitting: >IF: Introduction to fitting >Many standard sewing references include some sections on altering patterns for >fitting. In particular, you may want to check out: > RDCGtS: Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing > VSB: The Vogue Sewing Book > SSSbS: Singer's Sewing Step by Step > VBSbSGtST: The Vogue/Butterick Step By Step Guide To Sewing Techniques > SB: Sandra Betzina's books > NZ: Nancy Zieman's books and videos > T: New books from Taunton Press >Alterations come in two sorts: >-small alterations that are generally made along seam lines or dart lines and >can be made during the fitting stage. Ideally, if you can buy the right size >pattern you should only need this sort of alteration. It helps if you have a >multi size pattern and can put several patterns sizes together (i.e. bodice >size XX, skirt size YY). >-large alterations that involve redrafting parts of the pattern (typically >slashing and spreading or overlapping). >_The Reader's Digest Complete Book of Sewing_, _Vogue Book of Sewing_ and >_Vogue Book of Fitting and Alteration_ discuss both methods. Both have >slightly more emphasis on the first method; which is appropriate. Good books >on pattern drafting discuss many of the techniques used in the second form of >alterations. An understanding of drafting techniques will help during major >pattern alterations. >SRL,PF: _Singer Reference Library: The Perfect Fit_: >A good introduction to fitting with beautiful photos, but not quite as >complete as several of the other books available. Still it covers most of the >common alterations neccessary. The introductory chapters discuss garment ease, >figure analysis and taking measurements. The section on adjustments shows pin >fitting a tissue pattern (can you *really* do this? without a helper?) and >fitting as you sew. Then there is a large fitting section that shows >photographs of common fitting problems and minor and major adjustments for >correcting them. _The Perfect Fit_ is the only fitting books I have seen that >uses color photos instead of drawings and this can be extremely useful. _The >Perfect Fit_ is also very well organized; if you read through it once it can >be used regularly as a reference book. >Additional comments from Marie-Christine Mahe [MAHE@YaleVM.YCC.Yale.Edu] >What really makes the Singer book unique is the use of photos. Each problem >is presented in mild and severe form, so you can tell easily what the pattern >companies consider as a real objective problem. There are so many people >running around with distorted body images that it's very useful to be able to >look at 2 pictures and see that you only have a mild case of square shoulders >or big thighs or whatever, or a really serious case of skinny arms. Moreover, >the adjustments also come in 2 versions: the easy one for the mild cases, and >the slash-and-rip ones everyone else recommend, but only for the extreme >cases. I haven't seen any other book that makes such a clear distinction >between the possible adjustments and why you'd want to use one or the other. >Of course, you can also slide and pivot, but that really falls into the more >extreme category too. Most people really only need small adjustments, if any, >and these are rarely explained so well. >Additional comments [trytten@laurium.cps.msu.edu (Deborah Trytten)]: >Go to the store and buy the Singer Reference Library Fitting Book. It's a >gem. I found out things about my figure that I never knew before. I had >always thought that my fitting problems came about because I am large busted. >Come to find out, that's only half of the problem. The other half was that I >have narrow shoulders. They have hundreds of pictures of fitting problems and >the cause. I was paging through it when I saw this weird front armhole gap >that shows up on all my clothing. Then I started measuring, and found out >that my shoulders are very narrow--and I had never suspected it. Give it a >try. It's as painless as fitting can be. >VF: Vogue Fitting >_Vogue Fitting_: If you just want to look at one book, this is probably the >best one. It only covers fitting and is fairly complete in it's treatment of >alteration techniques. It should be available in many stores for about $15 >(paperback). You'll certainly have no problem ordering it. >Vogue fitting : the book of fitting techniques, adjustments, and alterations / > [writer, Sandra Lenker ; illustrator, Phoebe Gaughan ; editor, Helen Moore]. > -- New York : Harper & Row, 1987, c1984. 