UNIT 1 METHODS OF PATTERN MAKING Structure 1.0. Introduction 1.1 Objectives 1.2 Patter Making 1.2.1 History of Patter Making 1.3. Methods of Pattem Making 13.1. Flat pattern making 13.2 Draping 1.4 Let Us Sum Up 15. Keywords 1.6 References and Suggested Readings 1.7. Check Your Progress: The Key 1.0 INTRODUCTION ‘The unit will help you understand various methods of pattern making and acquaint you with its terminology. Studying this unit thoroughly and undergoing various activities will give you a good foundation for future assignments. The Unit will take about two hours to study. 1.1. OBJECTIVES After going through this unit, you should be able to © Define and identify the importance of ‘Pattern Makin Explain and differentiate between various terms used in ‘Pattern Making” © Understand and differentiate between drafting, flat pattem making, and draping 1.2_ PATTERN MAKING In this section, we will apprise you that pattem making is an art. It is the art of ‘manipulating and shaping a flat piece of fabric to conform to one or more curves of the human figure. Pattern making is a bridge between design and production. A sketch can be tumed into a garment via a pattern which interprets the design in the form of the garment components. In addition to being referred to as an art it requires good reasoning, creative and manipulative skill. Time, patience and practice are essential to master the skill correctly. Pattern making is a system of making patterns/ blocks using body measurements. It can be done either by drafting, flat pattern making or by means of draping which is a three dimensional method.Introduction o Pattern Making Drafting a pattern needs precision in taking body measurements as well as in plotting the same, A pattern is flat while the body is not. The body has height, width and depth. Patternmaking techniques like darts, gathers, pleats help convert a flat piece of cloth into a three dimensional form which follows the body contour /shape beautifully. A patternmaker typically makes a pattern from a flat sketch with measurements and two dimensional fashion illustration. The basic pattern is the very foundation upon which pattem making, fit and design are based. The basic pattern is the starting point for flat pattern designing. It is a simple pattern that fits the body with just enough ease for movement and comfort (Shoben and Ward). Basic pattern/sloper consists of front bodice, back bodice; sleeve, front skirts and back skirts (see Figure 1.3.) 1.2.1. History of Pattern Making In order to survive, human beings had to master the art of creating and sustaining food, clothing and shelter. For hundreds of years, fitting of the garment was not considered as important. It was important that it needs to cover your body, Later as the concept of fashion advanced garments became more functional. Till late medieval period, elaborate clothing was created from different sizes of rectangles of fabrics, which were draped in folds around the body in variety of ways. A woven fabric was a precious treasure as the fabric was woven with hands and that was the reason to not to cut and waste any amount. It was during the fifteenth century the art of cutting fabric into shapes to fit the body contours started. The cutting and fitting of fabrics was done by expert tailors and seamstresses who worked with individual body measurements and shapes. The garments were hand sewn and the entire process was very time consuming and expensive By late 18% Century, books for home dressmakers were published. Full size patterns started appearing in professional journals and woman’s magazines. This also led to the establishment of commercial pattem industry. ‘The Industrial Revolution and the invention of sewing machine led to the commercialization of the garment industry. Factories came into being and so the need for standard garment sizes. Patterns and Pattern making techniques became essential to produce standard designs in standard measurements. Continuous experimentations over a period of time led to standard size charts. The standard size charts helped the garment/apparel industry to grow manifolds. 1.3.| METHODS OF PATTERN MAKING In this section, we will discuss about the methods of flat pattem making: 1.3.1 Flat Pattern Making The flat- pattern making is a system of plotting body measurements on a flat surface. A patter maker uses various tools such as Scales, Lscale, pattern master,french curve, notchergetc. The first pattern made is usually a body fitting sloper done on a thick cardboard. The first pattern or the basie pattern is without any seam allowances or any design details. Next step involves making necessary changes as per design details. The pattern at this stage is known as working pattern, Once these changes are done a mock or test fit is made. This helps to see transition from two dimensions to three dimensional form, At this stage one needs to evaluate and correct any fitting problems and balance in design. A final pattern is made with all necessary details, corrections, seam allowances, notches and important pattern information. Flat pattern making is a system of making blocks using body measurements. Flat pattern making is a two dimensional method). Patterns when traced to fabric lead to a garment. A garment encircles the figure to give a shape and structure. Basic pattem is a structure of lines representing body measurements. The key features of flat pattern making are as follows: © Flat Pattem Making begins with paper. © All the measurements and body landmarks are identified on the pattern paper. You will create a basic set of patterns including a basic bodice