Pattern design for beginners

Have you been adjusting and altering your patterns to the point where they are now something new? Do you have visions in your head of the perfect garment and think you might be able to create a pattern for it? How would you even begin such a project? Well, I have been doing just this and have gotten to the point where I am now dabbling in pattern design.  I have nothing to share at this point, but here are some of the resources I have been using. Now, of course, you could go to fashion design school and learn all of this but since there is not one near me, I embarked on my online learning experience.

1. Pattern design books. 

• Metric Pattern Cutting for Children's Wear and Babywear is, apparently, one of the standard textbooks one must have if pattern design is in your future. This is the fourth edition of this book and it is available on Amazon both new and used.  I found this book to be very helpful in understanding how measurements work together with design.  It does refer only to metric measurement, so that may take some getting used to if you don't use Euro patterns.  This book is not easy to use for the beginner, I won't kid you. But, it is invaluable.  The author, Winnifred Aldrich, also makes versions for menswear and women's wear. 
• How to use, adapt, and design sewing patterns is another good book to read.  I got it from our local library but then decided to also buy it on Amazon. It has chapters on altering commercial patterns, designing your own patterns, great information on techniques and tools, and, most importantly, a huge assortment of pattern blocks for you to use.  What are pattern blocks? Read on!
• Some other books to consider are: Patternmaking for a perfect fit by Steffani Lincecum, The complete photo guide to perfect fitting by Sarah Veblen, How to make sewing patterns by Donald McCunn, and Sewing Couture Techniques by Claire Shaeffer. These, and more, are for sale on Amazon and may also be in your local library.  I also found some great vintage pattern design books at local used book stores.

2.  Pattern design blogs

• The Fashion Incubator is a great place to start looking online for information on pattern design.  Kathleen Fasanella not only runs the blog but also writes books, runs a forum and has other products, services and resources about fashion and pattern design. I do not belong to her forum, so I cannot comment on it.  I do find her posts about pattern design to be very helpful, such as this one on "how to check the accuracy of graded patterns."
• Carla Crim, from The Scientific Seamstress, who makes awesome patterns, wrote a three part series on making epatterns for Sew, Mama, Sew. They are a beginning look at what it takes to design a pattern.
• Burda has some resources for pattern design, such as this list of tools you need. You are only as good as your tools, so definitely plan on getting at least a few new ones.  I have to say that my new set of French curves makes me very happy.
• You definitely do not need a lot of fancy tools to just begin to make a pattern for yourself or your family. Look at what Katy did at Sweet Verbena. Google around and you will find more!

3.  Software  - as far as I know, there is not software for the home user that will do all the work of pattern design for you. You can, however, use these illustration software products to draw your own.

• Inkscape is free. Don't ask me how to use it. I couldn't figure it out.
• Adobe Illustrator is not free, but you can probably find a class at a local community college to help you learn how to use it. That is what I am currently doing!  

4. The last thing you need is some lovely friends who can answer dumb questions. If your friends don't know pattern design, you can join me in the journey! I would be happy to try to answer our questions or find someone who can.

Here's a sneak peak of what I am up to!

Thanks for reading!

 PS If you made it this far, I will tell you what a block is for!  A basic block is a drafted pattern that has been perfected to fit the body precisely.  After it is tested, it becomes the base for other patterns. You can take that basic block and use it to build other patterns. Like, if you have a basic bodice block, you can add different sleeves, sash, skirt types, etc, and build more patterns on that bodice block. This is not to be confused with sloper.  A sloper is a pattern without seam allowance. Fashion incubator explains it better.  

Keeping it real

Have you ever noticed that bloggers tend only to share pictures of their home when it looks it's best?  I don't doubt for one second that those pics do not show the reality. Creative people tend to not make time to keep things clean.  They are too busy being creative!  So, in what does my home look like on a daily basis, when I am deeply involved with a project? Here's a tour:

My daughter's desk is where I usually do some of my sewing. Hm, how am I going to get anything done on that?  I have three choices.  Organize it neatly, toss it into a box for her, ignore it and find somewhere else to work. Hm....decisions.

I have three cats.  They hang out with me while I sew, create, draw, read, play on the computer, or just hang out in the family room/craft room.  This one wants some butter.  I am not going to show you the family room. It is currently piled high with fabric at one end and legos at the other. There is a couch, a drum set, and three cats in the middle.

 

We take our shoes off when we come in.  We need a shoe rack! LOL

I framed some of my daughter's art but have not hung it up yet. Books are supposed to be in those baskets, under the mantle, but people don't follow my program around here!!!

 

I inherited my grandmother's lovely mahogany dining room set but my kids prefer to use the buffet as a landing pad for all their stuff. That wee box in front? That is hubby's flies (for fly fishing). Why are they there?  The neck brace is for me. I have had vertigo off and on and need it when I am dizzy, to keep from turning my neck to the left.  My girls are 5 and 9 so I thought it was time to take the electrical outlet covers off. They don't need child proofing anymore. But what to do with them, other than stash them on the buffet? 

