Best Techniques / Best Practices

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Hi, as one who is still only slowly (but surely) get acquainted with Seamy2D’s toolkit it’s use and quirks of individual tools, I would like to ask experienced Users & practised sewists about Best Practice when drawing up new drafts.

To date, I have duplicated into Seamly2D - more or less - some garment pieces which I had originally drafted directly onto paper or cloth.

Some of these were easy enough, e.g. Pants / Shorts etc., having structures with lots of straight lines and X / Y co-ordinates which are simple to transpose. The ‘scaffold’ is very simple, and the few short curves easy to ‘fudge’ - so I didn’t have to greatly concern myself with the use of splines / curves / arc and the like.

I have however, now reached my ‘fudge-limit’ with my ‘Scaffolding’! I have run into issues whereby I am unable to alter the structure because of dependency issues (the block I need to alter is built upon other blocks / built upon yet other blocks … ad infinitum!)

I would greatly appreciate any advice on a structure Best-Practice, with very special emphasis on being able to create a structure, or structures - simple to adapt for different sizes / measurements - upon which to build complex curves etc.

PS: I definitely have a penchant for ‘Over-Engineering’, and really need someone who can steer me (gently :wink:) back onto the path of righteousness :roll_eyes: ,good practices & simple structures.

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:rofl: Yes, Best-Practice can mean something different for everyone.

I have found, in the past 8 years of using Seamly, that it is best to start by drafting a basic pattern that includes Variables in the Variables Table for ease and other things that one may want to change from one design to another. I’ve also found that drafting the basic pattern using a Standard Multisize measuring chart allows me to check that the curves remain curves when I change sizes while drafting my basic pattern. This way, when I load an individual’s size chart into the pattern, the curves will still be smart (within reason - it depends on how close a person’s measurements are to the standards).

As for the ‘Over-Engineering’… relax and enjoy the trip. It’s a learning curve and I feel lost if I don’t design something almost every day. It’s a challenge that you either take up or drop - your choice.

You can pick up almost any patternmaking book, or find something on the internet, and the 1st thing they teach you is how to draft a bodice and the 2nd thing is how to draft a sleeve. Most even give you standard measurements to create your multisize measurement chart from.

Follow those directions in a Seamly fashion and you’ll have your scaffolding resizing when you change the size and then your pattern doing the same without the box-in-a-box-in-a-box.

As far as curves are concerned… I posted a bit in this post to get you started, but there are many other posts on the subject that can help you if you do a search. Check them all out and you’ll eventually devise your own personal way that works for you.

Once you have a basic pattern drafted that you’re happy with, save it as your master. This will be the foundation of every other pattern that you create.

When you want to make a new pattern, open this master and save it to the new design’s name, edit the ease (if you wish), and do your design over this master. You can rotate the darts, add design ease, move things, add design lines, draw in a new neckline, whatever you want, just don’t edit the formulas of the original design.

With all of that said, you can also find basic patterns for shorts or trousers and the same things apply.

I guess I’ve told you all of this before, but now it’s in writing. :grin: And it may help any number of users.

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