Pattern Drafting

Sewing has been a skill I've been working on since I was pretty young. My grandmother first taught me to sew pillow cases and aprons on her old Singer (which I still have and use from time to time) and my mother taught me how to read paper patterns and sew more complex items including clothes for my Cabbage Patch Kid and eventually myself.

source

I'm a home sew-er through and through, I've no formal training, just a lot of trail and even more error under my belt.
I love the process of making clothes for myself and the sweet satisfaction of being able to say

"Oh, this? I made it myself"

Don't forget, the majority of people do not sew, it's a dying skill and one that us home sew-ers should be very proud of.

 

So what is Pattern Drafting?

There is plenty of info out there but, put quite simply, Pattern Drafting is a way of copying your pattern pieces to keep your original pattern intact and to make adjustments to the pattern prior to cutting out fabrics.  www.touchedemode.blogspot.co.uk has a great little run through with good clear pictures follow this link

I personally use baking paper or greaseproof paper from any supermarket. Its much cheaper than tracing paper and readily available, although you'll need to tape multiple sheets together for larger pattern pieces. I'm also old-school and use scissors rather than a rotary cutter although I may venture down that road one day.

If you've never considered pattern drafting then I urge you to give it a try. The time you spend on it may seem wasteful but I assure you, once you've drafted the pattern to your requirements it can be used time and time again and your original pattern remains untouched.

much love
Sweet FA x