So tell me, are you interested in making your own patterns? If so, what’s your motivation? Is it about Fit? Syle? Or is it about finally having the Creative Freedom of making something entirely your own? Let’s chat in the comments. I’d love to hear where you’re at in your journey!

To anyone making their own sewing patterns from scratch and doesn't know the correct order to sew everything together, remember that YouTube is an absolutely INCREDIBLE resource and there are thousands of garment construction videos to follow or use as a guide (even if you have to combine a couple methods if your design is more complex). Can be extremely helpful :)

Happy sewing!!

I spent nearly 3 months (on and off) last year perfecting my basic block for tops and i can tell you ladies and gents it is SOOO worth it. Now it feels like magic everytime i draft a pattern from it because it fits everytime!!!! Also I invested in a half size dummy to help me work out sewing order and designs etc and that is very helpful too. Go for it ---- you wont regret it😅

I never thought I could design my own clothes.  My sewing skills are mediocre, so I stay within my skill set.  But I have a bodice block and skirt sloper that I make modifications on.  I add embellishments and get a different outfit.  It’s not as hard as I feared.

Evelyn. I will be joining your classes very soon.
I've been sewing for years. I thought I knew everything I needed to know. Ha! How wrong was I? My son is getting married and I offered to make his future wife her wedding dress. She chose a simple tea dress,  and I thought "yep, I can do that!" Little did I know...
Her body shape is unusual to say the least, which I found out after I volunteered. 😢
She has a spine deformity that doesn't show but alters the pattern immensely.  I'm on to my third mockup.  Pray for my success people.  😬

This is an even more important skill now that the Big 4 patterns have been sold to a liquidator.

I’m fortunate, my local community college has a fashion design department.  I have taken several classes and now have a pant block, Moulage, bodice and skirt block.  I feel liberated to create with fabric and thread!  I love flat pattern design. All easier than I thought going into it.

Part of why I want to make my own patterns is because I find those sewing instructions a bit insane lol

That "big world of commercial sewing patterns" is shrinking exponentially -- the Big 4 are in liquidation.

I'm teaching myself to make patterns at the moment and it's probably easier than most people think if you have a good source of information.

Evelyn can you do a tutorial on how to make our own slopers? I’ve tried so many version and yet able to get it right

I finally have a very well fitting darted bodice pattern, so I'm super excited to be able to use it for a block pattern to modify.

I started by tracing and cloning clothing I already had, made tights and some shirts and sweatshirts... modified a shirt tracing into a formal dress... tried a few medieval-style rectangles and gores dresses and they worked out well... then I tried a few commercial patterns and grading up histprical patterns and discovered how far off they are from my body shape (the pattern I started with thought my bust should be size 12, my hips size 8 and my waist size 18 so THAT was fun) so altered one with a friend's help into a princess seam bodice block pattern fitted to me, and I've made a few different things from that... then I tried measurement based pattern drafting from the 1895 Keystone manual, and have made a few things from the skirt and jacket patterns I've drafted and modified to fit me, still working on trying to get a darted bodice block, tried one from measurements and another by attaching my princess block together and am still modifying them. But honestly, with a block pattern, you can do anything.

I still struggle with ease a bit, how much do I need for a shirt, a jacket to go over the shirt, an outerwear jacket... slowly figuring out that bit too. And with the more complicated parts that don't have instructions, like closures and the like, how much extra do I need to include for buttons and plackets and where do I want the pockets and all that. I try to take on only one or two new skills per garment, and wearable mockups are great for experimenting on.

Today, I just learned about the Lutteroh System (or The Lutteroh Golden Rule System) for drafting garment patterns. Have you ever heard of it? It's worth the time to look into it. At this time I don't know if this system is available here in the U.S.A. I have also bought seven different sewing books (through mail orders), written by designers with their full size patterns in the books. Right now I am studying "MAKE IT YOURS WITH MIMI G", by Mimi G. Ford. Her book gives full instructions on how to use her pattern blocks to make over 100+ new garments. All seven of my new sewing books are full of ideas, instructions, and full sized patterns. It's nice to know there are so many ways of getting patterns now that The Big Four Pattern Companies are gone. Thank you.

I've done all of these methods and I have come to prefer the flat method. I have several slopers which I know work and I just alter them to get the design I like because it's easier than trying to fit a commercial pattern over and over again. Just recently I struggled with a pattern that was under the impression that with growing bust measurements, your arm hole should get 3 times bigger too😂
On the whole, sloper are my way forward on my sewing journey.

I absolutely love the book Infinite Pattern (nekonečný střih) from Lenka Velebová. She gives you a T-shirt sloper, fitting instructions and   about six ways to alter it to get different necklines, sleeves, gathering, make it a dress.... I wish there was something like this in English.

As a beginner, I jumped in head first and decided to alter a pattern on only my third project ever. Unfortunately, I made some rookie mistakes and am having to scrap it altogether and use the fabric for other smaller projects. Not letting it deter me from moving forward, lessons learned, but it nearly had me in tears. 😅 It feels like muslin-making is less fun and has less reward, but I've definitely learned my lesson there. Hope this inspires another beginner in the chat not to forego the mock-up.

There's also un-patterning as an option! My method is somewhere between flat patterning and un-patterning. I make a lot of historically-inspired stuff that is mostly rectangles and triangles, so I often make a sketch with the pattern pieces and their measurements, and then cut the fabric pieces out according to those diagrams (without an actual physical pattern to trace or cut around).

Another method I've seen but haven't tried is using the "old T-shirt and duct tape" method. It starts out similarly to making a duct tape dress form but gets more specific from there:

You duct tape the shirt tightly to yourself, trace where you want the garment to sit (neckline, bottom hem, etc), then trace the curved areas of your body where you'll need seams and darts. Then you cut out the duct taped shirt along the lines, flatten the pieces, and use those as your paper pattern (don't forget to add seam allowance!). Lots of cosplayers use this for crafting with foam, but it can be done for fabric patterning, too.

These tips on creating your own sewing patterns are so empowering! It’s amazing how simple steps can give you the freedom to design and make anything you want. With these techniques, you can truly customize clothes to fit your personal style and preferences.

I’ve only recently started to make my own patterns. The most amazing one was when I used a store-bought pattern for an open front top. My plan was to make a quilted jacket from it so I cut out the pattern pieces in a size that was about three sizes too large. It turned the top into a kimono jacket with with the front panels overlapping more than they would have if I had use the correct size. Also, Instead of sewing on facing, I wanted it to be completely lined ,something I have never done and that worked out beautifully as well. It’s my favorite thing to wear!

This was nothing short of fantastic!