front, basic bodice back, sleeve block, skirt front and skirt back patterns © Test fit all your patterns on a dress form or a human body to check the balance, proportion and fit. Once the test fit is done you can easily use them to create variety of designs. © Itisa ess time consuming method. Please Note * Basic patterns are two dimensional therefore it is very important to design around the body rather than looking at only the front and back views. © Itis very important to check the pattern on a dress form and a human figure. This will help to check various elements of design like balance, proportion, © It is very important to consider the fabric qualities as different textures, handle and surface qualities of fabric influence the fit and fall of garments. Basic pattern set A basic pattern set consists of a front and back bodice block, front and back skirt block and a sleeve block. Figure 1.3 and 1.4 depicts all five pieces of a pattern set. Methods of Pattern MakingIntroduction o Pattern Making Figure 1.3: Basic pattern set Front bodice, back bodice and sleeve block Source: Google images Py Per Figure 1.4: Basic pattern set Front skirt, back skirt 2 Source: Google images‘Check Your Progress- 1 Methods of Pattern Making List down three points why flat pattern making is an important step to garment manufacturing. ‘Types of Pattern After discussing, ba pattern in the previous section, you will know about the steps of wake production pattern in this section, a) by The block/ basic pattern — This is the first step in pattern making and is a structure of lines representing body measurements. The working pattern — It is the second stage of pattern making basic style lines and design features are marked, Figure 1.5, Step 2 indicates a working pattern where neckline is changed. The final pattern — Final patterns or the production pattern which are used for cutting the fabric. To convert a working pattem into a final pattern, seam allowances and pattern information need to be added. agra ) Figure 1.5: Steps of pattern making Source: Google images 13Introduction o Pattern Making Salient aspects of production pattern © A pattern set that is complete corrected and perfected. © Contains every pattem piece required to complete the garment. © Used for the marker for fabric layout and cutting Clearly marked with all the information required for cutting of the fabric. The pattern can be easily understood by anyone who wants to use it in the future, Pattern Information To facilitate the cutting of fabric and stitching of garment the following instructions must be marked on the pattern: © Name of each piece- Each pattern piece needs to be labeled e © The centre front and center back lines ‘© The number of pieces to be cut © Fold lines - These are the lines normally marked on the patterns where the left and right sides are identical and half a pattern is used to cut the complete ‘garment part © The balance marks ~They are used to make sure pattern pieces are sewn together at the correct points. © Seam allowances ~ Margins to construct the garment. © Construction Lines — i) Darts ii) Button holes iii) Pocket placement iv) Tucks v) Pleat lines vi) Decorative stitch lines © Grain lines — It is a line drawn on each pattern piece to indicate how the pattern should align with the lengthwise grain of the fabric. Regardless of where the grain line is placed on the pattern; it will be always placed parallel to the selvedge edge. in line arrows ~ You place an arrow on top and bottom indicating that pattern can be placed in either direction. In other cases you mark an arrow either on the top or the bottom of the grain line indicating that the pattern must be placed in one direction only. Single arrow grain lines are used for one-way prints and napped fabrics. = Direction of Grain Line - Straight grain lines are drawn parallel to center for garments cut on straight grain, Cross grain lines are drawn at right angles to center for garments cut on crosswise grain. Bias grain lines are drawn at an angle to center (45 degree angle for true bias) for garments cut on the bias.«Pattern sizes indicating size 10, 12 or whatever is applicable. Methods of Pattern Making © Style numbers ~ Each Company normally designates a style number for easy identification and follow up. © Right-side-up (for asymmetrical designs) (RSUP) This is needed for asymmetrical design; i.e. designs that are not mirror image. For such designs it is necessary to place patterns on the right side of fabric otherwise you end ‘up with a garment with reverse design. Figure 1.6 and 1.7 illustrate a similar , NE N Figure 1.6 Asymmetrical Bodice Source: Google images For example in the above design, it is very necessary to mention right side up on pattern pieces. If the same is not done you will end up making a design where the style line instead of starting from left armhole (while you are looking at it) will start from right armhole. The design will then look like: Figure 1.7: Asymmetrical Bodice Source: Google imagesIntroduction o Pattern Making ick Rate Figure 1.8: Demonstrates the front and back bodice with relevant pattern information. Source: Google images Front Bodice Back Bodice Figure 1.9: Demonstrates the front and back view of the bodice after stitching Source: Google images Check Your Progresss-2 List down the three steps involved in converting a basic pattern to a final pattern. Also list the important instructions to be marked on the final pattern. a) The three steps in converting a basic pattern to a final pattern include: 1 163 Methods of Pattern Making b) A final pattern should contain the following information: