Thread: What makes a pattern great or really useful

My mom taught me some pattern making skills when I was young, so I often make up patterns for myself, or I just make stuff up on the fly, I also occasionally make patterns off of other articles of clothing or costumes I buy. Every so often one or more bhuzzers will ask me if I might share my pattern or make a pattern for them for something I've made. I have shared one or two times a pretty rudimentary tracing of the pattern I made for myself, I have no idea how helpful they were, but I'm currently contemplating drawing up some formal patterns in a much more professional way to sell.

I am wondering though, if I were to do this, what aspects of patterns you used in the past worked for you and what didn't? Obviously we are all different shapes and sizes, I remember patterns I bought in the past had different cut lines, probably based on different sized fit models, but would you prefer instructions for how to adjust the pattern to fit your body more perfectly? Or do you like having a dotted line to choose and cut down? Or are detailed descriptions in costume making books more useful? Or some combination of the above?

I'm just toying with the idea right now and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I like cut lines AND instructions on where and how you can best tailor something for a better fit (takes alot of the guesswork out of it and makes the process go faster). I also appreciate when a pattern gives you the waistline and the "lengthen or shorten here" to allow for long and short waisted individuals.

Shems, if you ever market a pattern for something like the gold costume you made, I would so get in line to buy it!

- Sizing with plenty of data. The worst part of home sewing for me is guessing which size to cut out. Unlike shopping for clothing in a store, when you're sewing a garment, you don't have the convenience of saying, "Huh. That ran narrower in the hips than I expected. Maybe I should try the next size up." When I'm doing the work and I guess wrong, I end up with a partially sewn mess that I have to try to alter or abandon to start over on a new piece of fabric. If something is supposed to have 2" of ease, say so, so I can make a good guess at the right size. Don't let me find out that the size that looks like it should go with my hip measurement has 4" of ease and is practically falling off, or worse, fits my hips exactly with no room to move. If it's too big, I might be able to take it apart and recut it. If it's too small, I'm heading back to the fabric store. Either way, I'd rather get the right size the first time.

- Substantial range of sizing options. Anybody who's tried to make a costume knows that it's not as inexpensive as it sounds like it ought to be, so making a costume yourself isn't always about saving money. That means a lot of your potential market will be dancers who don't want to custom order their costumes but can't find what they want ready made--the unusually small, the unusually large, and the disproportionate. It would be nice if you could offer everything from Size 0 to XXXXXL, but that's probably not financially reasonable from your end. Even if you could, it may not help out the dancers who have a size discrepancy between the tops and bottoms of their own bodies. As such, these customers are looking for specific and thorough directions on where and how to alter patterns.

- Clear markings on the patterns and in the instructions--easy-to-identify grain lines on the pattern pieces, obvious legends (right/wrong side, etc.) in the instructions, straightforward size markings on multi-size pieces.

I so agree with Tourbeau re sizing with plenty of data. I just bought the Madame X ghawazi coat pattern and Small, Medium and Large doesn't do it for me. I also don't want it saying 6,8,10.12 etc as the sizes are different in each country. I want, NO I NEED, details eg bust, waist hips etc. I just want a clue I'm not asking for much.

If I am making your pattern, I would appreciate excruciatingly clear drawings.

I do sometimes start sewing before reading. (I'm bad, I'll admit it) But if your drawings are good, and I succeed because you made it easy for me, I'll blab to all my friends!

Size info in dimensions. Instead of calling a size "Small" or a length "Petite", I'd rather see Ease: 2" Waist: 32", Hip 38", Length 30"

Alteration points on the pattern - ie, lengthen or shorten here..

I buy patterns when I want to make something a bit complicated but don't want to mess with figuring it out from scratch. For example, a dress with a criss-crossed ruched bodice. I *could* sit down with one of my fitted bodice patterns and figure out what size/shape a ruched bodice piece needs to be, but it's easier to let someone else do that part.

When I was a beginner, I liked detailed construction steps, along with technique tips

I've found that patterns that state the finished garment measurements (bust, waist, hip, length) for each size are very helpful. Many times I have decided to go up or down a size to get the type of fit I want.

Most of the commercial pattern companies are now putting out lines that are using ready-to-wear sizing, cutlines and instructions for larger and smaller cup sizes, multi-sizing with instructions, etc. I like to see both body measurements and finished garment measurements.

Last night I cut out two dresses (different patterns) for summer office attire (one Simplicity and one Butterick) and both had diagrams on the pattern for cutting for different body shapes. One of the patterns was designed for stretch fabrics and included instructions for calculating ease and seam allowances when using a regular machine with stretch stitch or using a serger. Those are very helpful things to include.

It seems to me that patterns used to include less information, probably because more women were experienced home seamstresses. But sewing seems to have taken an upswing in popularity and with the disappearance of home ec classes in the schools teaching those skills, pattern companies are responding with more information on exactly how to clip and notch curves, finish seams and hems, make buttonholes, etc.

Originally Posted by Souzan

...But sewing seems to have taken an upswing in popularity and with the disappearance of home ec classes in the schools teaching those skills, pattern companies are responding with more information on exactly how to clip and notch curves, finish seams and hems, make buttonholes, etc.

it's a real shame. guess what school board, even if you turn out successful business people, scientists, and layers, they're still gonna have to go home and cook themselves dinner and sew a button back onto their brand new shirt!
ok, done. thanks. ^_^

ON topic: i'll second the "lengthen here" etc vote