(Part 2) Best textile & costume design books according to redditors

(Part 4/4)

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Fit

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Fit rules are obviously entirely dependent on your body type and personal preferences, so I won't write mine out here. Almost everything I know about fit I learned from Antonio Donnanno's series Fashion Patternmaking Techniques and Winifred Aldrich's Metric Pattern Cutting for Women's Wear, which are actually textbooks about pattern drafting but have decent sections on addressing fit issues in making those patterns that can also be applied to buying RTW. Kenneth King's Smart Fitting Solutions is also good. (Expensive books -- check your library for them or something similar if you don't actually want to learn pattern drafting.)

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--Tailoring: If you don't know enough to know what needs to be done, I usually recommend that people buy the item and take it to a trusted tailor to ask what they think. (Obviously don't do this if it can't be returned, and *definitely* don't try to return something you've already had altered!) I don't normally trust department store alterationists -- I think they're usually talented people, but I also suspect they're encouraged to tell you that anything is possible so they can make a sale. I also don't trust any tailor/alterationist where you (1) can't see any sewing machines in the shop (like most dry cleaners' offering alterations), or (2) they don't make you try on the item in the shop and pin it there for you. Sewing machines + changing cabins are both signs that you're working with someone who actually knows what they're doing.

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Maintenance

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--Washing and drying: So, continuing to prove that I am insane, I hand-wash all my clothes in the sink or shower and hang them to dry or dry them flat. Washing and (eek!) drying are probably the cause of most wear on tear on the average garment. I find commercial detergents are too harsh, even the fancy eco/gentle ones. Instead, I use Marseille soap (which is called Castille soap in America I think), a variant of Marseille soap called savon détachant (stain-removal soap, link in French), and washing soda.

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--Dry cleaning: I never dry-clean my things because I think it damages the fibres, but I have no proof this is actually the case. I had my coat dry-cleaned once and swear the fabric felt thinner when it came back. At any rate, I find it a hassle and can't stand the smell.

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--Ironing and steaming: I actually have no rules on this (other than that my Rowenta iron was NOT worth the money), but I wanted a chance to share this awesome video of an absolute master ironing a shirt.

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--Repairs: I expect to have to repair my stuff. Learn to mend holes both by re-stitching seams and by darning (knits) or patching (wovens), and to sew buttons. Anything else can be done by a tailor if you don't want to learn how to do it yourself.

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I also always like to put in a plug for invisible mending whenever I can. It's a dying art where they basically pull threads from invisible parts of the garment fabric (like seam allowances) and weave it back into the main fabric to repair holes. The end result is basically undetectable. It's expensive to have done, but if you have a beloved piece that's got holes, this might be worth it. There are similar techniques for knit fabrics, but I'm not aware of anyone offering them commercially (but here is an awesome video of a pro repairing a ladder in a knit).

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--Pilling: A wool comb is also a necessity if you wear sweaters. I don't go in for any of the electric sweater shavers, but TBH I've never tried them -- the £3.50 wool comb works just fine, lasts years, and doesn't create any electronics waste. There is a variant made specifically for cashmere with differently shaped 'teeth' (they're less sharp/abrasive) that is also worth owning if you wear a lot of cashmere. I think most specialty cashmere shops sell their own one of these, and they're usually a lot cheaper than 9€ (I think mine was like £4).

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Ethics

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I will admit that I'm not a hugely 'ethical' shopping -- I fall solidly into the demographic of people who would like to shop more ethically, but then gets lured away by shiny things elsewhere. Frankly, I'm moderately sceptical of most companies' claims to 'ethics'. I prefer to look for items that meet all my rules -- consuming less is one way to reduce environmental damage, and trust me, with all these rules I *really* don't buy much lol. I also have a slight preferences for brands that manufacture in the EU (where I live), mostly because I am a nerd for heritage factories and like locally produced goods, but also because the environmental regulation is mostly decent.

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The brand blacklist

Sometimes, despite all of the above, I end up buying something that doesn't meet my quality standards over repeated wears. If this happens, I blacklist the entire brand. The one exception: if it's a legitimate manufacturing fault (shit happens) and the company offers a suitable repair/replacement without making me fight for it. I don't know why I'm this vicious about it, I just am. *shrug*

Since you are looking for some reference books, here are some that I resort to using quite often in my world-building process.

