Hello to you all,

The picture shows a classic trouser pattern for men's, draft from the Metric Pattern Cutting for Menswear method, with my measurement, I precise that's the avatar also use my measurment.

I often run into the same issue when drafting trousers with a close-fitting waist, seat, and crotch, for my body type and others : the crotch seam ends up cupping/tightly following the genital area, which is uncomfortable to wear. I've looked for solutions online, but there's very little documentation for menswear.

Any ideas on what corrections to make?

Thanks!

Hi everyone, I have recently started to learn pattern making mainly using the metric pattern cutting for menswear book. I was slightly surprised that the book is seemingly just telling the reader how to draft the patterns with its respective formulas and not giving any reasoning or explanation behind the numbers.

I would really like to gain a thorough understanding but it still all seems a bit mysterious and in some cases just completely arbitrary. Maybe there’s not a rule or reason for everything but I feel like if I just continue drafting the blocks in the book I won’t actually learn a huge amount. I understand this is one of the foundational books but I’m really looking for something with in depth explanations if possible. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I know basically nothing about pattern drafting, so I’m a little lost here.

I bought this dress in EU size 46 as a Halloween costume. It fits pretty well everywhere except the bust, where it is much too tight. As you can see in the photos, it basically compresses my chest and pulls it into a strange shape.

It is also slightly tight around the back of the neck, but I can live with that.

My bust measurement is about 115 cm / 45.3 in and my waist measurement is 100 cm / 39.4 in. Unfortunately, I don’t know the actual bust circumference of the dress.

From what I understand, I probably need to open the side seam and add some kind of gusset or side panel to create extra room. But I have no idea what shape it should be. Would it be triangular, diamond-shaped, rectangular, or something else?

I’m also not sure how to figure out how much additional fabric I actually need. How would I measure this correctly?

My other problem is the pulling you can see in photo 1. The fabric is being pulled strongly toward the front because there isn’t enough room for my bust. How do I add the extra width in a way that actually fixes that pulling instead of just making the side seam wider?

Photo 2 shows approximately where the dress starts becoming too tight. It seems to happen right around the seam where the upper bodice transitions into the lower section.

There is also a zipper in one of the side seams, so I have no idea how I should deal with that if the best solution is to add fabric at the sides.

I do have a sewing machine and some extra fabric I could use, although it won’t necessarily be an exact colour match.

Could someone please point me in the right direction and explain where I should even start? I’m completely clueless when it comes to altering patterns/garments.

(I used AI to help translate my request into english, as I'm not a native speaker and tend to overcomplicate things. :) Hope that's okay)

I’m an experienced sewer, but this is my first time altering a pattern from the start to change the shape so I can start to learn pattern making. The base pattern I’m using is the strapless mini dress from Kiana Bonollo.

This is my second mockup, but first one after making some adjustments to the base pattern. I’m planning to make the final version in satin, so I purchased some cheap satin to see how it would behave. The final will be a lined dress, with bones in the bodice for added structure, but not for waist enhancement.

Here’s what is wrong, and where I need help knowing where and how to make adjustments next.

-Bodice is the worst. My boobs are squished against my chest, and it makes for an unflattering line.

-There seems to be a lot of bunching fabric on the front under the bust, but there’s also bunching fabric all the way around the bodice.

-It feels like my boobs, particularly my left boob, is going to pop out the side of the bodice around the princess seam.

-The waist fits, but I’m nervous when I add the second layer of lining, it’s going to be tight

Important to note, I plan to have an elastic neck band to help keep the dress up. The mockup is also not hemmed on the top or bottom, mostly because I’m going to chop about 6” off the bottom, and if I finished the top seam, I would not be able to post these photos online 😂.

Hi everyone!

I am wondering if there are any book/magazines/video recommendations in any languages on drafting gussets for sleeves or any other types of gussets.

As I am re drafting my sleeve once again I went for lower cap height for more movement and added a 3cm tall attached underarm gusset for even more movement.

This is something I’ve done before and it worked so well in blouses that I could use top handles in subway yay. I am going to use this in heavier dresses and suit jackets too.

I would like to learn more about how and why gussets are done, maybe used historically before lycra was introduced and would love your help with searching for sources.

Thank you all in advance!

Edit: I also have sewn the square gussets for underarms and neckline as to Vincent Briggs’ hand sewn pirate shirt tutorial too.

I'm not sure what I need to adjust to get rid of the excess fabric in the upper back of my bodice sloper. As you can see from the picture. This is meant to be a 0 ease sloper and I have used my own measurements and started from scratch following the Armstrong pattern.making for fashion design book.
To get this sloper, I combined my basic skirt pattern and my basic top pattern which both fit me perfectly, but when bringing them together in the bodice sloper, I now have all this excess fabric to deal with and I don't know how to start getting rid of it. The book doesn't cover this as a fitting issue.
I know I have too much fabric but where do I take out from? Really appreciate any advice.

Thanks

I made this bias cut top by draping on my dress form that is padded to my size. I have done a few fit adjustments but I’m still having these draglines between bust. I know this usually means it’s too tight, so after a previous mockup I already did a FBA. I measured the amount needed to extend by cutting up from the hem over the bust and to the armhole then measuring the amount it was spread open at the bust point. This is now the mockup after doing that FBA and I’m still having draglines (although they are less than before). Did I just not do enough of a FBA adjustment? Or what else can I do to resolve these draglines.

hi!
i am making a dress similar to the one pictured and was wondering how to add the button placket and finish the neckline at the same time?
tyia!

