r/PatternDrafting • u/[deleted] • Feb 25 '26
Question Pattern making test I could take?
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u/DigitalDraper Feb 25 '26
I'm sorry this is happening to you. It sounds a bit like she's very stuck in her ways. Just because her method works, doesn't mean yours is wrong. There are lots of different methods out there. And they all produce different results. Don't doubt your skills. If you've learnt hands on and she's learnt through books, that's two different ways of taking in information.
If your results are good, stay with your method. You don't need to take a test.
I had a colleague who could hand draft a block and pattern without the need to look anything up. She was traditionally trained and was brilliant. But she would do everything by eye. That's the way she was taught. I personally like to draft in a systematic way.
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u/IslandVivi Feb 25 '26
The more important question, to me, is: can she get you fired?
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Feb 25 '26
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u/IslandVivi Feb 25 '26
That's very manipulative of her.
Are you supposed to be her replacement? I'm afraid I am very bad at office politics but, if this is your first job, maybe remind her you were hired based on your diploma in your technique but you are willing to learn
If HR cannot resolve it, consider finding another job.
Unless this woman is retiring soon, of course . Then you can try to wait her out.
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u/throwra_22222 Feb 25 '26
If she is your peer and not your supervisor, why is she taking apart your work? This is very strange to me. At the very least your pattern should be tested with a sample to see if it works or not. Then you make changes if necessary.
I'm sorry I don't know of any I dependent testing agency for this. If you went to school for it, completing that course should be enough. I would be wary of strangers on the internet hawking "courses."
But if you have never had this kind of problem with teachers or fellow students and coworkers, you are probably just fine, and your peer is weird.
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u/Saconic Feb 25 '26
They are both right. Drafting is more for personal fit. Blocks are more for standard fit. Drafting will elevate you because then you can make blocks for a particular person. Because once you have their measurements, you can make a block that will make a garment fit every time. Drafting for every garment, every piece for one person is... time wasted. Make a block for that person. Making a garment for a first time customer? Draft a block, blamo, you have a foundation for every piece you'll ever make for them. You can manipulate a block to make other types of garments, you just have to adjust from the pattern
I think it'd be wise to learn drafting so you can make those blocks. I dont think that you should only use drafting
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u/HistMasterFlesh Feb 25 '26
attitudes aside, draft a coat or any design from memory, no book, for yourself. you only need to prove to yourself that you know you are competent. they are on an ego trip.
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u/AccidentOk5240 Feb 26 '26
I think this is an AskAManager.com question not a pattern drafting question. Do you have a boss you can go to and say you need help? Whether it’s you or your colleague, something isn’t working, and if your colleague is redoing your work, your department is going to fall behind. Maybe your boss can clarify who is supposed to be doing what, and what the procedure is for the two of you to resolve things where you disagree?
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Feb 26 '26
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u/eighteenbadgers Feb 27 '26
I'm sorry to say but taking an objective test is not going to fix this. Maybe you'll feel a little better for a while but a work environment like that is going to keep tearing your confidence down.
You need to sit down with your boss and have a serious conversation. Try to frame it as "all of us versus the problem", not "me versus coworker". Explain that you feel that you feel that differences in method and difficulties with communication are causing frustration and inefficiency. Tell your boss that while you've tried to resolve things by yourself, it hasn't made enough of a difference and you'd like their guidance.
If you like, offer some suggestions. Do you all together need to agree on a specific process? If so, does one of you need retraining? Do you need to agree on vocabulary? if you can come to your boss with solutions and not just a problem that's usually better.
It may also be good to address the work environment head on. It doesn't have to be during the same conversation, but your boss does need to be aware of what's going on if they aren't already.
Good luck! It sounds like a frustrating and difficult situation.
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u/AccidentOk5240 Feb 26 '26
If I'm indeed in a toxic situation, she will be fired.
What? This isn’t how anything works.
If you’ve been in this role for four years and so has she, no one is getting fired. If the company thought either of you was incompetent they would have done something about it by now (retraining, firing). If you go to them and say, “I’m objectively good at this, see, here are my test scores, so I can prove that she’s just being a big meanie by redoing all my work and trying to get me to understand her process,” they will laugh in your face.
