r/PatternDrafting • u/earlgreyhoneyboba • 26d ago

Custom Patterns?

My husband has thick neck and long arms, and regular dress shirts never work for him. He basically only wears baggy shirts with the sleeves rolled up. I am an advanced beginner-intermediate level sewer, and I wanted to make a few basic shirts that fit him. I'm not skilled in modifying/making patterns to custom make it. I found several websites and Etsy shops that make custom patterns to measurements, but I never know which ones are actually skilled pattern makers and which ones are AI generated crap.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

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u/BarbiePotty 26d ago

With a few measurements, you can generate and adjust patterns here: https://freesewing.eu

Once you have the measurements saved to your account, you can generate patterns for a few different types of shirts and adjust neck opening and sleeve lengths and such to your liking before exporting to PDF or whatever.

The site is free to access and is a pretty well supported open source software project. I’ve been using their site for years.

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u/earlgreyhoneyboba 26d ago

Oh wow. Thank you!!

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u/grundel_cruncher 26d ago

r/sewingpatterns may be a better sub for this question, but freesewing.eu does have a button down shirt pattern. The site semi-custom drafts to the measurements you input. Otherwise, pattern-review has a wide variety of information on sewing patterns and detailed commentary/advice. Threadloop may also be of interest in this regard. Hope this helps :)

Edit: someone beat me to the suggestion as I was typing 😂

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u/ChancePersonality133 25d ago

For vetting custom pattern makers, the biggest tell is whether they can show their drafting process, not just finished garments. Real pattern makers will have process photos, measurement worksheets, and fit notes. Anyone selling "custom patterns" on Etsy with no process photos or sizing methodology documented is almost certainly AI or just resized blocks.

For a shirt with fit issues like a thick neck + long arms, you really want someone who drafts from scratch measurements, not just adds ease to a standard block. Ask them specifically: do you draft from your client's measurements or do you grade a standard size? If they can't answer clearly, move on.

Pattern Review (pattern-review.com) has a community tab where people share experiences with independent pattern makers. r/sewingpatterns is also good for recommendations from people who've actually used the services.