What Makes A Great Pattern

May 2, 2025

I have mostly drafted my patterns for almost the last 40 or 45 years, but I don't do that for every project.  Like a lot of you, I can see patterns that are great and can't resist making them up to understand them completely.  

Making a pattern is as much about analyzing it and seeing how a new technique will look or if it will work for this or that look.  Sometimes it's a complete shock and a totally different detail that I love and can incorporate into my core pattern.  

Being a creative, there's a fine line here between copying a pattern for me, which I can easily do, and buying the pattern and copying the part of the pattern I like onto my core pattern.  I understand the work involved in creating a pattern, particularly when I know the pattern is going to be drafted well (more about whose patterns are the best later), so I'm more than happy to buy the pattern, even though I probably don't need to.  This is my small way in supporting the artistic community that is providing us all with wonderful new patterns.  I've had my designs ripped off before, and it's shocking and hurts your work that is put out there at a minimal price, considering the time spent perfecting a pattern.  I haven't done that since, probably because of the bad taste in my mouth from it.  

That said, StyleArc and Jalie are two of my favorite companies right now. StyleArc really outdoes itself in making sure that the pattern is drafted excellently, but also, and probably more importantly, the patterns have style and line to them.  This is so rare, particularly when you see the patterns out there that are cut squares or rectangles with no line or shape, and look one notch above a gunnysack look.  
 

This is the Genevieve Coat from StyleArc, and it's a gem of a design. The line drawing doesn't show much, but if you know where to look, you can see what's so great about this pattern.  

• The collar is fabulous for me, but think seriously about this collar, even if you don't like things around your neck.  It stands out far enough that it's not choking and you can zip it up to the closeness or height you want, without having to worry about it choking you or smothering you.  And then if you're like me, and the zipper goes all the way up to the shoulder, you can have it cover and keep you ridiculously warm. 
•  The shoulders are yummy - they are right on the shoulder, where they should be.  This means if you cut the pattern to the shoulder size you are, and then do an FBA or whatever you think you need, that it will fall and hang gorgeously from your shoulder, and you will thank me later, but you will look smashing in this jacket.  I call this a coat, but StyleArc calls it a jacket.  

• Next is the line of the jacket.  And this is really hard to see unless you're looking for.  I've outlined it in pink here, and when you do that you can see that there is a definite nip at the high waist or just below the bust.  This is one of my fav places these days to nip in an otherwise straight seam.  As a matter of fact, there is a dart in that front right side.  When I do this again, and I will do it again, I'll do the same dart in the zipper - it's not that hard to do, just remembering to do it, so that it will have that same nip as the dart side does.  

This is a really stunning and sublimely cut and styled pattern.  It's nothing too brass or crassly obvious, but when you make it and put it on, you notice the tiny nips and curves here and there that make this a really smart-looking style.  

I could see that in the tech drawing, but not in the stylized drawing.  What's the difference?  

So you can see the difference here.  The one on the left is stylized with accessories, and the one on the right is a tech drawing.  They are both useful, cause in the tech drawing you can see that the front right dart is a straight line, whereas the stylized drawing is shaped to the wearer.  Both give you the great style of the jacket.  In the stylized version is that collar that I love, in the tech version I can see where I can put darts if I need to and where the designer has put darts.  

One thing that also stands out is that the lines of the cuff and the lines of the bottom of the jacket work very cool.  They balance almost perfectly, and yet they aren't symmetrical.  I love this sort of stuff, cause I could block  two different fabrics.  

Here's another example.  This wonderful Jalie pattern is a real flop in the photo, at least I think so.

Maybe it's just me, but there's no contrast between the turquoise and the white.  Maybe if the white was black which makes for a very nice contrast, but it's not.  What this doesn't display is the gorgeous lines and design of the pattern.  Here you can see what I mean:

Whether it's all one color or contrasting sleeves and body, it doesn't matter.  This design is just fabulous for all shapes and sizes.  

See what I mean.  Honestly, this is a much more creative pattern than Jalile lets on and has great design lines to it.  That one 3rd from the right is gorgeous for a formal night out with long stretch velour pants or some black shiny activewear fabric.  

