Fashion & Costume Design in Quarter Scale

McCunn, Don: - Don McCunn first became interested in patterns when he studied costume design and the history of costume at the University of Texas in Austin. As a result of this initial interest he wrote the book "How to Make Sewing Patterns." This book was first published in 1973 and has been continuously in print since then. He has taught bespoke pattern design in academia, private classes, and online for over 50 years.The popularity of "How to Make Sewing Patterns" and questions he has had from women in his classes about how to create patterns specifically for bras led him to do extensive R&D for over a dozen years then write "How to Make Custom-Fit Bras & Lingerie" which came out in 2017. Both "How to Make Sewing Patterns" and "How to Make Custom-Fit Bras & Lingerie" focus on custom-fit bespoke patterns for specific individuals. His research for his books and online classes resulted in him personally fitting over four dozen models. His interest in how these body shapes vary resulted in his saying "Body shapes are like DNA. They may look the same, but there will always be differences." Realizing from his R&D with different models that he had a rich collection of patterns that show these differences, he wrote "Fashion & Costume Design in Quarter Scale." This book illustrates the vital differences between custom-fit bespoke patterns and ready-to-wear by comparing the shapes of the models he has worked with to a commercial dress form used in the fashion industry. While much of Don's work has focused on fashion, he has never lost his passion for creating theater costumes for various productions. He is particularly intrigued by designs that are a challenge and appear to be next to impossible to create.