192 p. >FF: Fabulous Fit >_Fabulous Fit_. Butterick Publishing Company. This book was printed in about >1977 and is now out of print. I like this book slightly better than _Vogue >Fitting_, but both are good books. I believe Butterrick and Vogue are owned >by the same parent company, so this book has also been called _The Vogue >Sewing Book of Fitting, Adjustments and Alterations_. >The Vogue sewing book of fitting, adjustments, and alterations. > [The Vogue sewing book of fittings, adjustments, and alterations] > Fabulous fit / [editor, Patricia Perry]. -- New York : Butterick Fashion >Marketing Co., c1977. > 190 p., [6] leaves of plates : ill. ; 26 cm. > "Also published in hardcover as The Vogue sewing book of fittings, >adjustments, and alterations ... (third edition, 1977)." > Includes index. >MYCF: Making Your Clothes Fit >_Making Your Clothes Fit_ by Patricia Burkhart Smith. This book was also >published in the 1970's and is out of print. I like this book alot. It >consists of a page of pictures that show common fitting problems with pictures >on the opposite page that shows the appropriate adjustment. This book >concentrates on the smaller adjustments; I am not sure whether or not it shows >the large adjustments. > >Books on Pattern Drafting: >IPD: Brief intro to subject of pattern drafting >Basically there are three methods that designers use. Most designers use a >combination of several of the methods. >Initial patterns are drafted from a series of instructions based on the >measurements of an individual body. These patterns which are often called >basic slopers. Typically this system is used to design slopers for basic >pants, a basic bodice and a basic dress and the slopers are then modified with >flat pattern methods to create new designs. All basic slopers fit the body >snugly with minimum ease. Many pattern books from the 1800's discuss drafting >complex dresses and suits using body measurements, but today this method is >used mainly for slopers. >Flat pattern methods take basic sloper patterns and alter them into more >sophisticated patterns. This is probably the most widely used method. The >basic principles are slashing and spreading. Some pattern makers use pivoting >in addition to or instead of the spreading step. The books on flat pattern >drafting show you how to cut lines on the original pattern and manipulate the >pattern pieces to get a completely different pattern. One basic principle is >how to move or eliminate darts in order to change the drape of the pattern and >the design ease. Pivoting is particularly useful for moving darts from one >part of a pattern to another. >Some of the steps in flat pattern drafting can be similar to the modifications >you might have to make when drastically adjusting the size of a pattern (e.g. >changing it 4-8 sizes). For this sort of major modification you cannot adjust >at the seam lines, you must slash and spread the pattern to re-proportion all >parts of it. The new Sewing Basics section of Threads magazine has shown a >number of slash and spread modifictions that you may need to solve some common >fitting problems. >The third method is draping. In draping a piece of muslin is pinned directly >to a dress dummy (or even a 1/2 or 1/4 scale dress dummy!). Draping gives you >immediate feedback about the way the cloth hangs. Many people drape with >muslin for initial experiments and use the cloth they intend to use for a >advanced draping to get a better feel for the drape of the final fabric. >Many of these books discuss flat pattern methods. A few books such as {PFD:} >and {DD:} combine draping and flat pattern design. The Hillhouse and Mansfield >book discusses the appropriate uses for both draping and flat pattern design. >The Armstrong book discusses both but concentrates on flat pattern design. >Pattern drafting books are not available in most bookstores. Universities >with large programs in fashion design will carry some of these books, possibly >as textbooks. Many of these books are fairly expensive. It can be very >useful to preview the books by reading through them at a good University >library or borrowing them from an InterLibrary Loan program before you >purchase them. Several mail order places carry a range of books on drafting; >check Hard to Find Needlework Books for old and new books and Unicorn Books >for new books. (See the sewing FAQ for more information on these places.) >These reviews are based on the subjects that the books cover and the clarity >of the illustrations and writing. In short, these reviews