I know everyone has been eagerly awaiting the result from this very popular giveaway -comments are now closed as a winner has been selected. We had 98 qualified entries. There were a few duplicates this time with some people entering multiple times. I suppose I should have mentioned one entry per person unless otherwise stated but I think most people figured out that was fairest. Also, if you won before, I pulled you out of the drawing for any subsequent ones. Sorry about that but do post your contributory comments anyway because they’re useful. I should also mention that there are planned giveaways scheduled that will be limited to my most loyal visitors -people who link to me. The odds of winning that will be high since so few do it. Just something to consider for the future.

But anyway, the winner of Patternmaking Made Easy by Connie Crawford is David S. Yay! David, please confirm your shipping address and I will forward your information to the publisher who will be filling it. Don’t forget that you can get a 20% discount on this book by using FASANELLA at check out.

On to some comments to assuage the non-winners:

First general ones. No modern professional drafting books are particularly suited to drafting to measure. I mean, yes you can do that but MTM (made to measure) is a pickle of its own because fitting is a built in requisite that most books don’t do in full; you’d need a separate fitting book too. Second, I think that people have the wrong expectations that an industrial strength drafting book will shorten their iteration cycles. It would be helpful to read How we make patterns in real life so you’d understand that professionals have to do this too.

Several people mentioned the challenges of drafting for older bodies; Connie’s is the only book I know of that covers this subject. It has been sorely neglected for far too long. Another thing to keep in mind is not so much that store bought patterns are so terrible, it is that those of us who have been sewing this long, are far more competent than we were when we had lithe graceful figures and also, knowing so much more now, have far greater expectations of pattern precision than we did when we knew nothing. Meaning, I don’t think that patterns have gotten so much worse, they’ve probably stayed the same. All that has changed is that we’re better and pickier than we were before.

Several people asked about linings, facings, interfacing, armholes, sleeves, collars and such. Other than my book, you can check out the tutorials on this site. There is a lot of information there. There is also the forum. I don’t think many tutorials are labeled “facings” per se so it is helpful to think of them in context -such as, when you’d need one. For example, all of the zipper tutorials include instructions to draft facings because each zipper inset method requires a completely different facing.

Some comments haven’t been addressed (Karen Cook: lapels -but the collar question is a tutorial [and] so I will probably write some for those. Another unaddressed issue is Lisa B’s comment about dart manipulation; I will have a DVD coming out soon that may be helpful [Patternmaking for Professionals, completely redone) for visual learners.

Another thing to mention for those who are difficult to fit and want custom fitting shells, you might consider making one using the saran wrap pattern making method (pt.2). A lot of people have had successful results so you might try it, it could be crazy enough to work. Personally, I wouldn’t ever draft something I wanted to be close fitting with a book. I’d wrap them in plastic and go from there. Seriously, it’s what I do. I’ve even wrapped my dog.

Olivia said:

I guess that I would LOVE for you to maybe try to explain how you initially, at the very start, began understanding the ‘concept’ of patternmaking… Did you have obstacles/learning blocks along the way? Or is it perhaps that I might never understand it.

I have never easily grasped the concept of mathematics very easily since a very early age- and I learnt fast and embarrassingly that pattern making is very much all mathematics! Could you be so kind as to perhaps suggest some learning resources either pattern making or mathematics/fraction/measurements based that might develop my brain to think differently? Or some Internet sites that I could maybe learn the basics of pattern making easier? Or at the very least comprehendable? Because that is what it is really, I find it hard to comprehend the instructions.

Me personally, learning patternmaking was truly duck to water. It was the strangest learning experience of my life. As the professor demonstrated each concept, it felt like I was remembering it, not deja vu either. No I’d never known before and had only forgotten. I say that I didn’t learn anything, I remembered it. And no, I don’t believe in any of that new agey stuff. It just made perfect sense to me. I’m also not very good at math, not book work math. Spatial stuff I have down, it’s all very intuitive for me. You shouldn’t be dismayed that you don’t have these strengths; many designers don’t. It is good to know how pieces fit together but being a designer is a very tough job; designing and sewing a pattern is the least of it.

RoseMarie mentions pattern balancing. I was pleased to note that Connie’s book covers that topic nicely.

RE: seam allowances. See Designers must know seam allowances and specifications. The additional links are included therein.

I’m running short on time and must prepare dinner. I may have to edit this post later. Feel free to post any additional comments and questions. Til soon!