Amazon.com: Metric Pattern Cutting for Menswear eBook : Aldrich, Winifred: Books

A good book for tracing your personalized patterns.Very good reading if you are tired of trying commercial patterns that don't fit at all, although not very usefull if you need to understand how shifting things affect your final garment.Taking measurements chapter could use some real people photos instead of drawings; but still, very good and easy to follow.A must have if you are already familiar with men's clothing.

As a professional patternmaker, the only thing that matters for me is whether a pattern works pretty much "off the paper." I'm also a bespoke tailor and custom designer, so "close" is only good as they say in horseshoes and hand grenades. Winifred Aldrich's books all fit these criteria, so I have no hesitation recommending them. The only other books I can say this about are those of Masaaki Kawashima, which happen to be the first men's pattern books I ever purchased, in the late '70s, but they went out of print in the early '80s. And I still find his pants drafts are far and away the best, having collected pattern books dating from the 1880s on to the present day.That said, Aldrich's approach is very similar to Kawashima's, being somewhat proportional and calculated instead of using "plugged" numbers or shapes, and utilizing a "wireframe" methodology into which one drops the styled pattern. This also happens to be a good conceptual approach and basis for transitioning from hand patternmaking to digital patternmaking. (I use PADSystem.)

Properly reviewing a pattern making book is difficult and in my opinion requires that you have made all or most of the patterns in the book. Counting previous editions, I can safely say I have made most of the patterns in this book. I have used it at collage and professionally. I have come to consider this book a valuable resource.Compared to previous editions, this one is excellent. Gone is the section on adapting men's patterns for women's wear, which properly was a waste of ink. Back is the slim fit shirt(called 'tailored' now) which inexplicably went missing in the third edition. The structure of the book has changed extensively to reflect the emphasis of athletic and street wear in modern menswear. T-shirts and jeans up at the front of the book with the more traditional tailored jacket hiding nearer the back. This edition also has fewer different collar styles, but the core shapes are here. It shouldn't be hard to come up with your own style lines, even for relative beginners.The patterns are rather basic, but the idea is that you can modify them to get any kind of styling you want. The range of patterns is pretty extensive and yields enough to meet the needs of the average guy's rather rudimentary wardrobe. There is no hand holding though, if you don't have any imagination, you will find the drafts leave you a little short. If your looking for a complete cook book, this isn't it. The book only teaches pattern drafting, no sewing or design, you will need a complete repertoire of design skills to go from concept to a finished garment.One of my few complaint with this book and all it's editions, although it is getting regularly revised, it's in a way that is inconsistent and somewhat arbitrary. Tips get added in one edition only to be gone the next. A useful pattern or collar draft will disappear, only to be replaced by extensive instructions dealing with kimono sleeves(not something I would consider generally relevant to menswear). You get the idea, I'm sure. I get a sense that this is an attempt at keeping up with fashion trends. Yet fashion changes so much so quickly, that any book can't help but be out of date by the time it's printed. I feel with this edition the Author has taken an important step and accepting that the book needs to focus on communicating the basics and let the end user be the arbiter of fashion and style.Now, having gone digital, page count became less of a factor. I would have liked to see all the information from previous editions made available(not everyone has the privilege of owning several editions like I do). The users of books like this can only benefit from comprehensive perspective even if some information is less than relevant. Also for true beginners an introduction to drafting might be beneficial.Every so often I read reviews for metric pattern making books with unhelpful complaints regarding use of the metric system. Many people in the English speaking world use either the Imperial or Metric systems to measure, both systems are good. For pattern making I personally feel metric is better. I was raised on imperial, still have trouble with converting temperatures to Celsius from time to time, but when I make a patten I flip my measuring tape over to the metric side. I'm no math wizard and I like that I can do all the arithmetic right off the top of my head, whereas with imperial I'm sometimes counting on my fingers with all the fractions.If your thinking of switching to metric for pattern making, I would suggest tracking down all the metric drafting supplies first, as they can be difficult to find in the US(availability on amazon can be sporadic at best). I buy mine from Japan as they usually have the best tools of this sort. Prices with shipping can be tough, but finding them at a local craft shop is probably impossible. You will definitely want to track down a metric grading ruler(clear with red grid pattern) get one that is at least 50cm long, so you can tackle most of the layout without switching rulers. Although you can find them with both Metric and Imperial, I prefer to have mine only Metric.The back section of this book has a small section that's an overview of software programs available for the fashion industry. From time to time I see reviews where this is viewed as a waste of space. I would remind potential buyers that this is a textbook, and isn't geared towards the dilettante home sewing enthusiast that might want to make a pattern once every couple years. It's a book for training professionals preparing to enter a very technical field. When this section first appeared in one of the previous editions, it was probably the only place students could find such itroductory information. It is only an introduction, as most programs like Gerber would need an entire class devoted to them if you wanted to learn anything really useful.Wow, that is a massive review. I hope this is helpful for some people unsure about taking the plunge into metric pattern making, if you gather the tools ahead of time, you will find the transition easier and rewarding.