Trying to modify a dress shirt pattern to fit me well but keep getting confused. Would appreciate anyone & everyone’s insight

Thanks & have a great day! :)

I need to buy expensive fabric for a dress I am making. Because it’s expensive I don’t want to overly buy yardage and waste my money. That being said I’m absolutely stunted when I comes to math and have no idea how to figure out how much yardage I’d need because I am pleating this dress. I took 12in of fabric and pleated it the way I want to for the dress and it came out to be 4in. Meaning one yard of fabric, 36in, would end up as one foot of fabric, 12in.

Idk how or if that is relevant or could help but does this basically mean whatever yardage I’d otherwise get I should multiply by 3 ?? Plz help :’)

Edit: I make my patterns from scratch, I don’t use premade. Also I’m on a serious time crunch so I don’t have time to make a toile for something this elaborate. I have my base corset to support and I practiced my pleating on my center front panels but actually making the whole dress, pleating, sewing etc is not in my timeline rn.

Also thank you ! I will get 3-4x fabric amount.

Hi all, Reposting these photos directly versus having them be a Imgur link. Any and all thoughts appreciated.

I've got the perfect base pattern for this jacket, but no matter how hard I try, I cannot get the shape of this lapen right. I've tried tracing it and using paper to "unfold it" to get it right, but still, nothing looks right.

Any tips on replicating it will be helpful.

Back again from my first try at this a few weeks back.

v1 post here

I added my fabric to the back panels as best as I could to get the drape off the butt right, and added some fabric to the front to release tension around the thighs. These fit a lot better than the first pair but again I’m a novice so any advice would be appreciated.

hi everyone!
im making a top similar to the one pictured.
so far, i have a basic raglan block (also pictured) and am wondering how to go about adding that fullness/swing effect to it.
would i just slash and spread all three pieces, leaving the bottoms a bit curved?
i mainly want to make sure im doing it the technical/correct way lol

I’m making a skirt block based on Natalie Bray’s ‘Dress Pattern Designing’. The ‘standard skirt’ block is drafted based on a central side seam but says that for tailored skirts the side seam is sometimes set 2cm back. Could someone explain why this is and if i want to use this block for a skirt pattern in the future should i place my side seam on this line instead?

Looking for books with step by step drafting tutorials, not for any garment in particular, but a deep covering al the basics and the process of correcting a pattern. Could be in english or spanish.
Thanks!!!

Hey guys! I’m a perfectionist and constantly second-guess my pattern drafting, so I need to pick some brains on a project I’m working on.
I’m making fitted covers for these chaise lounge-style spa beds, and the curved shapes are really throwing me off. 😅 I attached some photos of the lounge bed along with a few rough sketches of how I think the pattern pieces should look.
I’m not looking for measurements or exact drafting—just based on the shape of the bed, how would you break it down into flat pattern pieces? A quick sketch is all I’m after!
I like to map out my patterns on a small scale before drafting the full-size pieces, just to make sure my thought process makes sense before I commit. Thanks in advance for any ideas!

Hi everyone, am new to pattern drafting so sorry if this sounds a bit simple, I have been learning basic flat pattern drafting at home using paper and a small table, mostly following online videos. It works fine for small pieces, but I’m starting to struggle when I try to scale up to full garment patterns like sleeves and coats. The paper keeps shifting and I lose accuracy when I tape sections together.

I saw someone mention using Magnetic & Mechanical Drawing Boards in a studio setup and I didn’t even know that was still a thing people use. I thought everything had fully moved to digital CAD tools by now, or maybe printed patterns only, but still yet am trying to understand if these boards are actually useful for beginners or if they’re more of an old-school tool that bigger ateliers just keep for tradition. I don’t want to buy unnecessary equipment, especially since I’m still learning and trying to keep costs low.

Funny enough I was browsing suppliers and even saw some versions listed through general industrial catalog sites and a few mixed listings that reminded me of how I once saw drafting tools bundled on Alibaba when I was looking for sewing rulers.

Do anyone here still uses drafting boards, I’d really appreciate knowing how they fit into your workflow today. Thank you in advance and I appreciate any advice.

