Sewing for Plus Sizes: Creating Clothes That Fit & Flatter

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 book is unique in that it deals with true plus size fitting problems. Many other books deal with the adjustments needed to make a size 20 fit a size 22. Ms. Deckert explains how to fit up to size 30 - and perhaps beyond. Not only does she demonstrate the principles behind modifying clothes, she also discusses the kinds of clothes that flatter different plus sized women. The photos and illustrations are top notch. The index is the only place that could be improved, since it is clearly incomplete - but that might be a problem with my copy only.

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.

I'm not a plus size but I found that this book addresses issues that apply to all of us who sew clothing. The tips that it gives for fitting and for minimizing the fitting difficulties of the larger figure are adaptable for many figures and sizes. The techniques that work for flattering the larger figure also work well for those who may not be 'plus-sized' but are older, or have larger bosoms, bottoms, thighs or hips. Whether you are sewing for the fuller-figured person or otherwise, this book takes into consideration all the factors that help create garments that are both attractive and a pleasure to wear.

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.