![Fitting muslin dummy](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Fitting_muslin_dummy.jpg)
In
sewing
Sewing is the craft of fastening or attaching objects using stitches made with a sewing needle and thread. Sewing is one of the oldest of the textile arts, arising in the Paleolithic era. Before the invention of spinning yarn or weaving fabr ...
and
fashion design
Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by culture and different trends, and has varied over time and plac ...
, a pattern is the
template
Template may refer to:
Tools
* Die (manufacturing), used to cut or shape material
* Mold, in a molding process
* Stencil, a pattern or overlay used in graphic arts (drawing, painting, etc.) and sewing to replicate letters, shapes or designs
Co ...
from which the parts of a
garment
Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials ...
are traced onto
woven
Woven fabric is any textile formed by weaving. Woven fabrics are often created on a loom, and made of many threads woven on a warp and a weft. Technically, a woven fabric is any fabric made by interlacing two or more threads at right angles to on ...
or
knitted fabric
Knitted fabric is a textile that results from knitting, the process of inter-looping of yarns or inter-meshing of loops. Its properties are distinct from woven fabric in that it is more flexible and can be more readily constructed into smaller pi ...
s before being cut out and assembled. Patterns are usually made of
paper
Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distributed ...
, and are sometimes made of sturdier materials like
paperboard
Paperboard is a thick paper-based material. While there is no rigid differentiation between paper and paperboard, paperboard is generally thicker (usually over 0.30 mm, 0.012 in, or 12 Inch#equivalences, points) than paper and has certain ...
or
cardboard
Cardboard is a generic term for heavy paper-based products. The construction can range from a thick paper known as paperboard to corrugated fiberboard which is made of multiple plies of material. Natural cardboards can range from grey to light b ...
if they need to be more robust to withstand repeated use. The process of making or cutting patterns is sometimes compounded to the one-word Patternmaking, but it can also be written pattern(-)making or pattern cutting.
![Fashion students 2016-15 (25792353403)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Fashion_students_2016-15_%2825792353403%29.jpg)
A sloper pattern (home sewing) or block pattern (industrial production) is a custom-fitted, basic pattern from which patterns for many different styles can be developed. The process of changing the
size
Size in general is the Magnitude (mathematics), magnitude or dimensions of a thing. More specifically, ''geometrical size'' (or ''spatial size'') can refer to linear dimensions (length, width, height, diameter, perimeter), area, or volume ...
of a finished pattern is called grading.
Several companies, like Butterick and Simplicity, specialize in selling pre-graded patterns directly to consumers who will sew the patterns at home. Commercial clothing manufacturers make their own patterns in-house as part of their design and production process, usually employing at least one specialized patternmaker. In
bespoke clothing, slopers and patterns must be developed for each client, while for commercial production, patterns will be made to fit several standard body sizes.
Pattern making
A
patternmaker typically employs one of two methods to create a pattern.
The flat-pattern method is where the entire pattern is drafted on a flat surface from measurements, using rulers, curves and straight-edges. A pattern maker would also use various tools such as a
notcher,
drill
A drill is a tool used for making round holes or driving fasteners. It is fitted with a bit, either a drill or driverchuck. Hand-operated types are dramatically decreasing in popularity and cordless battery-powered ones proliferating due to ...
and
awl to mark the pattern. Usually, flat patterning begins with the creation of a sloper or block pattern, a simple, fitted garment made to the wearer's measurements. For women, this will usually be a
jewel-neck bodice
A bodice () is an article of clothing traditionally for women and girls, covering the torso from the neck to the waist. The term typically refers to a specific type of upper garment common in Europe during the 16th to the 18th century, or to the ...
and narrow
skirt
A skirt is the lower part of a dress or a separate outer garment that covers a person from the waist downwards.
At its simplest, a skirt can be a draped garment made out of a single piece of fabric (such as pareos). However, most skirts are fi ...
, and for men an upper sloper and a
pants
Trousers (British English), slacks, or pants are an item of clothing worn from the waist to anywhere between the knees and the ankles, covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth extending across both legs as in robes, skirts, and dr ...
sloper. The final sloper pattern is usually made of
cardboard
Cardboard is a generic term for heavy paper-based products. The construction can range from a thick paper known as paperboard to corrugated fiberboard which is made of multiple plies of material. Natural cardboards can range from grey to light b ...
or
paperboard
Paperboard is a thick paper-based material. While there is no rigid differentiation between paper and paperboard, paperboard is generally thicker (usually over 0.30 mm, 0.012 in, or 12 Inch#equivalences, points) than paper and has certain ...