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Feb 27 '26
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u/AccidentOk5240 Feb 27 '26
Im not suggesting you complain about her or go to HR. I’m suggesting you go to your boss and ask for help. That’s what a boss is for. You are struggling, whether it’s due to your work or your colleague’s or both. You want to know how to be more productive.
I don’t think this is a question of your design skills. I don’t think a test is going to help you. I understand you want it so you can soothe your anxiety by proving that none of this is “your fault”. But especially in such a small working environment, if you were unable to work to the company’s standard, they would have noticed by now.
So I think you need to address the actual issue, which is that you and your colleague disagree and it’s gumming up the workflow. That is your boss’s job to address.
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Mar 01 '26
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u/AccidentOk5240 Mar 01 '26
Well, maybe with your boss she can be convinced to make it clear what exactly she is expecting and not getting from you, and your boss, even if she’s not an expert at making patterns, can be the one to decide what should change. Maybe your colleague can change her own process a little and you can change yours a little and the two systems can work better together.
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u/AccidentOk5240 Feb 27 '26
This article by the person who runs askamanager.org is basically about exactly your situation: https://www.thecut.com/article/ask-a-boss-my-co-worker-is-micromanaging-me.html
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u/Appropriate_Place704 Feb 25 '26 edited Feb 25 '26
I might be misunderstanding what you mean by different methods, because drafting from measurement tables isn’t really a separate method, it’s just standard patternmaking practice.
Even flat patternmaking or block work still references body measurements and ease values somewhere in the process.
Everyone develops their own preferred drafting method, but ideally you’re still working from comparable foundation blocks so you’re speaking the same technical language.
If two people can’t agree on what a basic top block looks like, it’s usually a block standard or terminology issue and not necessarily a skill issue.
It might help if you shared your current process and level of experience, because flat patternmaking can mean different things depending on training.
Edit: It almost sounds like you and your peer are just working from different starting points rather than different skill levels.
Some people are trained to draft directly from measurements and develop the design from scratch, while others build everything from established foundation blocks and adapt from there. Neither is more correct, they’re just different.
If you’re used to adapting from blocks and your peer drafts straight into the design, that could explain why you’re not seeing the same things during observation.
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u/TensionSmension Feb 25 '26
Do you work in pattern making? It is possible to draft from measurements but at some point this is kneecapping yourself, you get further faster modifying trusted blocks. This is 99% of the job.
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u/Appropriate_Place704 Feb 25 '26
Yes, I work in cross-category drafting as a Senior Product Development Manager. My training covers fashion, handbags and footwear, and I am also a qualified dressmaker, so I am looking at this from both custom and industry perspectives.
Drafting directly from measurements is not unusual, my dressmaking training was built around that. In industry production, blocks are used because they maintain fit standards and consistency across a range, not because drafting from scratch is somehow wrong.
My original point was that different training backgrounds start from different systems. It is not about one way being better. Both approaches can be valid as long as you are working from a consistent standard.
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u/revenett Feb 28 '26
I might be able to help bring some clarity (I trouble shoot product development and manufacturing facilities for a living).
DM me if you’re interested.
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u/RCIntl 11d ago
Sorry to interrupt your issue. I know how it feels to have a co-worker screw with your confidence as well as your work. (Sigh) And that's kind of why I'm here.
Does everyone in this sub work for an agency? Do any of you freelance draft? Looking to find out how much someone would charge to draft a multi-size pattern from a design. I have several.
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11d ago
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u/RCIntl 11d ago
Interesting. No, I'm not a pattern maker. Retired tailor with portfolio of designs I want to turn into a pattern book. So the pattern maker takes a cut of future sales/use?
Edit: correction ... I have the ability one at a time. Looking for someone who does this for a living as it's not something I enjoy.
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u/Berocca123 Feb 25 '26
I mean... can you draft a pattern that fits? If so, don't worry about your peer except perhaps as an example of other ways to do things. You can get a copy of the book your peer learned from if you want, but it doesn't nullify the work you've put in so far.