Drafting your own Sewing Pattern

After having used commercial patterns for a while, I've decided to look into learning how to draft my own patterns.  There are several resources that you can use to learn how to do this.  Here are some of the options:

• pattern designing books
• pattern designing software
• pattern designing course

As for the books, the 3 books I've found useful that I've studied so far are 

The Joy of Tznius Pattern Book series by Moriya Chesler, Make Your Own Dress Patterns by Adele Margolis, and  Make Your Own Patterns: An Easy Step-by-Step Guide to Making Over 60 Dressmaking Patterns by Rene Bergh.  I'm inspired by Ms Margolis' writing on encouraging the novice designer to experiment with designing such as cutting and slashing the master pattern to create the look you've been dreaming of.  Ms. Bergh's step-by-step tutorial on drafting your basic bodice is very thorough, as it comes with very well-illustrated diagrams.  The very first thing you need to be comfortable doing is to take accurate measurements, and learn about the various measurements needed to draft a basic sloper (bodice) with darts.  Transition to dartless patterns is also taught in both books.  For Jewish dressmaking which focuses entirely on tzniut, Moriya Chesler writes in a unique perspective that not only combines important references to tzniut in her book, but she also explains why making clothing for modesty requires special attention to necklines and wearing fit.  Most pattern making books do not explain why slopers are designed the way they are.  But this is addressed in her books and comes with software (Excel spreadsheets) that make it easy for a dressmaker to record measurements and tabulate important data from the measurements to draft necklines, armholes, sleeve caps, bodice length, etc.  This is not software that drafts patterns, but software, like a calculator to help a dressmaker maintain and check measurements.  I think it's the only pattern making book in the planet that comes with handy software like this.  Reading her books (there are 3 volumes so far), makes me think that she's more technical than other pattern making authors, based on her engineering background mentioned in her books.  Another important detail is the ability to draft sleeve caps that fit the armhole perfectly.  This is sometimes called the "no-ease" sleeve cap design that many dressmakers find challenging to sew.  In addition, she provides online technical support for her community of sewers with updates to her book, questions that arise from her book and prompt with her correspondence.

There are several very expensive software out there that comes with pre-packaged design patterns which you just need to plug in the body measurements (taken accurately) and print out the pattern on your printer, made up of multiple sheets of paper, which you will then have to assemble.  I am not so thrilled with this method because what if the measurements were not correct and I've wasted so many sheets of paper.  Personally, I would prefer to get my  hands in action and draft the patterns which I can see directly onto tracing vellum. For me, that's more visual, and I can erase my mistakes on the spot without wasting the tracing material.  I won't offer the various dress pattern designing software out there which you can simply Google yourself, since I don't recommend this method.  It takes away your ability to learn and instead, transfer your dependence on software.

Pattern-designing courses are available online and offline. Some come with ebooks. Some come with kits.  PatternsThatFitYou.com offers downloadable PDFs that teach you how to draft anything from blouses to maternity clothing.  SureFitDesigns offers kits that come with instruction videos (some of them available on YouTube), master patterns with dot-to-dot drafting based on measurements, designing stylus (special curved and straight ruler with special markings), instruction books and pamphlets and tracing vellum.  I have learned tremendously from both options here and would recommend them highly. The nice thing about SureFitDesigns is that it offers a variety of kits -- women's darted blouse, skirt and dress patterns, children's garments, unisex pants and dartless unisex shirts.  The darted and undarted patterns come with default design ease, and I find the shirt kit offers the most modest pattern drafting for women. All the kits offer a very generous size option, with the ability to expand beyond what's printed on the  master patterns.

By combining these resources (except for the software), I believe you will be able to get a head start in learning to draft a basic pattern that fits you and then go on to making more elaborate patterns for yourself and others.