Teaching You to Draft
The PatternMaker Pro Academy is my entry into the sewing pattern drafting book market. To the best of my knowledge, the only pattern drafting books that exist are in print form and written for paper and pencil drafting. The Academy aims to break both those norms and do better.
Books are cumbersome, expensive, and make it difficult to look up one particular technique easily. The Academy pages are interconnected allowing instant jumps to related concepts to keep you in the flow of learning.
Rather than simple line drawings and pattern images that you can barely see, the web interface allows me to provide images that you can zoom and pan to see all the details. No more blurry print. You can zoom in infinitely to see details without losing any clarity.
Use PatternMaker Pro to Learn​
A huge advantage of the Academy is the ability to use PatternMaker Pro instead of paper and pencil. Using software makes edits so much simpler and more accurate than hand drawing. Also, you can use the Free Online Demo to practice drafting until you are comfortable with the concepts and techniques taught in the Academy. The techniques taught here are universal. Although the Academy highlights the speed and accuracy of digital tools, every lesson can be fully executed on paper if you prefer.
From the 1800's to Tomorrow​
Every drafting book author builds their techniques on a specific set of principles and historical methods. The Academy was created by researching and cross-referencing an extensive collection of pattern drafting literature published from the 1800s to the present day. This comprehensive foundation bridges time-tested historical methods with modern digital drafting precision.
You’ll learn how the Victorians created patterns that are so much more organic than those of the modern day. There was not a straight line to be found. You’ll learn how to manipulate darts to create some beautiful bodices reminiscent of the 40’s and 50’s, when fit was a high priority. You’ll also get the opportunity to play with patterns engineered to work exclusively with knit fabric. A popular choice in today’s wardrobe.
This large source variety gives you the ability to design garments that are truly original for any body shape or stylistic era. You are not locked into any commercial standards and have the freedom to blend from this complete toolkit.
The Academy is not intended as a simple list of instructions. The intent is to teach you concepts of fashion design which will make you not only a better pattern drafter, but much better at sewing, too. You’ll be surprised how much easier sewing becomes when you understand how the pattern was derived.
My goal is to create the most comprehensive pattern drafting source available anywhere. A print book is dead the moment it hits the press. The web-based Academy means I can refine a lesson based on your feedback or add an alternative drafting method the moment a new historical source is analyzed. PatternMaker Pro Academy is a living document created to encourage you to design for yourself and others with unparalleled success.
Deepest thanks to the generations of pattern drafters and cutters who came before me; it is their dedication and history that made this compilation possible.
Have fun drafting!
Lori