Pattern Making, Grading and Garment Construction
Pattern Making, Grading and Garment Construction
This domain tests body measurement, ease, block development, dart manipulation, pattern markings, seam allowances, grading and construction sequencing. Expect practical pattern and fit reasoning.
Core rules and concepts
- Body measurements are taken over light clothing; garment measurements add design ease and functional ease. Ease is not seam allowance.
- A basic block has no seam allowance. Production patterns add seam allowance, hem allowance and shrinkage allowance.
- Grainline, notches, fold lines, balance marks and drill holes transfer construction information. The centre front and centre back are reference lines.
- Darts can be manipulated by slash-and-spread or pivot methods; the total dart intake stays constant unless the design changes.
- Grading changes a pattern between sizes by regular increments, not by scaling every point equally.
- Construction sequence generally follows: cutting, fusing, marking, joining, pressing, finishing and inspection.
Worked example
A company grades a bodice from size M to L with a +4 cm bust, +3 cm waist and +1 cm length increment. On a half-pattern, the bust grade is +2 cm; placing +1 cm at each side seam on the front and back adds 4 cm around the full garment. The waist increase of 3 cm is distributed according to the design, often 1 cm at each side seam plus 0.5 cm at each dart. The +1 cm length is added at the hem or a designated lengthen or shorten line, not at the shoulder. The reasoning is that grading must preserve proportion and fit at key landmarks.
Traps
Do not add seam allowance twice. Do not grade all points by the same amount. Do not ignore grainline or notch matching. Do not place length increments at the neckline unless the design requires it.