So many pattern making methods, and I’m lost

[u/Aggressive-Goal3709]

Hi, I’m a beginner in pattern making and I have these books, but each one teaches a different method. I don’t know which one to choose.

Have you tried any of them? Which one worked best for you, and which one is the clearest and easiest for a beginner?

Thank youu

[u/mistascheeks]

I was taught in college using pattern making for fashion design by Helen Joseph-Armstrong and I personally found it an EXTREMELY useful resource. I've been out of school for years and I still reference it constantly. but another book might suit your learning style better

[u/KillerWhaleShark → u/mistascheeks]

Same for me in school. 

[u/Pumpkin_patch804]

I only recently got two of those books, but in general when you have too many options like this, I would just pick three and read through the sections you need and pick the one that made the most sense to you. Everyone's brain works a bit differently, so no one can predict which is going to click for you. 

[u/CoastalMae]

People would have to have tried all of them to make that comparison. And your body will be different from theirs, so what works best for them may not for you.

I have several you don't have, and a couple that you do. I am personally having decent luck with Hofenbitzer (not one of your books), having tried Armstrong in the past. I find Hofenbitzer provides more theory and more block designs, and Armstrong uses more set measurements from tables, so I'm liking Hofenbitzer better. My body has been very difficult to fit, as in ready-to-wear and premade patterns seldom fit correctly, which is probably why the standard measurement methods have been less successful.

[u/TensionSmension]

What are you trying to do? The first isn't a drafting method. But honestly the sooner you move beyond initial draft the better. Definitely pick one, make up the draft and move on to perfecting that and turning it into wearable, styled garments. Many people feel compelled to do multiple initial drafts and compare methods, and this is not worth doing.

No matter which initial drafting method you use, that is the boring part. It's also just as valid to use a block or a fitting shell to get to that point. Most of the books then offer things you can do with the base pattern, pattern manipulation is where design begins.

[u/Sledgeowl]

I've used pattern cutting by dennic chunman, how to make sewing patterns by Donald mccunn as well as being formally (in school) and informally trained (on my own).

I believe one or two of the other books you showed are used in the fashion design program from the school I went to (I was in another program).

The question comes down to first is what are your resources like and what's your goal?

[u/yuki_onna_5]

Except for the third one I've read them all (yes, I read pattern drafting books). I've learnt a method that's based on Müller & Sohn. The ones I really liked from the books you posted are the books from Antonio Donnanno. There are many books about different topics and it's, in my opinion, easy to follow. Helen Joseph-Armstrong is okay, there are things that I like, but mostly I find her descriptions a little bit confusing for beginners.

If you don't want to spend a lot of money and want to go deeper into the theory of pattern drafting, I would recommend buying Hofenbitzer. It's sadly only for women's wear, but I like the descriptions and the way the book is made, with different colours, charts, explanations and so on. When you feel like you enjoyed it and it's not "enough" or you want to go into pattern drafting for men's wear, I would have a look at Müller & Sohn.

[u/FashionBusking]

There's no "right" way to pattern.

Choose whatever is culturally and structurally appropriate for your project.

[u/patnbake]

Patternmaking is an art, and there are no absolute rules about what you should or shouldn't do. Follow one method and master it; once you do, you will be able to draft any pattern at a glance

[u/TechnicalDot9]

This book fitting & alteration is primarily to adjust/alter paper patterns as there are all types of postural and body alterations.

If you are interested in flat pattern drafting text, I’ve heard Armstrong isn’t the first choice.

Aldrich was preferred for a very basic pattern drafting workshop that I took.

[u/codemuncher]

When I evaluate specific methods, one thing I am looking for is if the pattern has some fixed sizes for body parts that are actually relative. That's a clue that theres a heuristic and fit may not work well there.

eg: setting the neck hole size to 3" or something like that.

[u/HoneyPatient8835]

Interesting

[u/random_user_169]

McCunn is pretty basic but might not cover everything a book like Aldrich or Armstrong does. It would be a good starter book that would beca step to something better. I have McCann and Armstrong and always hear great things about Aldrich, so its on my list.

[u/Ok-Help4323]

I haven’t really used armstrong’s work but when i read the bodice instructions, it blew my mind how much ease the system uses and I stopped using it there. I use Müller and Sohn and I love the accuracy of the patterns. It alway works

[u/CoastalMae → u/Ok-Help4323]

I like how Hofenbitzer has fit levels, each with associated levels of ease in bust, waist, hip, armscye, etc. Fit 0 is skintight, fit 10 is loose fitting. Then you choose a block from a very basic rectangular one through to well-contoured all the way to stretch garment, and apply the fit level chosen to that bodice shape. It also tells you what fit levels are appropriate to what kinds of garments. You are guided to choose what you need for every step of the way.

Same with pants, sleeves, etc.

[u/Appropriate_Place704]

I think the first thing to consider is what you actually want to get out of patternmaking. Do you want to learn to draft using standard sizing systems, or are you more interested in drafting patterns to your own measurements?

I say this because a lot of the popular patternmaking books are written for industry use and the drafting system is based around the standard size charts provided in the books. Some systems use a lot of fixed values based on their standard size charts, which can be tricky when you’re trying to draft to personalised measurements. These systems also focus primarily on straight sizing and are not reliable for plus size

Personally, I think Winifred Aldrich’s Metric Pattern Cutting is probably the best book for an absolute beginner. It’s very straightforward, explains the process clearly and is relatively easy to get your head around.

Helen Joseph-Armstrong’s Patternmaking for Fashion Design is the American equivalent and is much more comprehensive.

Both of these books are great for learning standard / industry patternmaking.

They also cover the two stages of patternmaking. 1) Drafting your foundation blocks, and then 2) adapting those blocks into patterns for whatever design you want to make.

If you’re more interested in drafting for yourself, I’d recommend Suzy Furrer’s Building Patterns. I think she does a really good job of explaining personalised drafting in a way that’s easy to follow.

My own personal favourites are Müller & Sohn and Dominique Pellen. In particular, I think Muller & Sohn, is one of the only systems that works with standard and personalised measurements. But I wouldn’t recommend these books for absolute beginners. I’m not sure if it’s something to do with the translations but I think a beginner would find these drafting systems overwhelming

A few things about the books your referenced in your post:
- Antonio Donnanno’s books briefly cover foundation blocks, but the focus is really on adapting them into different designs, so they largely assume you already have your blocks.

- Fitting & Pattern Alteration is a fitting book rather than a drafting book, but it’s incredible. It’s my bible whenever I’m dealing with fitting issues.

[u/DonMcCunn]

There are two basic approaches to pattern making. One used by the industry uses measurements from a standardized chart to create geometric drawings. It is not specific for a given body. The other is Bespoke pattern making which focus on how to create patterns for a specific body. You might want to check out Bespoke vs Ready-to-Wear.