i) xi) 1.3.2 Draping Draping is a three dimensional method of pattern making. Draping proceeds from a flat sketch to draping the fabric directly on the dress form (Figure 1.9). Later the muslin pattem is transferred to paper to create a final pattern, Since draping is three dimensional, you can see the progress of your design and make necessary changes. Itis also easier to create unconventional designs with draping rather than flat pattern making. Draping is a good technique to develop new ideas and create new silhouettes. Many designers prefer to use draping methods to create original designs. Draping technique helps to see proportion, fit , balance and design features directly on a dressform, Students using this technique can directly see a piece of fabric taking shape of the body. While draping you can clearly see the flow and fall of the fabric. ‘The key features of draping are given as follows: © Draping begins with a muslin cloth. © Muslin is blocked, ironed and basic landmarks marked before starting. © Draping helps to see the fit and fall of the garment at the first stage itself. * It allows for easy experimentation with necklines, collars, yokes, sleeves ete, © Italso helps to check the placement of various surface decorations. © Butat the same time. It is method, zy time consuming and therefore an expensiveIntroduction o Pattern Making The right selection of fabric plays an important role in draping. While selecting a fabric for draping following factors need to be kept in mind: © The feel of the fabric = The weight of the fabric © The fibre content i.e. cotton, wool, silk, inen or polyester needs to be carefully selected as the way they drape on the human body is quiet different. International Designers like Giorgio Armani, Coco Chanel, Issey Miyake and Indian Designers like Sabhyasachi, Manish Arora, Amit Aggarwal, Ritu Kumar, Anita Dongre, Wendell Rodricks and many more have very well understood the properties of various fabrics and created interesting gamments or rather pieces of art. To create a successfull garment a designer needs to keep following factors to be kept in mind: © Garment type according to the style, image, age , occasion and need of the target customer, © Fabric being used according to style, season and occasion © The fitand fall of the garment tested on the elient finally and not only on the dressfor' © Colors, surface ornamentation, detailing and finishing of the garment. 1.4 LET US SUM UP The unit must have helped to introduce you to history of pattern cutting. It also tried to give insights into the different types of pattern making i.e. Drafting and Draping, Drafting and draping are two dimensional and three dimensional methods of creating patterns. Drafting or Flat Pattern Making is a two dimensional method of making blocks using body measurements. The system gives accurate results and once the basic blocks are made, different designs can be created easily. Whereas Draping involves creating a form by molding the fabric directly on the dressform. Each one of them plays an important role in the process of garment production. The two methods can be used independently of each other or in conjunction. Patterns and fabric go hand in hand and it is important to understand the related aspects. You will study about fabric properties and the way it behaves in detail in the next chapter. 1.59 KEYWORDS © Flat Pattern Making © Drafting © Draping © Basic sloper © Darts © Pleat Lines1.6 _REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED READINGS Shoben, Martin and Ward, J.P (1997). Pattem Cutting and Making up: The Professional Approach. New Delhi: CBS Publishers, Aldrich, Winifred (1998) Metric Pattern Cutting for Women’s Wear. London: Blackwell Science. Armstrong, Helen Joseph (1995) Pattern Making for Fashion Design. New York: Harper Collins College Publishers MacDonald, Nora. M (2002), Principles of Flat Pattern Design.Fairchild Publication, Inc. Crawford, Connie Amaden(2012), The Art of Fashion Draping. Fair Child Books, adivision of Conde’ Nast Publications https://en. wikipedia org/wiki/Pattern_(sewing) https://www-fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/5658/basics-of-pattern- making. https:/in.pinterest.com/pin/703756178736305/ https:/fin.pinterest.com/pin/449867450272188111 https://in.pinterest.com/pin/169799848420189710/ https://in.pinterest.com/pin/46021 1655657821645 1.7 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS : THE KEY 1) 2 Flat Pattern Making is an important step in garment manufacturing as i) It helps achieve well fitting garments as it is based on body ‘measurements, ii) Itis faster and time saving method as compared to draping. iii) Once you perfect the basic blocks, different designs can be created easily. Steps involved to achieve a final pattern include making a basic block. Basic block is a draft based on body measurements. Later changes are made in the basic block as per the design c.g. Neckline changes, style lines and this changed pattern is known as a working pattem. Working pattern is finally converted into a production pattern, which is complete with all pattern information. Before a production pattern is finalized, a test fit is made and checked for fit, fall and proportions ‘A final pattern consists of the following information: 1) Name of each piece 2) The centre front and centre back lines 3) No. of pieces to be cut 4) Fold lines 5) The balance marks Methods of Pattern MakingIntroduction o Pattern Making 20 6) 72 8) 9) 10) i) Seam allowances Construction details like darts, pocket placement, button, buttonholes Grain lines Pattern sizes Style number Right-side—up