are from a >well-read, but inexperienced, hobbyist in the pattern drafting field. >PFD: Patternmaking for Fashion Design >- Patternmaking for Fashion Design. Helen Joseph Armstrong. c. 1986. New York. >Harper & Row. (Ref: Threads #14, pg. 67) (Ref: Threads #11, pg. 37 gives c. as >1987.) (has been highly recommended in Threads several times) (has been >highly recommended as a single all-in-one book for flat pattern + draping in >Jan/Feb 1991 Threads). I agree that this is probably the best all-in-one book >that I have seen that is currently in print. It's somewhat expensive ($45+), >but it is about 700 pages and covers a very wide range of subjects and >alterations. If you want one book, I think this is the book to get. >EK: Ernestine Kopp's series of books >- How to Draft Basic Patterns, 3rd edition. Ernestine Kopp et.al. c. 1984. New >York. Fairchild. (Ref: Threads #11, pg. 37) Describes making the basic slopers >needed for _DAttFP_ and _NFAfDAttFP_ from either standard measurements >(provided thru size 18) or from individual measurements. Basic slopers for >sleeve (fitted and straight), skirt, pants, bodice, maybe more. >- Designing Apparel through the Flat Pattern, 5th edition. Ernestine Kopp. c. >1981. New York. Fairchild. (Ref: Threads #14, pg. 67) Uses the basic slopers >and flat pattern methods to create a wide range of patterns. >- New Fashion Areas for Designing Apparel through the Flat Pattern. Kopp, >Ernestine, et al. Sequel to _Designing thru the Flat Pattern_. Interesting, >but fairly old (1972). Includes some interesting sections, incl a chapters on >capes, hoods, and cowls. >The three books by Kopp are a good, and fairly complete, intro to all aspects >of flat pattern design. Of course, purchasing three books represents a >considerable investment. The _Designing Apparel through the Flat Pattern_ >book can pretty well stand alone, but you may need the _Basic Patterns_ book >to get some of the slopers if you are hard to fit, etc. >PPfD: Professional Patternmaking for Designers >- Professional Patternmaking for Designers. Jack Handford. This is a pretty >good book that is probably still in print. It is a one book intro to drafting >slopers and flat pattern design. It's spiral bound and about $25. You'll >probably have to special order it. I can look up the publisher if you can't >find it in Books In Print. >DD: Dress Design: Draping and Flat Pattern Making > [HIST-COST] 1930's & 1940's >- Dress Design: Draping and Flat Pattern Making. Marion Hillhouse and Evelyn >Mansfield. c. 1948. Boston. Houghton-Miffin. (Ref: Threads #14, pg. 67) Clear >instructions on draping, with excellent drawings of bodice, skirt, sleeve, and >neckline styles. Perfect for reproducing styles of the 1940's. (Threads #30). >This is a GREAT book! Lots of draping examples. Also lots of exercise for >flat pattern drafting. >_Dress Design_ is one of the most comprehensive all-in-one books. There is a >large chapter at the front that discusses fitting and making a master shell. >The rest of the book discusses both draping and flat pattern making >techniques. Alot of information on making a good dress dummy, drafting and >fitting basic slopers, using slopers for more complex design. It emphasizes >designs popular in the 1940's. >MPD: Modern Pattern Design > [HIST-COST] 1930's & 1940's >- Modern Pattern Design. Harriet Pepin. c. 1942. Drafting slopers and slash >and spread modifications. Has many neat ideas for 1940 style clothing. Many >unique cuts, etc. I found this in a used book store and really like it. It's >not quite as good as the Hillhouse and Mansfield book, but it's still a pretty >good all-in-one reference. >AFD: Art of Fashion Draping >This book is a good general introduction to draping. The book contains many >clear illustrations and takes you through draping many different styles step >by step. Of the draping books that I have read this book appears to be the >most thorough introduction as well as the book that would be most useful for >someone trying to learn draping from scratch. The illustrations show you >exactly how to place the muslin material and the hand motions to use while >smoothing it and controlling darts. >The Art of Fasion Draping. Connie Amaden-Crawford. Fairchild Publications. >copyright 1989. 