Making Patterns: Reverse Engineering

I've been asked recently by several people to write about making and reading patterns. I sat and had a think about how I do it, and it took me ages to pinpoint since with an engineering background, a lot of the planning and drawing stages of garment construction are second nature. I thought it'd be useful to list how I go from a per-existing garment like a dress that I adore to a pattern that I can use again and again. There has been a little bit of pattern work in previous posts, so it might be worth a look back through the blog to have a check.

So, firstly, I like to place the existing garment on a dress form. If you don't have a dress form, you can make your own by putting on a loose fitting old t-shirt, then getting an assistant to wrap you up in duct tape, then cut you out of it all! Once it's on a dress form, carefully pin pattern paper (or tissue paper, or pattern tissue, or pieces of A4 taped together!) onto each panel of your garment along the hem to the next panel. Waistcoats tend to be three panels, and dress bodices tend to be three as well. Once you've pinned, carefully mark the panel edges, effectively tracing off the panel. Repeat for as many panels as the garment has, and then add seam allowances and make whatever adaptations you'd like, such as extra darts or less length.

Working from an existing pattern is simple, once you've had a practice. I started with a simple pattern for a 1950's dress, which took me an afternoon to make, even as an absolute beginner. When you open a commercial pattern, it has instructions with it that explain what all the marks and notes mean, and if it is a pattern that includes variations, it'll tell you which pieces you need to make what. Some patterns have a difficulty rating depending on the company that makes them and if they don't, I have always checked the reviews on the internet. Assuming you can understand basic sewing terms, you can use a commercial pattern with relative ease.

Got a question relating to patterns? Shout it out.