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared M. Diamond

Plagues and Peoples by William H. McNeill

Weapon: A Visual History of Arms and Armor by Roger Ford

What People Wore When: A Complete Illustrated History of Costume from Ancient Times to the Nineteenth Century for Every Level of Society by Melissa Leventon

The History of Money by Jack Weatherford

If you need more, I can list more. I have a reference book for just about anything you could imagine in my ever-growing personal library.

Read the first few pages.. It's amazing, has lots of good inspiration for outfits, tons of interesting stories about famous street wear brands/icons and more. Recommended for sure 👍

(if you would like to cop the complete guide your best bet is to find in IRL book stores like I did.. The incomplete guide is available on amazon for 40$ here. I Bought the Complete Guide In a IRL book store called TITLE which costed around 80$)

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Plus its a nice decoration for a hypebeast/streetwear styled room

I do a Danish Viking from Hedeby, circa current year minus 1000, so 1014 currently.

What do you want to know?

For research, I've read the following:

http://www.amazon.com/Viking-Clothing-Thor-Ewing/dp/0752435876

http://www.amazon.com/Viking-Hersir-793-1066-AD-Warrior/dp/1855323184

http://www.amazon.com/The-Vikings-Elite-Ian-Heath/dp/0850455650

http://www.amazon.com/Saxon-Viking-Norman-Arms-Series/dp/0850453011

http://www.amazon.com/The-Varangian-Guard-988-1453-Men-at-Arms/dp/1849081794

The Osprey books are pretty low-level stuff, but have pretty pictures. You could do a hell of a lot worse than just trying to look like one of those.

These sites are also good for reading:

http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/clothing.shtml

http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=43165

http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=46922

Good luck!

If you love camo, I can recommend Mararishi founder Harvey Blechman's book DPM - Disruptive Pattern Material as a great source of inspiration, and just a great art book in general.

Jesus, I just saw how much this sells for now!

Corsetry is quite an advanced skill, there is ALOT that goes into it. I mean you can do it with handsewing, if you want to, but it'll take a long time. The best way would be to use a pattern, alter it to the measurements and use steel boning. Youtube might have something that can show you the mechanics... maybe, but you might want to learn how to draft and alter patterns first. Also with plus sizing and such a drastic reduction you're going to need a lot of support in the garment.

I found this article on plus sized corsets which I'm not sure if it'll be helpful (because I don't know you level of experience) but you can see all the things that were put into a corset.

https://foundationsrevealed.com/224-historical-corsetry/1880s-corset-patterns/80-plus-size-corset-pattern

At the end of the article they mention this book. Which is an illustrated guide to corset making that would definitely help in this endeavor:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0968303900?ie=UTF8&tag=youwarunld-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0968303900

That arrangement was exciting and actually quite tasteful. Lots of gooey and subtle reharms, and creative surprises.

https://www.amazon.com/Purists-are-boring-Studio-Kluif/dp/9063691564

I'm in a similar situation. I ended up purchasing a few fashion design textbooks.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0875967175/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1609010019/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1576875504/ref=oh_details_o07_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

actually only the center one is a textbook, the other two are construction techniques and basically an Ivy inspo. I own all of these and enjoy them all in different ways.

We used "Patternmaking for Fashion Design" by Helen Joseph-Armstrong for our first patternmaking class and reference it all the way through our senior design classes. It's an awesome reference book--almost any project/design I've had I've been able to find the alteration I've wanted in this book, or at least the basic starting point. It has a LOT of information/ideas, so sometimes jumping into more advanced techniques can be a bit daunting if you haven't learned or at the very least read through the basics. I haven't purchased and used them yet, but if you're looking for some cooler patterning techniques I've heard both first hand from classmates and in general online that the Pattern Magic books are amazing.

