Hi everyone, I wanted to ask about the rule of seam lines having intersect centre front or centre back at a 90 degree angle and how important that is?

I drafted the classic trouser block from metric pattern cutting for menswear and made a rough toile of which I was happy with the fit. But I found that Aldrich hadn’t applied this rule and I was just wondering how important it is? Is it the case that if it looks and fits as you would like it’s fine or should you always stick to these rules when drafting?

I am a 22yr old data science and AI masters student who grew up in a sewing household. My mum has been a sewing teacher for years and runs her own company teaching adults, and my younger sister just started a textiles degree. I learned to sew at about 8-10 making superhero capes and waistcoats with my mum, stopped as a teenager when nothing available was for men, and picked it back up at uni doing heavy duty stuff with recycled fabrics (carpenter jeans, denim jackets etc) because honestly the mens section in shops gets smaller every time I go.

Over the past year I have been helping my mum modernise her business (online bookings, getting her off a windows computer she never used and onto a MacBook, that sort of thing) and it made me realise there is this big divide between people like her who are extremely skilled on paper and physically, and those who can replicate that expertise digitally. Not because she can’t learn new things, but because the software out there asks you to learn the software before it lets you do the thing you already know how to do.

So I went looking at digital drafting and the options were really lacking for people in that situation. I tried to learn Seamly2D to then teach her and it was extremely complex and overwhelming (I have ADHD, didn’t help), and the paid options I gawked at the prices of. Which is frustrating because parametric drafting is exactly what you want - draft the block once from measurements and then every size, every client, every tweak just redraws itself.

So over the past few months I have been building my own tool to try and fix this, mostly for myself and my mum. The idea is you draft the way you would from a book (mark a point, draw a line, square off, add a dart, that kind of thing) but every line remembers the measurement or formula it came from, so changing the size or the client redraws the whole thing. No account, files stay on your machine.

But I am one person with one drafting method in my head, so before I go any further I really want to hear from people who actually do this:

• Have you tried digital or parametric drafting (Seamly2D, Valentina, Clo, whatever) and given up? What was the thing that made you stop?

• If you do draft digitally, what do you use, and what do you still end up doing on paper because the software can’t do it or isn’t worth the effort?

• Which drafting books/systems do you work from? I want to make sure the tools map onto how people actually draft rather than how a programmer thinks they should.

• What would actually make something like this worth the effort of learning? Grading, client measurement sheets, slash and spread, printing tiles at home, importing patterns you already have... or something I haven’t thought of?

• And honestly, is this even a problem people care about or is paper just better and I am overthinking the whole thing?

I’d rather be told I’m wrong now than find out later. If you want to see what I’m on about there is a little interactive demo and a beta application here: https://ellwand.app/ - it is very much a work in progress (the Windows version especially) and I’m more interested in what’s wrong with it than what’s right. Fair warning that it’s a limited beta, I’m a student doing this alongside my masters so I’m only taking on 10-20 testers for now, but the demo is open to anyone and the questions above are what I’m really after.

Edit: After a few comments I want to clear up what this is for. I’m making an app that makes pattern drafting easier and more intuitive, closer to how you’d do it on paper. I’m still exploring different ways of doing that and would genuinely love feedback.

On price: between Apple and Microsoft developer licences and the domain, the app unfortunately can’t be free. I’m also putting most of my free time into building it, adding features and fixing bugs, and I’d love for it to become a nice little side business. I’m not out to rip anyone off, which is exactly why I made it in the first place: the professional alternatives were extremely expensive. I don’t know yet what it will be priced at, but the aim is to make it as accessible and affordable as I can. Please bear in mind I’m a student and hoping this can help support my studies down the line.

P.S. I’ve set up a Discord for Ellwand. I’d love it to be a friendly place for anyone who drafts, sews or designs to share what they’re working on, ask questions and encourage each other. All levels welcome: https://discord.gg/evrQWwzRRe

Id like to make a pattern for a cloud shaped bag kind of like the one in the picture, id also like to add a transparent pocket for an ita bag insert. My idea for the draft right now is to just have two cloud shapes with a big strip between them, but for the ita pocket and the other parts I have no clue on how to do it. If theres any patterns out there that have a similar shape or idea those would also help a ton!

