Barbara DeckertSewing for Plus Sizes: Creating Clothes that Fit and Flatter

Pro's:Full bust adjustment covered.Personal Body Measurement ChartBasic size adjustment ChartCreating a Paper-Tape dress formAppendix on how to work with, find a custom clothierCon's:The first 51 pages was fluff, information given was not meaningful information. For instance she covers :Furniture needed to sew, tools needed, making a customized dress form-which is readily available from youtube.Maybe when the book first came out, it added something to a plus sized repertoire but in today's age. The book just does not hold and the shelf life will be short if existent. The only useful take away was the dress form and I repeat that's something that is easily found. I don't feel the furniture was warranted or the tools needed.Then the book goes in Clothing fabric for plus sized -Huh, I kept thinking why was this section needed. It just goes over basic fabric choices. I don't feel this section was useful and something more substantial could have been used.Adjusting the pattern to fit your body size, Most of the adjustments add to the side seam, which is okay but not the best fitting method in my opinion. The full bust adjustment was covered,which I think was good. The instructions for pivoting a dart could have been more in-depth.The basted fitting section is 15 pages top and it is full of written text. There are some illustrations but it does not delve into the depth that fitting needs and it barely covered the myriad of fitting problems a plus size person can have. All in all this should have been the most in-depth chapter but it wasn't.I'm actually extremely disappointed in this book. I don't feel it has much to offer in fitting plus sized individuals or helping them make clothes that flatter their figure. I did not like this book and would suggest someone skip this for something more in-depth towards fitting, say kenneth king Fitting or Sandra Betzina fast fit or the infamous Complete photo guide to fitting.Due to the pro's and Con's match up, I could honestly not give a review with more stars, there are a ton of books that are better, but may not state Plus Size. Overall I felt like the book tried to add too much information from different sectors of sewing but left out the most useful information a plus sized sewer would want. For instance-after I modify an armhole, how do I modify the facing pieces?

This book is absolutely brilliant. I don’t understand the people who complained that the photos of the models and clothes weren’t attractive and up to date. This is NOT a book of patterns. This is a book about fitting and adjusting patterns for plus sized clothing. It is comprehensive and easy to understand. Yes there were sections that I had to read several times and think about before completely grasping the concept. But that was due to the concept itself, not the explanation.It might not be for complete beginners. Still, I’d consider myself an advanced beginner and I found it incredibly helpful. While I will continue to read everything I can find on fitting for plus sizes, this will be my primary reference. I have a much better understanding of how to fit my plus sized body and my first modified shirt using this book looks one hundred percent better than anything I’ve made before. I can’t recommend this highly enough. If you want to make clothes that look good on you, buy this book.

This is a good resource for sewing tips even if you are not precisely "plus sized" (I am 5'5" and a size 12 off the rack or 22 dress pattern), like adapting basic patterns and how to adjust for bust size. She also talks about how to adjust patterns for different things like swayback and a pronounced derriere. The book addresses many of the reasons that clothing made at home looks "home made" and give practical advice on how to overcome these things. It also talks about why commercial clothing doesn't fit a lot of women (not just plus sized women). The author has a good sense of humor and her writing style is clear and easy to follow. She also says right out loud that this book is not going to help you make garments that make you look a lot thinner than you are, but she does address proportions, general figure types, fabrics and many other things to help with your home sewing. There is also an informative section on what to look for if you want to have someone else do your sewing for you. I recommend this book. For the price of a couple of patterns it is a valuable permanent resource.

I love sewing vintage patterns but they come usually no where near my size. This book not only teaches pattern grading but how to make patterns in general fit better depending on what body shape you have. I'm pear shaped with large thighs and small bust so regular plus size patterns do not fit me well. This book shows how to make all the adjustments to make them fit me. It has ways to make all the various sizes of plus sized women look good in ready made patterns. Great book and very good illustrations.

If you want to sew your own clothes or are just looking for advice on flattering your figure with fashion, this book is for you! In fact, all women should read this book. This is a goldmine for ladies of ALL different shapes and sizes. It explains why off the rack clothes often don't fit right, regardless of your weight, and why its NOT your body but the clothing industry that is flawed! It may also give you that insensitive you’ve been needing to learn how to sew or brush up on your sewing skills.

This is an excellent guide to making adjustments to store-bought patterns, altering clothes and understanding why things don't fit. It was worth a lot for the detailed, well illustrated information on construction and alteration that is very readable and not a drag like a lot of this stuff is. It makes sense to a normal person. That said, the "flatter" part of the title is not necessarily so. In the illustrations under the heading of "give them something to look at" (so they won't notice your size) the "before" drab outfits looked much slimmer and more attractive than the fussy "after" ones. In theory, without a "distraction", all anyone will see is how heavy you are. In practice, the fussy details make you seem heavier.

I think the thing I liked most was the fact that she walks you through clearly how to change any pattern to fit a plus size body. The author certainly knows her stuff. There are discussions about fabrics. There are diagrams and drawings of things that help with explanations. There are photos and discussions about what flatters different types of plus size bodies as well as some photos. At no point are you made to feel bad for being where you are at this point in time, which is good. I am very happy that I bought this book. It has made the world of sewing more accessible. With the knowledge in this book I can dress how I want and not how sewing pattern manufacturers or shops think I should dress. Oh and nobody is pulling those odd positions that women do to make themselves seem skinny enough like you see in most photos.

A must for anyone dealing with plus sizes, the elements of design and style lines that are fundamental to making larger ladies look and feel glamorous are explained here. The practicalities of altering commercial patterns, with diagrams are also clearly explained in order to achieve a good fit for your unique shape. Barbara Deckert draws upon her own experiences as a larger lady and is able to select fabrics and styles with this experience in mind, for example she notes that larger people feel warmer and so she reminds you to take this into account when choosing fabrics and so on. I loved this book and would not hesitate to recommend it to any one thinking of making large sized clothes. As a matter of fact there is very good advice about choosing the right clothes for your particular shape, so for those who just want to buy clothes that flatter their figure shape then this book explains about cut and colour combinations that really do work well.

So pleased with this book. It really covers all your fit issues. It shows you how to grade a pattern, how to adjust every bit of a pattern and then how to fit your garment to your body. The pictures and illustrations are excellent, really clear and easy to see. If you are plus size this book is for you, but also if you sew your own garments and want to improve the fit of patterns this is also for you. This is one book I would keep out of all my sewing books.

I love this book. It tells you what you should be wearing for your shape and size. It encourages you to feel and be as beautiful as you are and it is better than the many other books I have. It is my go to book.

Now this is one book worth its price even if i did buy it 2nd hand. I would still have paid full price if I had to. In the US big sizes are acceptable and more catered for but in the Uk we are the runt of the fashion trade.I try to make some of my own clothes just so I do not have to wear ready made sacks or granny wear and yet I am not as big as some people. Even height is not catered for here. So to get the information on how to alter and measure ones own pattern is very useful, all I need is someone I can ask to help me...easier said then done! Buy with confidence.