Making Your first pattern.pdf

Making Your First Pattern


Now we are going to start doing what everyone bought this program for in the first

place. We are going to make our very first pattern using Patternmaker!

Patternmaker utilizes small plug-in mini-programs called macros to store their pattern instructions.

Right now, there are only a couple of designers creating Macros, but once you get the hang of

it, maybe you might eventually become a fashion designer and create your own Macros! There

is a companion program to Patternmaker called Macro Generator and it allows users to create

their own Macros, which you then can sell to others so they can appreciate your talent!

But for now we are going to use the Macros that came free with the program. PMs first designer,

Leena Lahteenmaki was Scandinavian and all her Macros use the Scandinavian fitting system, but

yours can use any system you like. And since ALL good patterns are made from good

measurements, thats the first thing we are going to do! From the WINDOWS START MENU,

navigate to Patternmaker

Software > Patternmaker

7>Womens Measurement

Chart (an Adobe Acrobat

Document) and print it out and

READ IT. This document includes

what measurements to take, where

to take them and directions on how

to take them. It helps to have a friend do the measuring, but it isnt necessary! For more help, go

into the Patternmaker Program; Help>Help Contents> Index> measurements>how to

take. That might give you some more insight.

Setting up your Measurement TableOnce you have that completed your measurements, were ready to move on. If you are using

anything but the LaunchPad Edition, you can save your measurements in a Measurement Table.


This way each time you run a Macro, they will Auto-fill and you wont have to worry about typing them

in each time. This is what we are going to do now. If you arent already in Patternmaker, open it

now. While you are here, click on your Calculator icon and minimize it, just in case. Navigate to

Settings> Create Measurements. This will bring up the Open

Master Measurement Table screen. Open the default_women file.

This will open the Master Measurement File. The default values are

for a Scandinavian size 42. We are going to replace the values in that file

with our own. Give your Measurement Table a name! A good idea is to

use your name and some indication of time. One friend I know that gains

0 lbs in the winter and loses the same 0 every summer labels hers by

seasons. In any event, naming it Kim0405 will let me know it is my table

and it was created in April 005. Now tab down and overwrite the default values with your own.

Notice that as you highlight each value, the

picture on the right shows you where you

should take that measurement and the

dialog underneath gives a text description.

You want to input your measurements in

the same format as what is currently there.

(Remember, mine is set to Inches, no

fractions). If you dont have these in

your head, =.125, =.25, =.375, =.5,

=.625, =.75, =.875, or open your

calculator on the bottom of your screen.

And those of you on metric dont have to

worry about this nonsense! When you are

done click on OK.

You will then be asked to give the file name for the file. Give it the same name/date that you labeled

the table with plus an L for Leena. No, you dont have to, but it is an easy reference. Note that the

Master Measurement Table is an .mmt file and your Personal Measurement Table is an .mtb file.

Making Your First Pattern 3

You DONT want to overwrite the

master .mmt file! Click Save.

And now we are only a few mouse

clicks away from creating our very first

pattern! Head on over to the Icon Bar

and click the Macro Icon. The

next box asks you to select a garment

to open. It has nice pretty pictures on

it, so you know what you are doing. Choose the Fitting Bodice Sloper and Open. (Yes,

I know everyone wants to do Pants, but you can do that one on your own). For any new software,

you will need to make a sloper and get your measurements set if you want to have fitting clothes.

I prefer to use a princess style bodice to judge fit, so thats what we are going to do. If for some

reason your screen doesnt look like this, navigate by these commands: C:\> Program Files>

Patternmaker Software> Patternmaker 7> Common Files> Designers> Leena>

Free Stuff. When you choose the Fitting Bodice Sloper, the picture should change to just the

two bodice options. Click Open. We are

going to open the Princess Line to Shoulder

version, so put the dot there and click

one. Now it wants to know where to look

for the Measurement Table. This should

again come up by itself, but if it doesnt-

My Documents>Patternmaker File

Folder>Personal Files> Measure

should give you the location of it. Highlight

the proper Measurement Table and click open. The next Pop-up Box wants to know the amount of

Seam Allowance you would like on your pattern. Since this is a Fitting Bodice that we want to print

out to check and refine our measurements, choose a large seam allowance like -1 (2-2.5cm) at

least. Click OK and *Youve DONE IT!* Your first Pattern! If for some reason you cant see the lines,

make sure your drawing color is black; your fill is white and hit END on your keyboard. End

is the keyboard shortcut for Zoom All, and brings everything on your drawing area onto the screen.


Before we print this off, we will want to save the pattern, as is. Click on the Save icon and

you will bring up a dialog box asking you the name of the pattern. It will be saved as a .pat file. All

versions of Patternmaker can open .pat files. For this one, call it Bodice and click on Save.

