To tell the truth, I made all my first patterns on paper. Made-to-measure bras, knickers, bodysuits, swimwear, corsets, etc.

I made all the modifications on paper for a few years before finally switching to CAD.

Paper or CAD? Which CAD software?

This article is not intended to be a course in paper or CAD modelling, or to sell any software whatsoever, but simply to give you some advice or feedback.

 

Patterns on paper

What are the benefits?

• Drawing allows you to integrate all the steps to be cascaded when creating or modifying a pattern. It also allows you to visualise the pattern in its entirety (which is sometimes difficult on a screen).
• simple, with very little equipment required: ruler, pencil, eraser, parrot, paper, tracing paper, etc.

What are the drawbacks?

• tedious pattern/block reproduction
• significantly slower work
• not adapted to the professional environment, production start-up, ...

Which paper should I use?

Use paper that is not too thick or too thin so that you can transfer easily.

Tissue paper is good for transferring extracts of pieces from time to time, but it's too thin and therefore not suitable, in my opinion, for drawing the whole pattern.

I use a paper sold by Hamon:

C19045

KRAFT WHITE 60GR WIDTH 1M RL 25M

 

Pattern cutting on CAD

What are the benefits?

• speed of completion
• reproducibility

 

What are the drawbacks?

• investment: equipment, computers, software, etc. The cost of software is often high
• training: learning software
• mistakes can be made very quickly: the work has to be very structured, etc. Having a reduced view of the plan on the screen can lead to errors. I really recommend printing out the plan and checking it regularly to make sure that all the plotting steps have been completed.

Which software?

• open source / free software. I've tried some free software. Frankly, they all have limited functionality. Being open source, their development is limited because the product development is not paid for. Compatibility with the various Windows and Mac operating systems can also be a problem.

If I compare the investment needed to get to grips with the software, search for tutorials on the internet, etc. and their functionality - I'd say they're pointless. But they're also part of the learning process; you always learn something!

example of open source software: valentina, Seamly 2D

• fee-based software

There are different types:

-Pro" software such as Modaris and Gerber, developed by Lectra, which I believe are designed for professionals to enable the industrialisation of a garment. They are used in modelling schools, companies are very expensive, ...

-software such as illustrator and corel draw, which offer a wide range of functions. One of the advantages is the vectorisation of drawings. Some of these programs are well-known in the fields of graphic design, communication, etc. But in fact, when you look closely, they are perfectly suited to model making. Their cost is much lower than Lectra's software. Their cost remains acceptable. Illustrator can be included in the Adobe package.

The difficulty I've encountered is that many of the tutorials on the internet are not at all adapted to model making. Using this software can therefore represent a very significant personal investment in training.

Personally, I use Illustrator. I don't regret spending days and nights watching tutorials (in English you can find a lot more on the internet!). Some of the functions are a bit complex to implement depending on the software used - uniform positioning of anchor points on each part for different sizes, calculation of section lengths for curves, etc.

 

In conclusion

Starting with patterns on paper is undoubtedly a good way to learn model making.

If you're starting from an existing block or pattern, if you're working on a single size that you want to modify, or if you want to create your own bust, paper is more than enough.

If you want to make several models, engrave different sizes, etc., CAD is an asset and even essential. As I often say: to try it is to adopt it, but I won't hide the fact that the personal investment in training is considerable!