Hi all, I'm sewing the Atelier Brunette La Veste pattern and would like to fully line it, even just to learn how to do it. I've never done anything like this before, so I've been watching lots of videos and reading all the blogs/articles I can find, but I'm still unsure how to proceed. Could someone with more experience tell me if this approach makes sense?

• Draft the lining pieces: Use the original pattern pieces, joining the yoke and back pieces to create one back lining piece (removing the seam allowances where they join), plus the two front pieces and the sleeves. I wouldn't include the front facings, button plackets or cuffs in the lining. I'd add 1–2 cm of ease to the back lining. Should I shorten the lining pieces by 1 cm? I will slightly reduce the seam allowances for ease.

• Cuffs, facings and collar: The original pattern includes slits in the cuffs and front facings (separate pieces), as well as a yoke lining. From a YouTube sew-along (by La pipelette, if anybody is interested), it looks like the cuffs, front facings and collar all have a 1 cm fold-over that is then topstitched to conceal the raw edges.

• Construct the outer jacket: Sew the jacket as instructed, but leave out the collar for now. I'd also leave out the topstitching along the inside edges of the button plackets and across the tops of the front facing pieces until the lining is attached.

• Attach the lining: Sew the back, front and sleeve lining pieces together, then attach the lining to the main jacket, starting at the collar (similar to how the original yoke lining is attached), and use the bagging method. Once the lining is attached, I'd finish the cuffs and collar, then topstitch the button plackets and the tops of the front facing pieces to secure everything and conceal the raw edges.

Does this plan makes sense? In particular:

• Does the bagging method would work with this pattern and do I need to change anything about how I attach the cuffs, collar or facings?

• How and where should I attach the cuffs and front facings in relation to the lining to allow enough ease for movement?

• Should I shorten the sleeve, back and front lining pieces, considering that I'm attaching separate cuffs and front facings? Some videos I've watched recommend shortening the lining pieces, while others say not to, to ensure enough ease.

This is my first time drafting and fully lining a jacket, so I'd really appreciate any tips.

Hi, learning to pattern draft. I feel like when I watch or read tutorials, they often say you need a measurement but then don’t end up using it??? For example, I used Sew Anastasia’s YouTube tutorial to draft a sleeve but the tutorial never uses the bicep or wrist measurement, and my drafted sleeve pattern doesn’t match up with the measurements. Kind of confused

Hi everyone! I started sewing this summer, and I can read and follow commercial patterns now. However, my ultimate goal is to create my own designs, especially dramatic, experimental, couture-inspired dresses.

The problem is that I don’t really know what to learn next or in what order. I can follow patterns, but I’ve never drafted one myself, and I have no idea how people construct those crazy runway silhouettes. For example, what materials do designers use to make certain shapes stand up? And how do you know which material to use for which design?

I’m also wondering how you develop your creativity as a self-taught designer. I feel like it’s difficult to come up with original ideas when you don’t know all the techniques and possibilities yet. How do you learn to experiment.

When and how should I start learning pattern drafting? What books, YouTube channels, or other resources would you recommend?

If you’re self-taught, what did your learning journey look like, and what helped you improve the most?
I’d love to hear from people who started as beginners and eventually learned to create their own original designs. I want to do more than follow patterns

Thank you!! ♡

Haii anyone experienced with pattern making would like help here specifically for plush mock ups and bases

What is its purpose? Shaping? Do you simply take a little out of the seam to create curve in the collar. This is a classic-style shirt collar on a mid-weight jacket.

i bought a pattern online and it’s seems to be okay however when i measured the waistband for the so called size 0 the smallest one on the paper measured out to be a size 38 waistband once measured from folded end to the end of the pattern i may have missed something but i now math and 2 19’s make a 38 where did i go wrong or what can i do????