307 pages. (available from Unicorn as of 4/92; see sewing FAQ) >DfFD: Draping for Fashion Design >This book has good directions for draping many styles of bodices, necklines, >princess seam variations, bodices with unique yokes, skirts and cowls at the >neckline, armhole and waist. The book illustrates a wide variety of styles. >The book uses only draping methods, it does not include flat pattern >alterations. Many other books use flat pattern methods for some of the yokes >and cowls that are draped in this book. >The illustrations and descriptions in this book are adequate. The >illustrations and text often do not include details about how you should >smooth the fabric over the dress form. For example, the illustrations in >{AFD:} and {PD:} typically contain arrows showing the position and direction >appropriate for using your hand to smooth the fabric in each step. {DfFD:} >seldom includes this level of detail. >Draping for Fashion Design. Hilde Jaffe and Nurie Relis. c. 1973. Reston >Publishing Co (a Prentice-Hall Company). (Ref: Threads #11, pg. 37) ($27, >9/89) >PD: Precision Draping [HIST-COST] 1940's >This book provides well illustrated instructions for draping many of the >styles that were popular in the 1940's. The illustrations show how to lay the >cloth and how to smooth it on the dress form. This is a good general >introduction to draping and particularly useful for anyone that wants to >recreate the styles of the 1940's. The book uses some flat pattern methods to >show alterations for sleeves, yokes and skirts. The book covers only women's >clothing and does not include pants. >Precision Draping. Nelle Weymouth Link. Funk and Wagnalls, copyright 1948. >Check for this book through Interlibrary Loan. >PoFPD: Principles of Flat Pattern Design >- Principles of Flat Pattern Design by Nora M. MacDonald and Ann Weibel. For >a Textile Arts class. Spring 1991. Spiral, $30. I've looked through this and >it seems like a good book on flat pattern methods. Starts with a few chapters >on pivoting. >HtMSP: How to Make Sewing Patterns >- How to Make Sewing Patterns, rev. ed. Donald. H. McCunn. c1977. Drafting >patterns from measurements. Some notes on flat pattern methods. Has both >women's and men's basic patterns. Long out of print, but available through >inter-library loan. I think this book may have been re-released in the early >1990's; available from Unicorn books as of Feb 1992. >FoMFD: Fundamentals of Men's Fashion Design >This is a book about drafting suits from individual measurements. A wide >variety of men's suits are illustrated. Of course, many of the illustrations >show styles that were popular in the late 1960's and early 1970's. However >many of the patterns for formal attire are relatively timeless. I know of no >other book that contains such a variety of men's patterns drafted from >measurements. >Fundamentals of Men's Fashion Design: A Guide to Tailored Clothes. Masaaki >Kawashima. Fairchild Publications. copyright 1974. ISBN 87005-105-9. >Available from Unicorn as of 4/92. >MPCfM: Metric Pattern Cutting for Menswear > [mgrice@monu6.cc.monash.edu.au (Mr M. Grice)] >_Metric Pattern Cutting for Menswear_ by Winifred Aldrich >(Oxford: BSP Professional, 1990 - 2nd Edition) >(My copy of this book is actually the first edition, however, the second >edition is essentially the same with the addition of a chapter on Computer >Aided Designing (CAD) in pattern drafting.) >The book covers the basic principles in metric sizing, taking body >measurements, how to use the basic blocks (slopers), devloping basic blocks >for casual wear, sleeve variations, trousers, coats, nightwear and the classic >suit. A separate chapter covers adapting the men's blocks to women's wear >(essentially darting the blocks). >The instructions are extremely detailed, with very accurate (to scale?) >drawings of what the blocks and adapted patterns should look like. The >development of adaptations such as extended shoulder lines, lowered armhole >(easy fitting) and combinations thereof is very well described. The chapter >on collars (shirts and jackets) removes much of the uncertainty that I have >found in other books on pattern drafting. >The criticisms I have are that the adaptations described are a little >conservative, the book is based on the metric system of measurement (which >personally is not a problem, but may put others off), and the chapter on CAD. >As a computing professional I found the discussion on CAD for pattern drafting >to be too high-level, with the focus being on systems found in large >production environments. >On the whole, the book gives comprehesive coverage to various aspects of >pattern drafting of interest to the "home" pattern cutter. >TS: Tailoring Suits: The Professional Way >- Tailoring