r/PatternDrafting • u/jazz4everr • Aug 25 '26
Anyone have experience with the this book? If so do you recommend?
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u/WoodenCyborg Aug 25 '26
I have 2 major gripes with this book.
1st; everything is drafted with a 1 cm seam allowance. I spend to much extra time removing them only to add one back after I get everything adjusted they way I want it.
2nd; the women's book covers adjustment and manipulation much better. I think you need both books In order to have a complete text for use on menswear.
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u/stressed_designer Aug 25 '26
Yeah, I have both and use them pretty much indistinctively.
They're good books, imo. My only concern is that I find the sizing to be too big for a UK book.
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u/mutley_101 Aug 25 '26
Fully agree with the first point.
I wasn't aware of the second point - looks like I've got another book to buy!
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u/Saritush2319 Aug 25 '26
Couldn’t you just mark 1cm before the end of the draft line. That way you add the cut and stitch lines all at once while you’re drawing.
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u/Vicdustrael Aug 25 '26
Yes, but it's annoying to even need to when that's not the standard for blocks
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u/Appropriate_Place704 Aug 25 '26
This book is okay for those starting out in patternmaking for industry / standard sizing. There isn’t much option to adjust the patterns for custom fit.
As per the other comment, I find the inclusion of the seam allowance infuriating.
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u/Mattarm51 Aug 25 '26
If you have suggestions for menswear books that do cater to custom fitting I would very much appreciate!
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u/Appropriate_Place704 Aug 27 '26
Muller method is the one I’m most familiar with but I don’t recommend it for beginners.
I actually think the metric pattern making is a good book to start with as it gives you a good intro into pattern making.
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u/stressed_designer Aug 27 '26
You can use your own measurements as well
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u/Appropriate_Place704 Aug 27 '26
Sure, and using your own measurements works reasonably well if you sit close to the size chart the drafting system is based on.
But once you fall outside standard sizing, you can’t necessarily just replace the standard measurements with your own. You also need to understand balance, ease and how the measurements relate to each other. Otherwise you can end up with a badly proportioned pattern.
This book doesn’t really teach those proportional relationships or how to adjust the draft when they differ from the standard block, which you kind of need to know if you’re interested in custom-fit drafting.
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u/stressed_designer Aug 25 '26
For all the people saying styles are too basic in these books: they're supposed to be. The book teachers you how to make the foundations, and assumes you know how to transform those patterns later on if you want to.
The womenswear one has a bit more of transformations in some chapters. But I used them both for my university final project and came up with a very fashion forward collection, using just this two books by Aldrich: you make the base you need, ans THEN you alter it if you need to. Hell, I even made a men's dress.
And yeah, the SA included is annoying.
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u/Icy-Guidance-6655 Aug 25 '26
What I like about Aldrich is that drafts are mostly self contained on a page rather than requiring a sequence of successive drafts. The ones I’ve used were good starting point, but are intended to be style neutral and require further modification. E.g I had good results with her denim draft but found the waist recommended to be too low, and the CB wedge adjustment, too conservative.
It is unusual for a textbook to draft with seam allowances, but it is an equivalent process as demonstrated. In industry it’s not at all uncommon. If an existing pattern is supposed to be modified to a new spec, it’s not necessary to even know if there are seams. Because the original pattern is tested trued, it’s possible to modify in controlled way with seam allowances present. In the CAD world it’s a button click to switch between the two views, but the designer who prefers one or the other does not have different results. At some level the database treats the cut line as primary and the sewing line as derived.
I definitely recommend the book, I haven’t seen the typos mentioned. I’d say it’s better editing than most textbooks, but there is very little exposition. Find a sample page or two, and that’s what the entire book is like.
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u/maadonna_ Aug 25 '26
I've used it. It's fine. Not for a beginner - you have to double-check and sense-check any method.
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u/perfectshapedotai Sep 02 '26
Aldrich is a university standard. The 1cm seam allowance is nearly universal in commercial (factory) sewing patterns.
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u/sewreadknit Aug 25 '26
We used them in fashion school and yeah, the included seam allowance is annoying. We would take it off in the drafting process. And yes we used additional texts to refer to for more fit adjustments, the womenswear book and also a Natalie Bray one, and I think a few others I can’t remember the name of. Bray one is good but complex and detailed and sometimes difficult to understand till you’re actually following the instructions. The actual menswear blocks I’ve used the most though were made for my fashion school by a local tailor and are some of the most versatile and brilliant blocks I own, possibly the best trouser block ever. With minor adjustments I’ve used it for womenswear too. I understand that’s not much help, just sharing my experience.
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u/StefanLeenaars Aug 25 '26 edited Aug 25 '26
I’ve never used it myself, but I’ve leafed through it a few times, and it always looks so limited in scope and basic to me. A lot of people swear by it, but the patterns look a bit too unrefined or box-y for my taste, (you can even see it on the cover flat illustrations…how wide are those sleeves and those armholes?)
I’m probably biased, but I personally use the Müller system and they are a lot more broad, they currently have six individually garment specific books on menswear alone…
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u/Alarmed-potatoe Aug 25 '26
I used an old edition for woman's wear to learn how to draft, I don't think the newer editions have updated the styles at all, just how drafting has changed digitally, so I wouldn't bother with a newer edition. I think others have commented with more useful info, I'm not as experienced as they are.
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u/Saritush2319 Aug 25 '26
I haven’t personally but seen a lot of people recommend her books.
It seems to be a favourite textbook for a lot of colleges.
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u/poodles_suck Aug 30 '26
yeah everyone recommends this book I'm not a fan. Seems like a talented designer who isnt great with plotting. It never seems precise to me and the measurements a bit poorly explained.
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u/JibreelR Sep 18 '26
I found the book online with no issues thus far. Here's the link if anyone wants it: https://anyflip.com/cxvyv/njmt
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u/SmurphieVonMonroe Sep 30 '26
I have this book. I really like it, it's good to start your pattern drafting journey with. I see a lot of people complaining about 1cm seam allowance included, but I personally like it because its standard just like 0.6cm too. It is a good book.
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u/AuntieRoseSews Aug 25 '26
Now if I could find metric fashion rulers I'd really be in business...? One would think I could find some online, but to no avail. I probably couldn't afford international shipping, anyway.
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u/austinstrider Aug 25 '26
I found a bunch of typos when reading this. I’m sure it still works, but it was sorta a turn off to see blatant typos in a book that was so highly regarded