Draping: The Complete Course

A fantastically detailed book which contains some great tutorials and information on draping. It contains a number of projects (presented as 'exercises') which contain progressively more complex information, but you can easily dip into later projects without having to work your way through everything if you have some sewing experience. This range from more classic styles (sheath dress, jackets etc) to far more contemporary and less structured designs such as asymmetric necklines and draped skirts. I thought it was well written and found the information very easy to follow. The pictures are detailed and instructive, and the book itself seems printed on high quality paper, definitely strong enough to stand up to a bit of abuse on the worktable! Not cheap, but definitely worth the money in my opinion- it contains a wealth of small but invaluable tips such as pin placement, which I'd never stumbled across while trying to use the internet for similar information. Great value as a resource for those with at least intermediate level sewing skills.

This is an excellent book to work your way through systematically . I have been dressmaking for over 40 years and was inspired when watching the latest 'Great BRITISH SEWING BEE' to try my hand at draping as a more creative means of dressmaking. With this book I am learning both basic and more advanced skills of draping in easy to follow steps and pictures. The book in itself is lovely to look at and excellent value for the price. The instructions are interspersed with fashion history depicting vintage clothing from films and crazes, showing these can be draped to achieve that particular iconic look or inspire you to adapt them to design your own look. Update: I have now worked through the book and consequently have already designed and made my own nightie, blouse and skirt, I won't be buying any patterns in future; as well as the fact I have garments that are original and fit me well, I no longer have to 'conform' my figure or adapt printed patterns.

This book really is excellent. It starts with the very basics of draping and explaining grains and how to appropriately mark your fabric ready for draping, and takes you right through to draping a Vivienne Westward dress. The diagrams are very clear and the text informative. The DVD is also a great addition to this book, so you can see the author demonstrating the techniques. I also found after flicking through the book, how much more confident I felt draping without even trying the techniques! Its great how it takes existing fashion designs (a pink Oscar De La Renta gown, a Vivienne Westward gown, and Chanel jacket to name just a few) and shows you the complete process of creating the works yourself. A very useful and thorough book for the price!

I have been sewing for decades, and have occasionally attempted to use draping techniques to make clothes. Two dresses resulted from that. They're pretty good. But i wish i'd had this book when I was doing it. So much detail! So many garments! Jersey top to trench coat, through a red carpet dress. Huge book. Great detail. It's brilliant. Would definitely recommend it for anyone who loves making clothes, has been working from patterns and has enough experience to build a garment from scratch, but does not want, under any circumstances, to do maths and measure things in two dimensions while trying to make a three dimensional garment. Draping is amazing, as it creates a pattern ON the stand. Genius. Practical. Quick. I'm addicted. The author takes a red carpet or runway photo and proceeds to demonstrate, with explanations and detailed step by step photographs, how to make it! Best. Book. Ever!

I have been sewing for years and flat pattern cutting for a few years. I have one or two very traditional draping books but they are difficult to understand and very uninspiring. This book is packed with a much wider variety of garments than seen in most draping books and is packed with step-by step instructions and photographs which are easy to follow. There are lots of up-to-date photographs of classic garments styles with modern twists. I was so inspired by this book that I started a project soon after it arrived. This book is good for those who've got at least a basic knowledge of pattern cutting and for determined beginners alike.

Very good book & easy to follow

This is one of my absolute favourite sewing books. So beautifully laid out and designed, this is a larger than average book with an unusually generous spirit. I love reading through the chapters and I am learning so much on the way. There is also a dvd which shows the draping process in great detail. I recommend this book to people who want to gain an understanding of the draping process and about fabric as an artistic medium in general. What a treasure.

Love, love, love this book. I received it as a Christmas present and it is proving to be a really fabulous addition to my sewing book library. It has a DVD included with it which gives the full course. However, currently I am having difficulty getting it to play on my laptop which would be preferable, although it does play on my TV. I also love the actual feel of the book. Expensive yes, but worth every penny.

