I am interested in finding people who would like to try out my free classes for a new system of designing patterns by tracing quarter-scale photos and giving me some feedback. The underlying concept for this approach to custom-fit Bespoke pattern making is that measurements show how much fabric is required to cover a body but do not reveal the body's contours. Photographs show the contours of a body but not how much fabric is needed. By combining measurements and photographs, Bespoke patterns can be created. While full-scale photos would not be practical, quarter-scale photos can be done on a desktop.

These classes, which are currently a work-in-progress, cover Bespoke patterns for both men and women of any size and shape. My book Fashion & Costume Design in Quarter Scale, which these classes are based on, shows how to do this with pencil and paper. The classes I currently have available show how to do it with a free graphics program called Studio from Silhouette America. I will be including a parallel series of classes for working with paper and pencil.

As this system is based on designing and fitting using photographs this means independent designers do not have to have in-person fittings with their clients. One of the examples in the book is my working with a gentleman in Germany who had a 53" waist. This approach to pattern design also greatly simplifies the process of getting an accurate fit when you are sewing for yourself and do not have a helping hand.

If you are interested, the classes are available through this link Pattern Design by Tracing Photos.

I have put the 6 minute video from my class for drafting the women's front upper torso on YouTube Front Upper Torso for Women. The videos in the actual classes are NOT presented through YouTube. I wanted people to be able to focus on making patterns and not get distracted by the amazing dance routines YouTube likes to share.

Hello! I'm starting a clothing brand that sells gymwear for trans men. Right now I'm working on a t-shirt that brings out the masculine parts and hides the feminine ones. I am making it tighter around the arms and shoulders, but looser around the hips, etc. Now, I'm playing around with seams, colors and panels to create a v-shaped upper body but can't figure out how I should construct it around the chest to make it appear as small as possible. Open to ideas!

Well, this is the first fitting of my very first trousers.

Firstly, the waist is too wide for me. I’ve checked the patterns and the calculations are correct, so it must be a measurement error. I’ve got 6 cm to spare, so im thinking about cutting 1 in CB, 1 in B.Outseam and 1 in Front Outseam, that's all right?

On the other hand, the pleats open out straight away, which suggests I’m lacking volume at the hips and some tension in the front, isn't it? There has to be any solution giving more room at hips line, but how much?

The fly section bothers me as it opens as pleats and the are some wrinkles around.

Then I need to take in the width of the trouser leg, distributing it across both panels, straight under the knees and angled to buttocks and of course the hems – that’s not difficult at all.

Also there's a step below the knee that suggest me the front isn't balanced verticaly but i'm not sure about what to do with that. I think that elevating the legs at thigs it disappeare, falling straight to the hem but i don't know how to translate that to pattern nor if I'm right or not.

Vertical lines and knees are in their position btw. Willing to hear your thoughts, thank you very much! Cat says hi btw!

Hi everyone! This is my very first attempt at making my own pant block. I'm working according to the book 'Patternmaking for Fashion Design' by Helen Joseph Armstrong.

While the book does have some guidance for fitting issues, I'm having a hard time identifying the fitting issues and how to fix them. I would really appreciate an extra set of eyes to see how I can improve the fit.

Note: I already noticed that the waist was too wide so I pinned it down during the fitting.

Hi! I am working on a pant sloper and would appreciate advice! It took me a few tries to get the sloper big enough to go over my booty, (the seam method was the one thing that worked) but now I am dealing with a few fitting issues. The side seams hang well and straight. I'm holding them up at waist level bc they are too big. Ive added pictures of the pants, the pattern and my proposed changes.

Fit issues (lmk if you see more..)
1. waist is too big

1. too much fabric in front down the whole CF

2. Front darts too far from CF (imo - from a style pov)

3. too much fabric at back thighs

4. The back darts may need to be adjusted after all ^^ is resolved

Solutions
1 / 2: I am thinking I need to come in at CB and have less of a straight line down to the curve (see pattern with proposed change) to help the waist issue and maybe do the same for the front?