, without
seam allowance
Seam allowance (sometimes called inlays) is the area between the fabric edge and the stitching line on two (or more) pieces of material being sewn together. Seam allowances can range from wide to as much as several inches. Commercial patterns for ...
s or style details (thicker paper or cardboard allows repeated tracing and pattern development from the original sloper). Once the shape of the sloper has been refined by making a series of mock-up garments called ''
toile
Toile (French for "canvas") is a textile fabric comparable to fine batiste with a cloth weave. Natural silk or chemical fiber filaments are usually used as materials. The word ''toile'' can refer to the fabric itself or to a test garment sewn ...
s'' (UK) or ''muslins'' (US) or ''Nessel'' in German, the final sloper can be used in turn to create patterns for many styles of garments with varying necklines, sleeves, dart placements, and so on. The flat pattern drafting method is the most commonly used method in menswear; menswear rarely involves draping. You can learn pattern drafting on many fashion design courses either on a short further education course or as part of a Fashion degree at a university.
The draping method involves creating a mock-up pattern made of a strong fabric (
calico
Calico (; in British usage since 1505) is a heavy plain-woven textile made from unbleached, and often not fully processed, cotton. It may also contain unseparated husk parts. The fabric is far coarser than muslin, but less coarse and thick than ...
) in a linen weave. The fabric is far coarser than
muslin
Muslin () is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq, where it was first manufactured.
Muslin of uncommonly delicate handsp ...
, but less coarse and thick than canvas or denim. However, it is still very cheap owing to its unfinished and undyed appearance. Then by pinning this fabric directly on a
form
Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the form is the way something happens.
Form also refers to:
*Form (document), a document (printed or electronic) with spaces in which to write or enter data
...
, the fabric outline and markings will be then transferred onto a paper pattern or using the fabric as the pattern itself. Designers drafting an evening gown or a sculpted dress which uses a lot of fabric, typically cut on the bias, will use the draping technique, as it is very difficult to produce with a flat pattern. This method is also used for collars.
There are different pattern systems such as Müller & Sohn etc., for women's outerwear and underwear, for men's clothing and for children's clothing. Special knit patterns are used for
knitted fabric
Knitted fabric is a textile that results from knitting, the process of inter-looping of yarns or inter-meshing of loops. Its properties are distinct from woven fabric in that it is more flexible and can be more readily constructed into smaller pi ...
s. The model patterns are developed from the basic bodice pattern. Special rulers and the
tracing wheel
A tracing wheel, also known as a pattern wheel, pounce wheel, and dart wheel, is an instrument with multiple teeth on a wheel attached to a handle. The teeth can be either serrated or smooth. It is used to transfer markings from sewing patter ...
are used for this. The paper cuts are transferred to card stock as they need to be sturdier to withstand repeated use. Each manufacturer has their own size ranges. A distinction is made between basic pattern, first pattern and production pattern. Patternmaker grade the first cuts to the desired size with the aid of CAD software (computer-aided design). The production pattern must contain all the information necessary for production and all the necessary parts. The collections are produced in sets of sizes. The customer has the garment altered after purchase if necessary.
Pattern digitizing
After a paper/fabric pattern is completed, very often pattern-makers digitize their patterns for archiving and vendor communication purposes. The previous standard for digitizing was the digitizing tablet. Nowadays, automatic option such as scanner and cameras systems are available.
Fitting patterns
Mass market patterns are made standardized, so store-bought patterns fit most of people well. Experienced dressmakers can adjust standard patterns to better fit any body shape. A sewer may choose a standard size (usually from the wearer's bust measurement) that has been pre-graded on a purchased pattern. They may decide to tailor or adjust a pattern to improve the fit or style for the garment wearer, using French curves, hip curves, and cutting or folding on straight edges. There are alternate methods, either directly on flat pattern pieces from measurements, using a pre-draped personalized sloper or using draping methods on a dress form with inexpensive fabrics like muslin.
