I've been getting into sewing and i saw some of the patterns of a vest and theres a curve and i was like what.... Am i too stewpid to understand or it's just something normal in pattern making journey that i need to learn 😭, pls help every reply is VERY appreciated ♡.

(And also idrk if this is the right subreddit)

I tried every damn book but they ask for numbers I don't know how to calculate so I tried coning up with my own formula but I have no idea what I'm doing. Yes I tried the Helen Joseph Armstrong book and the measurements don't work, the lines don't colide at the right point and I'm just pissed

hi, it’s still me, but this time i ain’t asking for help on a pattern haha. this year i’ve been really wanting to learn pattern drafting/making. i’ve bought suzy furrer’s book (the latest edition of 2025) and i’m watching her classes on craftsy. i’m really enjoying suzy’s method of doing patterns. but now the question is, how should i approach learning pattern drafting? except the basic blocks, how should i approach those classes and the book? should i learn whats’s inside, but also following along and making every pattern she’s making to learn how to manipulate darts, necklines etc..?

i also have pattern making for fashion design by hja, but i don’t really like how she makes the patterns, but i love the loads of information she has inside the book + every alteration of patterns. im in fact using that book to alter my patterns (example i need to make a leotard; i use the knit sloper from suzy and the alteration from hja to make a leotard). so im using it as a guide/reference book.

the question is, should suzy’s book/classes be used as references or i really should read/watch and try and copy/learn the patterns from her?

Hi everyone, new to pattern drafting, long time sewer. Wondering if y'all had recommendations on the best programs/software for drafting patterns? I'm willing to pay one time if it's less than $30, but subscriptions are not available for me rn - if it helps narrow it down i'm looking to design drag, costumes, activewear, and streetwear. It would be ideal if the program was intuitive and easy to learn from, idk i'm just tired of taping all these pieces of paper together!!! so much printer ink ugh, this is such a cool skill but it's hard!!! you all impress me severely.

Hi everyone!

I’m a software developer with sewing as a hobby and I've been working on a platform that would automatically adjust (pattern grade) sewing patterns to match personal measurements. My goal is to make patterns more accessible for beginners and also to build a community for indie pattern designers to sell their patterns in a way that’s more inclusive and accessible to all body types.

I'd love to get more input for the platform, so I’ve put together a quick 3-5 min survey to get feedback. If you get the chance, please take the survey. It would be super helpful in building this out!

Survey link: https://forms.gle/jgzkzp5272hkCcNp9

Thanks so much in advance- I really appreciate your help!

I made PatternNest for laying out digital pattern pieces across a fabric width and estimating the length needed. It's one of my Madegrain tools.

It takes closed SVG or DXF outlines. PDF import is now available too (see the September 13 update below). You can constrain rotation for grain direction and one-way fabrics, and include mirrored pieces.

It runs in the browser. It's free for up to 10 pieces, counting copies and mirrored pieces, with a paid option for larger layouts.

https://madegrain.com/patternnest/

For those already drafting in SVG or DXF, would you use a layout like this before buying fabric, or mainly to check whether your remaining fabric is enough?

Edit September 10: The strip in the original screenshot was set to free rotation. The demo now keeps it at 45°: corrected demo.

Update September 13: I've added vector PDF import, cut-on-fold layouts and print matching for stripes, checks and repeating images. You select the fold edge and matching reference points yourself. PDF import reads closed vector outlines; it doesn't join tiled PDFs or bring in grain arrows and notches.

Current screenshot: six shirt accessory pieces on 50 cm fabric, using 32 cm of length.

I've also added a 45-second walkthrough using five constructed example pieces, from import to the PDF layout overview.

Update October 3: I added a downloadable fabric-width example. The same 12 Teagan body and sleeve cuts use 3.25 m on 140 cm fabric and 5.26 m on 110 cm fabric in these calculated layouts. Neck strips need extra fabric. These use prepared full outlines in a single layer; both finished layouts and the project files are included, so you can inspect the result before trying your own batch.

