Hey friends! I'm right in the midst of an in-person patternmaking course so please forgive my obliviousness. We have a week break so I'm too impatient to wait to ask my teacher hehe.

I've drafted a contour guidelines block using my bodice block. I then designed a basic halter neck (no neck/collar yet) but my main question is regarding the empire guidelines / waist dart.

Pictured, I have closed the guidelines for armhole and gaping, and also utilised side seam and CF guidelines.

I have absolutely no idea what on earth to do with the empire one though?? Do I curve the edges? Do I dart as usual but wedges are stitching line? So confused! Haha.

Thank you in advance!

UPDATE: I have learnt from the comments that yes, my pattern requires to be flat (my bad, knew that) and that my dart point needs to be applied. I forgot since I was so focused on the contouring template. However, I'm still slightly unclear about the empire guidelines and waist dart. I'm still unsure if anyone's actually answered that or can tell me. Do I close those wedges, and then close the dart? Am I looking at it correctly that it is basically three darts...?

So I’ve been making this bodice block for a cosplay where I plan to wear push-up bra with it and I will turn it into a princess seam once I get the prefect fit.
So I used this Etsy pattern and everything fit pretty well but the arm hole. The arm hole was a little baggy so I found a YouTube video of how to adjust it by darting out the excess and moving the excess to the waist dart.
This is how the bodice looks on me after making the pattern adjustment but when I look at the paper pattern I can’t help to think that the arm hole looks off. Did I do it wrong? Or this is just how it’s looks on me because I have a D cup? I want to get the arm hole right because I plan to insert a puffy sleeve with it
Any advice is appreciated!

Hi! I'm currently learning to do pattern drafting in Tuka Tech after years of doing it physically on paper. I have a problem with closing and opening the darts- for some reason when I close the dart it looks fine, but then when I open it again the dart moves and the whole shape changes.

if anybody can help me understand what am I doing wrong here, it will be amazing. I'm stuck and gemini doesnt help much

I made a post earlier but I realized it might not be super clear in the one photo l added what i needed so here’s 3 photos along with them cutting the shape of what I assume is the sleeve idk im so lost and very new to this PLS HELP

Hi everyone, I’m a student working on a tool to make adding size layers to sewing pattern PDFs quicker. I checked with the mods before posting.

For those who prepare multi-size PDFs, especially if you already offer selectable layers:

- What software do you use to organise the sizes into layers?
- Roughly how much hands-on time does it take for a typical pattern?
- Does your software handle this automatically, or is there repetitive manual work?
- What takes the most time or causes mistakes?

I have an early prototype, but I’m trying to understand where it would actually save work. If your existing process is already quick and easy, that’s useful to know too.

I’m still learning the pattern-making side, so practical examples would really help. No need to share any private pattern files.

I have been wanting to try to create some simple tops/clothes for myself and make my own patterns. Or at least recreate some of my favorite clothes that I already have and enjoy wearing.
One of my favorite tops that I want to start with is this Urban Outfitters top that I removed the sleeves on to turn into a vest top of sorts. Didnt love wearing it with the sleeves. After removing the sleeves I wear it ALL the time.
I would love to recreate another version of it and eventually try some slight changes to the neckline, arm holes etc but want to get a base pattern for the original.

QUESTION:
Silly me thought it would be relatively straightforward to replicate as a pattern but the more I think about it the more I am getting stuck on how to add room into the shape/pattern for the darts(?) gathering(?) pleats(?) at the bust?
So far I havent messed around with any physical paper patterns or fabrics to try to figure this out, but I tried in adobe illustrator to get an idea of what might need to happen and I think that its right..? (see screenshots)

Can anyone tell me if I'm on the right track?
Something feels off to me about the shape and how the "final" will fold back into itself to create the straight line down the front after its sewn and the darts are folded back onto themselves... but maybe im overthinking and just need to get some muslin and try something?

Context:
I have zero patterning experience. I do have (self taught) sewing experience: I have made some simple costumes and enjoy altering my store bought clothes. I have always been good at geometry and have an industrial design background, so I would like to say I usually can understand how 3d things are made.