Some dress forms are adjustable to match the wearer's unique measurements, and the muslin is fit around the form accordingly. By taking it in or letting it out, a smaller or larger fit can be made from the original pattern
So, a sewer may choose a standard size (usually from the wearer's bust measurement) that has been pre-graded on a purchased pattern. They may decide to tailor or adjust a pattern to improve the fit or style for the garment wearer, using French curves, hip curves, and cutting or folding on straight edges. There are alternate methods, either directly on flat pattern pieces from measurements, using a pre-draped personalized sloper or using draping methods on a dress form with inexpensive inelastic
plain weave
Plain weave (also called tabby weave, linen weave or taffeta weave) is the most basic of three fundamental types of textile weaving, weaves (along with satin weave and twill). It is strong and hard-wearing, and is used for fashion and furnishin ...
d fabrics like
canvas
Canvas is an extremely durable plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, shelters, as a support for oil painting and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handbags ...
.
Creating a sample from canvas is another method of making patterns. Canvas-fabric is inexpensive, not elastic and made from
Urticaceae
The Urticaceae are a family, the nettle family, of flowering plants. The family name comes from the genus ''Urtica''. The Urticaceae include a number of well-known and useful plants, including nettles in the genus ''Urtica'', ramie (''Boehmeri ...
. It is easy to work with when making quick adjustments by pinning the fabric around the wearer or a
dress form
A dress form is a three-dimensional model of the torso used for fitting clothing that is being designed or sewed. When making a piece of clothing, it can be put on the dress form so one can see the fit and drape of the garment as it would appe ...
. The sewer cuts the pieces using the same method that they will use for the actual garment, according to a pattern. The pieces are then fit together and
dart
Dart or DART may refer to:
* Dart, the equipment in the game of darts
Arts, entertainment and media
* Dart (comics), an Image Comics superhero
* Dart, a character from ''G.I. Joe''
* Dart, a ''Thomas & Friends'' railway engine character
* Dar ...
s and other adjustments are made. This provides the sewer with measurements to use as a guideline for marking the patterns and cutting the fabric for the finished garment.
Pattern grading
Pattern grading is the process of shrinking or enlarging a finished pattern to accommodate it to people of different sizes. Grading rules determine how patterns increase or decrease to create different sizes. Fabric type also influences pattern grading standards. The cost of pattern grading is incomplete without considering marker making.
Parametric pattern drafting
Parametric pattern drafting implies using a program algorithm to draft pattern for every individual size from scratch, using size measurements, variables and geometric objects.
Standard pattern symbols
Sewing patterns typically include standard symbols and marks that guide the cutter and/or sewer in cutting and assembling the pieces of the pattern. Patterns may use:
*
Notches, to indicate:
**
Seam allowance
Seam allowance (sometimes called inlays) is the area between the fabric edge and the stitching line on two (or more) pieces of material being sewn together. Seam allowances can range from wide to as much as several inches. Commercial patterns for ...
s. (not all patterns include allowances)
** Centerlines and other lines important to the fit like the waistline, hip, breast, shoulder tip, etc.
** Zipper placement
** Fold point for folded hems and facings
** Matched points, especially for long or curving seams or seams with ease. For example, the Armscye will usually be notched at the point where ease should begin to be added to the sleeve cap. There is usually no ease through the underarm.
*Circular holes, perhaps made by an
awl or circular punch, to indicate:
**A
dart
Dart or DART may refer to:
* Dart, the equipment in the game of darts
Arts, entertainment and media
* Dart (comics), an Image Comics superhero
* Dart, a character from ''G.I. Joe''
* Dart, a ''Thomas & Friends'' railway engine character
* Dar ...
apex
**Corners, as they are stitched, i.e. without seam allowances
**Pocket placement, or the placement of other details like trimming
**Buttonholes and buttons
*A long arrow, drawn on top of the pattern, to indicate:
**
Grainline, or how the pattern should be aligned with the fabric. The arrow is meant to be aligned parallel to the straight grain of the fabric. A long arrow with arrowheads at both ends indicates that either of two orientations is possible. An arrow with one head probably indicates that the fabric has a direction to it which needs to be considered, such as a pattern which should face up when the wearer is standing.
* Double lines indicating where the pattern may be lengthened or shortened for a different fit
* Dot, triangle, or square symbols, to provide "match points" for adjoining pattern pieces, similar to putting puzzle pieces together
Many patterns will also have full outlines for some features, like for a patch pocket, making it easier to visualize how things go together.
