Great tutorial. Watching you go from one thing to the next and correcting things as you went along taught me so much more than the exact steps to take. It removes the "fear" of using Illustrator. Thank you.
Thank you!!!!!!!! This is completely amazeballs - I just finished my first pattern using your toot. I wish there were better words than "thank you", but there aren't. THANK YOU, Miss H.
Thanks, I also forgot to check to have grid lines in back. It did work.I listened to this video many times to get it correct. You just have such perfection!
This tutorial is great. I'm digitizing a vintage pattern this helps A LOT. I cant' wait to watch the grading video. A suggestion for adding text, type all the text before resizing to the original pattern size, then group. When you increase the piece size the text will grow with it. Easy peezy.
Great beginner tutorial. This technique is an easy, straightforward way to get a perform a good digitization. There are a few simple things that can increase the accuracy and maybe even make the process a bit easier. The aforementioned method of drawing a square on the CF, CB, or whatever, and aligning to it is a good one. To be most effective, it should be as large as possible. Using a blank, standard, letter or A4 sized sheet of paper would definitely work better than a smaller, hand-drawn square. Then comes the tl;dr part. It’s be _so_ easy to show with a video, but, well, I don’t have one handy. ... maybe some day. To get good results, the method presented in the video requires that the camera be positioned such that it is perpendicular - in both directions - to the paper pattern. In practice, this can be quite difficult to get right and is, in fact, literally impossible to set up perfectly. Even getting close to an ideal position and orientation requires some sort of tripod or carriage. Unfortunately, even with a great setup (or a _really_ steady hand), there will still be some corrections - especially perspective correction - required. Instead, don’t worry about making the camera _exactly_ perpendicular - just sorta make it close-ish. Before taking the picture, place a metal square - similar to a “roofer’s square” - or a plain old letter/A4 sheet of paper - on the pattern. This is easier and more accurate than drawing your own box, and it can placed at any reasonable angle. It doesn’t have to line up with anything on the pattern itself. Then, in AI, create one vertical and and one horizontal line the size of the ruler or the sheet of paper**. Drawing a rectangle the size of the sheet of paper is another option. Like the photo, the lines or box are best placed on their own, locked layer. Trace the pattern and grab the selection corner boxes to scale the tracing - like the video. But, instead of (or in addition to) the rotation tool, use the shear tool at least three times - width, height and then width again - to align the lines drawn to metal square in the picture. The lines will then be scaled, rotated and otherwise corrected more accurately and with fewer steps than you’d at first think. (Really. It’s sort of magical.) (If you’re a mathematician, you’re probably fuming right now. But, then again, you already know how to fix the technicality I just glossed over. Anyway, ...) Once the corrections are finished, if desired, you can select a line - any line - in the traced pattern and use the rotation tool. AI will suggest an angle that will cause that line, and the rest of the tracing along with it, to be either horizontal or vertical, whichever is closer. Just go with the suggestion and the whole tracing will be all neat and tidy. You’re done. OK, final tip: Both Photoshop and Illustrator have distortion/perspective tools that make the correction even more accurate. The PS one is drop-dead simple - highly recommended, but you obviously need the program in order to use it. Just align the photo before placing in AI. AI’s perspective tools are not as easy, but they allow one to do a pretty decent job with some practice. * Although scaling using the shift key is important once the pattern has been aligned, you actually _don’t_ want to hold shift while first aligning the image. This is because there’s no guarantee that the photo isn’t stretched horizontally or vertically; it probably _is_ distorted, at least a little. Along with the other tweaks, scaling the two directions, independently, fixes that. ** These lines - already positioned and sized like the letter/A4 paper - are handy things to place in a template file, so they can easily be used with additional pattern pieces, designs, etc. Throwing a logo, title block and other boilerplate into the template is naturally time-saving as well. I have a whole alphabet soup of CF, SF, CB, 3/8 S/A, etc., B/W/H marks, grain, extension lines and so on pre-made in the template too. I just delete whatever isn’t used in a given pattern/piece. If anyone has made it this far, I hope that they’ve found these notes helpful. Best.
I did it this way until I discovered I could impliment a projector, project my workspace onto a piece of dotted paper on a wall with pattern pieces affixed and trace the pieces directly into my application! Gerber/Illustrator/Autocad/etc..) What I do is, draw a rectangle around the pieces of a known dimension, (I use the sides of rectangle as CF, CB, Grainlines, so I know my pieces are square in the system ;) then draw a rectangle of same dimension in my application of choice. I then match the computer’s rectangle with the one on the wall via zooming in the application and projector until they are the exact same size! Now I know all pieces within that rectangle will be 1:1 scale! No need to resize later! Much more efficient if you have a projector! (I found one for $50!)
