Pattern Magic 2 Paperback – February 16, 2011

I purchased the first volume of Pattern Magic, and liked the approach the author takes to revising a sloper into an innovative geometric clothing design. I could draft a sloper but didn't know how to use the sloper to create a fashion design pattern until reading Pattern Magic. (A sloper is a basic fitted clothing pattern used as a basis for fitting fashion patterns.) This book filled a gap for me. By the way, Pattern Magic is translated from Japanese, so the format may be different from other sewing books you have read.I bought Pattern Magic 2 because I found the first volume so helpful. The approach is the same in both books; taking a sloper with darts taped closed, planning the geometric design for the garment and marking the design lines on the sloper, cutting the sloper so that it lies flat (this creates darts/pleats), and drafting the fashion pattern on a fresh sheet of paper by tracing around the resulting cut sloper.The last few pages of the book includes some small-scale slopers which can be copied or traced if you want to practice with paper on a small scale (the first volume also includes these mini-slopers).This book illustrates different geometric and pleated shapes for clothing/fashion design. The designs are a basis for helping the reader understand how to adapt a 2-dimentional sloper into a 3-dimensional clothing design. This is a book for advanced learning on how to create your own original designs for patterns that fit; it is not a book of ready-to-stitch patterns, instead it is a book of examples of how to transform slopers into patterns. The examples shown are detailed and illustrated.Overall, this is a helpful book for a clothing designer or advanced or professional dressmaker who wants to go beyond slopers. There are good beginner books on drafting slopers, so if you have not drafted a sloper, check out a more basic book detailing how to draft a sloper. The clothing designs shown in the first volume are different from those shown in this volume. I do not have a preference between these two volumes, but I particularly liked the pleating designs which are detailed in Pattern Magic 2.

Intrigued by the reviews on sewing blogs and here at amazon, I bought the book. when it arrived by post I could not wait to start browsing. I've read the reviews posted here beforehand, so I was looking for hidden flaws. Somehow it tainted my pleasure. Book is like nothing you've seen before. Disregard the remarks on how unwearable the items presented in it are or how skilled you have to be to actually sew them. Any hobby schneiderin with 3-4 years of Burda patterns experience can do it. Anyway, the aim of any serious crafting and clothes making aficionado should be to master the modelling and start making his/her own ideas a reality, not just copy gimmicks from shop window trips and be stuck in shortcuts to great fitting clothes. I don't believe this book was ever intended to be a sewing manual or a pattern book, so it does not matter the instructions are not to detailed. It's art!, presented in a way to satisfy our curiosity "how did they do it". worth every penny and a great book to browse in bed before going to sleep, looks good on coffee table, great conversation piece, but most of all this is the closest look of haute couture modelling you'll ever come across.Highly recommended!

Well written beautiful 😍

I just received mine yesterday and I have to say this book is perfect, I ordered all three, two have arrived and I'm waiting on the third next week. What I love most about this book is the detailed technical explanation of how to developer the patterns. As an architect I really appreciate the construction drawings. Though for people who are not conversant with technical drawing it may serve as a challenge but even then it's pretty basic and straight forward. I love these books and I am going to post this same review on the other two. I'm very happy with this purchase. Let me add here that I'm happy with amazon that I can get these books, I live in Nigeria, so acquiring books like these locally is not easy

Great book!

Similar and just as inspiring as its predecesorLove this book as it is very inspiring. Ive read reviews where people stated that nothing was "wearable" but I feel thats besides the point. This is the type of book you buy when you want help thinking outside the box. If you have some pattern drafting skills you can also replicate the works in the book nicely too. I like it a lot and only took away a star rating because the actual patterns arent included (Like in books such as Drape Drape)

This is the most inspiring pattern book I have ever seen. The patterns are so unique, it gives a totally new perspective on what clothing design can be. I love it. As a designer, I use it for inspiration when I get stuck in a rut-- it always reminds me to broaden my scope of thinking. The actual patterns are advanced, for experienced fashion designers, but regardless of your expertise level you will love this book.

This book was fun to recreate the patterns and incorporate within my own side projects. Highly recommend for the skilled sewing and design gurus.