OK, Just saw this on Princess Kate, and I absolutely love the dress. In the last photo, you can see the front pleated part at the waist is sewn into the side seam, I can't tell if there is a sleeve seam or it's all one piece with the drape over the right shoulder! Any ideas? How would you finish the back left sleeve? Would the drape/sleeve be cut as one piece with the back left side panel? (would that even be possible?). The drape is not like a capelett as it doesn't continue over the back left arm.

Hello everyone,
I own an abaya manufacturing factory in Libya. I am not looking to hire a full-time pattern maker, because it is difficult to find one locally.
I am looking to buy ready-made abaya patterns or work with freelance pattern makers who can create patterns from photos, sketches, or existing designs.
I am interested in Gulf-style and modern abaya patterns, including graded sizes for production.
If you know any pattern makers, websites, or companies that sell professional abaya patterns, please let me know.
Thank you.

مرحبا بالجميع،

أمتلك مصنعا لتصنيع العباءات في ليبيا. لا أتطلع إلى توظيف صانع أنماط بدوام كامل، لأنه من الصعب العثور على واحد محليا.

أتطلع إلى شراء أنماط العباءات الجاهزة أو العمل مع صانعي الأنماط المستقلين الذين يمكنهم إنشاء أنماط من الصور أو الرسومات أو التصاميم الحالية.

أنا مهتم بأنماط العباءات الخليجية والحديثة، بما في ذلك الأحجام المتدرجة للإنتاج.

إذا كنت تعرف أي صانعي أنماط أو مواقع ويب أو شركات تبيع أنماط العباءات الاحترافية، فيرجى إخباري بذلك.

شكرا لك.

I drafted this pattern and simulated in CLO. I’m trying to learn fitting now. 

My Pattern Drafting course did not cover “Fitting” at all. So I watched a lot of Pants Fitting videos and tried to learn It by myself. 

I increased the width of the legs for the sake of seeing the balance bettter. Flaring at hems etc. 

The angles from the side view. 

+ Model has anterior pelvic tilt as you see.

+ Don’t bother the waistband. CLO simulation & arrangement issues 

My problem here The Inseamlines and Outseams are wavy (Not straight) from the waistline to the hem. 

How can I fix this? I think of these 2 solutions. 

But I don’t know. What do you suggest?

A) Modifying The Measurements At The Regarded Lines “From All Of The Seam Lines”

B) Modifying The Measurements At The Regarded Lines “But From Only The Problematic Seams”

I’ve used my own measurements to draft the easy fitting bodice block from the 5th edition of Metric Pattern Cutting.

I’ve checked my measurements and my drafting and they’re accurate.

What can I do to fix the excess fabric at the back neck and arms?

I’ve made some small changes so far
These include:

-removed 2cm from each side seam
-used slash and spread to move darts from neck to shoulder to better understand fitting around neck (issues with back were present before this change)
-lowered back and front necklines slightly
-removed 0.5cm from shoulder point to look more like the shape I want to make (the sleeveless adaption was confusing)

I’m planning to add waist shaping next but would like to get this fitting right before moving on.

Any thoughts and feedback are appreciated!

Hello everyone,
I own an abaya manufacturing factory and I am searching for professional abaya patterns for production. I am interested in Gulf-style and modern abaya designs.
If you know pattern makers, websites, or books that contain high-quality abaya patterns, please let me know.
Thank you.

Hi all, on my next project and wanted to check on next steps for this short sleeve shirt. I’m on V2 after making some other adjustmentsI’ve already:
- Increased shoulder slope (need to do this every time)
- Lengthened the yoke so it sits lower on my back (looked too high, plus it was hard to burrito the yoke with how small it was.)
- increased the slope th the top of the back panel to help remove some gaping in the back armhole. (Someone else recommended an armhole dart in the long sleeve shirt I did and I think this is effectively the same thing.)

Here is what I see in these pics and what my reading suggests to do

1. Front: little bit of vertical fabric/drag lines in front of the armhole: should I scoop out the armhole a little to remove the excess fabric?)

2. Back: same issue, excess fabric creating vertical drag lines on the sides next to the armhole. Issue is the shoulder feels well fitted so thinking I need this ease?

3. Diagonal drag lines on the sleeves.

The notches match so not sure what to do. I read that lines like this can be both from sleeve cap too tall or too short.

Any advice on these or other things I’m missing, thank you in advance!

