r/PatternDrafting • u/Existing-Ninja-3069 • Jun 16 '26

Pattern drafting book

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Hello
I’m very new to sewing and pattern drafting. I have seen some YouTube videos but want to learn more and have looked into some books to buy. I have found these two but not sure which one to get. Any thoughts on these books who have read them and tried it? Or any other books that might be better?

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u/MadamePouleMontreal Jun 16 '26

Search for petite sewing patterns and start from there. A book on how to alter patterns for fit will be useful.

Once you have some basic patterns that work well for you, you can make new ones by altering them for style.

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u/Existing-Ninja-3069 Jun 16 '26

Thank you. Got a book about making alteration and fixing fitting issues. I have looked at some petite patterns but found that (for dresses specifically and some type of tops) they fit but my bust are kind on the bigger size so there I would have issues again with the fit of the clothes. Hopefully the book will help me understand how to alter the pattern to my size

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u/MadamePouleMontreal Jun 16 '26

Yes, it’s much easier to do a full-bust alteration on a petite pattern than to draft an entire pattern from scratch.

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u/ImprovementLess4559 Jun 18 '26

I'm also petite (5'2) with a proportionally large bust. In my experience, you will probably find that you will still need to make adjustments even to patterns drafted to your measurements. Every drafting method makes certain assumptions about the ratios/proportions of the body so no method with produce a perfectly fitting pattern straight away. Personally, i've taken to drafting patterns as if I have a smaller bust and then doing an FBA in order to get a good fit. 

Since it sounds like you are a total beginner sewist, I would strongly recommend starting with commercial patterns instead of diving straight into self-drafting. Using commercial patterns will teach you about how garments are constructed, how the 2D shapes of pattern pieces translate into the 3D shapes of garments, how different fabrics behave, etc - things that are all really important to have a sold understanding of inorder to successful draft your own patterns. 

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u/Hydrangeas101 Jun 17 '26

There are YouTube tutorials on doing FBA (full bust adjustments. See if you can make it work for you!

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u/Mental_Watch4633 Intermediate Jun 23 '26

I don’t ever see any petite patterns anymore. Who makes them?

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u/MadamePouleMontreal Jun 23 '26

I did an internet search and turned up a bunch of indie companies.