Essential Elements to Make your Pattern Production Ready

Pattern cutting underpins the whole of the clothing industry. Its as simple as no pattern, no production. I have no 'cool' pictures here to show you, just the promise that pattern cutting and grading are skills worth developing and will give you the edge. 
​There is a case for saying that every pattern should be ready for manufacture. A first sample still needs a decent pattern to produce a decent garment. But there are other considerations that the first, creative pattern does not need to think about. The sample pattern is experimental, the first draft, maybe even the first few edits until all concerned are satisfied. But then comes the manufacturing stage and many other personnel become involved. Some call them the technical team, I call them the skilled crafts men and women who will turn a single size sample into a full scale production run. The pattern then, needs to satisfy all their needs. When I first became aware just how my pattern would be used, the making of hundreds or perhaps a thousand garments, I had an anxiety attack. If there were any errors or omissions it came back to my bench. Well that was a few years ago, and as a mentor said one day "It is only a frock" Yes but a lot of other peoples livelihoods too. The factory had to be efficient, pay wages and return a profit, and fixing mistakes was costly. Perhaps that is why I worry at the distance between pattern maker and factory these days. Lets hope they become reunited. In the meantime, if you are a pattern cutter increase your skills to understand the needs of the Production Pattern and while you are at it learn to grade. These skills are not to be underestimated.