Creating Basic Patterns
Flat Patternmaking
Flat patternmaking is the art of taking a basic flat pattern and manipulating it to achieve
your design. Most ready-made clothing patterns are designed using flat pattern
manipulation techniques or by draping on a dress form.
Practicing moving darts and making changes to the
basic block will help you create designs, in combination with other techniques.
To create your fashion designs into a finished pattern, you will need to dissect all the elements of your design and step by step change the basic pattern block to achieve you goal.
In the
Garment Industry, patterns and samples are made in a basic middle size. Later
the finished patterns will be graded into various smaller and larger sizes. By
starting with the medium size, the proportions will be will be kept, as the
pattern is made larger or smaller. In this book we use a basic women’s (also
known as “Missy”) size 10 patterns, consisting of front, back, sleeve, and
skirt patterns.
Fit and Design Ease
The basic patterns have the minimal amount of
extra fabric one needs to allow comfortable movement, or flex, which is called fit ease. Fit ease is different
than design ease. Design ease is the extra amount of fabric you might
put to create the style, like in a full skirt or Dolmen sleeve. Anything other than the basic fit ease becomes design ease.
No Seam Allowance
Basic patterns are used to create styles. Basic
patterns, are referred to as Blocks
or Slopers, and have no seam
allowance. After darts are moved, necklines have been changed and design lines
created, the seam allowance is added and the pattern is cut out of Manila
paper.
Basic Size 10 Pattern
You will need to transfer your basic block
pattern ,that comes with the DVD ,to hard Manila paper, without seam
allowances. This pattern will be used over and over again, to manipulate darts
and create your styles, so the paper must be heavy last for many uses. Tag board is a good choice,
if you do not have access to Manila paper.
Basic size 10 Missy is Included with DVD-Designer Patternmaking made Easy.
It is also available on Amazon and at: http://www.synergyartanddesign.com/
Pattern Fit
The basic pattern must fit the person or model that it is intended for. In the garment industry basic patterns are
created in a middle size, within the range of sizes the clothing is offered in. The pattern will need to be altered to fit the person and the corrections made to create a
perfect basic pattern.
It is important to test the basic
pattern in muslin to insure proper fit. Add seam allowances to basic patterns before cutting and sewing. Pin or chalk mark, alterations to the sample, then transfer those changes to a basic Block or Sloper pattern. This process will be done several times, until achieving the final perfect fitting block. Even in the garment industry,
companies make many samples before the final production pattern is finished and
graded into sizes.
Sources of Basic Patterns
The basic pattern can be made in several ways:
Drafting Measurements
Direction for drafting a basic block using
your own measurements are included in Chapter 2.
Copy a Sheath Dress
If you are using the basic pattern
to create styles for yourself, you will need to either draft a pattern from
your measurements or copy a pattern from a garment. A close fitting bodice with a pencil skirt, is the classic silhouette of a sheath dress. This style can be used and changed up in endless ways. The best way
to copy a dress is to take it apart carefully, press the pieces and transfer
the shapes onto paper.
(Please see Chapter 5 on Making a copy of a garment )
Computerized Basic Blocks
A computerized Basic size 10 Missy Front and Back Block is Included with DVD-Designer Patternmaking made Easy.
Custom Basic Pattern to fit you
(Note:
In October 2014 Synergy Art and Design will start offering custom basic patterns.)
Send us your measurements and receive by
mail a custom front, back, sleeve and skirt pattern
that fits YOU! Available at: http://www.synergyartanddesign.com/
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