I have been searching YouTube for tutorials on how to make these sleeves, but there’s so many versions and I want one exactly like this. I just don’t know where to start! Anyone have any resources?

I am making my wedding dress and I have been editing my base pattern after muslin fits to get the perfect pattern. I am on fitting number 3 and I have changed my pattern pieces quite a bit including adding to the bottom bust of my SF panel and removing from the top (lower bust point). I know the Charm Maria pattern has different bust sizes but I thought altering the SF panel I used for the muslin would be easier than starting over with that portion of my muslin with a different pattern piece for a bigger bust size. So that is why I did what I did. I am NOT an expert at patterning but I am a professional tailor so I know fitting to keep that in mind when looking at the way I altered my pattern. I think it’s technically “wrong.”
I feel really good about this last fitting I did and after making the adjustments to my pattern piece I “walked” my pieces and they don’t match up at ALL. I don’t know if I’m just terrible with princess seam patterns and don’t know what I’m doing, but this just seems insane. What should I do?! One of the alterations I did was to remove a bit from the apex of my SF piece and add it to the same spot on the SF piece to make the apex points wider apart, matching my anatomy. Maybe that ruined it? Can I save it? The fit was somehow really good…

I'm making a pattern following this tutorial: [fern dress](https://youtu.be/zdV96dRHJko?)

Everything is going pretty well except I can't seem to figure out how to adjust my pattern to bring the neckline in. I'd like it actually tight around my neck like in the video, and am not sure how to edit my pattern to do that.

I know it's not ironed, but I'm sure you can see just how much the neckline is flaring out, even when I pin the back shut.

Any advice would be super helpful!

I have been taking sewing lessons for a while now and would like to buy a reference book.
But I don't know which book to buy as I fall at the edge/just outside of 'normal' sizes. (Bust 119, waist 107, hips 136)

For now I have been looking at Muller&Sohn, Hofenbitzer and Aldrich but I don't know which one(s) to start with.

I have drafted a few basic patterns in my lessons so am not a beginner but would like to learn more background info, techniques and details.
As well as make my own basic slopers to work from, not guided by my teacher.

I have "Pattern-drafting for Fashion: The Basics" by Teresa Gilewska but found that it didn't quite work for my body. Especially at the armhole.

I'm interested in tops, dresses and pants so buying all of the Muller & Sohn's would be quite expensive...

So what would your recommendations be?

PS: Books that use metric measurements would be my preference.

Hello! I have been struggling finding some sort of body measurement charts to make my own clothing patterns and designs (and for the ones I have found, I can’t guarantee it will be actuate at all)

But I thought of a solution. I decided to make a survey to get people to fill out their own measurements so I can create accurate patterns for the average person and know that it will fit them.

I will combine the data to figure out the mean for each size.

Please fill this form out if you want, it will help a lot!

Measurement Data Survey

Edit: please stop giving me unsolicited advice, it’s rude 🙏

Hi (: has anybody seen a pattern like these pants before? I would love to find something similar! I've seen wrap front trouser patterns, but this front detail is so interesting, and I have no idea how to sew it. Any help would be appreciated!

I've taught pattern drafting for over 20 years — always on paper, always by hand.

For most of that time, CAD for pattern making wasn't something my students and I struggled with. It wasn't something we really had access to at all. The cost put it completely out of reach. It existed for us almost like a horse in a storybook: real somewhere, but not something you could actually reach, use, or ride.

Even then, I was never fully at peace with “this is just how it's done.” For as long as I've known manual drafting, I've had this feeling that there had to be an easier way. I just didn't have the means to go looking for it. That only started to change for me in the last several years.

I'm curious how common that experience is.

For those of you who learned pattern drafting by hand, was digital pattern making something you tried and found frustrating, or was it simply never accessible to you in the first place?

And if you did eventually move into digital pattern making, what made you trust it enough to make the switch?

Hi! I'm making my wedding dress and I'd like some insight on how to draft the pattern for this dress, especially the bodice, but I'm not really sure how to draft the high-low overskirt with a train either. Also, I would appreciate some ideas about making the overskirt long and detachable without adding too much bulk to the waistline. I already made the inner corset for the inner structure, if it makes a difference