BOOK CLUB: Metric Pattern Cutting - Winifred Aldrich

Welcome to our second Secret Sewing Club Book Group!  This is the exclusive sewing book club for our lovely Secret Sewing Club members. 

Every month we will put a post in the Secret Sewing Club Facebook Group with details of our chosen book of the month and a link to this blog. Club members can then post their own comments in the Facebook group and there we will have our very own sewing book club!

To find out more about joining the Secret Sewing Club click here

For this month's discussion we have a brilliant book that was first published in 1976.  It has gone on to be updated and reprinted many times and is currently in print in version number six!

Our December 2023 Book Club choice is - Metric Pattern Cutting by Winifred Aldrich.

The original title of this book was Metric Pattern Cutting, and this has evolved into Metric Pattern Cutting for Women's Wear in later editions. Winifred Aldrich has also written books on Metric Pattern Cutting for Menswear and Metric Pattern Cutting for Children's Wear and Baby Wear, which are just as comprehensive.  All three of these books can be purchased new, whilst older versions are readily available through online second hand booksellers such as eBay, Amazon Marketplace, World of Books and AbeBooks, to name a few of the ones I've used in the past.

In our awesome community the Secret Sewing Club, you automatically get access to masterclasses on “Top Tips for a Champion Fit” “Intro to Draping on the Stand” and “Top tips for Pattern Hacking”. You can find out more and join here. here

My edition of this book is from 1980 and covers women's wear, so the review details in this blog post will relate specifically to that edition. However the principles for drafting pattern blocks and pattern cutting remain the same and therefore this review will be pertinent to any later editions. 

Metric Pattern Cutting by Winifred Aldrich is a book that many many pattern drafters and professional sewists will have learnt from and would recommend. It takes you through the process of pattern drafting step by step, with sections on the tools and equipment required, explaining the purpose of a pattern block and how this is adapted for individual sizing, and also includes a comprehensive section on pattern adaptation for different styles and features. 

The pictures below show the contents page and break down of the first two chapters in my edition. 

As you will see the book covers blocks for a full garment range ​for women's wear. It also includes guidance and diagrams for how to take a comprehensive set of individual body measurements to enable you to draft your own block to your size. 

Helpfully there is a section on fitting toiles included that also considers some more common fit issues that may be encountered. The section 'From Block to Pattern' is useful in explaining the differences between a Block Pattern, Working Pattern and the Final Pattern and includes instructions for following this process including adding seam allowances and pattern markings.  

Chapters on adapting individual blocks provide lots of style options and features that you can use to achieve the look you want from your personal block. The photos below of the chapter on sleeves show how comprehensive these are:

So whilst my edition of this month's book club book may be rather old, and the diagrams and text somewhat dated, the processes and principles of the book remain sound. In our view at Stitch Social, this is a comprehensive yet reasonably easy to follow book for those both new to pattern drafting and cutting, and a valuable resource to those who may have some knowledge but want to obtain a better fit and adapt pattern styles. Let us know what you think.

Happy reading and pattern drafting! 😊

The book club discussion about this book takes place within the membership group of the Secret Sewing Club. The SSC Book Club is just one part of this comprehensive and super fun membership community. It includes access to ALL of the Stitch Social Academy Courses, 2 open Q+ A's a month, a monthly Club Sewcial, Book Club and much more! 

​We would love you to join us in our super friendly, inclusive, supportive and fun sewing club 😊