Cutting your own patterns

[Sewot]

I am about to venture into cutting my own patterns.
I have done it before using brown paper.
I want to make body form blocks and masters for making my own clothing.
Well....I already do but want to up my standard.
What do YOU use for pattern making templates plesae?

[Manuela]

@Sewot, are you looking into making patterns from scratch or fitting an existing basic pattern for you. For the latter, look for a basic pattern and make as many muslins as you need and amend them. For tops, start fitting at the shoulder and work your way down. Start fitting trousers at the crotch and do from there,
If you want to make them from scratch, look into pattern making books, such as Patternmaking for Fashion Design (that’s women’s wear though) and be prepared for a steep learning curve 

[Esme866]

Rory Duffy, the tailor, was working in NYC a few years back and posted that he used brown paper from a dollar store for pattern making. I picked some up and he was right, 1/4  the price of other stores and much better quality.

That's all I'm using for now. However I'm about to perfect my trouser pattern. I'll buy oak tag (Manila paper) to transfer to when I'm done.

With the resurgence of home sewing over the last few years (even before covid) oak tag is now easy to locate -even Amazon has it. Oak tag is traditional pattern making paper for tailors.

But while I'm still screwing things up/redrafting aspects, I'll use the cheap brown paper.

[Manuela]

PS: I use brown (or sometimes green here) packing paper for pattern making. My block patterns are on cardboard.

[Kwaaked]

I use unprinted newspaper. 

As far as tailoring goes, I generally mark the pattern on muslin, test the garment, make changes then transfer to the actual material.  I don't often make patterns for tailoring.

Saying that, I do have oak tag slopers and patterns...but I generally make changes to them anyway and those I wind up transferring to newsprint to do the change; they are going to be one offs anway.  I also don't feel like I need to reinvent the wheel, and for my own stuff, I have no issues fixing a commercial pattern or sewing it different.  Even stuff I design I have basic patterns I add and change. 

Also: don't cut around your master pattern.  Trace it to the fabric, because you will cut minuscule parts off and they do add up.

[Sewot]

I have a very good book thats just arrived.
Pattern cutting for menswear.
It is very concise but aimed at the serious student fashion designer.
I have to pick out the bits that suit just me.
The clothes will be just for me as I hate trying clothes on in shops, like to be different even at my mature age and enjoy sewing very much.
My present patterns are thickish brown card.
I plan to start with the main blocks for shirts and pants and then put my own style to them.
There are some good layouts in the book for casual wear that I like.
In particular the grandad vest without collar.
High waisted vintage trousers with braces etc etc.
I don't want to waste my money on expensive designers stuff when brown paper will do.
I think...
1 Use brown paper to draft the block.
2 Use brown p aper to style / design the block.
3 Create muslins for a fit.
4 Adjust as necessary and apply adjustments to the styled pattern block.
5 Make stiff card masters.

I have not been to college so have to rely on books and you guys/ gals.
Have I got this about right?
So brown paper and stiff card?
Oh.....
I have a large square and Sew Easy curve that covers just about everything.
Do I need a notcher?

[jintie]

This is so useful. But what do you do after the cardboard? How do you use it?

[Sewot]

This is so useful. But what do you do after the cardboard? How do you use it?

The idea is to make  cardboard master patterns say for a shirt and to then place them on your fabric and draw around them to ensure the correct size every time.
A shop bought tissue pattern would be useless after six different cuts?
In my case I will make say six shirts all the same but different fabrics different colours.
They can be either or without hem allowance.
The book says without.
The master can then be designed to fit differently so there is a bit of variation.
So you draw around the master and add hem allowance with scissors.
I do it by mark one eyeball.
I am no expert. Only learning.

[Manuela]

This is so useful. But what do you do after the cardboard? How do you use it?

@jintie, thin cardboard is excellent for basic block patterns, I have pattern weights with pins to stick and pivot - a bit like slash and pivot on paper. Methinks a well fitted block pattern is the best thing since sliced bread (even though being German, I hate sliced bread) as you can amend it to the style you want to make without having to make several muslins. Hence you want it on something more stable than paper. I have the locks hanging on garment hooks at the back of the door (will probably have to change that system once we can move to Thailand.

[Elnnina]

Jinte a few years ago I was after some pattern paper - dot and cross and some pattern card.  I was in one of my local shops at the time and asked if they could order some for me, and was told oh we have some Dot and Cross paper but it is upstairs where the general public were not allowed.  This came in sheets and was kept in a huge drawer.  Then one lady said oh we have a huge roll of this also would that be any good - Oh yes says I, and they fetch it down.  The roll is taller than me and it is impossible to say just how much is actually on the roll, but I have it here at home and it cost me £10.  Then a year or so later I was really after the card, and again in the same shop I asked about this, and lo and behold this time they had a roll of card, only the roll is nowhere near as tall as the paper.  So another £10 and the roll of card resides with me.  So my suggestion Jinte and anyone else after this sort of paper and card, ask in your local shop - they might just have some hidden away.  Apparently I was just so very lucky as the owner of the shop often went and bought up another shop's stock when they were closing down.  Sadly though this shop has now closed and I am just hoping that my supplies will last me to the end of my days.  From the same shop I often asked if I could by a whole reel of elastic - the flat waistband type elastic, they also order in for me a roll of the sticky film you use for machine embroidery - oh I often said to them please lock me in the shop for the weekend so that I could investigate all their hidden items - and of course now they are gone I do miss them.

