Rant: That thrift store coat made me rethink my whole approach to patterns

I was at a swap meet in Tucson last weekend and saw this lady's homemade jacket with seams that actually curved with her shoulder instead of just cutting straight down. She said she traced a ready-to-wear piece instead of buying a pattern and it clicked for me that I've been wasting money on paper patterns that never fit right. Has anyone else had better luck copying clothes you already own instead of starting from a pattern?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_brian13d ago

Read somewhere that a lot of home sewers swear by the "rub off" method where you trace a garment that fits great onto paper. It makes total sense since those commercial patterns are drafted for some average body that probably doesn't match yours. I'm definitely going to dig through my closet and try copying a few favorite shirts before I buy another overpriced pattern.

elizabethhart13d ago

I get what you're saying about the "rub off" method being popular, but I think patterns have their place too. They teach you construction steps and seam allowances that you might miss when just tracing something.