Introduction to Sizing
Draping vs Flat Pattern Drafting​
There are essentially two ways that garments are created. The first method is draping. This is a method used by many professional fashion designers. A dress form is used to manipulate flat fabric to the curves of the body accurately.
Draping requires a deep knowledge of fashion design and a specific skill set that is not easily taught.
The second method is flat pattern drafting. This is much more approachable for those of us who do not have the skills required for draping and do not have the staff to turn a draped garment into a pattern.
Flat patterns are ideal for manufacturing the same garment in multiple sizes. The pattern can be drafted in one size and then graded up or down to fit the vast majority of consumers.
All flat pattern design starts with the foundational basic block or sloper pattern. This pattern is drafted using a precise set of measurements taken from an individual or a standard size model form. A sloper is a second skin representing actual body dimensions, and ease (for movement and style) is added later.
Drafting Intentions​
Before you begin drafting, you’ll need to decide who the pattern is for and what you intend to do with it. For example, you could just be drafting garments for yourself and you want the most precise fit possible.
In this case, you’ll want to follow a draft that makes no assumptions and doesn’t use any proportional calculations. Let’s dig a little deeper into what that really means.
If you study drafting books to any extent, you’ll quickly realize that nearly all of them are written with the intent for the patterns to be drafted to a specific size table and graded from there. Most drafting books are academic and used to teach students how to create a design, draft it in a standard size, grade it and then create a full line of garments. These students will then go on to employment in the fashion industry using manufacturing standards.
These methods work very well for the size charts they’ve included in the text. I can tell you from experience that they will often fail when a real person’s measurements are used. In many cases, if you look at the draft for a pants sloper, you’ll see that the waist measurement isn’t even used in the draft.
They base the draft off the hips because in standard sizing there is an exact correlation. If you use the hip measurement, they can trust that the waist will be exactly X inches less than the hip value. They instruct you to make the waist and waist darts using that logic.
I don’t have to tell you how badly this can go, if you have a waist that is larger or smaller than the standard proportion. My body is a perfect example. My waist is drafted at 35” (89 cm), I can't stand a tight waist, and my hips are 39” (99 cm). That’s only a 4” (10 cm) difference and standards are around 10” (25 cm). These pant drafts fail miserably when drafted for my body.
This is why your intention for drafting patterns is very important. If you are looking to produce a line of garments and you have a standard size table with the measurements you’ll be drafting, then drafts that make general assumptions will probably work well for you.
Also, if your body measurements are in line with a standard size listed in a table, then feel free to use those measurements. My husband falls into this category and he matches the size 50 from the M. MĂĽller & Sohn tables almost exactly. The draft was a great success and fit well.
If your intention is to draft perfect fitting garments based on an individual outside of “standards”, I would suggest you stay clear of these types of methods. You’ll want to find drafting instructions that make no assumptions and only use actual measurements that you’ve taken.
This will be harder up front, as you’ll need to take a lot more measurements accurately. However, this will provide you a fit that you simply cannot achieve any other way. My figure is not standard by any means. I have never been able to buy clothing that fits me properly. For that reason, it should be no surprise that I can’t draft using the methods taught in schools. The drafts will fail and the garments will not fit.
Asymmetry​
Body asymmetry is another critical reason to steer clear of standard size drafting. If you have one shoulder lower than the other or uneven hip height, you’ll want to measure both sides of the body. You’ll then be able to draft a pattern for each side that comes together for the perfect fit when completed.
Proportional Drafting​
The drafting method taught by M. MĂĽller & Sohn is a bit of a compromise. They use a somewhat limited set of measurements and then calculate auxiliary measurements for each specific pattern using those taken. Their company has been around since 1891 so this method comes as no surprise. Proportional drafting goes way back to the 19th century and is very common in drafting books from that period.
One of my favorite books, Modern Pattern Design by Harriet Pepin, makes no assumptions and adds no arbitrary values. The entire draft is done using your measurements exclusively.
All of the basic block / sloper drafts in the Academy have a note regarding whether it is best suited to precise individual measurements, has some proportional calculation or is very much standards based. You’ll need to decide what works best for you and your situation.
Eliminate Repetition​
Imagine this: You enter your personal measurements into the system and draft a dress that fits you perfectly. Later, if a friend sees that dress and wants the pattern for themselves, you don't have to start from scratch. All you need are their measurements.
Because the system has "memorized" the logic of your draft, you can simply swap your measurements for theirs. Within minutes, the software recalculates every line and curve, giving you a custom-sized pattern tailored specifically for them. It turns a complex drafting task into a repeatable, automated process.
Learn more about PatternMaker Pro memorization in the manual.