Drafting your own Pattern. Do or Dont?

With commercial patterns I feel so out of the norm. Once I started drafting my own pattern I really start to feel sewing was fun. With commercial patterns I have at least 4 alterations every time and when drafting Its reduces my sewing time at least in half.

So, Do you have any experience drafting your patterns? If not, would you consider?

I have more than 2 books on the matter but the ones I use are and recommend:

Make your own patterns - Rene Bergh

Iole Method - No Author...

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Permalink Reply by Jessie on July 25, 2011 at 3:19pm

Yes, I've always drafted my own patterns--from the first sad, fraying circle skirt I made at age sixteen! I would recommend two books primarily: first, Pattern Drafting for Dressmaking by Pamela Stringer--it's a great beginner's text, very clear and plain language without too much complicated detail. And secondly, Dress Pattern Designing by Natalie Bray--it's much more scientific but absolutely necessary if you want to actually understand what you're doing.

Honestly, drafting my own patterns is partly (selective) laziness; I just don't want to wrangle with somebody else's design and learn somebody else's construction rules and sew a seam without knowing exactly why I'm doing it. I enjoy the drafting itself as a puzzle and challenge (for the same reason I enjoyed calculus in school), and the sewing process goes much more quickly and easily when I have hands-on knowledge of why I'm doing everything.

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Permalink Reply by Rachel Pinheiro on July 26, 2011 at 2:57pm

thanks for the books and I aree,,, the process is so much quicker and makes a lot more sense....

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Permalink Reply by Jessie on July 27, 2011 at 9:51am

Hey, I'd forgotten I had reviews of these books up in the blog queue! Here they are:

http://somethingsihavemade.blogspot.com/2011/07/reading-list-part-o...

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Permalink Reply by Stevie on July 26, 2011 at 7:47am

I learnt to draft before I even learnt to sew and I almost never use it. There is too many lovely things in commercial patterns and I dont have the time or energy to draft from scratch/block everytime. I would recommend learning it so that it makes your adjustments easier and less scary but it is far more involved than buying patterns.

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Permalink Reply by Anne Barnes on July 26, 2011 at 8:27am

I'm with you- I'm a little instant gratification girl! I'd love to havce the skill, but I don't think I';d use it all the time.

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Permalink Reply by Rachel Pinheiro on July 26, 2011 at 2:58pm

Its good to know that some love commercial pattern.. thats makes our sewing comunity so interresting.... thanks for sharing...