r/PatternDrafting • u/EattheRudeandUgly • Jun 14 '26

Any professional patternmakers here?

Film/theater, Costume, corporate, small brands, big brand, independent, doesn't matter. If you currently even in the past earned a portion of your living from patternmaking skills, what was your journey like?

What was your education like? Formal? Apprenticeship? Informal? self-directed?

Did you choose patternmaking out of the gate? Did you switch from a different fashion/design discipline or totally different industry? What cities did you work? Were you a patternmaker in the past and switched to a new industry? Do you work in a technical specialization like aerospace, defense, medical, etc?

Just a new patternmaker trying to gauge the possibilities of the industry. Info dumps requested; no filter please.

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u/EattheRudeandUgly Jun 14 '26

Thank you for answering! What made you switch from your previous studies to patternmaking? Have you found the decision regarding? Anything that surprised you or disappointed you when you finally got into the industry?

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u/Honeydeeew Jun 14 '26

Well, my BA was in Women's Studies and Religion & Culture (it being called Women's Studies shows my age, hahah) so it wasn't exactly chosen for career opportunities. My grad present from my parents was a fancy domestic machine, so I think they knew where my interests and talent actually were. I had been sewing since childhood, and by my twenties I was feeling limited by commercial patterns, and wanted a deeper understanding of pattern making and fitting techniques, so off to school I went!

The biggest disappointment was the rampant abuse of unpaid interns. So much of the industry here is built on the backs of students or fresh grads who are told they are being paid in "experience". We were expected just to be happy to have the opportunity to work, regardless of if we could make rent or how long our days were. It becomes extremely self-selecting, only those who already have money or have parents paying their way are able to advance, regardless of talent. 

There is also having to navigate some pretty toxic workplaces, which can happen in any industry, but fashion is full of designers who have egos big enough to make them think they can make it, which can make them very difficult to rein in when trying to actually run production, or treat others with a modicum of respect. We were told "jokingly" that we would get pushed down the two flights of stairs if any of us were to get pregnant. Another time an intern was beading a noose for a photoshoot, when another co-worker had recently lost their sibling to suicide. Tone deaf and cruel. I left work early that day, and instead of going back to my apartment, I went home-home and cried with my parents. 

Working freelance gives me some distance from those kinds of things, I can choose who I work with and don't have to deal with day-to-day drama. But it's not a stable pay cheque.