About the Book
Pattern Making Templates for Skirts and Dresses is the ultimate resource for demystifying the pattern making process. Packed with useful advice and practical instructions, this book is a must-have for anyone looking to create their own customised pattern templates for women’s clothes. With its jargon-free text and easy-to-use downloadable blocks, this accessible title gives you all the expert information you need to perfectly adapt and fit each one to your body exactly. You will then learn how to transform your blocks into different pattern types, from pencil skirts to pinafores, and godet skirts to full-length gowns. Answering a whole host of common questions about making skirts and dresses, this title takes into account key priorities such as styling, fit, and functionality.
About the Author :
Alice Prier is a sewing pattern guru with over 30 years’ experience working in fashion design and education. She is responsible for devising and teaching all of the pattern cutting classes at Ray Stitch (raystitch.co.uk), a fashionable North London-based sewing shop in the UK (social media followers: Twitter 3.5k; Facebook 3.3k; Pinterest 2.4k; Instagram 2k). Prier loves inspiring home sewers to have the confidence to make their own patterns, which in her mind is the most interesting and creative part of dressmaking. She also tutors professional pattern cutters at Fashion Capital in Haringey (Twitter 4k; Facebook 1.5k), which manufactures clothes for ASOS, John Lewis and Marks & Spencer. After a 10-year career working in theatre set and costume design, in 1989 Prier founded her own company— Alice & Co (aliceandco.co.uk)—making made-to-measure clothes for city women. Alice also blogs about her travels and fashion exploits at where2wearit.com. Alice lives in London, United Kingdom.
Lilia Prier Tisdall is a Costume Mounting Specialist at the Victoria and Albert Museum, a freelance writer and theatre reviewer (liliapt.tumblr.com). Daughter of pattern making expert Alice Prier, Lilia has helped to curate many of the museum’s most prestigious exhibitions—Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear, Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, Hollywood Costume, and Club to Catwalk—and she also writes for their blog (vam.ac.uk/blog/author/lilia-tisdall). Growing up in her mother’s house full of pins, the question "how can I make it?" always came before "where can I buy it?". It is an attitude that has stayed with her ever since. Lilia lives in London, United Kingdom.
Review :
Drawing on the immense experience of the authors this book shares much information about pattern making and armed with this knowledge anyone who is inspired to create their own clothes can start to express their own creativity. As well as covering a whole range of dress and skirt styles it also includes useful advice on adapting patterns, templates, replicating favourite skirts and dresses and even how to creature original designs from scratch as well as including pattern templates.
A really good book for beginners through to advanced sewers. All terminology etc is fully explained and you are taken step by step right through the process from the very beginning with choosing fabric through to finishing touches. Will definitely be a book I will go back to time and time again.
A fabulous resource for a wide variety of designs. Clear, practical instructions guide the reader through everything they need to know to create patterns. I like most of the patterns and with this book it is easy to learn how to alter a pattern to create something new. The book covers dress and skirt styles with broad appeal. Clear instructions with line drawings and pattern pieces shown on a graph. There are 12 patterns and you can create over 40 garments with them. Fantastic for how to create and make a block and checking fit. I would make the pencil, godet semi-and full-circle, box pleat skirts, the pin-tuck, A-line, wrap, empire, maxi and gown dresses, probably with adaptations. I like the additions such as ruffles, pockets very good. However, the patterns are available in block templates that you download and print. You can print in A4 size, so imagine for a dress that is a lot of sheets that you then have to trace onto pattern making sheets or pattern graph paper or tile and cut your print-outs.
Want to create a closet full of amazing clothes that will take you from 9 to 5 and beyond?
Then turn to Pattern Making Templates for Skirts & Dresses. This must-have guide is the ultimate resource for demystifying the pattern making process and creating clothes designed specifically for your body. You’ll discover:
How to design your own personalized sewing patterns for skirts and dresses
16 downloadable pattern slopers that can be used to design garments that fit you perfectly
32 timeless skirt and dress styles to create
Expert tips on sizing and customizing your patterns
The keys to adapting your designs with finishes and detailing, including unique sleeves, collars, and pockets
Successful teacher, designer, and fashionista Alice Prier explains how to get started, use slopers, choose fabrics, adapt it all for fit and style. In no time at all, you’ll be making everything from classic A-line dresses and full-length gowns to strappy sundresses, pencil skirts, pinafores, and more.
This is not a sewing book, nor is it for beginners.
It is a book that is filled with everything you need to know about drafting your own patterns for the perfect fit, and boy, can you learn a lot. There are 31 patterns to make and each come with instructions for a perfect finish. The pattern sizes are UK sizes 6 to 20.
As a sewist who likes to make my own clothes, traditional patterns very often have a one size (does not) fit all. So to find a book such as this one by Alice Prier, who has over 30 years experience in dressmaking, I consider myself lucky that she has decided to share all that wealth of information in one glorious book.
I must admit, at first I was daunted.. but a word of advice… READ the book before starting anything. This enables you get a feel for the book especially if you haven’t made a pattern before.
I even got a highlighter for the relevant points I would need to know and remember.
