An accomplished fashion designer shows people who make their own garments how to improve on store-bought sewing patterns by adjusting the clothing item's length and other details to reflect personal taste and create a custom fit. The book's opening chapters present an illustrated guide to the tools, equipment, and fabrics needed for making garments, while also serving as a miniature textbook to teach basic sewing techniques. Chapters that follow offer detailed instruction in adapting and altering a store-bought pattern to suit individual tastes. Alterations include adding flare, and modifying the shapes of bodices, arm holes, neck lines, sleeves, and skirts. The book's concluding chapters instruct on designing one's own patterns from scratch. Author Lee Hollahan demonstrates to her readers that once they understand how to adapt a store-bought pattern, they are well on their way to custom designing their own wardrobe. More than 500 instructive illustrations.

Author Biography

Lee Hollahan teaches pattern cutting in fashion and fashion textiles at the University of West of England, Bristol. She has designed costumes for TV, film, and the stage, and she frequently lectures on the subjects of pattern construction and the history of fashion.