Clone Your Clothes

Everyone has their go-to items of clothing in the wardrobe that fit them perfectly and look great. This practical guide for home dressmakers explains how to remake these best-loved garments without having to destroy the originals!

Discover how to create a wardrobe full of perfectly fitting garments that can be remade again and again in different fabrics, using accessible techniques to create your own dressmaking patterns. In conventional pattern-making, the original garment is unpicked and taken apart but the non-destructive approach of Clone Your Clones changes everything!

This instructional guide to pattern-making reveals the secrets of remaking without ruining, through a range of techniques, including:

• Direct Measurement: Ideal for simple shapes without too much shaping or detail.

• Tracing: A quick and easy technique suitable for lots of different styles of clothing.

• Over Draping: Perfect for complicated designs like a waterfall frill or a ruched panel, where measuring or tracing would be impossible.

• Combining Techniques: Using a combination of methods to get the best results for your specific garment.

• Adapting Designs: How to adapt your cloned patterns to create new and exciting pieces for your wardrobe.

All of the cloning methods are explained in the Cloning School section, with step-by-step instructions and photography so you can follow along. Each technique is illustrated using an example garment so you can see how it works in practice. From there, the Design School section shows you how to apply these techniques and skills to specific garments - a pair of trousers, a simple dress, a gathered skirt, a shirt and a camisole top.

Author Claire-Louise Hardy, former Sewing Producer on The Great British Sewing Bee, also gives her expert advice on choosing fabrics and which tools to use for the best results. Helpful videos, accessed via QR codes within the book, offer additional support and guidance.