What Are The Steps To Follow While Making Your Own Patterns?

By Author: Meriline Hodge
Total Articles: 5
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Pattern making is an entertaining activity for anyone who likes to design their clothes, but the process is daunting if you are not able to know how to make a pattern. Pattern making can be done by using a pen, pencil and paper, or it can be done with clothes pattern making software. In this article, you will get knowledge on pattern making for the beginners, and it will help the sewers to know better about the process of pattern making.

Is Pattern Making Is Hard?
Honestly, pattern making is hard for some people as it is a technical skill. It is not too difficult if you know the process and learns the skills; you can excel in pattern making. Whether you are doing pattern making manually or with the help of software, you have to either be comfortable with the numbers, in hand or with the help of calculator as patterns include mathematics.

What Are The Methods Of Pattern Making You Should Know?
There are various methods of making patterns, they are-

Pattern drafting with ...
... measurements
Clone existing clothes from the closet by tracing them
Deconstructing readymade clothes
Developing block or commercial sewing patterns
Draping on the stand

What Do You Understand By 2D Pattern Making?
It is also called flat pattern making, so anyone can choose this technique without using dress form or any draping. When you take a basic block and then develop it to the pattern; you make the 2D patterns.

What Do You Understand By Working Pattern?
The working pattern is used to make the clothes. There are four stages to make patterns- line drawing, development pattern, production patterns and working patterns.

Line Drawing: it is the simple line drawing of any garment. It is the starting point for any creative pattern maker when he or she is developing a pattern. Here, in this process, the pattern maker will use the line drawing to decide what block to begin.
Working Pattern: it is the pattern, which stays intact so that you can refer it back again. You have to include lines, transfers, goddesses, flaring, etc.
Development Pattern: it is the final version of the working pattern, and you can trace this off for creating the final pattern for making the garments.
Production Pattern: The pattern includes seam allowance, and it is ready for final production.

The production pattern that you are creating as a part of the pattern making should include the parts like-

Grain lines
Notches
Design name
Balance points
CF and CB info
Size
Number of pieces to be cut
Design Code

What Do You Understand By Creative Pattern Designing?
It is developing draped patterns and flat patterns creatively. Rather than choosing stepwise instructions, the pattern maker will experiment with the flat pattern cutting and draping to create unique patterns.

Hence, you know how pattern making is so important and the points that should be kept in mind while designing the patterns.

Meriline Hodge is a reputed author and she writes various articles on pattern making and apparel designing. She suggests using clothes pattern making software to get the best results.