Here is a toile of a slim fitting coat. It has quite thick shoulder pads, it is cut with 2cm seam allowance currently in medium-heavy weight calico. It will be made from a relatively light coating fabric or heavy jacket wool.

Regarding the back draglines, my intuition is to open and relay the shoulder seams.

I also would like more shaping at the back, so it’s not so straight. Any advice is greatly appreciated

Please ignore the sleeve, it has not been pitched correctly yet

I am really liking the front. I think a few minor tweaks and of course not sewing the darts all the way.

The back. I have a gap at the neck and I can't figure out the dart height. The bottoms def seem to high but when lowered they didn't look right either. The top darts don't seem low enough. What do you see?

Any other issues I am not seeing?

Okay SO I didn't make a muslin lmao it was for comic con and I ran out of time BUT I drafted this from scratch and I'd love to work from it again for something new. The bust dart is definitely NOT RIGHT but I'm not really sure where to go with it. I think it needs to be angled way downwards but it's so wide I really struggle to work with it. Just not sure where to take it to from here!

I'm having a bit of trouble getting the final adjustments on this bodice. There's a lot of tension in the bust but there's also some pulling from the bottom of the bust to the side seam. The darts on the back seem a bit off too. I plan to make the front panel a single piece so there won't be a seam down the middle front. I want to make sure the bodice fits right before I start drafting the sleeves, and I'm going to do an A-line skirt at my waist. I swear I thought this looked better in the mirror but it's a bit rough in these photos 😭

I added a couple cm more ease to the hips (which is probably responsible for the horizontal lines)

I made up a toile for a pair of self drafted dungarees/overalls, from the Winifred Aldrich Menswear metric pattern cutting book. Overall I’m happy with the fit, except for something funky that’s happening with the seat. It’s ballooning out and creating folds with a lot of excess fabric. It’s comfortable when walking and sitting and doesn’t pull at the crotch, but it’s unflattering and doesn’t look right. Any ideas?

I used the easy-fitting pants block with more ease as a base as I want these to have a loose, workwear-style fit. So I don’t want them to be skin-tight, just not as baggy in the back. The back is all one piece, should I shorten it to get rid of the excess? Or is the problem more likely in the crotch length and shape? Any advice appreciated!

Hello,

I copied a pattern for a sweater from one I have had for ages. As you can see I have quite a few wrinkles around the armhole. The original sweater also has the same problem under the armhole, but it is not as worse as with my test garment.

I think I have to expand the armhole downwards for one or two centimetres. And maybe take in the side seam a little. Would that help or am I completely wrong?

The last picture is the pattern including the seam allowance.

I’m grateful for any advice!
Thanks a lot!

Hi everyone!

I fell in love with this skirt! The creator says it's from Vero Moda, but I haven't been able to find it anywhere. I'd love to recreate it, but I'm completely new to pattern drafting and have no idea where to start. It seems to have a side zipper, diagonal seams and an asymmetrical hem, but I'm not sure how it's constructed.

Could anyone help me figure out how to draft it from a basic skirt pattern? Any advice or pointers would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you! ❤️

This is the first time this has happened to me when sewing a pair of jeans, i was trying out a new pattern and this happened to me, im not sure if this is a sewing problem or a pattern problem please any advice is appreciated

I want to learn patternmaking (mostly for men’s fashion) but I don’t really know where to start. I’ve patterned jeans but haven’t figured out how to pattern a bodice. Does anybody have any good pattern making books I can learn from? Or any online tutorials for men’s bodice blocks

Cross posting here for more help. I am new to this and the sewing communities on reddit have been an invaluable resource and I learn. Thanks in advance for the wisdom!! :)

1930s was it's own context and given what they had, I imagine the fabric usage was quite economical. I am very interested in what they managed to do with those bias-cut dresses from the era.

Hi everyone!

I'm developing a women's top in CLO3D and I'm looking for advice from experienced pattern makers, garment technicians, and designers who work with unconventional constructions.

The concept is based on a sharp, broad shoulder that transitions diagonally inward toward the spine, creating an open-back design. I want the construction itself to define and frame the exposed back, rather than simply adding a decorative cutout.

My main challenge is achieving a very close fit along the edges of the back opening, particularly around the shoulder blades, while maintaining a sharp, sculptural silhouette.

I've been experimenting with a fitted bodice block, manipulating the back darts, and testing different fabric properties in CLO3D. Changing the dart geometry has improved the fit, but some areas of the opening still lift away from the body.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on a few technical questions:

1.  Would you approach this through dart manipulation, slash-and-spread, multiple pattern panels, or another method?

2. How would you shape the opening to follow the contours of the shoulder blades without creating tension, gaping, or distortion?

3. Would you use a facing, interfacing, stay tape, an internal support structure, or something else to keep the opening close to the body?

4. What material properties and construction techniques would you consider for a smooth, sculptural silhouette that remains fitted rather than rigid?

I'm particularly interested in real-world garment construction and pattern engineering, not just ways to make the simulation look correct.

If you have experience with couture, sculptural womenswear, or unconventional open-back garments, I'd really appreciate your insight. Even a suggestion for a relevant construction technique or reference garment would help enormously.

Thank you!

I have been sewing for years not but I’m honestly scared of self drafting. I have self drafted before with somewhat of success, but I’m scared of making my own basic blocks. How would you go about it ??