Concept to Creation: The Importance of Patternmaking in Fashion Design

Have you ever looked at an item of clothing and thought “How did they do that!?” For most people I talk to, this isn’t often their first thought (or even a thought at all) when they see an intriguing piece of clothing. We often look at garments and admire the design and finishing details, but fail to acknowledge the skill and labour that went into turning the original design into something that can be sewn together and reproduced. This is the integral step of clothing production, on any scale, broadly defined as PATTERNMAKING.
                                         
                                               Bodice Pattern for Vintage-inspired Dress

                                                             Vintage-inspired Dress

 I think patternmaking is often neglected when talking about fashion because a lot of designers outsource this work to production companies. This is done because it is a skill that takes time to learn and requires constant re-evaluation and expansion of knowledge with each pattern made. It isn’t as creative and open as sketching and designing, and doesn’t have the accessibility to education like sewing does. Many people learn to sew as children or young adults, or at any age really, and there are plenty of resources available to learn from. When learning to sew, one often uses COMMERCIAL PATTERNS; these are pre made patterns adjusted to a variety of sizes and the sewer simply pins the pattern pieces to fabric, cuts, and voila!, they can sew the garment together (following instructions of course).

                                                       Collection of Designs in Progress

I like doing things my own way, making them unique to my perception of my space and the world around me. I love sketching clothing designs and hate copying someone elses idea or pattern, so I started making my own designs when I was in high school. I had no knowledge of pattern making and very little sewing experience, but I wanted one-of-a-kind items that I created myself. Along with a passion for fashion design, I have an uncanny love of math (I used to come home from middle school and do brainteaser math problems online … yeah), so I used various geometry principles and created my own “patterns”. These were not paper patterns, I simply worked out the math and drew on the fabric I was using. Surprisingly, these garments actually turned out okay! I even made my own (rather simple) prom dress. But 1) I could not recreate these garments easily as I did not have paper pattern pieces to trace and 2) I did not have the understanding of how to place darts, tucks etc. to contour the body effectively.
                      
                                                                       Corset Pattern

                                        

                                                                             Corset

                     


                                                                  Corset (interior)

So, years later I (finally!) decided to take on fashion design as a career, and enrolled in the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design’s fashion program (what an absolutely amazing school and program, by the way). This is where I learned the true skill, and if I may say, art, of drafting patterns and manipulating them: pattern making in all its capacity. What I had been missing in my years of experimenting was how to draft a BASIC BLOCK. This is the key to accounting for body contours and junctures. Using a prescribed method of plotting out points on a large piece of paper, a basic block is drafted for a specific body based on numerous measurements (bust waist, hips, and many more). Despite its name, the basic block is very oddly shaped, but is the first stage of drafting, upon which all designs will be based. Commercial designs use a “fit model” and base their patterns off of her/his measurements, adjusting the pattern proportionally for each size increment. Once a basic block pattern is completed to fit an individual or size run, the design elements are added! This is the most challenging step of the process, referred to as PATTERN MANIPULATION.
                  
                                                                     Bustier Bodysuit

                                   Bustier Bodysuit Pattern

Pattern manipulation requires practice, skill, and problem solving. The basic block pattern is altered in various ways (and there is always more than one way to achieve a result) but most manipulations include cutting, expanding, reducing, folding etc. the basic block. Each alteration from the original pattern is made based off of the design with the final stage of assembly in mind. For example: if a DESIGN has a gathered waist, the PATTERN will need to be expanded in that area, so once the pattern is traced and the fabric is cut, it will be gathered along this area and SEWN in place. For any design that is dreamed up, there is a way to manipulate a basic block to achieve the look. Sometimes what looks to be a simple design can actually create a very complex series of pattern pieces and vice versa. When I design garments, I always have the pattern manipulation and final construction in the back of my mind.
        
                                                                   Silk Teddy Design

Silk Teddy Pattern Manipulations

                                                   Silk Teddy Partially Assembled Back   

        

                                                         Silk Teddy Cut Pattern Pieces

I love the process of patternmaking because it is the bridge between my ideas and my productivity. It is the means by which I harness my passion for design and my need to problem-solve and create a channel unique to my train of thought through which I can produce, and reproduce, my art. Not all designers or artists work the same way (of course!!), but this process is essential to my work, and I hope this little chat has opened your eyes to the effort and skill sewn up in the clothes you wear. The next time you see a garment that really catches your eye, take a closer look at how it is assembled - all the pieces that fit together perfectly, skimming and hugging the body in all the right places: an idea snatched from thin air and flattened onto paper to produce a wearable, dynamic sculpture!


Michelle Duncan