Full review and images: https://tracyshephard.wordpress.com/
Issue 8
Demystify patterns with Pattern Making Templates for Skirts and Dresses. Written by mother-daughter sewists Alice Prier and Lilia Prier-Tisdall it's packed wtih useful advice and practical instructions to help you create your own customised pattern templates. You begin with downloadable blocks and then are taught to adapt and fit each one to your shape before transforming them into a variety of pattern types, including dresses, pencil skirts evening gowns and mini skirts. Ideal for anyone looking to grow their me-made wardrobe!
This book is brilliant for anyone wanting to create their own patterns and learning to pattern draft/cut for the first time. It will be beneficial to beginners and well as more advanced sewers as it gives a step by step approach to designing, creating or adapting your handmade wardrobe. The beginning pages are great for beginners as gives you all the information about equipment needed through to types of fabric and meanings to the basic terminology. In addition it provides a step by step process to choosing the right block for you to printing it and fitting it to your specific measurements. After getting the right block the ideas for different dresses and skirts you can make is extensive with instructions of how to replicate these. Also it provides many additions to adapting your block, such as collar, sleeves, neckline to allow you to completely personalise your design and finished garment. I am looking forward to creating many handmade items from this book and whilst I have experience with patterndrafting this book not only will assist and develop my skills further but will also assist those new to the process. A must have in any sewers library.
A beautifully presented book that teaches the reader to make their own patterns and templates for a unique wardrobe full of wonderful dresses and skirts.
It takes the reader from the basic tools and equipment, basic terminology (which can sometimes be a minefield!) and how to choose fabrics. There are beautiful photographs and diagrams throughout giving the reader indepth knowledge of how to check measurements and sizing to make up patterns through to finished garments.
This book is a must for any beginner and would also be a valuable edition for the more practicised sewist.
The ultimate book for anyone looking to design, adapt or customise sewing patterns.
It contains 12 pattern templates for readers to adapt and create more than 40 garments.
Excellent for a beginner very informative good descriptions and size range on dress making products
An ideal book for dressmakers who would like to have a go at making their own designs. No patterns are included with the book, you need to go online to download the basic blocks. Once you have fitted this the fun starts as you can manipulate the blocks into a wide variety of styles. The instructions & diagrams are very clear.
Fantastic for moving on from using shop bought patterns to using a basic pattern to create all sorts of skirt and dresses.
The instructions are very easy to follow and written in language that is easy to understand. The book even includes a glossary of terminology that is useful for understanding all sewing patterns.
It includes information on tools and equipment, choosing fabric, measuring sizes accurately and adjusting for things like bust size, and different finishes for necklines collars and sleeves.
Even the most beginner of sewers could create something great using the instructions laid out in the book. Can't wait to get started!
Great book with easy download patterns. As a beginer this book is all i need to adapt and design my own clothes, Although some experience of sewing clothes is essential. Cant wait to make my own skirts and dresses from scratch.
Brilliant book for learning how to construct and customise patterns for dresses and skirts. The clear instructions and simple lay out make it easy to see how dressmaking patterns "work" and therefore how to adjust them to get a great fit. The basic patterns can be downloaded via a web link meaning you only have to print what you actually need and can then adapt them however you like. There are a good range of projects from basic to complex, so there should be something for everyone. All in all I really enjoyed reading it and I will definitely be using it to create some bespoke items for my wardrobe :)
Clear consise drawings and directions make this a good book for those wishing to do more than use standard bought patterns for their dressmaking. A good way to advance basic skills.
An interesting book with useful tips and advice. It clearly explains terminology used in dressmaking. Each design is clearly marked as Easy, Intermediate or Advanced. However, you do need access to the internet and a printer to produce the blocks required to make your templates.
When I first started reading this book I thought it would be the same as other sewing books, but how wrong was I. All through there are boxes with very helpful tips. There's a chapter talking about blocks and how to download them and getting to know about them. There's a explanation about the keys in the diagram and what they mean which is the best part for me as I struggle to understand them in a normal pattern. And even when you get to the back there's a solutions page if you don't get things right. All in all a very useful informative book.
A great book for the sewer who wants to take dress making to the next level. This is not a book for the beginner be warned, however a great book for aspirational sewers as the instructions are clear and easy to follow. There are no patterns included in the book, you must download them online and then the real enjoyment and advancement in my case of sewing begins. Having only just had this book less than a week, I have not as yet made anything from it, but my mind is already working on which fabric and which dress to start first. This is going to be my summer of dress making. Each block, there are 12, can be altered to include extra details such as yokes, pleats etc to completely customise your dress or skirt to your personal taste. You must be familiar with sewing patterns and how to assemble, cut out and sew.The common fit problems and solutions section I feel will be very useful too. This is going to be a book that I return to again and again.
A great book for anyone wanting to begin drafting their own patterns and making patterns from blocks. It's definitely not for beginners as the instructions are for drafting the patterns not for the assembly so if you are new to Sewing this isn't for you. For the more advanced Dressmaker, this has lovely bright pictures and great instructions. It's well laid out and has lots of ideas for adding extras like pleats and collars. You can make so many styles using this book