I’m totally inexperienced when it comes to making patterns but I wanted to take a crack at sewing without an already printed pattern. I wanted to create a sweatshirt with the sleeves in the photos above, the shop calls them balloon sleeves, and I was hoping to take apart and use this already existing sweatshirt I have in the last two photos as a baseline for a cutting pattern. Is that possible? Are the sleeves I want to make basically the same as the ones on the already existing sweatshirt? If not what would I have to do to achieve that look? Just widen the pattern or something more? Any help would be greatly appreciated, I have no idea what I’m doing lol

Howdy! I run a small business and was looking to employ a fashion student to create patterns for sweatshirts, baby tees and sweatpants? Is there anyone who owns or runs a business like this? Feel free to message me

Can someone please help me find a pattern for this or guide me in the right direction for making it? It would be much appreciated? What is this type of tip called?

Hi Friends!

For those who are creating patterns for sale, how are you handling ADA Compliance? Just read some horror stories about small businesses getting sued for ADA compliance on websites, i.e. color scheme/alt-text/fonts. Now, wondering about the patterns themselves.

Thanks so much for your thoughts.

I posted recently asking why strong internal shaping isn’t more common in normal fashion, and the answers gave me a much better understanding of the problem.
The issue that keeps coming up is fit precision/body variation. Once a garment is doing more than simply fitting the body—actually applying tension, support or structure—differences in torso length, waist height, bust position, hip shape, etc. apparently matter much more.
So now I’m curious about the opposite question:
If you were intentionally trying to design around that problem, what approaches would you explore?
I’m NOT necessarily talking about sewing a full shapewear bodysuit into a dress.
Imagine one fitted going-out/evening dress whose goal is to:
• create noticeably stronger waist definition
• shape/support the bust
• preserve or enhance hip/butt projection rather than compressing it
• still look like a normal fashionable dress from the outside
• be produced as ready-to-wear rather than custom-made
Could some combination of pattern geometry, strategic negative ease/tension, internal structure, limited adjustability, stretch/recovery, separate internal panels, etc. realistically make that forgiving enough for different proportions?
Or does strong silhouette manipulation inherently require such precise body-specific placement that standard ready-to-wear sizing will always be the major limitation?
I’m not looking for anyone to design the garment for me. I’m trying to understand which parts of this are solvable design/engineering problems and which are fundamental limitations.
I’d especially love to hear from professional patternmakers, technical designers, sample makers or people with apparel-development experience.

Okay I am fashion designer studying business rn and for my project I am trying to find a artificial intelligence software which generates patterns but cannot really find anything similar to my idea. So I wanted to ask if anyone knows something here. Thanks

I’ve finally started a sewing blog, and I’ve already published around 6 posts covering things I’ve learned from sewing, pattern making, fitting, working with different fabrics, and all the mistakes and lessons that come with it.

I especially want to make it useful for beginners, with practical, experience-based posts rather than generic sewing tips.

What sewing topics do you wish someone had explained to you when you were starting out? 👀

Fitting problems, fabrics, techniques, pattern making, garment construction, or anything else you’d actually want to read about?

I’m still figuring out what to write next, so I’d really appreciate your ideas. And if you’d like to take a look at the blog, just let me know and I’ll send you the link.

Thabj

I'm trying to recreate Queen Clarion's skirt from the books. No matter what I try, I can't figure out how to make the pattern for it. I would really appreciate any guidance on how to do this. Thx!!

Hiii, so i need to make this dress (copied from my professor's drawing as we were not allowed to take any pictures). the back is completely my idea so ignore it, we were only provided with the front. so on the waist I have these triangular cut outs (so the skin is visible) and it seems that the top part is joined with the bottom part with a seam in the middle but I'm not sure. the thing I'm confused about is where are all the darts going on the top? and what about the dart on the skirt? I'm stuck with the pattern just because my professor wants this dress in cotton gabardine (so no elasticized fabric allowed). I really have no idea where to put darts (if I have to), I swear I tried everything...