The Magic Pattern Book: Sew 6 Patterns into 36 Different Styles!

778 Pages·2014·32.63 MB·English

by  Barickman

THE MAGIC PATTERN BOOK
Sew 6 Patterns into 36 Different Styles!
Amy Barickman
WORKMAN PUBLISHING • NEW YORK
The Magic Pattern Book is dedicated to Mary Brooks Picken (1886–
1981), whose life’s work was devoted to teaching fashion and
dressmaking to millions of women all across the world. The
exceptional content she published during her long life has provided
the inspiration for this book.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I first want to recognize my mother and her fabulous style and love for sewing.
Her enthusiasm and energy to create have always been key to the success of my
entrepreneurial endeavors. Thanks, Mom!
A commitment to continuing interest and advancement in the art of sewing is
always at the forefront of my work. This is especially true as I look at my
daughter, Emma, and consider all the creative and artistic work she will do in the
future. I hope that what I accomplish today will inspire her and her generation,
as she inspires me.
There are many current designers and sewing teachers who are contributing
to the rebuilding of today’s popular interest in sewing. Nancy Zeiman and Amy
Butler are two such inspiring people.
Thanks, also, to the talented team that made this book a reality:
Sarah Burningham, my agent, whose enthusiasm for the concept inspired me
to take it to the next level and submit our proposal to Workman.
Mary Ann Donze, whose design and sewing talent was indispensable
throughout the creation and production of our fashions, patterns, instructions,
and illustrations. I am forever grateful for your creative contribution.
To other members of my Indygo Junction team who assisted with their
knowledge throughout the production process: Cheryl Pinkman, Mary Meyer,
Nancy Ornce, and Betsy Blodgett.
Megan Nicolay, you were a perfect match as an editor. Your contribution
from fashion to writing has molded and refined The Magic Pattern Book to its
full potential. Thank you, also, Liz Davis and Amanda Hong, for helping to dot
all those i’s and cross all those t’s.
Ellen Silverstein, your styling of the models from head to toe was truly
magical—just the right accents in all the right places. To Lisa Metropolis,
Ellen’s assistant, thank you for your wonderful energy and keen eye. Andrew
McLeod, thank you for capturing those gorgeous images. Anne Kerman, your
orchestration of the photo shoot was nothing short of miraculous. What fun it
was to work with you all!
Thank you to Sarah Smith, who managed to make the text, photos, and
illustrations come together on the page to create a book that is, happily, both
easy on the eyes and easy to use. And to James Williamson, who painstakingly
prepared every pattern piece to perfection—thank you.
And, lastly, thanks to my family and friends for their support and
encouragement through my entrepreneurial journey—it has been quite a ride!
CONTENTS
Introduction: Making Magic
CHAPTER 1 Sewing Basics: How to Make Magic
CHAPTER 2 The Tank Top (Magic Pattern A)
A1. The Alice tank top (REPURPOSED LOOK)
A2. The Avery tank top
A3. The Adelaide tank top
A4. The Alma tank top
A5. The Abigail tank dress
A6. The Anne tank dress
CHAPTER 3 The Skirt (Magic Pattern B)
B1. The Blythe skirt
B2. The Beatrice maxi skirt
B3. The Betsy skirt
B4. The Bridget skirt
B5. The Billie bias skirt
B6. The Bernadette miniskirt (REPURPOSED LOOK)
CHAPTER 4 The Dress (Magic Pattern C)
C1. The Cecelia dress
C2. The Camilla maxi dress
C3. The Charlotte shirt (REPURPOSED LOOK)
C4. The Chloe tank dress
C5. The Catherine shirt
C6. The Candace dress
CHAPTER 5 The Cardigan (Magic Pattern D)
D1. The Diana cardigan
D2. The Delia cropped jacket
D3. The Daisy cardigan (REPURPOSED LOOK)
D4. The Davina long cardigan
D5. The Daphne vest
D6. The Dorothy jacket
CHAPTER 6 The Coat (Magic Pattern E)
E1. The Estelle trench-style coat
E2. The Emma coat
E3. The Eloise wrap coat (REPURPOSED LOOK)
E4. The Edith coat
E5. The Evelyn cape
E6. The Evangeline cropped coat
CHAPTER 7 The Accessory (Magic Pattern F)
F1. The Freddie cap
F2. The Fiona scarf
F3. The Faith beret (REPURPOSED LOOK)
F4. The Frida sun hat
F5. The Farrah tote bag
F6. The Francesca handbag
Appendix: Resources
Index

