9 Best Pattern Fitting Books
It is so common to find yourself stuck in the middle of a sewing project because you are unable to fit the garment properly, or you don’t understand the instructions completely.
Sewing is an incredible skill to learn, but it can be tricky! It really does help to have a reference book to go back to on how to properly fit garments when working with a pattern, no matter what your skill level is.
What is the best pattern fitting book? The best pattern fitting book will be relevant to your skill level and the patterns you are working with. The book should have clear pictures and step-by-step instructions that are easy to understand. You don’t want to have a book that is more difficult to understand than the pattern itself.
Whether you are a beginner or a skilled seamstress, a pattern fitting book is a must-have. We have gone through and reviewed the best on the market, as well as how you can choose the best one for you!
Buyer’s Guide – Pattern Fitting Books
There are a few things that you need to keep in mind when choosing which pattern fitting book would be best for you. You want to choose one that you will actually use and one which will really help you through the sewing process!
Skill Level
You need to consider your skill level when choosing the best pattern fitting book. Some books are suitable for beginners and professionals, and others are more specific to a skill level.
Be honest about your skill level when choosing a pattern fitting book. Don’t jump into a more skilled book when you have just started sewing, as you likely won’t be able to use most of the tips and advice in the book just yet.
As a beginner, a beginner-skilled book can help you learn everything you need to know about pattern fitting, and will be on a level where you can actually understand instructions and tips.
Easy To Understand
It really helps to choose a book that is easy to understand. You don’t want to be stuck in the middle of a pattern having to decode a hard-to-read pattern fitting book.
The instructions should be simple and clear and not overly complicated (especially if you are a beginner). The book should be written for everyday sewers who just need a little help with pattern fitting.
Anything confusing will likely put you off actually using the book.
Clear Pictures
A book with clear pictures is always best! Some of us respond to written instructions, and some of us prefer visual instructions. Having a book with both written and visual instructions is a sure way to help you understand the different skills and tips you need for pattern fitting.
Step-By-Step Instructions
The instructions in the book should be written clearly in a step-by-step format. You don’t want to have to read through paragraph upon paragraph of pattern instructions when they can be summarized into short, logical steps.
Patterns Relevant To You
Choose a pattern fitting book that is relevant for you. Chances are you won’t need a pattern fitting book suited for the runway, instead, you will want something that contains tips and advice for everyday patterns and everyday people.
Look for a pattern fitting book that has techniques relevant to you, covering patterns that you will be making. Having some extra is fine as you can always expand your knowledge later on, but make sure it at least covers the basics of the patterns that you work on most often.
Preferred Format
You may prefer books in Kindle format or paperback, or even spoil yourself with hardcover! Look for your preferred format of a book when choosing a pattern fitting book. You might like working off a Kindle or having a paperback to write down your own notes and highlight important bits that might be more your style.
The 9 Best Pattern Fitting Books
We want to make sure that you choose the pattern fitting book that is perfect for you! So once you have read the above advice on how to choose a pattern fitting book, take a look at our recommendations on the best ones below.
| Rank | Product | Author(s) | Key Features | Where To Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Pattern Fitting With Confidence | Nancy Zieman | Gold standard in sewing, easy to follow | See it on Amazon |
| 2. | The Palmer Pletsch Complete Guide To Fitting | Pati Palmer & Marta Alto | Every body type, tissue-fitting technique | See it on Amazon |
| 3. | The Complete Photo Guide To Perfect Fitting | Sarah Veblen | Different body types, from start to finish | See it on Amazon |
| 4. | The Fitting Book | Gina Renee Dunham | Includes video links, 3-part process | See it on Amazon |
| 5. | Fit For Real People | Pati Palmer & Marta Alto | Tissue-fitting, before-and-after photos of real bodies | See it on Amazon |
| 6. | Pattern Fitting: Beginner + Intermediate Guide | Mae Gallagher | Project suggestions, several techniques | See it on Amazon |
| 7. | Fitting And Pattern Alteration | Elizabeth Liechty, Judith Rasband, Della Pottberg-Steineckert | 88 different figures, easy to follow | See it on Amazon |
| 8. | First Time Garment Fitting | Sarah Veblen | All the essentials, step-by-step | See it on Amazon |
| 9. | The Sewing Book | Alison Smith | Whole-craft reference, step-by-step technique photos | See it on Amazon |
1. Pattern Fitting With Confidence
Pattern Fitting With Confidence is a book that is known as the gold standard in sewing. It is a must-have for sewing at all levels and contains just about everything you need to know about pattern fitting and more.
The pattern fitting approach is easy when following this book, there is no pinching, slashing, tucking, or cutting, it just follows easy pivot-and-side techniques.
This means your pattern fitting will be a painless and stress-free process that leaves you with a garment that fits well and looks great.
The book will help you learn Nancy Zierman’s technique, which you can then go on to use with every garment you sew, to make it fit your size and shape just right. It is one of those invaluable techniques that you just need to know!
Included in the book are multiple fitting charts, as well as a very handy index that will help you find technical information in a short period of time.
2. The Palmer Pletsch Complete Guide To Fitting
The Palmer Pletsch Complete Guide To Fitting: Sew Great Clothes For Every Body is the book to use to fit and alter sewing patterns for every body type. The book was created by two tissue-fitting pioneers, Pati Palmer and Marta Alto.
The book follows the technique of tissue-fitting, where instead of tedious measuring or marking muslin, you instead try on the pattern’s tissue pieces to see where to alter the pattern to create a custom fit.
There is more to this than just throwing the tissue pattern on, and the book will help you systematically learn the tissue-fitting sequence they have developed, and then refined, over decades.
