How to Make a Dress Pattern?

Dresses are one of the most commonly worn garments by women. However, in today's fashion world, we can also find some actors who appear on the red carpet in dresses. To design any type of dress, you need to know different techniques for sewing dress patterns. dress is made of different types of fabrics such as denim, linen, cotton, or any other lightweight material. Certain styles of dress, such as shawls, are made from a single piece of fabric. But the story of every dress you see in the world today begins with designing its basic pattern.

Pattern making is a technique that involves several basic concepts that fabric makers use to obtain the fabric they will produce. However, making these patterns is not an easy task. Over the years, various methods have been employed to simplify this process. Likewise, while making dresses, designers use various techniques to sew dress patterns.

Creating a good dress pattern is indeed a difficult task that requires practice to a great degree of precision. A designer might come up with a beautiful sketch, but if they can't realize it as a real garment, then it's useless. Three techniques are used by clothing manufacturers to sew dress patterns.

This method involves taking a basic pattern and using muslin to convert it into a 3D shape. This pattern is used to enhance the comfort of the wearer. Each basic pattern of women's clothing consists of the following parts:

- Neckline

- Sleeves

- Fitted dress

- Front and back bodice

Together with the darts, these elements give the garment the correct shape.

This process was originally used to design cloth. These initial designs are made using dimension displays, or can be drawn using models. Drawing involves creating marks on clothing to make the garment manufacturing process easier. Some of the main drawing techniques used in dress fabrication are:

Manipulating Darts - Manipulate the darts on the dress to get the desired sewing pattern.

Slash and Spread - This method of drawing involves slashing patterns and spreading them out to achieve the desired style.

This is the final technique used when sewing the dress pattern. At this stage, the designer tries to create 3D patterns on the clothes. In this technique, a mannequin is used to draw the pattern. Once the patterns are finalized, they are recorded on paper to form the final design.

Drawing is the most important step in creating a dress pattern, so let's understand this technique better with some examples.

Darts are very important for sewing dress patterns and giving shape to the fabric. To some fashion designers, darts may seem outdated, so they try to avoid them. But the dart is the base of the cloth pattern and cannot be removed. However, if the darts cannot be removed, one can certainly manipulate them to obtain the desired corset style.

An example of manipulated darts is the princess seam. The seam is sewn by combining shoulder darts and waist darts.

To draw the dress by manipulating the darts, follow these steps

Front Drafting - Once you have pinned the patterned paper to the hip area, you will notice that the dress has a loose feel to it at the waist. This is secured with darts that will extend to the center of the front and halfway down the side seams. Once the dart is in the correct position, pin it and draw on the waistline.

Draw the Back - Again, we will now draw the back of the dress. Remove slack by placing darts in the correct location. Finally, mark the dart and secure the center of the back with a pin.

Finishing the Pattern - After finishing the back and front of the dress, determine the length of the dress and mark the hem with a straight line. To make the darts more visible, draw them on patterned paper.

After all these steps, you have a beautiful dress pattern that can be transformed into a real dress.

The diagonal spread technique is also one of the most widely used techniques for sewing dress patterns. In this method, pieces are cut from the basic pattern and rearranged within diagonal lines of pattern paper to develop the pattern for the dress.

As mentioned earlier, this method is used to give volume to the dress. The few steps that this technique takes are：

Cut-Off Sides - The sides of the pattern used to create the A-line shape will be cut off to add fullness in the right places. the

Cutting the Hem - In this step the swatch needs to be cut on the inside from the hem to the waist.

Cutting Out Pieces - Pieces that were previously removed are meant to be cut again in the same number as were cut on the main piece.

Arrange Pieces - Pieces cut in step 3 are arranged between the gaps left in the master pattern paper after step 2. This results in a curved hem that is symmetrical in length on all sides.

The work obtained after employing this dress pattern sewing technique will be evenly full on the body and sides of the dress. You will have perfect side seams which can now be easily hemmed for a beautiful dress. Moreover, this technique can also enhance the waistline of the dress, giving the dress a beautiful curve and symmetry.

Now that you know the different techniques for sewing dress patterns, you can create any of the following dress patterns for your dress:

This is one of the easiest dress patterns you can start with. In this method, you will sew straight lines and reinforce them with elastic around the waist.

A circle dress pattern is probably the most commonly used dress pattern. This type of dress can also have zippers and buttons on the front.

In addition to these types of dresses (pencil dresses, pleated dresses, wrap dresses, etc.), you can create many other dresses using these techniques. You can experiment with these types to improve your pattern-making skills.

If you are a retailer and are having a hard time sourcing clothes to make a dress or any other garment, you should contact MetroDress. MetroDress is a professional custom women's dress manufacturer. We create unique clothing for women who value the source of their clothing and are committed to reducing waste. Tailored to your brand tone, our designs are truly unique. Our focus is on promoting sustainability and inclusivity in the mainstream fashion industry. We provide a sense of ritual and strive to make a positive impact on the fashion industry. We support the growth and development of your brand while bringing a conscious approach to fashion. If you want custom dresses, please contact us.