Suits: The Professional Way. Clarence Paulin. I found this book in >a used book store. It's a bit old (60's?), but seems to be reasonably >complete. It's mostly for drafting and making men's suits; women's suits are >a chapter tacked on to the end. Paulin shows how to draft the pattern based o n >measurements and then adjust as needed during the first fit. >S: Sleeves [HIST-COST] drafting sleeves >This is a collections of unusual sleeve designs that may be useful for anyone >doing costuming or historical costuming. Many of the designs are too unusual >for daily clothing. However if you need to design fancy or unusual sleeves >for clothing from the 1500 - 1900 era you may find this book very useful. You >may have to search a bit to find this book; check Interlibrary Loan Programs >and Unicorn books. >Sleeves: A Treasury of Ideas, Techniques and Patterns. Louise Todd Cape. >Copyright 1988. Coat of Arms Press, Box 1, Penland, North Carolina 28765. >FDPS: Fashion Design for the Plus Size >This book is written for a student designer. It discusses some of the common >figure types for larger women, some standard design tricks that can be >flattering. The largest section discusses introductory drafting and draping >techniques for making slopers and altering the slopers to make some >complementary designs. The last section discusses grading for sizes 14-24. >This book may be useful if you are doing alot of designing for larger women. >Most of the topics and techniques are covered more thoroughly in other books, >however this book concentrates on the problems most common in larger women. >If you're not sure how useful it will be, check for it in a library before you >buy it. >Fashion Design for the Plus Size. Frances Leto Zangrillo. copyright 1990. >Fairchild Publications. ISBN 87005-677-8. Available from Unicorn 4/92. >GTfMD: Grading Techniques for Modern Design >_Grading Techniques for Modern Design_ shows pictures of standard pattern >pieces and shows how they should be slashed and expanded in order to regrade >them. I believe they start with the industry standard size 12 (?) and show >regradings up and down for most women's sizes. I once used the techniques in >this book combined with the pictures in the _Reader's Digest_ book to alter a >dress pattern from size 12 to about size 18. I slashed the pattern in the >places indicated by the book and used their charts as a guideline for >spreading the pattern. >Price, Jeanne. Grading techniques for modern design / by Jeanne Price and >Bernard Zamkoff. New York : Fairchild Publications, c1974. ix, 132 p. : ill. >See Also: article on pattern grading in Threads, issue #29, June/July 1990. >Good intro. >See Also: _Grading for the Fashion Industry, the Theory and Practice_ by >Patrick Taylor and Martin Shoben. London: Hutchinson and Co, LTD. 1984. (from >a reference in Threads issue #29). A complex and comprehensive text, from an >apparel manufacturers viewpoint. Includes a survey of 34 body measurements >(in metric) as well as two and three dimentional grading for missy bodices, >skirts, sleeves and pants. >MNPD: Miscellaneous notes on Pattern Drafting >I have seen recommendations for the following books, but have never read them. >The recommendations came from a "Best of Out of Print Dressmaking Books" >article in Threads and references from other articles. >Flat Pattern Design. Allyn Bane. c. 1972. (out of print). New York. >McGraw-Hill. (Ref: Threads #14, pg. 67) >Dress Pattern Designing: The Basic Principles of Cut and Fit, 5th edition. c. >1986. Natalie Bray. London. Collins. (Ref: Threads #11, pg. 37) >More Dress Pattern Designing, 4th edition. Natalie Bray. c. 1986. London. >Collins. (Ref: Threads #11, pg. 37) >Pattern Making by the Flat-Pattern Method, 5th edition. Norma R. Hollen. c. >1981. New York. Fairchild. (Ref: Threads #14, pg. 67). (Note: Threads #11, pg >37 gives c. as 1972 (?).) >Clear-Cut Pattern Making by the Flat Pattern Method. Mary Gorgen Wolfe. c. >1982. New York. MacMillan. (Ref: Threads #14, pg. 67) >- In Threads #21 (spring 1989) there is an article about Madeleine Vionnet by >Betty Kirke. Vionnet designed clothes in the 20's and used bias cuts >extensively. The article states that Betty Kirke is working on a book about >Madeleine Vionnet. It should be interesting! I keep checking for this book >in Books In Print and looking for articles about it. I have not seen any >evidence of the book yet, guess it's time to write to Threads and ask them >what's up. >- Patternmaking and Design. Antionette