The sequence of the method is reinforced throughout the book as the chapters are ordered in the same sequence, such as starting with length and width, moving onto the neck and shoulders, and then all else that goes into fitting the tissue first.
It is an easy-to-understand book that will give you a great pattern fitting method that you will no doubt use a countless amount of times!
3. The Complete Photo Guide To Perfect Fitting
The Complete Photo Guide To Perfect Fitting is the ultimate reference book to have for fitting test garments and then transferring these accurate adjustments to the real pattern.
This book covers all different shapes and sizes, to help you create garments that look great and fit perfectly.
With this book, you won’t learn the common ways to change a commercial pattern, but instead, you will learn how to make a test garment fit the body, and use those changes on the real pattern.
Using this book, you will learn how to recognize fitting issues, the importance of a fitting axis, how to solve common and uncommon fitting problems, how to transfer fitting changes to your patterns, and so much more.
You will be able to see the fitting process from start to finish on basic garments fitted on real people with the large color photos, helping to illustrate the techniques you will be learning!
4. The Fitting Book
The Fitting Book: Make Sewing Pattern Alterations & Achieve The Perfect Fit You Desire, is a book to use from when you sew your first garment and onwards.
This book helps you to fit the garment to your body and to not just rely on standard sizing of commercial patterns. It will help you adjust the sewing pattern to fit your unique shape.
Using visual sketches and links to videos, you will go through a 3-part fitting process. The first is to identify the fitting issue, next it to pin, cut, and tape the fitting sample, and then lastly correct the sewing pattern.
A whole host of pattern alternations are covered in the book, from full bust adjustments to fitting pants, almost everything is covered.
You will also learn about relevant terminology, abbreviations, pattern tools, and all the different pattern making supplies. It is a great book for beginners to learn from, and will definitely still be handy going forward on your sewing and pattern fitting journey!
5. Fit For Real People: Sew Great Clothes Using Any Pattern
Written by Pati Palmer and Marta Alto, Fit for Real People built its reputation on tissue-fitting: you pin the paper pattern to your body before you ever cut into cloth.
The adjustments are demonstrated on photographs of real bodies rather than idealised figures, so you can find someone shaped the way you are and see exactly what they changed.
Full bust, sway back, sloping shoulders, wide hips and short waist each get a before-and-after, with the pattern pieces shown flat so you can see where the paper has to move.
It is a book you read with a pattern in your hands. The instructions assume you are working along rather than reading it cover to cover.
If your garments fit everywhere except the one place that matters, this is the book that explains why.
6. Pattern Fitting: Beginner + Intermediate Guide
Using this book, you will discover a powerful way to make clothes fit any shape and size.
The book has two parts to it, the first is Pattern Fitting and Alteration for Beginners, and the second is Intermediate Guide to Pattern Fitting and Alterations, each section covering some very useful topics.
The book will help you discover simple techniques and accessories to use for pattern fitting, different ways to pattern fit depending on the garment, a range of different projects to try out, and distinctive alteration techniques. There is also so much more information contained in the book!
You will also be able to save old garments that no longer fit with this book, as it does not just relate to new patterns to sew, so you can get creative with the clothes you have in your cupboard already, which maybe don’t fit like they used to!
7. Fitting And Pattern Alteration
The Fitting and Pattern Alteration is a complete guide on how to recognize, evaluate, and correct a fit for 88 different figure variations. The comprehensive guide presents proven methods of fitting and alteration, as well as style selection.
The authors of the book use a logical and easy-to-follow multi-level approach to fitting, with the clearly identified procedure followed by a full illustration.
All figures are drawn to scale to ensure accuracy and consistency, so you should not go wrong. The book also helps you identify the cause of ill-fitting patterns, and helps you understand why this happens, and how to fix it.
There are photographs of common fit problems and helpful instructions on working with multi-sized patterns too.
8. First Time Garment Fitting: The Absolute Beginners Guide
In this book, you will receive invaluable advice from Sarah Veblen, sewing and design expert, on everything you need for adapting patterns to sew garments that fit you just right.
There are detailed descriptions of essentials and techniques, as well as easy step-by-step instructions that will get you altering just about any garment pattern in the perfect fit.
You will also find some great projects to try that will introduce you to key skills that you will use time and time again, from pattern fitting to actual sewing.
It is a great book for absolute beginners, and to keep as a reference book throughout your sewing projects going forward!
9. The Sewing Book
This last one is not a fitting book alone, and that is exactly why it earns a place here.
Alison Smith’s The Sewing Book runs through the whole craft, from tools and fabric choice to seams, zips, collars and hems, with step-by-step photographs for every technique.
The fitting and alteration sections sit inside that larger reference, so when a fix calls for a technique you have not used before, the instructions are a few pages away instead of in another book.
If you would rather keep one hardback next to the machine than a stack of specialist titles, this is the one to own.
Conclusion
Above are some of the best pattern fitting books on the market. They range from beginner level onward, and will help you learn some amazing techniques and methods to help adjust a pattern to suit your shape and size perfectly!
Keep in mind your skill level and the garments you work with before choosing the book that is best suited for you, to ensure that you get the most out of it!
Related Questions
What are common fitting problems?
Some of the most common fitting problems include blouses and dresses pulling across the chest, necklines not laying flat, seams ripping at the armhole, skirts and dresses riding up, and skinny jeans pulling sideways.
These fitting problems can all be so frustrating, but with some simple pattern altering techniques, they can be fixed!
Are there different pattern fitting techniques?
There are different pattern fitting techniques out there, all with their own benefits. It might take some trial and error before you find the pattern fitting technique that you are most comfortable with, but there are great resources out there to help you learn the different methods.
Certain pattern fitting techniques also work better with different garments, so keep this in mind when looking for a new one!
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