Making Trousers for Men & Women: A Multimedia Sewing Workshop by David Page Coffin

La profusión de detalles. Impecable. Explicaciones detalladísimas. Una gran compra

Eine eingehende Anleitung zum Schneidern von Hosen. Man hat den Eindruck, daß man zwar Hinweise für den Hobby-Schneider/die Hobby-Schneiderin bekommt, aber auch Anleitung für Arbeiten auf professionellem Niveau. Das ist in deutschsprachigen Bücher leider selten, so daß ich bei vorhandenen Englischkenntnissen dieses Buch sehr empfehlen kann!

An excellent book to add to my collection. It has numerous techniques explained in easy-to-follow pictures and language. I couldn't wait to try some of the techniques and have already referred to it numerous times while making the latest pair of pants. It is one of the best sewing books that I have bought for explaining how to make pants.

Making TROUSERS for Men and Women by David Page Coffin Hitherto, my purpose was served by books providing a general overview of stitchcraft. This 8.5" x 10" title, covered by light card folded, devotes 140 pp to the single subject of tailoring trousers, including a CD of videos and more info on the author's WEB page. Changing from one extreme to the other is as shocking as replacing a 90 degree wide-angle lens with a macro. The two views sees how particular details function in the whole. Although most of each page is filled with numerous detail photographs and drawings, the eight point, sans serif type packs an encyclopedic load of information in the text columns. The figure sketches depict models in human proportions as simply as possible while providing realistic presentations of the apparel. Compared to the gorgeous arabesques of other fashion illustrators, Maite Lafuente's sketches look positively primitive, yet they are the consummation of representational art to my sensibilities. Like the watercolours of the late Tony Olney. That is just me. The author claims mere amateur competence in tailoring. He is, however, a quondam editor of THREADS magazine, and conducts workshops in the craft on both sides of the Atlantic. His modesty bespeaks standards few attain, and he is obviously a professional wordsmith. All instruction is given with an assumption that the student has acquired some context. Without context, directions seemingly simple and self-evident are doomed to misunderstanding with appalling results. The only way I know to acquire the requisite context, avoiding the costs of trials and errors, is to copy models under the tutelage of a master. While packing factual information as densely as a textbook, Coffin's style is conversational more than didactic, laden with technical know-how, know-why, and personal reflections acquired over a lifetime of experience. Reading Coffin recalls the years of my apprenticeship in another craft, attending the wisdom of my master. I read this book for pleasure of the author's personality. But that is just me. If you do not include this book in your craft library, you must find another like it. TP

An excellent guide to making trousers. Well illustrated with drawings and photos and fully up to the standard of his earlier book on making shirts. I would recommend this as an ideal starting point if you have never made trousers before. I used his You-Tube video on making a sloper (basic undetailed pattern) from an existing well-fitting pair of trousers then backdated it to make some early 19th century small-fall trousers. This back to basics starting point worked exceptionally well for me. Now I have the basic shape I can modify and adjust to various styles as I need to in the future. That has been worth the price of the book alone in my opinion. Buy it and enjoy your trouser making!