This book is for anyone who wants to learn to read, make adjustments, and understand preprinted paper patterns available from retail stores and online stores for garments, home decor, and sewing crafts for the home sewer. The process of reading and understanding a home sewing pattern can be frustrating and confusing without some guidance and tips. This book will steer you on the correct path to understanding. Through reading and applying the lessons you learn from this book you will be able to read the sizing charts on the back of the pattern envelope, and understand fabric and notions needed to create the end product. You will also learn to understand the sewing skill level the pattern was created for, as well as grading lines, cutting symbols, and adjusting symbols. In this volume you will also find instructions and hints to adjust the paper pattern to better fit your shape requirements. All preprinted patterns are designed using standard sizes to fit persons of average shape in their respective sizes. Since not everyone is built the same, you may have a special need in a specific part of your body that would require an adjustment to the preprinted pattern to make the garment fit and look better when completed. Standard body measurement charts for Misses, Women, Men, Juniors, Girls, Boys, Children, Toddlers, and Infants are included in this volume with measurements noted in inches and centimeters.