Colicchio & Burr D. Coe. c. 1967. >This book uses flat pattern methods. It emphasizes designs popular in the >60's. This book might be hard to find as it appears to be from a small >publisher or possibly even self published. > >Miscellaneous Books: >DD: Decorative Dressmaking [HIST-COST] >Dressmaking details and techniques common in the first half of the 20th >century (1900 - 1940 or so). Each chapter describes the sewing techniques, >shows pictures and illustrations of a number of garments and includes a >project, generally with a scaled pattern (in sizes small, medium and large). >Suggests and techniques can easily be applied to commercial patterns also; the >charted patterns in the book have minimal sizing. The pictures and drawings >of techniques and variations are very inspirational. Chapters include: >1) Flounces: Using flounces and ruffles on skirts and collars. Circular, >spiral and shaped flounces. Appropriate materials, finishing edges, >variations. Pattern for simple dress with flounced collar at neckline. >2) Stripes: Creating interesting designs with stripes. Skirts, shirts hand >dresses. Chevron patterns, gored skirts, pleated stripes. Pattern for a dress >with a pleated skirt and striped accents at neckline and hipline. >3) Piping: Types of piping, making piping, cording. Piping to accent seams or >edges in jackets, shirts and dresses. Pattern for simple linen jacket and >pants with cording highlights in seams. >4) Topstitching: Topstitching or quilting accents on collars, cuffs, yokes and >hats. Pattern for a boiler suit (simple pants-suit) with topstitching on wide >collar. >5) Pintucks: Using pintucks to add design and accents to skirts, jackets. >Using pintucks to control fullness in blouses, skirts. Pattern for pintucked >jacket and skirt with pintucks on collar, waist, pockets, yoke and front of >skirt. >6) Applique: Appliqued desings on clothing. Somewhat "60's-ish". Pattern for >caftan with a white on white appliqued pattern. >7) Bands and Bindings: Making and using bindings. Classic 1940's suits with >bound edges as an accent. Binding garment edges. Using binding on garment >seams (bind one edge and sew seam together with an overlap seam). >Incorporating bands into a pattern for accents, either inset bands or bands >sewn over seam allowances. Pattern for a full (oversized?) winter coat with >banded seams and edges. >8) Pleats and Tucks: Making pleats, marking pleats, pressed pleats, inverted >pleats, partly stitched pleats, horizontal pleats, pleats in jackets, >combining pleats and stripes. Pattern for pleated top and skirt that uses >striped material for added interest. >9) Ruching: Adding bands of ruching to dresses, jackets, blouses for >detailing. Rouching in garments, for example as gathering to form shaping for >the bust of a dress. Altering a pattern to add strips of rouching. Altering >a pattern to incorporate ruching (e.g. all-over gathering) in the garment >seamlines. Pattern for an evening dress adapted for ruching. >10) Faggoting: Making faggoting strips and sewing them together. Different >embroidery stitches to use. Faggoting in garment seams, collars, yokes, hems. >Patterns for an oversized thick mohair jacket made of strips joined by >faggoting. >Decorative Dressmaking. Sue Thompson. Rodale Press. 1985. ISBN 0-87857-579-0. >Has been available from Hard to Find Needlework Books (see sewing FAQ). >MYOJC: Make Your Own Japanese Clothes. [HIST-COST] >Detailed directions for making a traditional kimono, outer robe, haori jacket, >hanten jacket, wraparound top, vest, slacks, obi sashes and tabi socks. >Includes comments about using traditional (14" wide) materials and modern >materials. Includes notes for fitting Westerners who are often larger than >traditional Asian people. Meticulous details! >Make Your Own Japanese Clothes: Patterns and Ideas for Modern Wear. John >Marshall. ISBN 0-87011-865-x. $16.95 (paper). 1988. Kodansha International >Ltd. >FYF: Flatter Your Figure. >Includes tests (using a mirror, stick, string and helpers) for about 20 figure >features such as short legs, short or long waisted, swayback, shape of >shoulders, bust, waist, hips, and arms. Also analyzes shape of face and >haircut. Advise for deciding which figure features are advantages, which are >minor disadvantages and which are major disadvantages. A section showing many >basic garment shapes explains which are favorable or unfavorable for various >figures. Discusses camaflaging common problems, accenting your best features, >and using garment lines to create illusions. Emphasizes a positive attitude; >accent positive features and don't draw attention to less desireable features. >Advise for balancing conflicting advise (e.g. styles that are good for some of >your features but bad for other features). >This subject is usually covered in general sewing references, but FYF is a >much more comprehensive guide. Recommended for people who sew their own >clothing or buy ready made. Illustrates and discusses women's clothing only. >Flatter Your Figure. Jan Larkey. $9.95 ISBN 0-13-321795-7. 