Your Skirt, Your Way

Jenniffer Taylor first flew into my radar when I saw her on The Great British Sewing Bee, and I thought she was amazing. Very much an advocate of the term ‘you size‘ she has since developed a range of hand drafted patterns unique to your very own shape and size. Using just four of your body measurements, with the help of this book you can create a garment that is well fitted and tailored to your body. Like most of us home dressmakers, Jenniffer is self taught, but what she teaches us is that anyone can have a go and make a wearable piece of clothing. She has also ensured that whatever our individual style, our finished piece will fit perfectly and give us confidence that it will look good. From drafting your pattern to the fastenings, everything you need to know is included and helpful tips guarentee a professional finish. This book is a must have for everyone who loves to make their own clothes. -- Tracy Shephard * Postcard Reviews * Draft your block, choose your shape, and customise your own design says Jenniffer Taylor! This brilliantly simple book teaches you exactly how to design and create your own gorgeous skirts, with no need for shopbought patterns. Start by creating your own block and toile using just four-body measurement and then select your skirt shape, add the fittings, fastenings and detailsyou want, and put the whole thing together with ease! With clear step-by-step photography and easy-to-follow instructions, Jenniffer will show you how to mix and match the design elements you really want to make your perfect garment. Choose from A-line, flared, gathered, pencil and pleated shapes, and from pockets, zips, buttons and yokes. This book contains 10 inspiring skirt options, but remember it’s your skirt, your way! * www.thepatternpages.com * Mix and match design elements to make a perfect garment. The book contains ten skirt options to get you started and fill your wardrobe with gorgeous skirts that fit perfectly and suit your style! * Machine Knitting Monthly * Looking for a totally unique skirt? Well, you're in luck, as this must-have manual by author Jennifer Taylor, of The Great British Sewing Bee fame, shows you how to mix and match elements to create your ultimate garment. Whether you prefer a pleated mini or an A-line maxi, there's something for every style - plus a whole range of options for pockets, zips, buttons and yokes, too. * Sew magazine - December 2020 * Although I have sewn since I was a teenager, I’ve never drafted a pattern. I’m not a conventional shape so always have to tweak patterns and skirts never quite work for me, hence my interest on this book. Skirts are the easiest patterns to draft, ideal for a first go at drafting. At the start of the book there are sections on fabrics, sewing tools and drafting tools. The author then splits the book into three main sections: 1. Constructing the basic skirt block then altering for six variations on shape. 2. Techniques and some extra details. 3. Skirt ‘recipes’, where you can mix up the techniques and details. Taylor makes constructing the block (Americans call it a sloper) very understandable by breaking it down into bite sized steps. Correct body measurements are crucial and she explains how best to take them and where. (E.g. where do you measure for hips and waist? And how should you determine length?) Although I haven’t made a block yet, I’ve read through the instructions, which are very detailed and are easy to understand. Take them slowly and make sure you read through before starting to carry them out. She includes making a toile (practice garment, Americans call this a muslin) and then checking the fit and how to fine tune it. The main reason for making your own blocks is to ensure a nicely fitting garment. The next section shows how to alter the basic skirt shape to create a further five skirt shapes, such as a pencil skirt and a flared skirt. Taylor goes on to explain techniques such as a traditional waistband, facings and zips. Two zip insertions are shown, one is a centred zip. The other is a fly zip which is less common and ignored in many other sewing books. (I’m looking forward to trying it her way.) Invisible/concealed zips are mentioned but not shown. Techniques such as pockets, hems, a back vent and yokes were dealt with before the skirt recipes. There are ten suggested skirt styles, but many of the components can be swapped around, added, taken off etc. So you really have a multitude of variations to personalise your skirt for you. I like Taylor’s approach of using a scaled down/mini mannequin to show the various component shapes and how they make up a skirt. Genius! It’s much easier to understand than using full scale body sized mannequins. The skirts shown have a definite retro vibe, helped perhaps by some unusual fabric combinations. Fabric choice is all important, and most of the fabrics used are mid to heavy weight woven. For me, although my favourites are too short, instructions are there to lengthen them. Would I buy the book? Yes – for the pattern drafting, and components styles, rather than the sewing techniques. I’m excited to get my pattern paper and tackle the jeans style skirt, Bobbie (but longer!) -- M Jones * Amazon Customer Review * Clearly written and illustrated. I'm an experienced dressmaker but would usually only work from a pattern, this book has given me the confidence to make my own block and also inspired me experiment altering my existing patterns. -- Bernadette McGowan * Amazon Customer Review * The opening parts of the book give a comprehensive overview of the equipment needed and terms used in dressmaking. Although I have many years of experience in dressmaking, I have never tried to draft my own pattern and it was this part of the book I was most interested in. I found the instructions for making the basic skirt block easy to follow and then went on to make a toile as the author recommends. I carried on and then made up the toile into a proper garment as the fabric I'd picked was suitable and was very satisfied with it. Although I haven't yet made any of the other styles I have read the instructions and I'm confident I could make them successfully. I particularly liked the suggestions on customising touches such as the pockets and will definitely use these in the future, definitely a worthwhile buy. -- Hilary Guthrie * Amazon Customer Review *