I bought this book with good money and am disheartened that the instructions don’t really fit the result.
I first tried grading the pants sloper (#8): the book asks you to start 3″ in from the back top and draw a line down and expects it to meet the hem 1/2″ from the side seam – I got 1 7/16″ – way out. Same for the front top 1/2″ in from CF, again to take down to the hem – I got 4″ against Sylvia’s 3/4″.
I have tried to find her email address unsuccessfully to find out how lines drawn at 90 degrees could be so far out. Can anyone help?
Replies
How frustrating! I wonder if someone from http://www.patternreview.com has information regarding your delimma? I hope you find the assistance you need, sorry I couldn't help. Mary
I will just have to trust my judgment, Mary.
How does one find these people to ask questions?
Maybe contact the publisher? I don't know, but it sounds as if another resource might be in order. If that information isn't accurate, can you get your money refunded? This must be so frustrating for you, and is probably taking alot longer to learn and implement because her results don't match yours. I sympatize with you. Mary
contact the publisher?
Could do; it's a long shot
can you get your money refunded?
I bought it from amazon.co.jp because it was selling it the cheapest.
I am fast losing my faith in what is written in books.
Amazon is great about customer returning books ....and they give full refunds; so that should not be a problem. I've returned books after finding out they just weren't what I had hoped, and there was never a problem.
All you have to do is look at your receipt; they even provide a return to send label, so they make it very easy for their customers to return a purchase. It is one of the many reasons I like to shop at Amazon for all of my books.
contact the publisher?
Result. The editor is going to contact the author and get an explanation. Thank you thus far
That's progress! I hope you hear from her soon! Mary
;o)
I received a reply today. Guess what the reply was - I won't quote it but in short it was apologies and there was a mistake in printing the measurements. Where were the Fairchild editors???
Aha! I am so glad that you pursued this and discovered that it was their error! It must have been so frustrating for you! That's kind of like putting together a puzzle with missing pieces and extra ones thrown in for good measure! It shows that you were comprehending the concept but not able to "make it work" through no fault of your own. That should be very encouraging to know that you are on the right track.
I often wonder where the proofreaders and editors are when reading all the misspellings and errors these days. I don't know if it's sloppiness, lack of education, rush to print, or what, but it is unprofessional. It doesn't appear to be a priority these days.
So glad you will be able to move forward now! I hope the rest of the information is accurate! Mary
Thank you for suggesting going to the publishers!
Sylvia claims nothing else is incorrect in the book - well, I reserve my judgment, even for books of big publishers like Fairchild.
You're welcome, so glad that it worked out for you and you now have the "right information". Mary
Is this problem of yours similar to drafting your own pants pattern (an article that was in a recent Threads magazine) where you measure different areas of your body, mark them on a graphed chart & then draw lines to connect the dots? Do you have knock knees? That could throw the numbers out by an inch or so, as you have to make an adjustment at the knee of the pattern to correct the fit, then draw your inseam & outseam straighter. Just a thought.
Gloria
The book is accompanied by several slopers on Pellon fabric of size 8.
To grade the sloper to your specifications one draws vertical and horizontal lines at what are statistically the shrink/expand areas of the body.
[See a similar article in Threads: #101: p.66]
The sloper is then split along these lines to overlap to make smaller or insert paper to make larger.
My problems started when I drew the lines. They don't meet up where the book says it should.
I shall go ahead and grade it to my specs so I have a reference to any clothes I make
Edited 3/26/2008 5:04 pm ET by rekha
Edited 3/26/2008 5:06 pm ET by rekha
O, sorry - guess I misunderstood you. Keep on grading :) You'll eventually get it right, but try to not become too frustrated, as it might take time.
Gloria
"Grading" a pattern is a term used to increase or decrease the size of the pattern (a standard type size) It is NOT used to customize a pattern to your measurements. There are "rules" for how much to increase or decrease each line in a pattern for the different sizes.If you are plugging in your own personal measurements to this pattern to make it fit your body, I would not expect things to come out where the author said. This is not grading, it is altering or fitting.BUT, I am not at all familiar with this book, never heard of it before, so I have no idea what the book is trying to do.But remember (and this is for EVERYONE on this list) a perfectly drafted pattern form a perfectly taken set of measurements, will still need to be made up in muslin and tweaked to get the best fit. You cannot take a set of measurements, put it in a flat pattern (flat on the table - paper) turn it into drapey fabric and expect it to be perfect on you. different fabrics (stiff vs. very drapey) will behave differently and need different tweakings to fit properly.
