Live: How to learn patternmaking

[@SewNaturalDane]

Watching the replay. You hit the nail on the head, I'm definitely looking to taking a Craftsy class on skirt sloppers. I was hesitant to do one because I'm losing weight but think it will help me understand my Fit better and understand how to adjust it as I lose weight.

[@Thelaststitch]

Yay! Having a skirt sloper does make fitting much easier, I just place mine on top of the pattern I'm using to check the how they align and then do the necessary alterations

[@thenorthernsewist]

Thankyou so much.you are so inspiring. I've wanted to learn pattern making since I was a young girl and I recognised the metric pattern cutting book and I've found it, with a message from my Mum in it ( 20 years ago!) . This has made me determined to actually learn now! I heard you on Love to Sew podcast and now I've found you on KZbin ! Thankyou again. 😘😘

[@Thelaststitch]

What a wonderful sign that you are destined to dive into pattern making. How very thoughtful of your mother ❤

[@SewNaturalDane]

Great video and hope you get your interview that would be awesome!

[@AkutiDesigns]

Excellent live video even though I am watching after it happened. I learned patternmaking the same way as you in 1999. Along the way did learn commercial pattern making as well. Today I teach personal patternmaking and I find it very interesting when students come with different measurements and see how the patterns turn out. Love all the recommendations you have.

[@Thelaststitch]

Cool to hear that you are patternmaking teacher! And I agree it is a fascinating process, when I studied it we all ended up with very different basepatterns which goes to show how unique our bodies are

[@shirazadam7035]

Hi what books do u recommend in English for a beginner I do sew for myself by placing a top or dress on paper cut out then onto my fabric would love to pattern make just for my self an grandchildren I am 68/69 years I am frm south Africa lv the way u do ur videos very easy to understand thank u thank u may gid bless u

[@shirazadam7035]

Sori my name is ameena

[@CulinaryGuide]

Yes! Please do an interview.

[@birnabragadottir3866]

You are such an inspiration for me. Thank you ever so much. Aldrich´s book is already on its way... ;-]

[@halfleftdawn725]

I've been sewing for just over a year, and I almost exclusively make my own patterns... But I can use some help. THANK YOU!!! I'll have to check into some of those books.

[@Thelaststitch]

Wow, that is impressive that you make almost exclusively your own patterns! And I agree, even with experience we still need to further our education, the learning never ends for sure!

[@howardgoldstein8290]

Johanna, I was thinking about you today as I worked on my latest project, which is a 50's inspired softly tailored jacket. Took apart the muslin I made for a fitting of the main body parts & 1 sleeve, pressed them & made the alterations, then transferred the collar parts, front facing & lining pieces from the paper pattern to our famous "Swedish" tracing paper......now you know that every time I use the "Swedish" paper I of course will think of you......it's all your fault....ha..ha......

[@Thelaststitch]

Haha, I love that we Swedes can take credit for something that we don't really use ourselves :-) Your project sounds fantastic!

[@heatherr9201]

Consider putting something true white and true black in the shot... it will help with the auto balance on the camera.... and you English is excellent.. I am learning Swedish but slowly... knew more when I was young and my grandparents were alive. Trying to teach myself some so I don’t forget it all and hope to be able to bring my son to Sweden when he is older.

[@Thelaststitch]

It's webcam related and the auto settings are not very good unfortunately, but I will experiment with a diffrent light placement next time. Cool to hear that you are learning Swedish again, I've heard people say it can be a little tricky to learn, would you agree?

[@absewlutelyfabulous880]

I watch a lot of Swedish dramas with subtitles. Sometimes I convince myself I'm starting to understand the Swedish. Then I hear my Swedish friend speak in her native tongue and that puts me straight! 😉.

[@heatherr9201]

Last Stitch do you have manual? You could just set it that way if lighting won’t change...

[@endria222]

Hi thanks for this very good video! I'm starting drafting my own patterns and I'm still not sure how is the full process. I also use Adobe Illustrator, do you do the grading as well in Illustrator? thanks!