INTRODUCTION
Making Magic
Welcome to The Magic Pattern Book! If you sew, you’re already familiar with
the concepts of sewing books and patterns, so the question you might be asking
is really, what’s so magical about these? Quite simply, a magic pattern is a single
set of pattern pieces that can be transformed and pieced together in different
ways to yield an impressive array of finished pieces. And, like most magic, it
can actually be explained through simple mathematics: There are 6 patterns
included in this book that represent 6 basic wardrobe elements (tank top, skirt,
dress, cardigan, coat, accessory); from the 6 patterns you can make 6 different
looks each (for example, pocketed A-line skirt, a maxi skirt, pleated skirt, pencil
wrap skirt, bias skirt, and miniskirt) for 36 different designs. Multiply that by the
6 fabric suggestions for each of the 36 designs, and you have 216 possible
different looks—and that’s all before you bring your own hands and your own
creativity to the equation.
Those hands of yours are capable of magic. And though sewing is not at all
akin to waving a magic wand over some fabric (anyone who’s pricked a finger
with a needle or sat hunched over a sewing machine for hours on end, or made
an errant scissor snip through an amazing piece of silk knows this truth), there is
something magical about the process of creating that is rather enchanting despite
—or maybe because of—the amount of effort you put into it.
Although your hands (and mine!) may not be able to channel the creative
genius of the great fashion designers, the power of expression is inherent in us
all. By making your own clothes, you’re not limited when it comes to shapes,
fabrics, or silhouettes. And with just a bit of guidance you’ll be creating your
own one-of-a-kind garments in no time. The Magic Pattern Book will allow you
to design a personal wardrobe that represents who you are. By selecting and then
combining the color and texture of the fabric with the form and line of the
design, you will learn how to implement your sewing skills while improving
your design expertise. These pages are meant to serve as a handbook to refer to
again and again. As fashions evolve, you can continue to turn to this book for
reference and, with just a bit of creative impulse, be able to update the patterns
in small but meaningful ways to stay au courant.
MARY’S MAGIC PATTERN
(and Other Inspirations from the Fairy Godmother of Modern
Sewing)
In 1990, while following my own passion for fashion, textiles, and design, I
founded Indygo Junction, Inc., a pattern company that offers a range of designs
and ideas for sewing enthusiasts. Through the years, I have been encouraged and
inspired by so many of you who share the same passion. I continue to scour the
globe for new resources, but I always return to my inspiration, Mary Brooks
Picken, an extraordinary woman and teacher who founded the Woman’s Institute
of Domestic Arts and Sciences in the early 1900s. Her correspondence school
attracted more than 300,000 students from around the world—women learning
to enrich their lives through dressmaking, millinery, cooking, fashion design,
beauty, and homemaking—and reached thousands more through its newsletters
and other publications, making it the largest school in the history of the United
States for home study of the home arts. Mary became a leading authority on
fashion and dressmaking, and she consulted with brands like Singer and Coats &
Clark to create educational materials, products, and marketing programs. Her
weekly column on sewing was syndicated in 300 newspapers over the course of
two decades. She was a founding member of the Fashion Group, the
international organization for those engaged in all phases of fashion work, as
well as one of the five original directors of the Costume Institute, now part of the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. But perhaps her most
significant achievement, in the context of this book, was penning the popular
feature “Magic Patterns” in the Woman’s Institute’s Inspiration pamphlets and
Fashion Service magazines. Her initial Magic Patterns were patterns you drew or
cut yourself, or cut directly from the fabric using the measurements and
diagrams that were provided in the textbooks. The spirit behind them, of course,
was in the malleability of the design—they could become anything! The patterns
I’ve developed for this book are my ode to Mary Brooks Picken’s original
concept—and though my Magic Patterns have more structure (and they work
like traditional patterns), the spirit is the same: Take what’s given, and add your
own spark to it.