Hi Sewingandsewing
May I suggest if you have time tonight to look up Sure-fit Designs website and have a look at how they bundle their products, this will give you some idea of what is available and often they 'bundle' items together at a special price.
There is a basic dress kit, a basic shirt kit, a basic pants/ trousers kit and in with the basic pattern sheet which you use to create your own ‘ Body Blueprint’ you need the Designing Stylus, the tracing vellum, and within the kit that you buy comes cardboard templates for darts, another template to use when creating the armhole on larger sizes, a very clear instruction book with diagrams and of course you also have access to the Sure-fit video library on their website.
I bought my Sure-fit kit/kits from the USA a few years ago, and yes it was expensive so was the postage, but the lady Judith Johnson is UK based so has everything you need over here which must be a tremendous saving, also I had a hefty UK Customs charge as well.
There are follow on books, i.e. Bodices that Mix ‘n’ Multiply Beyond Bodice Basics, Pants that mix ‘n’ Multiply, Sew Sensational Shirts.
So although these extra books are useful they are not necessarily needed when you first start out, they are just showing you how you take ‘Your Personal Body Blueprint’ and create different styles.
There are also plentiful DVDs on how to do everything, some come as standard, others are part of the ‘bundle’
Glenda Sparling the person and owner of Surefit Designs is very clear in the way she shows you how to do things, and of course makes it look so very easy. Glenda is a very slim person, so anything looks good on her, whereas I am the complete opposite.
Whilst I have exchanged e-mails with Judith here in the UK I haven’t met her, but I did order some of the tracing vellum when it was on special offer last September.
There are also some pattern leaflets available, and these can be downloaded and printed here at home, there is a small charge for some of the leaflets.
You will find that Judith is likely to be demonstrating how to create the ‘body blueprint’ on a wall or board and easel, but we at home would do this on a table.
I did spend quite a lot of time watching all I could about this system before I bought it, Glenda describes everything she is doing very clearly and of course is easy to follow.
With Judith being the Rep. here in the UK you do not have to go ordering a huge amount at any one time, just get what you think you need to get you started and then once you have mastered this and have a garment to show for your efforts that fits you and you are comfortable in it, then go exploring some of the other kits and books, without going and looking at the website I do not know the UK prices, but I would think they would be a lot cheaper than buying from the USA plus the postage and then UK Customs charges.
By having a look at the Sure-fit Website before you go, have a look at the USA site, and then the UK site and see what differences there are, I am presuming that Judith will be doing what the Americans call 'Combos' i.e. bundling items together but I am not sure.
If I can help any more please come back to me. Have fun tomorrow, hope you are inspired to create.