Barickman - The magic pattern book: sew 6 patterns into 36 different styles!

Amy Barickman

Workman Publishing New York

Copyright 2014 by Amy Barickman

Illustrations by Mary Ann Donze

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproducedmechanically, electronically, or by any other means, including photocopyingwithout written permission of the publisher. Published simultaneously in Canada by Thomas Allen & Son Limited.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN 978-0-7611-7162-1

Design by Sarah Smith

Photography by Andrew McLeod

Wardrobe Styling by Ellen Silverstein
Assistant Styling by Lisa Metropolis

Jewelry provided by Lee Angel and Supplements NY

Dritz sewing supplies provided by Prym Consumer USA (dritz.com)

Much appreciation to our models: Ashley Brown, Anelisa Durham, Lauren Nolting, Cheryl Soell, Kara Vedder, Sarah Voigt, Nikolai Janka, and Mabel Rothman

Special thanks to the following neighbors for graciously sharing their locations as backdrops: Angelica Flowers and Events (angelicaflowersandevents.com), Sweetery NYC (sweeterynyc.com), and Sweet Revenge (sweetrevengenyc.com)

Additional photography: fotolia: bottom left Coprid

Melissa Lucier: top left, middle and right

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The Magic Pattern Book is dedicated to Mary Brooks Picken (18861981), whose lifes 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.

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 todays 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 is and cross all those ts.

Ellen Silverstein, your styling of the models from head to toe was truly magicaljust the right accents in all the right places. To Lisa Metropolis, Ellens 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 perfectionthank you.

And, lastly, thanks to my family and friends for their support and encouragement through my entrepreneurial journeyit has been quite a ride!

Welcome to The Magic Pattern Book! If you sew, youre already familiar with the concepts of sewing books and patterns, so the question you might be asking is really, whats 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 looksand thats 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 whos 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 despiteor maybe because ofthe 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, youre not limited when it comes to shapes, fabrics, or silhouettes. And with just a bit of guidance youll 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.

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 Womans Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences in the early 1900s. Her correspondence school attracted more than 300,000 students from around the worldwomen learning to enrich their lives through dressmaking, millinery, cooking, fashion design, beauty, and homemakingand 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 Womans Institutes