Patterns for commercial clothing manufacture
![Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1987-0310-011, Rostock, Zuschnitt per Mikroelektronik](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-1987-0310-011%2C_Rostock%2C_Zuschnitt_per_Mikroelektronik.jpg)
The making of industrial patterns begins with an existing block pattern that most closely resembles the designer's vision.
[Fasanella, Kathleen ''The Entrepreneur's Guide to Sewn Product Manufacturing'', 1998, Apparel Technical Services, ] Patterns are cut of
oak tag
Card stock, also called cover stock and pasteboard, is paper that is thicker and more durable than normal writing and printing paper, but thinner and more flexible than other forms of paperboard.
Card stock is often used for business cards, p ...
(manila folder)
paper
Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distributed ...
, punched with a hole and stored by hanging with a special hook. The pattern is first checked for accuracy, then it is cut out of sample fabrics and the resulting garment is fit-tested. Once the pattern meets the designer's approval, a small production run of selling samples is made and the style is presented to buyers in wholesale markets. If the style has demonstrated sales potential, the pattern is graded for sizes, usually by computer with an apparel industry specific
CAD
Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve co ...
program. Following grading, the pattern must be vetted; the accuracy of each size and the direct comparison in laying
seam lines is done. After these steps have been followed and any errors corrected, the pattern is approved for production. When the manufacturing company is ready to manufacture the style, all of the sizes of each given pattern piece are arranged into a marker, usually by computer. A marker is an arrangement of all of the pattern pieces over the area of the fabric to be cut that minimizes fabric waste while maintaining the desired grainlines. It's sort of like a pattern of patterns from which all pieces will be cut. The marker is then laid on top of the layers of fabric and cut. Commercial markers often include multiple sets of patterns for popular sizes. For example: one set of size Small, two sets of size Medium and one set of size Large. Once the style has been sold and delivered to stores – and if it proves to be quite popular – the pattern of this style will itself become a block, with subsequent generations of patterns developed from it.
[
]
Standard designing and adjusting tools
* Hip curve
* L-Square
* French curve
A French curve is a template usually made from metal, wood or plastic composed of many different segments of the Euler spiral (aka the clothoid curve). It is used in manual drafting and in fashion design to draw smooth curves of varying radii. ...
s
* Pattern notcher
* Dress form
A dress form is a three-dimensional model of the torso used for fitting clothing that is being designed or sewed. When making a piece of clothing, it can be put on the dress form so one can see the fit and drape of the garment as it would appe ...
s
* Slopers - Bodice, skirt, trousers, etc.
Retail patterns
Home sewing patterns are generally printed on tissue paper
Tissue paper or simply tissue is a lightweight paper or, light crêpe paper. Tissue can be made from recycled pulp (paper), paper pulp on a paper machine.
Tissue paper is very versatile, and different kinds of tissue are made to best serve these ...
and sold in packets containing sewing instructions and suggestions for fabric and trim
Trim or TRIM may refer to:
Cutting
* Cutting or trimming small pieces off something to remove them
** Book trimming, a stage of the publishing process
** Pruning, trimming as a form of pruning often used on trees
Decoration
* Trim (sewing), or ...
. They are also available over the Internet as downloadable files. Home sewers can print the patterns at home or take the electronic file to a business that does copying and printing. Many pattern companies distribute sewing patterns as electronic files as an alternative to, or in place of, pre-printed packets, which the home sewer can print at home or take to a local copyshop, as they include large format printing versions. Modern patterns are available in a wide range of prices, sizes, styles, and sewing skill levels, to meet the needs of consumers.
The majority of modern-day home sewing patterns contain multiple sizes in one pattern. Once a pattern is removed from a package, you can either cut the pattern based on the size you will be making or you can preserve the pattern by tracing it. The pattern is traced onto fabric using one of several methods. In one method, tracing paper with transferable ink on one side is placed between the pattern and the fabric. A tracing wheel
A tracing wheel, also known as a pattern wheel, pounce wheel, and dart wheel, is an instrument with multiple teeth on a wheel attached to a handle. The teeth can be either serrated or smooth. It is used to transfer markings from sewing patter ...
is moved over the pattern outlines, transferring the markings onto the fabric with ink that is removable by erasing or washing. In another method, tracing paper is laid directly over a purchased pattern, and the pieces are traced. The pieces are cut, then the tracing paper is pinned and/or basted to the fabric. The fabric can then be cut to match the outlines on the tracing paper. Vintage patterns may come with small holes pre-punched into the pattern paper. These are for creating tailor's tacks, a type of basting where thread is sewn into the fabric in short lengths to serve as a guideline for cutting and assembling fabric pieces.