There are "rules"
I would like you to expand on that
This is not grading, it is altering or fitting
Where did I mention that in my initial question?
perfectly drafted pattern form a perfectly taken set of measurements
Which company makes these? There is no such thing as perfectly taken measurements - it's all anthropomorphic and sways with the development of science of body measurements.
Read MJ Wang's "Using decision tree-based data mining to establish a sizing system for the manufacture of garments" The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology: Volume 26, Numbers 5-6 / September, 2005
I look forward to your response
Edited 3/28/2008 12:30 pm ET by rekha
>>>This is not grading, it is altering or fitting<<<>>>Where did I mention that in my initial question?<<<"I first tried grading the pants sloper (#8): the book asks you to start 3" in from the back top and draw a line down and expects it to meet the hem 1/2" from the side seam - I got 1 7/16" - way out. Same for the front top 1/2" in from CF, again to take down to the hem - I got 4" against Sylvia's 3/4"." - this was in your first post, so I may be confused by what you are trying to do.The "Rules" for grading patterns may vary from company to company, and they also vary some between size groups. ie; smaller sizes (ms 6 - 10 may have a 1 inch grade rule, but when you jump to misses 12-16 it may be a 1 1/2 inch rule, and larger sizes may go to a 2 inch rule.What this means is that a size 8 is one inch wider int eh circumference than a size 6 but when you go to a size 12, it is 1 1/2 inches wider than a 10. This amount would be divided by the number of seams in the garment.You can see this in multi size patterns where some size increases are about 1/4 inch and then the next size jumps to maybe 3/8 inch.Womens things generally increase in vertical length by 1/4 inch between sizes, but again, every company can make their own rules.I will agree that there is no perfectly drafted pattern, the "Big 4" have more mistakes than I care to deal with, so mostly I draft my own.
And, yes, your measurements will change from moment to moment - food, fluid balance etc will change your size many times during the day, But, the gist of what I was saying, which I thought was very clear, is that even if you draft a pattern very accurately from an accurately taken set of measurements, the fabric you make this pattern up in still has a big effect on how the final garment fits.My students at least appreciate this when I teach them pattern drafting and fitting.So, back to the original post, can you tell me a little more about this book since I've never heard of it, it sounds interesting. What is it you are supposed to get from the book? a custom fitted pants pattern to your measurement? I guess I'll go google the book and see what I can find. I'm always interested in seeing what else is out there. If I could only get motivated - or rather not intimidated by it, I want to write a book on the technique I use to teach fitting and personal pattern drafting.
View Image Make it Fitby Sylvia RosenList Price: $25.00©2005, 128 pp., illustrated manual/workbook, 29 slopers, 8.5 x 11 (1-56367-339-8)
Make It Fit will provide foolproof solutions on ways to tailor clothing for all body types. With illustrated instructions, this manual shows users how to measure, calculate, and mark basic patterns to customized dimensions. It also includes a pack of 29 full-sized slopers—basic patterns for garment sections, without style lines or seam allowances—printed on a soft, synthetic fabric to drape over the body or model form, allowing users to mold the pattern over an actual form to attain the correct measurements.
CONTENTS
• Tools • Analyze Your Figure • Take Body Measurements • Slopers in Pack Illustrated and Identified • Sew Your Fitting Muslin Using Adjusted Pattern Pack Slopers • Adjust Your Fitting Muslin • Trace Adjusted Slopers to Oak Tag • Grading Chart for Sizing
TEXT FEATURES
• Worksheets for planning patterns, measurements, and grading charts • Step-by-step illustrations to analyze figure and take accurate body measurements SLOPER PACKET • 29 full-size basic and sub slopers, including front and back bodice, straight skirt, sleeves, torso slopers • Precise and balanced slopers printed on Pellon%AE; nonwoven fabric, approximately 48 x 34
Rekha,
I looked it up last night, Amazon has 2 reviews on it, neither very good. I also remember that when I was in Design school, my flat pattern teacher was reviewing her pattern drafting book and rejected it.Good luck with what you are trying to accomplish.
I think that I remember a negative review or two of this author's book on "Pattern Reviews" awhile ago.
LVK
I think you should go ahead and write the book you envision. You have a clear way of explaining thing that would be appreciated by many of us who have considered learning how to draft patterns but have been intimidated by the convoluted instructions in many of the books currently available. Sherry
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