 Sewing
for Plus Sizes : Design, Fit, and Construction for Ample Apparel
by Barbara Deckert
Writes Deckert, "The goal of all plus-size design is to emphasize your
positive attributes and modify or distract from those you feel are less
desirable." Deckert is herself a plus-sized woman and a custom clothier
with more than 30 years of sewing experience. Given that most clothing
manufacturers have never learned to design attractive, well-fitting
clothes for women who wear a size 14 or larger, the woman who wants to
achieve style beyond size must sew her own clothes. This book will make
that task less formidable. Illustrated with photos of plus-sized
models, including the author herself, this book emphasizes analyzing
pattern designs based on individual figure proportions and working
effectively with fabric color and texture. Major sections of the book
are devoted to tools for plus-sized sewing (including instructions for
making an inexpensive personal paper-tape dress form), choosing fabric,
taking measurements, "sizing-up" commercial patterns for the plus-sized
figure, and modifying patterns to make clothing more comfortable and
durable. Enthusiastically recommended for all public libraries with
sewing and costuming collections.
From Library Journal.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
 Your Plus-Size Pregnancy: The Ultimate Guide for the Full-Figured Expectant Mom by Brette Sember
This book is endorsed by a medical school and is designed to be a
positive, supportive and informative guide to pregnancy for the curvy
mom. Topics include feeling good about yourself, how much weight to
gain, finding a size-friendly health care provider, finding plus-size
maternity and nursing clothes, vaginal delivery and c-secs for plus
moms and much more. Each chapter includes quotes from real plus-size
moms about their own experiences. For more information, visit http://www.YourPlusSizePregnancy.com. The book is available at all local and online booksellers.
 The Fat Girl's
Guide to Life by Wendy Shanker
"This send-up of the thin-is-in mentality is funny enough to make even
diehard dieters consider replacing their baby carrots with Krispy
Kremes. Shanker, one of Us Weekly's Fashion Police commentators and a
self-proclaimed fat girl, estimates she's spent 16 years trying to lose
weight: "I've met with seven weight loss specialists, worked with three
nutritionists and three personal trainers, tried a dozen weight loss
programs, taken thousands of pills, joined six gyms, read thirty-one
books and spent enough money on weight loss to buy myself an Ivy League
degree." Out of this context, Shanker takes on the media, corporate
America and even the medical establishment, arguing with their belief
that it's impossible to be both fit and fat. "Let's take the focus off
'fat' and put it on health," she lectures. "Let's take the focus off
'skinny' and put it on good common sense. Let's take the focus off body
image and put it on education, women's rights, human rights, the
economy, baseball cards, anything." Although Shanker's opinions on
full-figured fashion and feminist philosophy are entertaining, she's at
her best writing about her stint at Duke Diet and Fitness Center, one
of the country's oldest and most successful weight management centers.
As her optimism about the hardcore Duke University Medical School
program flags, her diary of adventures becomes increasingly irreverent,
refreshing and human. Anyone who has ever tried to lose a pound will
gain confidence and a sense of humor from Shanker's story."
From Publishers Weekly © Reed Business Information, a division
of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
 True
Beauty: Positive Attitudes and Practical Tips from the World's Leading
Plus-Size Model by Emme
"This combination memoir and self-help manual authored by a successful
plus-size model with the assistance of writer Paisner, who collaborated
with Montel Williams on Mountain, Get Out of My Way, is addressed to
women whose larger shapes do not fit the cultural idea of a trim body.
According to Emme, over 60% of American females wear, like herself, a
size 12 or larger, but their self-esteem is constantly eroded by media
images of thin, super-fit women. She details the sad but engaging story
of growing up with a stepfather who constantly badgered her to lose
weight. His insensitivity, combined with the untimely death of her
mother, plunged her into years of obsessive eating behavior that she
overcame by getting involved with crew rowing and building a career.
Emme offers larger women some fairly superficial advice on building
self-esteem and a positive attitude, as well as more useful information
from a model's perspective on improving fitness, posture, makeup and
dress."
From Publishers Weekly © Reed Business Information, a division
of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
|