Ok wait this sounds interesting but I can’t fully understand what you’re saying... so what are you doing exactly? If I’m understanding correctly, you connect a projector to your computer, then project onto the wall? That’s a great idea honestly. I don’t have a projector but I will look into one and see if it is more efficient..
Here is an article I wrote about it. Hope it helps. Contact me if you have any questions. :) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ An Easy and Cheap ways to Digitize Patterns Without a Digitizer! By Aldo Sardone, Computer Pattern Technician III Founder of terraMODA InK. terramoda8@gmail.com If you have the need to digitize patterns into your favorite CAD design program but lack the rather expensive digitizer, I have a few viable solutions for you! These methods have been proven to work for me quite accurately, if you are patient and precise. The first and easiest method is to employ a projector. By projecting the workspace of your favorite CAD program (Gerber, Lectra, AUTOcad, Illustrator, etc.) onto a flat, level surface TO SCALE, you can then tape your pieces to said surface and trace them out on your computer! I stress TO SCALE! What I mean is, you have to adjust your projected window size to be scaled exactly 1:1. There are a few ways to achieve this, but basically, you are zooming your workspace and moving the projector in and out until the grid on your workspace is the same size of the projection. i.e.. a 1”x1” grid actually measures 1”x1” on the screen. I like to use dotted pattern paper to project onto, as it has a grid on it already and all I have to do is tape it to the wall, pin my pieces on it and match the grid on my computer with the grid on the pattern paper. I like to also draw a rectangle large enough to encompass all my pieces on the paper and then draw a corresponding rectangle in my CAD window then match them up on the screen. This way I know everything within that area is 1:1 scale! I then use the lines of the rectangle for CF/CB/Grainlines so I know my pieces are square and on grain in my software. This saves you the tedious task of realigning them later. One great advantage of the Projecto-digitize method is you can visualize real-time digital corrections directly over your hard paper/draped muslin pattern! This makes truing up muslins and making alterations a cinch! You are, in essence, combining your computer screen AND your digitizer into one so WYSIWYG. Another more complicated way to digitize your patterns is to take a digital photo of your pattern pieces, preferably within a rectangle of known size. This way you can scale said photo in Photoshop/Illustrator, etc., until the rectangle is actual size. You can then import the image into a CAD/Illustrator program and trace the pieces at whim. After you have your pieces traced, export them into a format usable for your pattern making software, DXF, for example. You can then import them into your pattern making software and grade/edit away. This method is way more cumbersome and suffers from file compatibility issues if you don’t do it right. It has, however, worked for me in the past, in a pinch. I recommend the projector method to avoid most problems, as you are tracing the pattern with your native, pattern making software. Keep in mind, for best results it’s imperative that you keep everything square! The camera/projector should be as parallel/square to the digitizing wall/surface as possible! Projectors with tilt/keystone features work great for making square adjustments. Make sure you measure your rectangle lengthwise and height as well (on both sides!) and you will have an accurate ‘digitized” pattern without actually having a digitizer! Aldo Sardone has been working in the fashion industry in New York City and Seattle for most of his life. He now resides in the rural, foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains of Northern California, works freelance, and is currently developing a technical outerwear line and a luxury lingerie line.
This video is SUPER helpful! I love how detailed but still to the point it is. I was going to pay to have patterns digitized for me, but after watching your video I feel confident enough to do it myself. Thank you soooo much! I look forward to checking it out your other videos. xoxo, Shania
Shania O. Mason I am so glad to hear that! Always make sure to test your work afterwards! There is some trial and error (even I have to constantly test ESPECIALLY when I do work for clients). It’s easy to feel your patterns are perfect but they should always be tested. (Also make sure to hold your camera exactly parallel to the floor so that there is little to no pattern distortion in the photo)
Thanks for these tips, especially about testing the work. Sometimes I get so excited and antsy that I don't bother to test the fabric before using the final fabric. I'll be sure to do my best when setting my camera on the tripod to take a picture of the fabric. Thanks again!