Besides illustrating the finished garment, pattern envelopes typically include charts for sizing, the number of pieces included in a pattern, and suggested fabrics and necessary sewing notion
Notion or Notions may refer to:
Software
* Notion (music software), a music composition and performance program
* Notion (productivity software), a note-taking and project-management program from Notion Labs Inc.
* Notion (window manager), the s ...
s and supplies.
Ebenezer Butterick
Ebenezer Butterick (29 May 1826 – 31 March 1903) was an American tailor, inventor, manufacturer, and fashion business executive, born in Sterling, Massachusetts.
Life and work
He is regarded as the inventor, together with his wife Ellen Aug ...
invented the commercially produced graded home sewing pattern in 1863 (based on grading systems used by Victorian tailors), originally selling hand-drawn patterns for men's and boys' clothing. In 1866, Butterick added patterns for women's clothing, which remains the heart of the home sewing pattern market today.
Pattern companies
Commercial sewing pattern companies
* Butterick / McCalls
* Burda
* Simplicity
Simplicity is the state or quality of being simple. Something easy to understand or explain seems simple, in contrast to something complicated. Alternatively, as Herbert A. Simon suggests, something is simple or complex depending on the way we ch ...
* Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
Independent (Indie) sewing pattern companies
* By Hand London
* Cashmerette - plus-size patterns
* Closet Case Patterns
* Clothkits
* Colette
* Dress Well Made - curvy, large-bust patterns
* Deer and Doe
* Grainline Studio
* I AM Patterns
* Jalie
* Jennifer Lauren Handmade
* Megan Nielsen
* Named Clothing
* Ottobre design
* Pauline Alice Patterns
* Tilly and the Buttons - beginner patterns
* SBCC Patterns - petite patterns
* Sew Over It - vintage style
* The Avid Seamstress - modern patterns
* Thread Theory - men's patterns
* Timeless Templates
* Umsiko
* Victory Patterns
* Wearologie
* Wiksten
Making clothes with no patterns
* DIY Couture - Book by Rosie Martin
* Freehand Fashion - Book by Chinelo Bally
Gallery
File:Vintage sewing pattern pieces.jpg, Vintage sewing pattern pieces, sold pre-cut
File:Tracing pattern sewing.jpg, Tracing of a pattern
File:Basting pattern markings.jpg, Sewing a tailor's tack with thread to mark a pattern on fabric before cutting the fabric
File:Grading a smaller waistband.jpg, A sewer grades a pattern with red ink, to match measurements tailored to the person who will wear the garment.
See also
* Ease
* French curve
A French curve is a template usually made from metal, wood or plastic composed of many different segments of the Euler spiral (aka the clothoid curve). It is used in manual drafting and in fashion design to draw smooth curves of varying radii. ...
* History of sewing patterns
A sewing pattern is the stencil, template from which the parts of a garment are traced onto woven fabric, woven or knitted fabrics before being cut out and assembled. Patterns are usually made of paper, and are sometimes made of sturdier materials ...
* Sewing
Sewing is the craft of fastening or attaching objects using stitches made with a sewing needle and thread. Sewing is one of the oldest of the textile arts, arising in the Paleolithic era. Before the invention of spinning yarn or weaving fabr ...
* Sewing machine
A sewing machine is a machine used to sew fabric and materials together with thread. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution to decrease the amount of manual sewing work performed in clothing companies. Since the inv ...
* Tailor
A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century.
History
Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...
* Dressmaker
A dressmaker, also known as a seamstress, is a person who makes custom clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and gown, evening gowns. Dressmakers were historically known as mantua (clothing), mantua-makers, and are also known as a mod ...
* Clothing terminology
Clothing terminology comprises the names of individual garments and classes of garments, as well as the specialized vocabularies of
the trades that have designed, manufactured, marketed and sold clothing over hundreds of years.
Clothing term ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pattern (Sewing)
Sizes in clothing
Sewing
History of clothing (Western fashion)
History of fashion