by Debbie Bowles
I love drafting my own patterns. The idea of going from a concept, to drafting that concept, to sewing a garment tells my complete story of garment construction. I’ve been pattern drafting for several years, and I have a chunk of self-drafted patterns. So how do I organize it all?
Basic tools of my organization:
- Clothes rack
- Plastic clip pants/skirt hangers
- Ziploc bags of various sizes
- 5×7 sketch book with colored pencils
- Tagboards in a variety of colors
- Rolls of drafting paper
- Lead pencils, rulers, fashion rulers
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.planoasgsews.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Picture1.png?resize=625%2C470&ssl=1)
With each drafted pattern, I have an accompanying colored pencil drawing of my garment. When I’ve completed sewing the garment, I put it in a quart sized Ziploc with the pattern, the picture, and fabric scrap.
Then I use my clip pants hanger to clip on the gallon Ziploc, and I attached the sloper to the hanger hook.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.planoasgsews.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Picture3.png?resize=395%2C527&ssl=1)
As you can see, I’ve accumulated a variety of slopers and patterns. This pattern drafting process is so much fun because through this method I can focus on interesting detail construction instead of the basic fitting of each garment. I already know the fit is good before drafting the details. As a result, everything I make is my own design.
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You can learn this pattern drafting method too by attending Designing Divas, the fourth Tuesday of each month at 10 a.m.
We meet at Christ United Methodist Church, Plano, in a large classroom where each person has a table to complete their own drafting.
This summer is a perfect time to join Designing Divas. Our project is drafting a knit sloper. Hope to see you at Divas – where pattern drafting is so much fun (and easier than you would think.)
Debbie Bowles
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You are so organized, Debbie! And you are so talented to design all your own clothes. 🙂