[@balduvinaarmas8571]

Great your video, excellent for me. thanks so much.

[@karreemofficial2920]

Please can u do trouser pattern cutting

[@erinvanhandel]

Great video, Johanna! Keep up the great work. :D I'm so impressed with what you do. I've add some of these books to my wish list and hopefully I can borrow them from my library before I make the investment. Question for you - when you design in Illustrator, do you start from a block or sloper - something that's in actual size where you can start to add/subtract ease, etc.? My ultimate goal is to create PDF sewing patterns, and I understand the benefit of drafting by hand (at least initially), but for the sake of efficiency, I think working at much in AI as possible is smart. Curious to hear your thoughts.

[@Thelaststitch]

I draft a block with ease in my size these days since I have a pretty good idea on what I need. And if I am unsure about certain measuments I just check with a finished garment whose sizing I like, such as the depth of a sleeve opening

[@anujpratap9108]

Pls tell me where are u from

[@sagepreaumx9903]

I've been told that there is 3-4" ease in a fitted design with woven fabric. This seems like a lot to me. Is this amount usual? Ease is a puzzle to me. Is there a place to start, a book that teaches how to figure ease out? I would love to see a vlog interviewing the local pattern maker. If she's 80+ you may want to do it sooner rather than later.

[@Thelaststitch]

I would say that 4" ease is a bit much for a close to the body fitted design, but it's not too far off the ballpark. Imagine pinching a the excess fabric of a fitted blouse and you would most likely end up with almost 1" fold on both sides. I do have ease guides in my Swedish pattern making books and I would think that there would be ease tables in the English language books too. Also if the fabric has spandex in it, then we can get away with less ease for a fitted style, so it also depends on the fabric.

[@nadinewoods6971]

I remember someone explaining to me that in order to determine the least amount of bust ease you would need for wearing a blouse, you should measure your bust again after you have taken the largest breath you can hold, and this will provide you just enough room to function for a non-stretch fabric, but that many people prefer wearing there blouses much looser. I have found that ease is really more about personal preference than being a specific set of numbers. I would recommend that you put on your favorite garments and see how much fabric you can pinch out while they are on and make note of them. Also be sure to include the type of fabric when you are making the list because the amount of stretch will really affect how much or little ease you prefer. When you know how much ease you prefer, such as on a woven bodice, you can measure the flat pattern at various points (like shoulders, bust, waist & hips) and at least have an idea of how it might fit before cutting it out. Remember to factor in seam allowances when measuring. Depending on the measurements you can always size up or down at various points to get a better fit.

[@heatherr9201]

Sage Preaumx Start with a woven top you own and love the fit of or is fairly close to what you want if none exact and then measure it and compare it to your actual measurements.

[@nadinewoods6971]

i thought this was a great video! I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would also love to see you do the interview. Although not about actual pattern making, a resource that I really enjoy is Adele Margolis "Make Your Own Dress Patterns" : www.amazon.com/Make-Your-Own-Dress-Patterns/dp/0486452549/ Despite the title this is *not* about making your own patterns but about adapting your block to create different styles: changing necklines, changing sleeve style, adding pockets, etc. I use this a lot with doll patterns too; I even created a collar and collar stand for a doll using her instructions. Actually, I love creating doll patterns/clothes; this has tremendously helped me learn the correlation between the flat pattern and the finished garment. I don't have to use a lot of fabric, but still get to see the overall effect of the design changes. Working with doll clothes has really given me a lot of confidence to alter patterns for my own garments. Now it almost seems that I can't make a garment without changing it in some way. Thank you for all you do to help the sewing community. I really enjoy your videos.

[@Thelaststitch]

Doll clothes are great way to hone our skills for sure! I was really into making these for younger relatives when I was a teenager and got into garment sewing. The book sounds really good!

[@Bright-It]

Your lighting needs adjustments.