Tips to Design Your Own Clothing Patterns

Pattern-making requires many more tools and accessories than you probably realize. You may not need all of these to get started, but most will be used over years of clothes-making.

Do not mix paper scissors and fabric scissor. Paper scissors get dull when they're used to cut fabric. When it comes to fabric scissors, it pays to invest in high quality ones. A poor cut on fabric can impact your seems and overall fit. 

Notcher 

Making notches in your pattern help line up the sections. A notcher is a paper cutter used to makes a small line cut in the paper pattern. After the notches are made in the pattern, you’ll make a similar cut in the fabric with scissors. Nippers / Thread Clippers For cutting stray threads. 

To open up seams when a stitch or seam goes wrong — sooner or later an accident will happen. 

This sharp, pointed instrument is used for punching holes in the fabric to help note where darts are located. 

Pins 

You pins should work well with the fabric you’re using. Delicate fabrics like lace require sharp, fine pins. Long pins are great for quilting. Tougher fabrics like denim require thicker pins. Binder clips can work well instead of pins for leather. Check out Zoe Hong's video on sewing tools for specific recommendations. 

A magnetic one can be great if you ned to pick up dropped pins (which will probably happen sooner or later). 

If you don't want to worry about sharpening your pencil all the time, consider using a mechanical one. When you’re working on your dress form, however, you may want to opt for a fabric marker instead. 

 

Perfect for marking and pinning sections of the form. 

Both are musts for making accurate patterns. Long, clear rulers can help to see what you’re doing on the fabric. Hip curve rulers will be needed for measuring parts of the pattern that are shaped to the body. 

 

Before you buy a sewing machine, make sure the one you get can work with the fabrics you intend to use. Be smart and read a few sewing machine reviews.

Analyze designs similar to what you want to make. Look for construction tips as well as what makes the pattern distinctive. Many pattern-makers start by finding a piece of their clothing they like and cutting it apart with a seam ripper to create forms from the sections. Pay attention to details like sleeve depth and how much ease is used in composition. A good book like "Metric Pattern Cutting by Winifred Aldrich can teach jumpstart your clothes-making wisdom. 

Paper and pen can be a lot easier to understand at first than pattern-making software. Some sewists even design their patterns on paper and then scan them in to digitize them. 

Certain fabrics can stretch and droop as they get worn. Figuring out how to design a pattern for the fabric is an important part of clothes-making knowhow. You may want to start with a pattern that’s slightly small if you know the fabric will stretch and grow. Of course, stretch fabrics will likely change and grow.

Your pattern is made for your own taste and body size.