Review and Troubleshooting

Well, how did we do? So far you have taken your measurements and created your own

measurement table for the fitting sloper. I say this because different designers and even different

macros with designers may use different measurement tables. If you get an error message stating

something like Measurements dont match or something like that, it is because the macro is looking

for a different table or different values within the table. No problem, simply look at what it does want

and then fill it in! But it still doesnt like it? Try the posture differences instructions in the next section!

You also created your own bodice sloper from the measurements that you input. If you didnt end

up with what you thought, double check your measurements. Often times taking them a couple

of times will result in different numbers. Just plug in the new numbers and see if that doesnt fix


the problem. If the measurements are right, which sometimes happens, especially if the front

bust measurement is much larger than the back bust, you may try playing with them to see if you

cant equalize what you see. Many people take a size X back and a size X+2 or 3 front. And

if all else fails, dont worry, things can still be edited in both the Deluxe and Home Studios.

You also saved your pattern. If you ran into trouble, you may want to

save several patterns, just so you can pick and choose.

Note: the posture difference.doc is found in the files section of PMUG YahooGroups. It was developed by Apparel Systems of

the Netherlands. I have included it here, for your reference. We are currently working to include this into the macro


Posture differences in PatternMaker

Everyone is different. We must remember this when we take measuremensts for Patternmaker.

The program is not (yet) ready for posture differences and that seems to be the most common (main) problem with the Program. We have had many questions about the shoulder slope. With some people, this slope is too straight and with others, it is too steep. Thats why we researched the problem. We knew it was due to the difference between the waist height and back length, but solving the problem was not as easy as we first thought.But now we have found a solution.

When do we see posture differences?We see this when the pattern is drafted with the measurements we have taken. The shoulder slope is too straight or too steep, or you notice when you fit the sloper that it just doesnt fit.Or the shoulder seam is too far forward or back.

What posture differences are we talking about?Bent forwards (long back compared to waist height)Bent backwards or large bust (long front length compared to back length)

How do I know if I have a posture diffrence?You can check this by looking at an extra measurement (rough)We call it Front length (only a control measurement)Only to see if you have a posture diffrence

How do I take this measurement?This front length measurement is taken from the neckhole to the bottom of the waist elastic, straight down between the busts.

And then?Do the following steps:

1. Take measurements using the measuring chart. Measure the extra control measure.3. Fill in the form (see attachtment)4. Check if you have a posture difference (Rough)

a. Straight (balanced)b. Bent forwardc. Bent backwards or large busted

5. Run the macro with the measurements from the form6. Measure these lines with the command on screen:

a. Front lengthb. Back length

7. The default difference is 4 cm


Examples:

Mrs. Xs measurements (see illust. above):

Back length = 41,5 cmFront length = 37,5 cmDifference = 4,0 cmDefault difference = 4,0 cmPosture difference = 0 cm

Mrs. X is in balance and has no posture difference.(No further action is needed)


Mrs. Ys measurements:

Back length = 46 cmFront length = 40 cm Difference = 6 cmDefault difference = 4 cmPosture difference = 2 cm

Mrs Y is bent forward a little and should distribute this amount on her measurement table between the waist height and back length.Back length minus cmWaist height plus cmNow the pattern is in balance again.

Mrs. Zs measurements:

Back length = 42 cmFront length = 40 cmDifference = 2 cmDefault difference = 4 cmPosture Difference = - 2 cm

Mrs. Z is bent backwards a little, or has a prominent bust.This amount can also be divided into the measurement table (mtb)Back length + cmWaist height cmThen the pattern is balanced again.

Mrs. As measurements:Back length = 44,5 cmFront length = 36,2 cmDifference = 8,3 cmDefault difference = 4,0 cmPosture difference = 4,3 cm


You can see in the illustration below that the shoulderline of the front piece is too straight.

Mrs. A is bent forward a lot, a posture difference bigger than cm. You cannot correct that in one measurement table any more. We make a separate mtb file for the front and a separate mtb file for the back:

Create a measurement table Front with the measured waist height + 4,3 cm and the measured back length thus:Back length = 44,5 cm (measured)Waist height + 4,3 cm = 54,65 cm (measured 52,5 cm + 2,15 cm)

Run the macro with the mtb file Front and erase the front piece, to get a proper back!

Create a measurement table Back with the measured back length ,5 cm and the measured waist height thus:Back length = 42.35 cm (measured 44,5 cm 2,15 cm) = Waist height = 52,5 cm (measured)

Use layer 1 (green)Run the macro with the mtb file Back and erase the back piece to get a proper front!


Attention!!!!

The side seams are not equal now! Move the point on one piece ,5 cm up and on the other piece ,5 cm down. Sometimes it creates a crazy curve, so align the points properly!

With this method, your shoulder seam is in the right place but can be too high or too low. You have to move the shoulder points on both pieces (back and front) upwards or downwards an equal amount.

When you have this kind of posture difference, you always use the mtb file front and mtb file back and erase the extra pieces.

Attention:The sleeve centerpoint moves forward 2,15 cm!