Reddit reviews Designing Apparel Through the Flat Pattern

I currently have two books, both amazing, but if you don't have a teacher or don't already know how to make slopers then I would highly recommend Patternmaking for Fashion Design by Helen Joseph Armstrong. There's a bunch of editions floating around, but I have the 1987 and it has everything I need. Basic patternmaking techniques are not subject to trends or changing tastes, so you'll be fine with any edition.

The other patternmaking book I have is Designing Apparel through the Flat Pattern is also a good book, but I've heard people say that you need to buy a companion book for it to be useful. I've gone through a patternmaking class, so I can't comment on how useful it would be on its own for a beginner.

Best of luck to you! Patternmaking really expands your skill set; you can literally look at something and think of a pattern in your head. :D

I have a book, but it's not for beginners. It's called "Designing Apparel Through The Flat Pattern." The companion book, which teaches how to draft slopers, is "How to Draft Basic Patterns."

They are fashion design textbooks. The assumption is that the student will be working with an industry dress form. The instructions can be modified for a "real person," but it's not like you can plug in your numbers and expect to call it a day.

There's a sloper drafting and pattern development series on Craftsy that many people seem to like. I bought the skirt sloper class, but have never used it.

I think you meant to write "bodice sloper" or even "torso sloper." Bust sloper is not a term.

The book we used when I took pattern drafting classes may be dated by now but it was great for seeing just what the heck is going on in pattern drafting. Besides, the math of fitting a 3-dimensional human body with 2-dimensional fabric isn't ever going to change: "Designing apparel through the flat pattern" https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Apparel-Through-Flat-Pattern/dp/0870057375/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1467818440&sr=1-1&keywords=designing+apparel+through+the+flat+pattern

You would try it on, but it would fit skintight. Some slopers have a little ease built into them.

A sloper is like a template for a pattern without seam allowances. You make changes to it to develop a pattern. A block pattern is a basic pattern with seam allowances. The online University of Fashion has sloper lessons.

Sloper book for fashion design students:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0870057472/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687542&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0870051474&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=XWHF3N3QTAEXBRBPMPSS

Pattern making book using the slopers:
https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Apparel-Through-Flat-Pattern/dp/0870057375/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=SX1RJG2WH9Q7QC2G0X2M