Five Essential Pattern Making Skills for Garment Makers

If you had a chance to watch last week’s video, you’ll know that this week I’m going to cover some of the most essential pattern making skills you’ll need when working with existing commercial patterns or designing your own patterns. The skills I highlight today will, without a doubt, give you better results with fitting your garment and simplify your sewing. Follow through with these tips and you’ll finally achieve the professional results you’re looking for. Watch the video to get all the details.

Resources Mentioned in this Video:

#1 Taking Pattern Measurements

The Perfect Fit Guide a free downloadable fitting guide that walks you through a seven step fitting process.

The First Fitting Session: How to Prepare: This video features a demonstration of how to measure a sewing pattern to prepare for the fitting process. (Free downloadable resources included!)

Four Things that will Get You to a Better Fit Faster: This video cover the four pattern measurements that will help you choose your pattern size and determine your initial pattern adjustments.

How Patterns Work: This video demonstrates what I talked about in the above video.

#2 Walking Your Pattern

Take a Walk: This video demonstrates how to walk a sleeve on the armhole of a princess seam garment. 

 #3 Dart Manipulation

Two Essential Skills for Pattern Manipulation: This video demonstrates the slash and spread and pivotal transfer method of rotating darts-truly two essential skills.

How to Create and Balance a Flared Skirt : This video demonstrate how to transform dart volume into flare.

Belle Blouse Full Bust Adjustment: A step by step tutorial for a full bust adjustment on a bodice with gathers and pleats instead of a bust dart. 

Kimono Tee Small Bust Adjustment:  A step by step tutorial for a small bust adjustment on a bodice with gathers instead of a bust dart.

#4 Truing Darts

 How to True Darts and Manage Dart Volume: This video demonstrates how to true your darts and what to do if your dart volume is very large. (There's a quick tutorial on how to create a double dart included!)

#5 Blending Seam Lines

How to Adjust for Neckline Balance: This video explains how to blend a broken seam line after a fitting adjustment to the neckline. There are many more fitting tutorials that demonstrate the process of blending, use this Quick Tips tag to find a tutorial your curious about.

I hope you enjoyed that and find all of these links useful in some way. If you've got a pattern making skill you feel is essential, share it in the comments below, you might just spark a fellow sewist to jump in and try it.

All My Best,
Alexandra