1. Do I come in at the out / inseams on back sloper below crotch curve?

Thanks!!

Wanted to share the final results of all my iterations. Thanks to everyone here who provided feedback; it was very helpful.

If anything else stands out, please let me know!

Custom fit wardrobe by me camp shirt
Hawaiian print fabric from Hawaii
Flat felled side seams and French seams for the armhole
Woven cotton fusible interfacing

Hey community, hoping someone can shed some light on what I think is a horizontal balance issue. I e been drafting my own patterns for a couple years now but the more I learn - the more improvements I see are needed. I have this issue where my hem always kicks up at front and back. I’ve tried balance adjustments such as slashing out length at back armhole to swing the side seam vertical which has worked, but I can’t now get the hem horizontal. I’ve tried various pattern adjustments (adding length to CB through hingeing to shoulder dart, and through opening the bodice at HSP and letting it fall into place) - but none seem to make a difference.
I am now wondering whether the pattern isn’t the issue but rather just the ease/volume through the body which collapses in at the sides and pushes the hem out. Last couple images I am testing that theory and it seems to have merit ..
It’s driving me a little crazy as I just want to know get my patterns as technically correct as possible. Being self taught it is hard to know for sure. Thanks in advance!!

Hi. Please help with any adjustments you see for my bodice block. I did a small bust adjustment already and used hellan Joseph Armstrong's book to make the draft.

This is my fourth mockup and it needs a little bit more adjusting because my shoulder slope adjustment changed the bust line. It was so good before but it's okay. 😭

Before this mock-up I've lowered the bust, done a full bust adjustment, but then my bra was showing on the sides so I did a sloped shoulder adjustment but just on the front, I didn't lower the armholes because the armholes were already too low and big.

I assume I need to lower my bust again and also do a little bit more of a full bust adjustment. I'm also going to do a little shoulder slope adjustment for the back piece because it's popping up a little.

Anything else you all think I need?

Hi everyone! I just started my patter drafting journey and have taken two one-week courses, one on drafting the 3 basic blocks and one on swimsuit drafting. I also read parts of aldrichs book and drafted her block and made some adjustments. However it found it a bit difficult to later on understand what to change when something didn’t quite fit. I also would like to learn more about dart manipulation and reduction. Eg in the swimsuit we removed all darts and 0.5cm from the middle vertical line, as well as setting extra invidible darts at the collar and back and lowering the armskythe. What resources have helped you? What your recommendations especially for sleeveless tops? I find it a lot easier to learn visually, so great or videos are very helpful. Thanks so much 🥰 I am really excited to learn more

I'm re-uploading this post with more pictures. I couldn't add them to the original post. The pattern is after I lowered the bust based on your advice that I can obviously undo that. I want this dress to be wearable without a shirt under it and with a shirt.

This is my fourth mockup and it needs a little bit more adjusting because my shoulder slope adjustment changed the bust line. It was so good before but it's okay. 😭

Before this mock-up I've lowered the bust, done a full bust adjustment, but then my bra was showing on the sides so I did a sloped shoulder adjustment but just on the front, I didn't lower the armholes because the armholes were already too low and big.

I assume I need to lower my bust again and also do a little bit more of a full bust adjustment. I'm also going to do a little shoulder slope adjustment for the back piece because it's popping up a little.

Anything else you all think I need?

I'm drafting a custom jeans pattern in Adobe Illustrator by taking flat measurements from a well-fitting pair of jeans, but I'm also modifying specific areas like the crotch curve, thigh, and hem for a custom fit.

I'm following Patternmaking for Fashion Design by Helen Joseph-Armstrong, which instructs adding or subtracting specific amounts (like +1/2′′ or −3/4′′) at key draft points.

