TAAS INC. by Nina Nikolic
November 7, 2019/Updated March 23, 2022
Block Patterns
The block pattern is the sewing pattern previously created for the clothing style that has been perfected for a good fit. The block pattern is commonly used to efficiently build a new clothing style with minimal need for pattern revisions and corrections.
This blog will offer some basic definitions of block pattern engineering for clothing. After that, it is up to you to call your best-selling design however you choose.
The overall apparel industry supply chain and how clothing is manufactured are rapidly changing. It takes creativity, genuine engineering, and thinking outside of "norms" to make it happen. Likewise, how we create anything is evolving, especially with the addition of3D CAD technology.
Basic Pattern Production Terminology
The first Pattern is the pattern developed for each design by any pattern drafting technique. The first pattern is drafted using marking paper. The pattern will require many adjustments and fittings to produce a well-fitted pattern ready for clothing production. Unless the clothing style is asymmetrical, the first pattern will be developed as a half pattern. Eventually, the pattern can be developed into a block pattern.
A production pattern is a pattern set (for one clothing style) that includes all the pieces necessary to cut and produce a particular garment. At the end of the development and fit process, the production clothing pattern is perfected for the base size fit and styling and is ready to be graded for bulk production.
Grading means that the perfected production pattern is proportionally increased and decreased according to the grade rule assigned to the size range in the tech pack.
A pattern markeris a long piece of paper containing all pattern pieces for all sizes. The marker maker efficiently lays out all pattern pieces to ensure the best fabric use with minimal fabric waste. For the best and most efficient yields, most markers are done by sophisticated software.
Pattern pieces are mixed and aligned on the marker paper with the grainline parallel to the fabric's selvage. Therefore, it is critical to check the accuracy of the grainline on the production pattern before creating the marker. An incorrect grainline could waste the entire production run.
The marker is placed on the top of layers of fabric and is ready to be cut. Therefore, it is vital to know the fabric width when sending the production pattern to the marker maker.