 

 

I love my youngest daughter's room, which I lovingly decorated for her a couple of years ago.  I ordered those flowers from Etsy, custom designed by me, and painted them myself.  And then she stuck her art on the walls and is now using a boot box as additional doll bedding.  So much for decorating!  Oh well, it is cute.  

 

This is a closeup photo of my kitchen floor, which is white vinyl. Who puts white vinyl flooring in a kitchen?  Well, the retired folks who used to own our house. They had no pets or kids so I guess they did not mind it.  But, as you can see, it needs a good scrubbing and there are constantly black hairballs floating around.  My husband says it is functional enough and doesn't need replacing. We need a new fridge first.  Sigh.

Here is the owner of the fur that falls off and becomes hair balls.  Boon is an American labradoodle, which just means fancy mutt. He sheds.

 

He likes to back talk to me!  He is complaining right now.  He wants to go for a walk.  

 

And what is keeping me occupied so much that I am ignoring all of the above?  Why thank you for asking! I am designing my own patterns.  I am very excited about it. There is one piece above. That is part of a top. I am also designing a dress and a bag.  

I will keep you posted on their progress!!

 

New patterns, new school, new year!

Back from vacation and now it is time to think about the next school year!  Yes, school has  been out for three weeks but it is time to start sewing for next year. My soon-to-be kindergartner is going to have a lot of mama-made clothes to wear and my soon-to-be fourth grader will have some, so I need to plan.  

In preparation, I have ordered some lovely fabrics!  

From my lovely friend Melissa's shop, Treasure Bay, on Etsy, I ordered a bunch of pin dots to use as blenders with other fun fabrics I have bought from her in the past. Aren't these fun!  These will mostly be for the kindergartner.

From Fabric.com, I ordered some Valori Wells Karavan knits. These look gorgeous and will be lovely tops for my 9 year old.  These are a knit jersey with 4% spandex, so I have high hopes they will make nice comfy clothing. 

I next chose some 21 Wale cord from Robert Kaufman. This is a great, light-weight cord, perfect for dresses and tops.  

 Lovely stuff,  huh?   I really do love sewing with these cords, they are easy to use and drape perfectly for girl's wear.

And, finally, a big hunk of Laguna Stretch Cotton Jersey Knit in Navy. 

I think this is all going to make a pretty wardrobe for my girls! Now, what to do with it?

Making your own patterns series!

Welcome to my new summer blog series, making your own patterns and extending the ones you have to fit larger sizes.  It is so simple to make your own basic patterns and extend the ones you have that I feel compelled to share.  I think this will be a lot of fun.  

I got the idea for this series by reading this book.  

Design-It-Yourself Clothes
Patternmaking Simplified

By Cal Patch

 Such a great book!  I love it so much I may have to buy it.  (I have it from the library at the moment.)  It offers great tips and advice and technical details about how to make your own patterns and design your own clothing. It is all simple clothing, to be sure, but still pretty darn cool and perfect for where I live, the Pacific Northwest.

So, starting tomorrow, I am going to show you how to alter your existing children's patterns and create your own patterns for yourself and your children.  This should be fun!

First up, taking a peasant dress pattern for baby girls thru size 8 and enlarging it to fit a size 10 or 12 girl and customizing it to her measurements. 

 

Creativity and Hope Cove. New Robyn Pandolph for RJR

I love Robyn Pandolph's fabrics. Sometimes, they are fun. Sometimes, they are sweet.  This new RJR Fabric collection, Hope Cove, is very sweet and feminine.  It reminds me a lot of an older line of Robyn's, Flirt.  This particular line has really spurred on my creativity tonite. You see, my whole family goes to bed by 8pm and I am the lone night owl, along with the cats.  Even the dog goes to sleep by 8pm!  Since my sewing would disturb my sleeping husband, I use the nighttime to catch up on television online (no cable here) and I let my creative juices go wild.  I do not have photoshop so what I like to do is use tape and paper and glue and make paper doll dresses!  I have always enjoyed this.  

Here is an example of what I might do with this Hope Cove line, if I get any.  I am picturing a flutter-sleeved, twirly, three-tier dress with covered buttons down the front and an elastic waist.  
Hey, it is in my imagination, so I can do anything I want!

So, what else do I do at night.  Well, I have a very large computer screen, which I love, love, love, love!   Lookie what I can do!  I can watch Hulu on one side of the screen and surf Facebook on the other! What a dork am I!  Right now, I am watching a preview of Smash and blogging. 

The cats are ignoring me so my amigurumi collection is my only companionship.  They sit on the scanner/printer, next to the computer.  They make me happy.  They are from All About Kendra, on Etsy.  I love Etsy!!  Aren't they cute? My girls don't like them so they became mine.

So, now I am thinking about this cute peasant top pattern in the new Ottobre,  and how cute it would be do make one out of Hope Cove!  Off to print some more......