For draping we used "Draping Basics" by Sally Di Marco. I think this book is a good reference, but my professor thought it wasn't the most beginner-friendly. I didn't struggle with it throughout my classes and think it's great, but it can be a bit dense to read through if you don't have a teacher/person demonstrating the technique in front of you and have no previous draping experience. Again, great reference and has tons of info, just takes a tad more effort if you've never sewn or draped before before you pick up on the terminology/patterns of what they're doing.

The last really good book I'd recommend is "Professional Sewing Techniques" by Julie Cole/Sharon Czachor. newbies to sewing may need to Google some terms now and then, but it's perfect for all the little details--all the different types of pockets and how to sew them, different methods of creating tucks and pleats, etc. Say I know I want a specific detail, like a cuffed sleeve: I can look it up and see all the different ways they do it in the industry (all of which are easily doable on a home sewing machine) and see all the subtle differences those techniques make. For costuming, it can help you be more accurate and it's great to see all the variations laid out in front of you. It also makes a massive difference in how professional things end up looking.

TL;DR The three books in the links above should have you covered for flat patterning, draping, and all the little details that make your costume/clothing look professional and well-finished. Knowing at least the basics of sewing is recommended for the draping book, but the rest of the terminology used in all three beginners should be able to Google and understand no problem!

(Edit: formatting)

Pattern companies are not making bank. The cost of patterns in the US has been devalued by the constant sales that create the expectation that they are only worth a few dollars. Even when they are not on sale, they are on sale for half off the list price at JoAnn. Try buying the same patterns in Europe.

I think that you are going to be happiest if you develop a few basic patterns that you can modify for cosplay. Most cosplay are the same shapes over and over again. It's the accessories and the fabrics that make the costume. Develop your eye and you will produce outfits that are better than the pattern catalog. You might also find the book, The Hero's Closet, useful for adapting patterns.

As I'm learning, I'm just going to my local JoAnn's for a couple of yards at a time.

For projects I've been hitting YouTube for tutorials on things like cloth napkins and quilted placemats. I'm working on those for myself, then will likely knock out a few more sets to give as gifts.

My house has a lot of decor needs, so I picked up this book (which I'm not through yet). I also grabbed this book as more of a foundation-level teaching tool. Again, not through it, but both of these books have been helpful.

Websites I've bookmarked for lessons, patterns and instructions, include:

• Crazy Little Projects
  
• Online Fabric Store
  
• Professor Pincushion
  
  Hope something above is helpful.

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

Here's a book recommendation that comes with patterns. Their tunic dress is pretty similar, you would just want to widen the lower "smock" portion to get that more substantial ruffle. The bell sleeves on the end would also just need to be lengthened so they gather more to achieve this look.

Maybe some cool, inspiring coffee table books? Something like:

• Pantone The 20th Century in Color by Leatrice Eiseman and Keith Recker
  
• Pretty Much Everything by Aaron Draplin
  
• Alexander Girard: A Designer’s Universe by Mateo Kries
  
  Or maybe something closer to the style of work she does?

A good book for costuming I’ve found is The Heroes Closet. It’s primarily geared towards cosplay but does come with several basic patterns for costuming (including fantasy coats and pants) as well as guides to walk you through everything from choosing fabric to hand stitching your finishes. It’s a solid book for any beginner who’s primarily interested in sewing for costuming.

I am also not sure about post-marriage hair fashion, but here's two pretty decent books on clothing from that era.

http://www.amazon.com/Woven-into-Earth-Textile-Greenland/dp/8772889357/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1405025542&sr=8-6&keywords=greenland+clothing

http://www.amazon.com/Viking-Clothing-Thor-Ewing/dp/0752435876/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_z

A booklet of blank croquis so she can sketch ideas easily. Below is a general one, or you can google and find places that will draw a croquis for her own body.

https://www.amazon.com/Fashion-Sketchpad-Templates-Designing-Portfolio/dp/0811877884/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=design+sketch+pad&qid=1567829492&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Tailoring tools like a tailors ham, sleeve roll, clapper, and silk organza pressing cloths.