1991. Prentice >Hall / Simon Schuster. Larkey had an article in Threads in ?early 1991? that >contained a number of the ideas in FYF. > >FAQ: Where can I get an up to date copy of this FAQ? >There are four textile related FAQs. The first list concentrates on general >sewing questions and supply information and restoring antique sewing machines. >The second list concentrates on costuming and historical clothing. The third >posting contains a list of books that cover sewing, fitting and pattern >drafting. The fourth is an index to quilting FAQs that are maintained by >various individuals and are available by email request. >When looking for an FAQ list, first do the obvious and check the relevant >newsgroup for articles with "FAQ" in the subject line. If you don't know how >to check articles marked as read, your sysadmin can tell you. Next, try the >group news.answers since this FAQ is crossposted there. Again, your sysadmin >can tell you the commands to use in searching. >If you cannot find the FAQ on your system, you can retrieve a copy from >Jonathan Kamen's archive of periodic postings. For general instructions on >the server, send email containing the commands "help" and "send index" (no >quotes, separate lines) to > mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu >For a list of all periodic postings that are archives in news.answers, email >the command "send usenet/news.answers/index" to the server. >via anonymous FTP: >Periodic postings including FAQs are archived at "rtfm.mit.edu" in the >directory "/pub/usenet". The textile FAQs are: > /pub/usenet/news.answers/crafts/textiles/faq > /pub/usenet/news.answers/crafts/historical-costuming > /pub/usenet/news.answers/crafts/textiles/books/part1 > /pub/usenet/news.answers/crafts/textiles/books/part2 > /pub/usenet/news.answers/crafts/quilting-faq-index >via email server: >The address of the server is mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu. To retrieve files, >send email to the server with a blank subject and one or more of these lines >in the body: > send usenet/news.answers/crafts/textiles/faq > send usenet/news.answers/crafts/historical-costuming > send usenet/news.answers/crafts/textiles/books/part1 > send usenet/news.answers/crafts/textiles/books/part2 > send usenet/news.answers/crafts/quilting-faq-index >Another recommended by Colin_Douthwaite@equinox.gen.nz (Colin Douthwaite) > that may be in print: THE COMPLETE HANDBOOK OF SEWING MACHINE REPAIR > by Howard Hutchinson. Published 1980. TAB BOOKS INC, Blue Ridge > Summit, PA. 17214 >Another from Alan Holland: The Sewing Machine Handbook by Peter Lucking; > Copyright 1985. Arco Publishing, Inc. LCC TT713.L75 1985; > ISBN 0-668-06562-1; paperback, 112 pages, list price $6.95; It has a > chapter on the several types of stitch-forming mechanism used in > sewing machines. Another chapter is on sewing machine needles. >Draping and Designing With Scissors and Cloth, 1920's and 1930's. Two vol > reprint from the original Women's Institute series, used by coutures > of the era. $18.95 + $2 s/h each volume. Diane Barlow-Close > recommends. Body Blueprints; 1734 Scott St., St. Helena, CA 94574 >Ladies' Tailor-Made Garments - 1908. S. S. Gorden. detailed patterns of > gored skirts, coats, capes, sleeves, collars and jackets. 240 pgs. > $22 ppd. LACIS Dept SN4, 2982 Adeline St. Berkeley, CA 94703; > 510-843-7178. Is this an RLShep reprint? >There will be a new Couture book from Claire Shaeffer and Taunton sometime > within the next year or so; check Sew News ads I guess (I've seen > suggestions for spring '93 or June '93, but I haven't seen it listed > anywhere yet so it may be delayed again) >According to Diane Barlow-Close, Robbie Fanning is also working on a Couture > book; '93 may be the year of Couture books. >Shirtmaking by David Coffin (Taunton, $30 paperback; new March '93) > one report says it has good pix and seems to have good text too >_From the Neck Up_: *the* book on making hats.