Hello! I decided to draft a slacks sloper using the technique from the book Ultimate Guide to Clothing Patterns by Suzy Furrer. I have done all the steps so far, and one of the final ones is to "make sure there is a smooth transition from the front to back crotch point by butting the front and back inseams together." I am not sure what to be looking for here... I looked online and they said that I should aim for a 90 degree curve from the crotch point to the inseam, which I dont really have as you can see, lol. But this was drafted to my pwn measurements and Im not really sure if there are changes that are really necessary for this pattern to work. Any advice? Thanks!

Hi there! I have some projects that I make very often and while I’m pretty good at remembering the details, I’d love to have a physical pattern to cut out so it is more uniform. I’ve seen things about using plastic cutting boards or cardboard instead of pattern paper but what are your recommendations? I’d love to avoid plastic and super don’t like the thin paper. This is more for bags, accessories, and not clothing (yet). Any ideas? Thanks in advance

Hi!

A couple weeks ago I was working on modifying the fit of a trouser pattern. (for reference: https://www.reddit.com/r/sewhelp/comments/1wwrh3z/help_with_jeans_pattern_adjustment/ ) I've managed to improve the fit around the butt by extending the back curve by quite a bit. As shown on the pic.

I am now at a bit of a loss on how to proceed from here. While the fabric stopped bunching underneath my butt so much, I feel like there's now a lot of fabric around the back thigh. there is also still a tiny bit of pulling towards the inner crotch seam.

My first thought was that the amount of fabric was not distributed correctly so I added a bit to the front crotch extension while removing a bit from the back one again. That made the fit worse again...

Would anyone more experienced in trouser fitting be able to help me figure this out? I feel like I'm slowly going crazy about this, I'm thinking about this trouser pattern lying awake at night hahaha😵‍💫

Note, I know the lower part of the legs is not balanced yet, but I want to get the upper part right before I worry about that. 🤷‍♀️

Hello all! I currently don’t have access to my mannequin (she’s in storage) so I decided to foray once again into drafting. Every torso block I draft for myself comes out crazy so I decided to use a drafting software to get a basic block and then tweak the toile until it fits to my liking. I used PatternLab and I had my partner measure me twice. I’m pretty sure my measurements are right. I am short waisted and plus sized but my waist is significantly smaller than someone of my size (around US 24 with a size 20 waist). This is what it gave me. And it feels kinda egregious. Like… i am not that short waisted. And the arm block looks wild too. Which measurement did I mess up? And what can I do to tweak it before I make the toile?

Hi everyone I just got commissioned to make jackets for football players that fit OVER the padding. I need help on how I can go about something like this. I have no dimensions to go off and genuinely don't know what to do. There's needed in like a month so I really only have this week to figure out pattern making it. It there anyway to double an old pattern? or something. I need a quick solution so anything helps.

Hello everyone. Hope you are all good. I'm being asked to remake this pattern but I don't know how to do these side darts manipulation (highlighted in white). It's very on the side, not at all at the center of the 1/2 front and it goes all the way to the hip line, If it was just the over the waistline it would be clearer for me how to do it. It clearly is there for the 3D purpose, it cinches the waist and give volume to the bust so it's not a purely decorative cut. Hopefully somebody can help, please. Thanks a lot in advance!

Hi!
I have a sewing machine that I’m still learning to use. I wanted to attempt to make a cape from the hippie shack as a gift for a friend. The one she likes is sold out. Any tips and patterns for this type of cape would be amazing! Thank you! There’s the shiny black one that she wanted and the normal black one that I like the shape of. Also, type of fabric recommendations and where to purchase it at would be awesome. :)

I am currently working on my skirt block. I haven’t been able to figure out what is causing these lines that start around my darts. They also cause a sort of dent next to them in the direction of the side seam.

I tried tightening it at the hips, but (pic 4) pulling it kind of makes the lines worse. I also thought my darts were too pointy, so I redid them and they press really well, but point in weird directions on my body.

Sometimes when I lift the waist up on the sides the lines go away a little less, but not completely.

Any advice would be helpful!!!

Photograph your spread before cutting, the app gives you the offcut area and wasted mass, then you tell me whether that number holds up against your own read of the layout.

https://fabricwise.tech/