Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have to say, this is one of my favorite sewing books I own, which is saying a lot, since I don't generally enjoy hand sewing. I grew up sewing clothing with a machine, and then took up quilting, and while I enjoy both of those pursuits, I was never interested in hand sewing anything until I read this book, and Natalie Chanin's take on clothing. I love the idea that clothing should flatter, feel comfortable, and be well made so that it lasts. I think the biggest reason I love this book is that the idea behind making a handmade wardrobe resonates with where I am in life right now; creating a wardrobe I love and that fits well means a lot more to me than chasing after the latest style fads. Not only that, but as a mom of 3 little girls, I want them to understand that we are each unique, and our worth is intrinsic, and not based on what we look like; as a result, it makes sense to dress our bodies in a way that flatters and makes us feel good about ourselves, and that celebrates who we are, instead of chasing fashion ideals that aren't realistic. That being said, I was initially disappointed when I popped the cd into my computer, only to discover that the pattern sheets were sized for a copy shop printer, and not my home printer. I have a home computer and printer, and I'm familiar with printing out pdf sewing patterns and taping them together, so I wasn't interested in going to a copy shop, and after playing around with it a little, I discovered how to print out the parts of the pattern individually (on 8 1/2 by 11 sheets of paper). After reading the previous reviews, and seeing people put off by having to print out the patterns via a copy shop, I wanted to weigh in and let you know that you Do Not need a specific tiling program to print off the patterns in 'tiles' to tape together (the book mentions this as an option, but it's not necessary if you have Adobe Reader, a free program that reads pdf. pattern files, which is the file format these patterns are stored as on the cd). Most of us already have Adobe Reader on our computers, and all you have to do is open up the file you want to print (in Adobe), go to: File, Print, and choose 'Poster' as the option for printing out the pattern. It should show you a picture of the layout of the pattern, broken up into tiles (to the right of your choices), and it should have a box that shows the tile scale, which should read 100%. I didn't change any of the measurements, printed it out using the Poster mode (to make it print the pattern out in tiles), and then double-checked the 2-inch square located on the first page of the pattern, and it was perfect! I tried this with the A-line dress pattern, and it worked like a charm. While I realize not everyone is interested in putting together paper patterns, or making a run to the copy shop, I just want to encourage those who don't mind printing patterns out at home that it can be done, and the patterns are well worth the time.