Dress Shop Software Questions

Haven't tried any of the drafting programs... they don't play well with Linux. But I can tell you that I've fit a lot of bodies with Connie Crawford's hand drafting methods. The first pair I drafted were a disaster (yes, Kay, there is a difference between front and back!), the second was passable, and the rest have been just in need of minor tweaks. Takes me about 45 minutes to draft a basic 4-dart pattern. FWIW.

Kay

Donna Gennick a écrit :

I am very fed up with dress shop.

It worked beautifully when I first had it, but I got carried away and paid for an upgrade to version 6 and then it went crackers!!! Big time, no pattern pieces in the on screen window and nothing printing. I tried the two or three suggestions that were made by the company but no luck. As I was about to get a newer and larger computer I waited a couple of months and installed to the new "pooter. Still no luck I emailed again and followed the suggestions for correcting my problem which was now that I had a very small window so couldn't see what I was creating. My last email to them in Jan of this year is still unanswered despite me sending it again every month to 6 weeks. I expect it doesn't help that I am outside of the USA so am a bit lost in the wilderness.

My mother also has problems with dress shop , she is in the Uk, and on her last upgrade lost all her add ons but can't get them to help her unlock them very frustrating as she had the whole set. Again after one or two suggestions of things to do, communication stopped.

All that said the patterns that I have that I printed before the problems started fit wonderfully but I wouldn't buy it again.

Just my opinion.

Claire in Montréal.FRANCE

I had the beta version of Dress Shop. There was something grotesquely wrong with the sleeve. It looked fine on the screen, but then when printed, the cap came out twice as long as it was supposed to be. I have also used Wild Ginger, again I had a sleeve problem. But it could be corrected, whereas the Dress Shop one could not--it seemed to be a printing problem. That was years ago. I would hope that that problem has been solved.

I've said this before. I had better luck drafting from scratch with AutoCad and AutoSketch, than I did with dressmaking programs. AutoCad is too expensive for the home sewer; AutoSketch in the versions after .

10 changed the way lines were drawn and became much more difficult for a non-math person to use. I've gone back to hand-drafting...

Teri

I also had major problems with the sleeves using pattern software (Pattern Master), and find making tweaks to commercial patterns a much more fruitful use of my time.

Beverly

Kay Lancaster wrote: I've fit a lot of bodies with

That's exactly my problem--there is a difference between front and back, and my difference must be more than Click & Sew anticipates. Dress Shop has you measure back and front separately, that's why I was wondering if it would work better for me.

I looked up Connie Crawford's book on Amazon.com, but it's rather pricey. I'm trying to inter-library loan a copy before I decide to buy, but my local library is having a hard time finding it. Thank you for the suggestion, though. I might try the book, too.

Donna G. Michigan's Upper Peninsula

I've tried tweaking commercial pants patterns for years without success. It takes more than a "tweak" to fit me, I guess. Thank you for your input, though.

Donna G. Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Well, I'm probably not that technically advanced. I'm definitely a non-math person. Thank you for your input, though.

D> I've said this before. I had better luck drafting from scratch with

Thank you for telling about your experience with Dress Shop. I have reservations about dealing with a company that doesn't address your concerns. On the other hand, it's encouraging that the patterns did fit you when the program worked, so I don't know what to think. But I do appreciate your input.

D> I am very fed up with dress shop.