Patternmaking for Knits: Essential Slopers

Class Preview

Draft a full complement of custom-fit knit slopers — the foundation for personalized patternmaking.

Introduction to Knit Patternmaking

Meet patternmaker, theater costumer and fashion design instructor Judy Jackson and learn about the techniques she’ll cover in class. Judy begins with a thorough overview of knit fabrics, and what to take into consideration when working with different amounts of stretch. Next, explore ways to adapt patterns for woven fabrics into knit-friendly patterns.

The Knit Torso Sloper

Explore professional techniques for draping a knit torso sloper, fitting it properly and transforming your measurements into a flat pattern that will work beautifully with the fabric you’ve selected. Judy walks you through the entire process of translating a three-dimensional torso into a two-dimensional pattern, explaining how to take your fabric’s stretch into account, add darts if needed, and much more!

The Knit Sleeve Sloper

Now that the torso sloper is done, you’re ready to create a sleeve sloper. Judy offers a user-friendly approach to measuring the arm properly and drafting the sleeve, demonstrating with a model to illustrate tricky measurements and offer troubleshooting tips. Next, you’ll see how your initial sloper can be adapted into different sleeve variations, including gathered, puffed, and raglan sleeves.

Adapting Torso Slopers

Put your new patternmaking skills into action as you experiment with torso sloper adaptations. Judy shares ways to modify your basic sloper for other garments and fabrics, adapting it into a boxier shape for stable knits, an A-line skirt, and even a dress. Along the way, you’ll change silhouettes by adding flare, movement and custom shaping, and learn to incorporate decorative seams.

Adapting Necklines

Let your inner fashion designer run wild as you experiment with neckline variations and make trim patterns to finish them. Draft inserted trim for crewnecks or bound trim for scoop necks, and then discover ways to incorporate gathers, pleats, decorative trims, or any other creative addition you can dream up. Judy shares useful equations for determining the measurements of either neckline you choose to make, and shows you how to account for the stretch of your knit.

The Knit Pants Sloper

Explore the joys of working with knit pants patterns two ways as Judy shares ways to translate woven pants patterns into ones that will work for your knitwear, and how to draft pull-on pants from your knit skirt sloper. Learn which measurements you’ll need, and how to measure each area accurately, as you draft a new sloper for a cozy, loose-fitting pair of knit pants.

The Knit Leggings Sloper

High-stretch fabrics and close-fitting garments can be intimidating, but Judy shows you everything you need to know to draft a sloper for a customized pair of leggings that will fit perfectly. Select a fabric that will provide the perfect amount of stretch before using Judy’s expert step-by-step guidance to measure your legs and draft leggings start to finish. The result will be a professional-level sloper for leggings that will fit you perfectly!