The Pattermakern Pro Fashioner is a CAD tool that runs in the web browser using Javascript and SVG programming languages. It was designed and built by someone who actually knows how to draft patterns by hand and sews in the real and virtual worlds.

It is purposely built and only contains the tools that you need to for pattern drafting. It was created from scratch and is not a modified version of any other CAD software. You can use the Fashioner to make very simple changes, like shortening a pants pattern or you can use it to create an elaborate wedding gown starting with nothing but a simple sloper pattern. 

There are very few programs available that do this and none of those are free. In fact, they can cost thousands of dollars.

We wanted to put the power of drafting into the hands of those people who want to make custom clothing for the virtual world or the real one. The only limitation to what you can create is self imposed. The Fashioner make pattern manipulation limitless.

Precision is Key

The Fashioner does not work like other 3D graphics programs. It is very strict and limiting for very good reason.

We must maintain fit integrity at all costs.

It is true that patterns for use in Marvelous Designer don't need to be that exact, but patterns that are intended to be sewn and worn must be perfect. 

Basic block patterns, known as slopers, are the starting point for every garment. They are based on a set of measurements and must be drafted correctly. All manipulation of those patterns must preserve those original measurements.

Every process used in the Fashioner to modify the patterns is created to maintain the integrity of those measurements. You can add fullness, move darts and change lengths all day long, but it must still fit the original model perfectly.

You'll find that you can't drag anything around in the program. Everything is moved in the appropriate vector a specified value. Although this may seem limiting, it is exactly as it should be.

You'll have great satisfaction knowing that your modified patterns will fit as intended.

There are some things that are univeral throughout the Fashioner menu. Those are listed below for convenience. They will not be repeated within each feature as you progress through this manual.

Help is Available

We want to make sure you can find help when you need it. As you open each tool, the tool name is displayed at the top of the tool panel.

This name is a link that will take you directly to the page in the manual explaining what the tool does and how to use it.

Save & Cancel

After you have made a change, the Fashioner will prompt you with Save or Cancel. Save will incorporate the change and create a step for Step Back. Learn more about Step Back.

Cancel will remove the change and ignore the work that was done.

Focus Out

Each tool has a series of checkboxes, input boxes or sliders for you to use. In most cases, the canvas will show your changes if you "focus out" of the entry field. You don't have to save to see the changes. This allows you to make tweaks until you get the results that you want.

To explain what "focus out" means, imagine that you click inside an input box asking for a Start value.

The cursor is in this box and the contents are highlighted ready for a change. This input box "has focus". If I hit Tab, click a button, select another input box or just click outside the input box on the page, the box no longer has focus, something else does. That is a "focus out" of that Start input box.

As soon as I take focus off that input, the canvas updates with the value I entered. You'll find this works in most cases. There are a few tools that don't actually update the canvas until after a save, but those are rare.

Select Items

As you use the tools, they will ask you to select an object. These could be lines, points, curves or something else. As discussed in Geometry, there are even different styles of objects, too. It can be difficult to know what can be selected.

Patternmaker Pro will highlight items that can be selected in yellow. This makes it very obvious what can or can't be chosen. If you are having problems selecting things, zoom in closer.

Deselect Items

To deselect something, simply select it again.

Selecting Overlapping Items

Sometimes when you select an item on the canvas, the program will display a list in the tool panel. This happens if there is more than one selectable item in the area you selected. This makes sure you can select items that may be overlapped by other items.

As you hover over each item in the list, it will be highlighted on the canvas. Select the item you intended from the list and the tool will proceed.

Browser Back Button

If you've used many programs that run in a web browser, you know that the back button can get you into some trouble. Many times it can cause you to lose work and even the entire page!

This won't happen in Patternmaker Pro. Although you should avoid using it, if you hit it by mistake it will only close your tool panel.

If you need to navigate out of the Fashioner, click on the Fearless Makers at the top left. This will take you out of the Fashioner.

Important!

You will lose all of your work back to your last save point.

Manual Examples

Most of the examples provided in this manual were created using the Bodice Front Sloper with a measurement set that uses metric millimeters. For this reason, you will see the "mm" abbreviation next to input fields.

The Fashioner will display whichever measurement set unit you are using.

Browser Tab Warning

You should restrain yourself to one browser tab when working with the Fashioner. You are welcome to open the manual in another tab, but you should only use one tab for browsing the Fashioner catalog or working in the tool.