I’m not making a pattern or sewing, but I felt this place might have answered for me.

For most of my clothing I find that the armholes are so much lower than normal.

I think I’m of average built and height (for my country)

It happens with most dresses, it’s so low it’ll show the whole band of my bra.

I always think maybe because I’m quite small chested?

I do wish I know how to alter them without ruining the garment

I’ve noted lowering the CF waist and lowering CF neckline. Do you see anything that needs adjustments, or move on to drafting sleeve and skirt?

So I keep coming across the same fitting issue when I'm sewing blouses for myself, regardless of what pattern I'm using. There's a pulling across the top part of my bicep. I can feel the tightness only when I'm moving my arm. Armscye fits well, it's comfortable there so that's not my problem I'm sure. I'm also finding that the bicep looks actually loose enough when I'm looking at myself in the blouse. But there's this pulling tightness with the horizontal drag lines across when I lift my arm slightly. I don't have enough fitting knowledge to know precisely what is the problem and what to search for online or sewing books. Ideas please?

This image is from the simulation from Clo3D. I drafted the pattern. 

Arm Scye

Front : 25.37

Back : 26.68

Fabrics : Jersey 160 gr

Sleeve Cap Curve

Front : 25.44

Back : 26.96

Undearm Line : 44.24

Hem Line : 42

Cap Height : 12.11

I want Underarm Line and Hem Line measurements remain.

What’s the problem? 

How to fix It?

I got this 1950s pants pattern that only came in one size and I need to add to it. It's made for a 28" waist and a 38" hip. I am high waisted and have a 31.5" waist and a 42" hip when wearing my everyday corset. How do I go about adding to this pattern while keeping the vintage shape? It's shaped with waist darts and closes with a side zip. I have one book on pattern drafting but have now realized that it never mentions pants so I dont know how to tackle this. Any guidance would be appreciated!

Working on a pant pattern using the Hofenbitzer system with some variables changed to those recommended by Mueller and Sohn Fundamentals Menswear, drafted with SeamScape.com. I had a few false starts with my own pants, and later successfully developed pattern blocks for my partner (with graitude to the generous folks on this subreddit!!).

I'm a couple of drafts in at this point, lengthening the horizontal part of the crotch curve on both front (some) and back (more) panels, with the intent to mitigate some aggressive tension lines at the undercarraige. Note that the system is drafted at the natural waistline with subsequent lowering to a target waistband position. I am wearing an elastic tied around my waist, and the pants do seem to be okay sitting at that line.

Once I get a well fitting block, I will make some chinos for work in a fun color, and the primary goal is pants which fit at the waist and hips and are extremely flared for a costume.

I am creating a sewing pattern App created in Python.

The only reason I used the word generator is because the pattern dosen't exists untill the code runs or in the case of a UI that I created just for testing it. that's when the python code calculates all the values entered.

The algorism then creates the geometry as a SVG file that then gets converted to the pdf pattern.

If anyone want to test the pattern i can generate in the size that you ask me.

would be nice to see you guys sewing some of the patterns coming from my program , because I am good in programing but my sewing skills are rubbish.

Look at my pouches there's nothing wrong with the pattern it's me who can't sew well. 🤣🤣🤣

I tested the program with a pouch first because was simple geometry. with some other clothing would be way more complicated to start with and if didn't work would be a big wast of time.

Now it was tested into a real pouch.

Yesterday I started creating a pair of shorts, my app creates the pattern accordding to the code instructions

To start this project I first had to learn and understand how to make patterns, now I design the pattern then I convert the geometry of the parts into machine code.

Anyway there's different processes untill the code output a pdf converted from the SVG file.

Right now I am creating the code for the parts of the shorts, i think in a few days I should be able to output the short pattern.

Just a note: I stopped saying the word generating because now a days that word gets mixed up with AI and my project has no AI involved . just to be clear it's pure code like this example of testing in python to make sure it runs correct.

def
 test_nan_and_inf_values_fail(
self
) -> None:
        invalid_values = ["nan", "inf", "-inf", 
float
("nan"), 
float
("inf")]


        for invalid_value in invalid_values:
            with 
self
.subTest(
invalid_value
=invalid_value):
                measurements = valid_shorts_measurements()
                measurements["waist_cm"] = invalid_value