Made to Measure: An Easy Guide to Drafting and Sewing a Custom Wardrobe

This thorough debut manual from Jewell, founder of the sewing pattern label By Hand London, shows DIYers how to create and execute custom sewing patterns. She provides illustrations detailing where on the body to take measurements and offers such tips as “take your waist and full-hip measurements seated as well as standing so you can take the normal expansion of seated flesh into consideration.” The projects explain how to use those measurements to draft patterns for a sheath skirt, jumpsuit, shirred dress, “billow-sleeve backward blouse,” and other pieces. The garments range in difficulty from the easy “refashioned sweater dress,” made from carving up sweaters into horizontal strips and reassembling them, to the harder “siren slip dress,” which requires creating a drawstring rouleau neck and cutting pieces from satin or silk on an angle to the fabric’s grain to accentuate the material’s “almost-liquid quality.” Jewell’s helpful advice for fixing common issues includes how to correct garments that gape, fit too tightly or loosely, or have an uneven hem. The comprehensive guidance covers an impressive range of garb and techniques, and is presented in a manner straightforward enough that even novice sewists will feel prepared to tackle the projects. The result is a superior guide on creating custom clothing. (Oct.)