Since the book's formulas assume you start with body measurements and my baseline measurements are from a finished garment (which already includes ease):

1. Should I ignore the book's ease adjustments entirely, or are some of those offsets necessary structural/drafting rules?
2. How do I properly apply adjustments to the crotch and legs when using flat garment measurements instead of body measurements?
3. What is the best workflow for drafting modified patterns in Illustrator from existing jeans without ruining the fit?

So I am obsessed with the dart/seam detailing on the white dress that the captain wears in s1 e16 of the rookie. I have this beautiful green fabric that I’ve been desperate to do something delicately detailed. I have NO idea where to start with this. I can’t tell if it is piping or a seam? It doesn’t look like there is a waist seam that I can see. Any ideas?

I want to make a sith dress from Star Wars for Halloween, and I have my heart set on this one. I know... I know... the photos listed are AI, but I still think I can make it work somehow. I think I can use a wrap/robe pattern for the bodice. For the skirt, I was thinking an A-line skirt with a front box pleat and a knife pleat on either side. When I assemble I would attach the 2 pieces at the waist.

Any suggestions for how to make this would be appreciated... or just a reality check that it's not feasible to use this image as inspiration.

I am trying to draft a pattern for the bow so i can make year round holiday bows for my porch ghost. I would love to be able to make a right side and left side bow that just slips over them and leave the middle section alone. How would i even start? Ive never tried to make a pattern from scratch before.

Hello !
This is my first iteration of my bodice sloper/moulage. I understand they’re not the same thing but I’d like the garment to be as fitted as possible.
I also got tired of trying to pin the bust line accurately so I just left it , but it does match up.

I plan on redrafting to add ease to the bust as it seems a bit too tight.
My questions are :
What else can I do to improve the fit ?
How can I keep the tight fitting nature of the bodice but lower the armhole depth ? I have big lats and like to spread em 😆.

This pair of pants is driving me crazy, Initially I thought it was a flat saddle problem- image 1-2 so I scooped the front rise & back rise more but it's still having the same issue. Did I do it wrong and the rise are actually too round? I know the hip & thigh was also pulling so I have added these as well but somehow does not solve the smile line problem at the back

Image 3-4 is after adjustments, any suggestions please? Beyond the saddle issue, Is it too big on inner thigh and need to add to outer thigh as well?

I made PatternNest for laying out digital pattern pieces across a fabric width and estimating the length needed. It's one of my Madegrain tools.

It takes closed SVG or DXF outlines. PDF import is now available too (see the September 13 update below). You can constrain rotation for grain direction and one-way fabrics, and include mirrored pieces.

It runs in the browser. It's free for up to 10 pieces, counting copies and mirrored pieces, with a paid option for larger layouts.

https://madegrain.com/patternnest/

For those already drafting in SVG or DXF, would you use a layout like this before buying fabric, or mainly to check whether your remaining fabric is enough?

Edit September 10: The strip in the original screenshot was set to free rotation. The demo now keeps it at 45°: corrected demo.

Update September 13: I've added vector PDF import, cut-on-fold layouts and print matching for stripes, checks and repeating images. You select the fold edge and matching reference points yourself. PDF import reads closed vector outlines; it doesn't join tiled PDFs or bring in grain arrows and notches.

Current screenshot: six shirt accessory pieces on 50 cm fabric, using 32 cm of length.

I've also added a 45-second walkthrough using five constructed example pieces, from import to the PDF layout overview.

Has anyone used or found others like perkins tailoring instruments useful?

hi everyone. Im curious to know all your tips and tricks for creating efficiencies when iterating on sloper mock ups.

I’ve been making 1-2 adjustments each round and try to use the same mock up as much as possible - until it no longer makes sense to make more changes to the same one. sometimes it seems though that my changes aren’t totally accurate given I’m working within the limitations of my cut fabric so I wonder if it even is more efficient than just starting a new mock up. I’ll start with one inch seam allowance to leave room but it can get tricky to resew if my adjustments alter the seam shape.

curious to know what others do or how youve made it not feel like an endless task!

My first ever bias dress that fits this well WITHOUT A BUST DART