I suppose the other place you could get the supplies of paper and card from are like Morplan, but I understand they are expensive.

[Ohsewsimple]

I use rolls of paper from   Morplan.  They last me years.

[Esme866]

@Sewot Once I graduate to oaktag for blocks, I will probably buy a notcher, simply because it's a cleaner way to work. For now I snip with scissors.

Once I'm happy with a pattern, I include all seam allowances and hems; simply because that is the most time efficient way for me to work for me.

As a home sewist, there's no "sewing police" involved. While notching patterns with scissors may take an extra minute or two, adding seams allowances each time I cut a garment would probably take an extra half hour. A professional tailor must be aware of every moment of time he wastes, as each wasted moment decreases his income. This is why there are so many established rules to the crafts of pattern making and tailoring.

If I buy a notcher, the truth is that I will probably never use it enough to recoup the cost in time savings even if I calculate my time based on a minimum wage. But - the neatness of my work product will make me happy.

Much of what you do for you will just be personal preference.

Take the practice of tailoring the front edge of a jacket lapel. Typically a cotton twill tape (1/4"-3/8") is hand-stitched in place to stabilize the front edge and reinforce it. This tape has been manufactured for this specific purpose and others for decades. Yet it is also an accepted practice to carefully trim the selvedge edge of a shirting fabric or even an old sheet to use for the same purpose. Is this the most time efficient manner? No, but it's the most frugal. And it's a time effective substitute if you've run out of tape - or your supplier didn't receive his shipment. Would your customer want to know the front edge of his $3500 sport coat was reinforced with the recycled edge of your grandmother's muslin sheets? Of course not, but he'll never know. I, on the other hand, would have a sweet moment each time I consciously looked at that jacket lapel. And I know my grandma would approve.

I buy sewing aides when I know they will make my work easier or if I believe they will give me pleasure to use - when I can afford them.

The only item I wish I had bought decades earlier is a REALLY good pair of shears. What a HUGE difference they make. Also, thread snips are wonderful inexpensive gadgets. Especially nice for my slightly arthritic hands.

Buy what you need as you determine you need it. Too much stuff can be more restrictive than not enough. Some people need something called IDT on a sewing machine. I'm not even sure what it is. Some newer sewing machines always stop with the needle up. I think the two concepts are related, but I know this for a fact: I need to ALWAYS be in charge of how my needle stops at the end of a seam manually. Even if they developed a machine that read the operators mind for instructions on how/where to stop the needle at the end of a seam - I wouldn't NEED that either -as my hand is capable of stopping the hand wheel where needed - while my mind is thinking, "Wow! Brad Pitt sure was pretty" as I glance at "Thelma and Louise" on Netflix.

[Syrinx]

Yeah, I've watched my pro tailor friend freehand draft on that big paper with crosses on. It's impressive and reminds me that most of the stuff isn't necessarily needed, it's all about confidence and knowing what you're doing.

[Kwaaked]

@Sewot the reason that patterns have no seam allowance, or inlay, or hem is because you, as the maker, choose what to use based on how you sew, fabric, etc.  It also allows you to true the pattern (make sure all seams, notches, etc.) line up correctly.  And what amount of hem or seam allowance varies from person to person, maker and if you need to allow for gain or not.  https://journal.styleforum.net/alterations-seam-allowances-tailoring/ will show you bespoke vs. RTW allowances.

Even on commercial patterns I take the seam allowance off.

You certainly can use a tissue pattern multiple times.  This is where tracing comes in handy: you can trace it, change it/fix it and then if you ruin the tracing or cut off parts of it, then the original isn't damaged. 

Menswear is often considered tricky, which is why even designers don't often know how to do it (look at Project Runway) and why you seen menswear designers design womenswear but not usually the other way around, although you do see it.  They think it's hard and different and just don't do it.  But, really, it's not that hard.  Because, as Chris March said, all pants are is "two big sleeves put together".

The biggest challenges you're going to find with menswear is fit and finishing.  While men's casual wear is easy enough and doesn't need as much fitting (camp shirts, cargo pants) compared to a three piece suit or even a vest (tailoring, which is both fit and finish), because there is so few pieces that men have that are sewn over and over (shirts, pants, vests, suits) and so much of a man's outfit on display (collars, cuffs) that the finishing  has to be impeccable.  And this includes fabric choice as well as technique. 

[Sewot]

I am very grateful for all feedback re my request.
There are a good many of  you who are trained and skilled in your various fields and to share your information around is very much appreciated.
Now that it has been made clear WHY the masters are cut without seam allowance it makes good sense for when alterations are required and they will be!
The book is OTT for what I need but I wanted to read about the correct and normal way to go about cutting patterns and then adapt it for home sewing.
I would not dream of even imagining that I would make a suit or anything in that category.
I have an appreciation of  what is involved there.
That is for top end highly skilled taylors.
I just want to make shirts and trousers ie pants but want to make a good job of it.
I hate buying mens underwear with passion.
After a few months they sag and are so thin and they are never standard in sizing just like sewing patterns.
I have mastered now a set of patterns and made 12 pairs of underpants.
They are made of high quality stretch 100% very thick black cotton and fitted with a high quality wide elastic.
I am still wearing them with no signs of sag or stitching coming apart.
Kalvin Klein watch out!!!!
These are Aussie built and built with clout!
Made to last and last . :thumbsup: