Jennifer Lynne Matthews - Fairbanks - Pattern Design: Fundamentals--Construction and Pattern Making for Fashion Design

Book Design by Designarchy

Interior Photography by David Fairbanks

Illustrations by Jennifer Lynne Matthews-Fairbanks

Written by Jennifer Lynne Matthews-Fairbanks

Foreword by Dawn Marie Forsyth

Copyright 2018

Publication by Fairbanks Publishing, LLC

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced electronically or by other means without permission in writing from the author, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper or digital press medium.

Written By Dawn Marie Forsyth

Artist, Designer, Creative Consultant, Inspirational Speaker and Design Educator
DAFOMA Studios
www.dafomastudios.com

Fundamentals in design typically reference shape, line, detail, material and color. These concepts are a strategy for a two-dimensional result. When seeking a three-dimensional result we consider ideas about form, perspective, volume and movement, light and shadow. What is the difference between these approaches? The tangible. 2-D lives on the surface whereas 3-D becomes the profundity of surface.

Clothing emerges from the 2-D draft into its 3-D dimension of complexity and richness. Clothing is both interior and exterior in form. It is how we move, how we are seen, how we occupy space and it gives us our visual voice in the world. Creative pattern drafting and construction translates the clothing form into drawn shape and line, then into constructed volume and movement that will fit our bodies.

Fairbanks is interested in the world of design techniques, as in the world of clothing that is made by the human hand through the invention of the mind. Her gifts are plentiful when it comes to the landscape of our bodies and the application of form, fit, comfort and being wearable. As educators we share a common passion about the importance of incorporating an-ease in the understanding of the technical world of pattern making with an awareness to design concepts.

There is a precision to drafting that many designers wish to avoid for fear it will inhibit creativity. However, it is important to be aware that the fundamentals of design are about both visual aesthetics and design functionality. This marriage of ideas requires awareness to specifics, such as tools, measurements, materials and the human body. It may sound counterintuitive, but learning the rules that are focused on movement and function of the body can allow freedom in creative concepts. That is what Fairbanks provides in her approach to Pattern Design: Fundamentals .

When I was the Chair for the Fashion Design Program at FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising), I had the opportunity to work with Jennifer Fairbanks. She became a faculty member and taught both beginning and advanced pattern making and sewing courses. We collaborated, at that time, on an advance project course for specialized skills in lingerie construction. This course coincided with the release of her second lingerie design book, Bare Essentials: Bras .

When she started her non-profit design school, I became an advising board member for educational approaches, including this book. I believe she has written an enthusiastic approach to pattern and construction education that will allow beginners to assimilate the rules with ease, and inspire exploration of the possibilities of design variations. For those who know some pattern making skills this book will approach concepts already known but with a design tilt not previously considered.

Design is a journey of creation with success bound to making distinctions and defining intentions. - Dawn Marie Forsyth

This book has been a long journey for me. I began writing this book five years ago, a mere six months after my daughter was born. I thought I could continue to do it all, with a child in tow, but I was mistaken.

In the months after my daughter was born, I decided I did not want to continue teaching design in college. I felt that a fashion design education should be available to everyone, not just for those who could afford college. Because of this, I opened a shop where I could teach on my own terms, sell fabrics and be with my beautiful child.

The shop grew over the next four years into an amazing non-profit design school. I developed the design curriculum and provided courses to both adults and children in my community. At the end of our 4th year in operation, we made a family decision to move to Florida, in order to be closer to my parents. We closed the school and relocated in the summer of 2017.

Since our closing, I have been working rigorously on completing this book, all while managing my online sewing supply business. I wrote this book based on the experiences I encountered while instructing students of all ages. I have fine tuned the way this information is presented and comprehended.

I love pattern drafting, I always have. Before I attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC, I used to make my patterns based on how I thought they were made. I never used a commercial pattern. Whenever I made clothes for myself, I created my own patterns by laying my garments on top of fabric and cutting out the general shape, or I recreated existing thrift store garments. I understood the idea of pattern making, but never had a perfect fitting garment. FIT changed everything for me. I was finally able to make the connection between draping, drafting and fit. I was forever in love with the art of draping and pattern drafting.

I own nearly every book on drafting patterns, some I like for their graphics and others I use for reference. Unfortunately most are too technically written for me to fully understand. I have designed this book to help individuals, like myself, understand all the concepts and language of pattern drafting.

One of the biggest challenges I encountered, as a teacher of pattern drafting, was helping my students understand why patterns were drafted in a particular manner. In Pattern Design , I incorporate both drafting and sewing construction into each exercise. Most drafting books are just for drafting, making the connection between the draft and the reason for the draft, harder to grasp.

I hope you find Pattern Design a useful and educational tool for drafting patterns and understanding construction methods. Despite this book taking five years to complete, the next books will not take as long. I have written the full working draft of my second book in this series, which is drafting a sloper from measurements.

I could not have achieved everything that I have achieved without the help of others. I would like to thank my husband, David, for his unending support with all my crazy goals and projects. I also thank my daughter, Emily, for keeping me on my toes and assisting me with my sewing projects.

I would also like to thank Alex for her help in working through the first full draft of this book with me. I dont think I would have finished without you.

-Jennifer Fairbanks

Designer, Author, Entrepreneur and Mom

Website: Porcelynne.com
Blog: Blog.Porcelynne.com
Instagram: porcelynnesupplies
Facebook: porcelynnesupplies
Twitter: porcelynne
YouTube: YouTube.com/Porcelynne

Section 1: Shape

Section 2: Line

Section 3: Details

Section 4: Finishes

Pattern design or the more technical term, pattern drafting, can best be described as the process of transferring a fashion designers vision onto paper. This process turns an idea or concept into a two-dimensional pattern. The two-dimensional pattern defines how the three-dimensional garment is assembled.