I was so excited to receive this book in the mail today. This is a tentative review because I have yet to read the whole book. So far, I am impressed! From the quality of the material this book is literally made from (the pages are very thick) to the gorgeous photographs to the depth of information, I was wonderfully surprised. I also own Draping for Apparel design by Helen Joseph-Armstrong. I was hesitant in ordering this book because I owned that one; however, this book is way more up to date. From the colored step-by-step photos to the DVD included, it does not miss a thing. Unlike most sewing books, which are fashionably outdated, this book have pictures of celebrities from this decade rather than the 80s. You have pictures of Reese Witherspoon and Gwyneth Palthrow. Perhaps I am very ciritical but I have no need in making 80s style jackets with the big shoulder pads. yuck. I love how it references draping in Haute Couture... eg Dolce and Gabanna & Oscar de la Renta..the best part is that all the projects are iconic pieces: from Audrey Hepburns famous black dress from Breakfast at Tiffany's to Jackie O's pink suit. Love love love While The Draping for Apparel Design has a wide range of designs, this one breaks everything down from basic, intermediate and advanced. Most sewing books are like reference dictionaries but this book is structured like an interactive course, where the information build on top of each other from section to section. I am very excited to put this book to practice... and I will get back to update this review soon! Update criticisms 10/4/13 : This book is a lot of fun bc it is filled with historical facts and trivia. I love this aspect of the book. It definitely make you appreciate the process of draping a lot more. After watching all the videos, I've decided they are very detailed and informative; however, I wish there were more on the truing process. One thing I didn't like was how it does not provide one dimensional diagrams showing how the fabric was cut after the draping process. You see this in the Apparel for Designers book, and although this is more of a pattern making rather than a draping process , I still believe it would have been helpful for your typical novice. Another issue with the book is that it does not tell you how to measure an individual's body measurement. It also assumes you know basic terminologies such as the Center Front. The Draping for Apparel Design very clearly breaks down these measurements and defines these terminologies that are commonly used in draping : ex bust arc, hip arc, crotch depth etc. these measurements are crucial to the truing process. So for this reason, I think it would be nice for a beginner to also get the Draping for Design Apparel as a reference book. Finally, I've.also noticed that this book lack instructions on how to adjust for a perfect fitting. It does not show you how to tell if a fitting is too tight or baggy. I wish they had touched on that. Update: 10-17-13 The more I read this the more I love it. The author isnt just skilled at draping but very fashion forward, I love the section on the bustier. Whenever I think of making a corset, two images come to mind Madonnas crazy suit and Scarlette O'hara. So guess what you have a pic of the scene of Vivienne Leigh from the movie and Madonna in concert. This section on the bustier talks about cup sizing to type of fabric. Even my book on beginner's corset doesn't talk about the details highlighted in this one section.

Wer, wie ich, seine Schnitte entwirft, indem er Stoff auf der Schneiderpuppe drapiert, steckt und heftet, für den ist dieses Buch eine Fundgrube. Das Buch ist geeignet für Anfänger, die noch nie so gearbeitet haben, aber auch Erfahrene finden noch manchen guten Kniff. Ich arbeite schon seit Jahrzehnten so und wurde auch fündig.

This book is fantastic. It takes you through draping the most basic bodice blocks to incredibly complicated things. Grab a bolt of calico or muslin and just work your way through it. It gives you the methods to achieve something, then gives you a test on it with a practical garment you've seen on a red carpet or similar. Incredibly useful. Anyone starting out in draping needs this book. I've been draping for about ten years now, and even I still use it as a reference, and as a grounding tool when I find I'm glossing over things I already know and making mistakes. Buy it.

This a book complete and professional. I'm a fashion designer student so I guess you really need to have basis on the subject to work with the book. Personally one of the best book actually available on the Fashion design market.

OH MY!, this text book is by far the best, most comprehensive draping book I have seen. The photographs are clear and show the focal points that the descriptions are sometimes not even needed. The DVD video, that comes with this book, I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! I've watched them over and over since I received the book yesterday. They give me the confidence I need to do this. Karolyn does a great job of explaining the process in each video. THANK YOU KAROLYN KIISEL!