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How Patterndrafting Has Changed Designing

By Bertha Wells


Today, anyone who likes to sew can be a designer. Patterndrafting techniques have given the average sewer the ability to create their own designs. That was not always the case. It used to be a very exclusive skill only done by a few individuals.

The next step in the process is to drape the design on a form or a person to get the right dimensions. This allows the garment to be broken down into sections that cover different parts of the body. The initial pattern is started with a block. Sometimes, it is also referred to as a slope.

The pattern maker then sketches the shape first. Then, the French curve, the hip curve, and the straight edge, are used to shape the armhole, neckline, and hipline. Now, a paper pattern can be made. To get the different sizes, professionals use precise calculations to make changes in the pattern pieces.

Every part of the garment had to be carefully measured and calculated to insure a proper fit. This was the beginning of what is referred to as grading. Once, the right measurements were taken they could be transferred to paper. All of this was done by hand, and it took a lot of time to do it right.

Modern techniques and technology have dramatically changed the way patterns are made. Both, the industry and the home sewer can take advantage of the new procedures. It makes it easier to accomplish a task that required a lot of tedious hand wThork.

All of the guesswork is removed. The user only has to input the figures, and all of the calculations are done in the computer. They can test the results, and get a finished virtual product, before they even cut out the first piece.

There are a few good programs on the market today. They are a part of the Computer Aided Design system. They are usually referred to as CAD. It doesn't matter which program the person uses they all calculate the measurements the user enters into the computer. The end results are the same.

In the past, customized and garments that fit were only available to those who were either of the aristocracy or extremely wealthy. Around the mid 1800s, a man by the name of Ebenezer Butterick patterns made out of tissue paper.

These prototypes were printed with size adjustments. He sold them and the birth of an industry was born. This came around about the same time that the industrial sewing machine became more practical to the home sewer. The two industries together opened up the world of the home sewer, and gave freedom and more efficiency to the commercial patternmaking business.

For the first time in the history of garment making patterndrafting became a mass produced item, and everyone could enjoy the benefits. The world of fashion was no longer exclusively for the rich and well connected. The everyday woman could now have access to the latest styles and designs.




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