Two days of intense pattern making
I had been thinking about learning to make my own patterns for a while now, but it took me a while to commit to the idea. Earlier this year I decided it was time to make it happen! I researched courses in Melbourne and decided on the CAE pattern making intensive course, which is run over two days and is exactly as it sounds - very intensive! It was a great introduction to pattern making and an excellent way to get my head around the basics, but I definitely feel that I have a lot more to learn.
My main reasons for choosing this particular course were the price and the CBD location. I didn't want to commit to a long and expensive accredited course and many of the studio based courses that I came across seemed to be quite far from where I live.
The instructor, Jenny, was great. She somehow managed to cram an insane amount of teaching into two Sundays and still had the time to help people out when they got stuck - which tends to happen to everyone at least once. One invaluable lesson from Jenny is the need to be very precise with pattern making , which is something I often can't be bothered with when I'm sewing. The idea that a few extra millimetres here and there could entirely ruin the fit of a pattern certainly has me worried! I'm definitely guilty of tracing out rough lines or guessing measurements and hoping for the best.
On the first day of the course we made a basic tailored skirt block. While I have been using sewing patterns since I was at least twelve, this was the first time I realised that patterns are drawn from a grid. A crucial part of the process was taking very careful measurements of each other. Obviously I've measured myself many times before, but this was the first time that I've been told just how curvy I am and that I need a larger than usual dart value. I guess I hadn't really thought about darts as being the solution to all of my problems - I tend to just avoid tailored/straight skirts! The below photo shows the top of my semi-drafted skirt block with my "larger than usual" darts.
Once we had completed the skirt block, we then used it to trace a pattern, adding the seam allowance. While the pattern we traced still used the same basic shape, I can see how the block could be useful when designing a new pattern or even adjusting a purchased pattern. I'm yet to create a voile to test my new pattern out (I can't stand the idea of making a draft version of something) but I'm kind of excited by the idea just to make sure that it's a good fit.
Once we had finished the skirt, we moved on to our pants. We started the pants at the end of the first day, so they were mostly drafted on the second day. Pants are a tricky thing since a small change in the way they are cut can have such a big impact on the fit. I have very particular ideas about the types of pants I wear; usually skinny fit, culottes or sometimes a paper bag style. Traditional tailored pants definitely aren't my thing, so I can't imagine that I'll actually make a toile for this particular pattern.
The curves on the pants are a lot more complicated to draft than the skirt. Since everything is drawn from a grid, the curves start as sharp angles that then need to be made into a curve by hand. There's definitely a knack to curve creation and it's probably one of the main things that I will need to practice.
The final piece we worked on was a block for a top. This was the piece that I had the most trouble with. The armhole curve (as shown in the below photo) was especially complicated. After having worked on the three blocks, I can see why the top was left until last. Unfortunately we didn't cover sleeves, so this is something I will probably need to teach myself.
This was a great course for dipping my toes into pattern making, but I'd be kidding myself if I thought I could walk away from this course ready to conquer the world of pattern design. There's so much more to learn - how to create shirts with collars and button, how to draft different zip placements and pockets, how to design pleats and gathers and so the list goes on! I certainly feel confident about drafting some simple pieces, but it will take some practice before I'm ready to attempt anything too technical. The course used instructions from Metric Pattern Cutting by Winfred Aldrich, which looks like good place to start. I can't wait to get started on my first pattern!
