What Does a Patternmaker Do?

Maybe you already know what a pattern maker does, and this sounds like a dumb question. But do you really know?....

From my point of view, I get a lot of strange inquiries. (No I will not distress jeans for you. No I will work on you fairytale wedding gown that you have no clue how to get made after I pass the pattern to you). So I’m thinking it’s worthwhile to paint a clear picture.

I’m a pattern maker, which is basically a garment engineer. You convey the idea and I create the template for you to make your product from. You put the pattern (template) I make onto fabric, cut it out and sew it up for a completed item. With my pattern, you can repeat the cutting and sewing steps to make multiples. “Multiples” is the key word. You can easily make one item and make it nice the first go round, but my focus is on making the product fool-proof for mass production. Some patternmakers may do a one-off, but that’s not my focus.

The Process

Step 1: You pass on your concept and I make a first fit pattern. This is your prototype template. You should not expect a perfect product at this point. A prototype is the start of the discussion - what do you like? What don’t you like? How would you like to change it?

Step 2: I revise the initial pattern to create a second fit and we analyze again and repeat the revision process if necessary. You should always expect two fit rounds. For complex garments, it could take up to four fit rounds. This is because sometimes you can’t judge until you see the product a certain way or you want to be sure that it’s perfect.

Step 3: Once the fit is approved, the pattern is graded to make the different sizes. Not all pattern makers are graders and not all graders know pattern making. In my case, I do both. (More on grading at a later time.) If there are any discrepancies that the grader finds, it will require discussion with the pattern maker.

This is the general idea of what happens, but there can be a few steps in between or sometimes different work flows are put together.

Skills

Pattern makers know a lot of things because some jobs require overlap of skills. Here are some that you should count on:
-Advise suggestions on garment construction.
-Ability to improve upon existing fit.
-Optimize your pattern for mass production.
-Give fabric yields.

Depending on capabilities and/or what the pattern maker wants to offer, these are interchangeable skills that you would want to ask about as they are not always a given from the same person.
-Sample sewing
-Grading
-Tech pack development

What pattern makers are not responsible for:
-Sewing samples (unless they offer this service)
-Grading (unless they offer this)
-Tech pack development (unless they offer this service)
-Choosing your fit model
-Referrals to fabric suppliers/manufacturers
-Establishing your size chart
-Altering garments
-Teaching you how the industry works.
-Choosing your fabric or hardware.

This is just the start of my list. It may be updated as odd requests come in that can be categorized. (No, I will not sew up a baby sling that you made a pattern for). However, I think it’s a good place to start. Even if you knew what a pattern maker does, I hope this maybe made a few points clear.

If you already work with a pattern maker, does this process sound familiar to you? How does your workflow go?