Had it not been for seeing the tech drawing (there was no stylized sketch of the pattern), I would have immediately passed this on and not given it a thought.  But the line of the raglan sleeve - see how it's set in with a very flattering curve? - and the neckline line is so flattering, I couldn't pass it up.  And for those who think they don't have a neck worth anything, remember you can raise that neckline and make it wherever you want it, jewel, crew, and add a mock turtle or cowl to it.  But this doesn't happen with the photo.  It's only when you see the tech drawings.  That's when you see that this pattern has some kicking lines.  

This is my go to shirt pattern for teaching the core woven pattern.  

This is another very hard pattern to see without some sort of stylized drawing or tech drawing.  Jalie doesn't do stylized drawings so you have to look at the photo to see more about the pattern.  If it happens to be in a loud or dynamic pattern (like the one above on the far right), then you have no idea about darts or fitting or anything.  Thank heavens for the tech drawing.

Now you can see the beauty of this pattern.  What I see are FBA darts already included, the bust/waist/hips darts om front and in back the shoulder/waist/hips dart with that great yoke that has the shoulder curve.  So this pattern comes with the complete set fitting darts which means we don't have to put those in.  

Another thing about Jalie is that they size their patterns from kids to giants!  This is great for folks like me who have a size 10 shoulder, 6 waist, and 14 hips, and I can't hope to get any pattern from 6 to 14 unless it's a Jalie pattern.

And sizing from that small to that huge takes some real awareness from a customer point of view.  I get sick and tired of pattern makers thinking that just because we grow a little widthwise, we're growing that way lengthwise too.  Most people don't and that doesn't need to be enlarged as much as the widthwise part of the pattern.  

No, this is not a 3-D picture but a tracing (albeit very rough) of the pattern pieces from 3130.  Notice how the width and size are entirely different from the height?  The hem hits about the same, whether in small or large sizes, and the shoulder is raised slightly, while most of the space is in the girth of the pattern.  This is the genius of Jalie.  I love this about their patterns.  Notice that the next time you get one, the height is modestly enlarged, but the girth is generously enlarged.  That's the way it should be.  

There is not way to see this except in the tech drawings.  Also Jalie clearly advertises for various shapes and sizes

This pattern company is realistically sizing for various sizes.  Jalie doesn't make box patterns.  By that, I mean the larger the size, the boxier it gets.  That's because they believe that everyone should have style.  

I know I've told you before about daydreaming in my mentor's class one day while she was drawing on the chalkboard about something important, but I was bored and looking at her clothes.  Now my mentor did NOT have a svelte figure.  She was a voluptuous woman.  But she wore a pair of pants with a khaki top in the current safari style of St. Laurent and Ralph Lauren.  Her's was more Ralph Lauren.  But the dang outfit looked like a dream on her.  The pants hung perfect straight, she was obviously comfortable in them cause they weren't pulling or stretching but the hang was great, and yet the drape wasn't so much that it was baggy.  That's when I realized everyone can look good in custom-made clothing.  Well that and if you take one look at Churchill...

This man was not thin, yet look at the drape on those pants. There's no pulling around the vest or the jacket. It's snug, but it fits.  

This is how things should fit for everyone.  It's remarkable how it's done daily for men's clothing but not for women's, except for a few companies. Jalie is one of them. I think StyleArc is, too.

Both companies have fine patterns that work in many ways, mainly because they have good lines and cuts.  That's the key to a well-designed pattern.  Face it, anybody can take a square and cut two of them, leave enough room for arms in the side seams and one at the top for the head, and hem it, but that's a sad sack.  When we sew for ourselves, we should also be searching not only for something that covers the subject, but that fits, has style, drapes well, and has an excellent cut or line to it.  There's no reason we can't do that.  I do that for all my customers.  

The SewingArtistry Resource Library is designed to contain information to not only make your sewing better, but to aid in you fitting and flattering your shape, size and style.  Check it out. 

Look for future classes coming in 2024
The Core Pattern Shirt, (one of my favorites for woven core pattern that you can make into a myriad of different garments), 
Basic Knit Top (core pattern class for knit basic tops, shells, tees, dresses, and tunics)
 

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