How do you make patterns from scratch?

I'm not a sewing expert, but maybe I can help you nevertheless. ^^;

When I have an idea for a dress, either for my 1/6 doll or a bigger one, I draw a sketch first showing the dress from both front and back. Then I take the measurements and draw a geometrical form that has these doll measurements. Next step is figuring out the length and width of the clothing with this "2D model".
Most times I use simple basic patterns which I combine and change into something that looks like my imaginated dress.

More complicated clothing needs some other method, I suppose...

 

i don't know how much help this will be.... but profesional designers for people use a method called the sloper method. Basically you start with some very simple patterns like a bodice front and back, basic sleeve, basic skirt and basic pants, and you continuously alter those simple patterns to make them more complex. But that takes a lot of time and practice to do. The best thing i can recommend is to learn how clothing goes together by making things from other people's patterns, and then you'll learn what pattern shapes yeild what result. Also, you can alter other people's basic patterns to get more of the look you want.

~Erin

 

trial and error? ^_^

I draw us a degine, draw up small rouhgs of the peices as I best can think of them and comput mersuremnts- like, a fronta back, need 9 over all along x part, 5 back, 4 front, extra, and the pull out the tracing paper. one coulf even 'fit' the tracing paper to the dol if the want.

Some times things don't work, over I need to take in seems more. If it's complex or i think i don't under stand, good cheap scrap fabric is good for a rough.

 

I studied doll patterns for ages ^^;; Now I take some paper, tape, pencil and scissors and, my doll ^^;; Then I trace the pattern, ect, tapewhere the darts are,and drapeit over my doll

 

I've never used it, but for custom drafting a sloper http://www.panix.com/~aqn/tailoring2/drafting/fr_bod_sloper.html was a site linked on a sewing community. I'm sure you could use it on a smaller scale.

 

I take cloth and pin it to the doll and make it as tight as possible and make a basic pattern of the doll. Then I made paper patterns of that. Then I bought some patterns at the thrift shop that were close to the pattern I wanted to make. Then I made copies of the original doll pattern and cut them like the patterns I'd seen.

 

Same way as you would for people! Take measurements, draw stuff, cut, sew, pray! >_> And 3/4 of the time its wrong so you do it all over again!

 

I have a decent amount of sewing experience, so what I do, after I have sketched out what I want the complete out fit to look like, is tkae the doll's measurements and start drawing up a rough pattern based on what I know the pieces should look like. I then sew this up with some cheap fabric and fit it on the doll. I not any modifications needed and redraw the pattern pieces. Depending on how well it fit the first time I'll either make another cheap fabric mock up or go right to making it out of my better fabric. It's really hard to explain how to do this without actually sitting down and doing it with someone. I also think the sloper method is a good idea, though it does take a lot of work. How you draft a pattern also depends greatly on the compexity of what you are making. The more you do it the easier it gets though.

 

I usually sketch it out first of course. then yes I do a draping type thing with some materials I have alot of or most often I use paper towels, cuz it bends real nice and is cheap and you can pin it!. I tweek here and there as I go until I have what I want..just dont forgot to trace your pattern hehe I do that all the time so I end up making new patterns alot. ops:

 

I drape it on the doll usingf paper towel and tape. Then I dissassemblle it and add a seam allowance and a bit extra so it will go over the doll ( an ease). Then I make it in cheap fabric. I usually use this for a lining on the final piece. I like linnig so I dont have to worry as much about the seams.

 

I usually make it out of fabric, but since resin is easily stained by ink pens (which is what I use when I work with fabric), I've been using paper. It works pretty well, but I end up having a seam allowance in already, and I have to cut my pieces to fit right. ^^;

 

you can use your doll as a dress form for making your own patterns...what I do is simply buy cheap fabric like Muslin...its 99cents a yard so you wont go broke if you have to buy more.
but what you do is sketch what you want to do front and back and then take a peice of muslin that is long enough for what your trying to do...you might want to take the dolls head off for this so it makes it a lot easier...but cut a hole in the top of the muslin so that if fits over your dolls neck and then if you want eh garnment form fitting then take a straight pin and pin it as tight as you want it to the doll at the shoulders and on the sides.

then since the muslin is white you can take a pencil and trace out your pattern peices for the neck line, arm holes and where you want your garnment to stop...be sure though to make it a little bigger for seam allowances...after that you can either un pin it fromy our doll and then cut it out or cut the peices right off of your doll...which ever you prefer. But this site here http://www.deofsf.com/Hmsp/DemoAll.html will give you a basic visual way on how to trace out your pattern peices

i hope this helps and that you arent confused ops:

 

paper towel Oo...that is SUCH a great idea...I never would have thought of that

 

i find a basic pattern and just keep changing it until i get what i want.

 

That's how I make my(human sized)costumes too..and it really isn't as hard as it sounds ^^ Before you start drawing your own patterns, be sure to really know a few, existing patterns. I have a pattern of a coat I know so well, I can adjust it into anything I want(more than 10 of my costumes have that coat somewhere, yet no one notices, it's become a different pattern everytime.).So, start with some easy patterns, get to know them, and then play with them ^^And it's a lot of thinking and trial/error too..but after a while, you'll notice you can draw any pattern ^^ Don't expect it to happen too soon though, it just kind of..happens, after you've been sewing for a while..when I was making lolita dresses, I suddenly realized 'hey..I'm drawing patterns for corsets, dresses, jackets..all by myself..O.O *shock*'

Skirts usually don't need any practicing, they are really easy(any kind of skirt, really, just try and see what kind of effect you want)..and look at clothing, be it for dolls or for humans, just look at it, see how it's made ^^ Making patterns really is just..understanding patterns.

 

I make my own patterns.


I sketch out the whole outfit, set aside what fabrics I'll use, color coordinate, and with my measurements in hand I just start transferring the patterns in my head onto newspaper. I'ts odd, I have close to no sewing experience yet I can whip out these things out of nowhere, make my own patterns to scale without any guidance from others. D: That wasn't much of a big help.

 

An important step, not to be forgotten, is to swear lamentably when something you double-double checked goes south.

When you are in need of a good swearing, put down the project & the doll, gently, and do something else for a while. Something to eat, walk around the block, hit the bathroom, maybe all of them. And if it's three in the morning Go To Bed!

I promise, your error won't go away, but you will see better how to deal with it after a break.

After many years of sewing, my own error rate has gone down a lot, but never actually to zero.

Ann in CT

 

i agree! sometimes i can get so frustrated if something goes wrong, it will make me depressed the whole day. taking a break is necessary. though on the other hand, a sewing sucess is a wonderful uplifting feeling.