Pattern drafting materials like medical paper, a crap ton of scotch magic tape, and nice curves (the ones you can see through are best.

https://www.amazon.com/Collins-4-Styling-Design-Ruler/dp/B07FFLVMMC/ref=mp_s_a_1_21?keywords=hip+curve+ruler&qid=1567829770&s=gateway&sprefix=hip+cu&sr=8-21

This book series is pretty dope if you want to know more

This book is amazing! It has patterns and a wide variety of hats through the ages.
http://www.amazon.com/From-Neck-Up-Illustrated-Hatmaking/dp/0941082008
I don't remember if it tells you how to actually conduct the hats or not but I would be more than happy to help. I've done millimeter for theatre, professionally and for college. So let me know if I can be of assistance. :)

Congratulations on the hem. I sympathize. I've often felt thwarted by not enough space or money or time and am sure my sewing would have advanced further faster had things been different.

Eventually, you will need a machine and other tools, but in the meantime you could work on your hand sewing. This book looks good.

Handmade Bags in Natural Fabrics

For when you have more money, my main lesson is that the Internet can only help so much. At times, it helps to work with people IRL who can see what you're doing and show you things.

Oh man, that sucks. мои соболезнования.

And I've been bummed about the outrageous prices for Vol 2 too, but I decided to check again yesterday as I was writing my comment and lo and behold...

Still expensive, but it's the cheapest I've ever seen it. I remember it being in the $1000+ range (lolwut) for a long time, so I'm gonna grab me a copy asap.

There are a couple good books on millinery for theatre, which is my experience. These books focus on all styles of hats and has patterns and basic tips. Hats Design and Construction is like a course in millinery. The book is written I think by s professor for her class so it's very informative and informal. From the Neck Up is considered the industry standard book but it's very detailed and a tough at times. Definitely feels like the "formal" fancy book. I have both and both are very useful in theatre. I'm not sure how useful they will be for you if you're planning on only sticking with felt fedoras.

Steaming a felt hat is typical how you shape it. I used a head block to shape it too since human heads have a specific shape. Shellac is like a glue and will make it not nearly as soft I imagine but also makes it waterproof I believe is the reasoning. I've never used it on a hat before because the hats I made never were worn outside.

As for sewing on a sweatband, it's just a regular hoop stitch around the edge. I don't imagine there will be too many tutorials because it's a basic stitch. You can see decent pictures online of the sweatband and if you look at a hat you already have you can see. Those books cover it I believe. I'm not at home right now so I can't check.

One thing I like to do when trying a new project is I go to Goodwill and find something similar and disassemble it to see how it's all put together. You can usually find old hats at Goodwill.

Happy Birthday!. I know this would make me giddy like a school girl.


Have an amazing birthday! :)

I would say, don't make it too tight. That type of corset (edwardian s-bend with a flat front) can damage the kidneys when done 'correctly.' I wouldn't wear it for long periods of time.

Other than that, these are some more good resources: http://www.amazon.com/Waisted-Efforts-Illustrated-Corset-Making/dp/0968303900/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335022400&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Corsets-Crinolines-Norah-Waugh/dp/0878305262/ref=cm_cmu_pg_i

Nice, good machine to inherit, and will definitely make sewing Denim easier than a home machine. Backstitch is nice, but only necessary on seams taht arent enclosed by other seams. I hope its a servo motor, those clutch motors are a pain to use. Does the speed adjust depending how hard you push the pedal? If not you can look into an upgrade to a servo motor, they are universal and its nice to be able to adjust the speed the machine sews at.

You know you can learn to pattern from a book actually. This is the book I learned from https://www.amazon.com/Patternmaking-Fashion-Design-Joseph-Armstrong/dp/0321034236

I'm more a 3d thinker so draping is better for me, but that book will teach you how to pattern basic fits for most types of garments, and then you can rework those after a 1st muslin.


Also let me add NICE JOB GETTING FELLED SEAMS ON SLEEVES with a flatbed industrial machine. That shit is nearly impossible to do.

Sari related book

The pants waistband is a method of construction with trim. I recognize it from the "tailor waistband with sateen trim" part of my favorite, most useful sewing book ever a guide to fashion sewing

A or B

Camo is overdone right now, but camo done right will always win.

I'd recommend DPM but apparently it costs $900 now, the single book is $400.

The What People Wore When books also look promising.