Hi helvetaca! so glad to find you and your tutorial on pattern making..I'm not a fashion designer but taken a pattern-making course a long time ago before the computer age, so trying to learn on my own through tutorial like yours...You are so talented in teaching and have patience to explain thoroughly... I liked your video so much and found it very helpfull to me. I do see your old posts, where can I see your recent posts. I would like to connect with you for help. Thank you soooo much for this tutorial. :-)
I hardly upload for various reasons but fortunately I just upgraded my iPhone and my iPad so I’ve been inspired to start uploading again. My goal is this week although I might not start with patterns yet I will probably start with some sew alongs
@@helvetecaLLC thank you helveteca, for your prompt vreplyit makes me so happy that still are available on line. You do whatever is convenient for you and I'm sure you will be the best one there. Have a wonderful start again and all the best to you ❤️ I'm looking forward to your uploads..keep it coming😊😘
This was so helpful. Just love your content ! I have been checking your channel alot to see what else you have uploaded. Waiting for the printing tutorial. Thanks so much for time and patience.
helveteca is there any nessecity for hvng only plotter.or it can b print out by printing in tile mode with normal laserjet printer.how can we digitize our real cloth using this technique.
Yes definitely, it can be tiled as long as the ratio stays at 100% and that your printer settings are fine tuned for a perfect printout. You can figure that out by testing. As soon as I update my equipment I can upload a tutorial on printing.
hey just a tip, for sizing, draw an inch by inch square on ur pattern on the grain line, then draw an inch by in square in the program and match the pic up to the square in the program, you will likely get it lined up squared and the right scale one time
Really helpful tutorial, thank you. The way I have been doing it is incredibly time consuming; photographing and tracing in illustrator from there is a much easier way to do it. I'd love to see how you grade on illustrator.
Thank you soo much! Someone who watches these videos needs to be nice and offer to buy you a new laptop! Once my business grows and I have more money I definitely will because you just saved my ass! Thanks girl
I am somewhat experienced in illustrator so that helps but I had no idea it was so easy to make my patterns this way it is going to save me soo much time and energy and I believe it is more efficient. All of the other videos I have found on this subject really suck so thank goodness for yours!
+Savannah Scherrer just don't forget to always test your patterns and walk them too. I have experimented with different camera when taking pictures of the patterns on the floor. You have to take the photos super straight and use a decent camera. The first time I did it I used a dslr canon and it worked perfect. I don't have that camera anymore so I've been using my iPad and iPhone and I noticed that the patterns don't come out as accurate. You just gotta experiment and practice... Trial and error.
Yes definitely I am going to watch that video as well. I actually set my pattern against the edge of my ruler when I took the picture to make sure it was straight and I could see the measurements and such. I am very interested to see how these turn out
Hello yes check in my other videos for the grading videos, there are about 2 right now, and right now I am uploading a new video and drafting and digitizing with the iPad pro, stay tuned'
This was a great tutorial, thank you for doing this. Im in the prosses of digitizing my patterns and I have Correl draw so i cant follow along exactly but it is still very useful, thank you again.
You can scale your pattern piece to size by calculating the percentage difference of the actual size to the desired size. Then use the scale tool to enter the exact percentage. Then check against your rule guide.
Duncan Allan thank you, I'm going to try that! I've had issues in the past doing it like that but I'm going to try it again and see what I can come up with.
helveteca Using an app gives a convenient result than booting Excel. If you have an iPhone try this free app that I use. Percentage Calculator Free by Thomas Richardson appsto.re/gb/WYWpE.i
+Lee Ting Chin Yes but ironically, teaching printing is harder than teaching this! Everyone's printers are different so I'm running a few tests at the moment.
This is great! I went to design school in the 90’s but unfortunately we only touched on CAD and grading. Would love to learn more. Thanks so much for sharing! What program do you use?
Thank you for your tutorials, I have learned a lot from them. Have you done a tutorial on printing yet? I've tiled the pages and could print from Illustrator, but I'd really like to save my patterns as PDFs so that I can sell them. However, when they're saved to a PDF they switch to single page instead of still splitting into pages for a regular printer. It has to be simpler than I'm making it but I cannot figure out what I'm missing.
Josiah Urlaub hi. Yes I actually do have a tutorial on printing filmed but my laptop doesn't have the power anymore to process editing and uploading. I am in the process of upgrading so I don't know when, but as soon as I got it all figured I have a bunch of videos to upload
I know this is late. But this is a very good vedio with clearly instructions. I work with lectra pattern makin software. But I want to know how to create pdf patterns for prining out from home. Is there a way to save lectra patterns to pdf?
sharmika malwatte hello, I need to get better equipment for filing and editing but that is one of the videos to be uploaded! I’m not sure you can save lectra files to PDFs unless you convert the dxf file or whatever format lectra is in to pdf, I’ll look into it
Thank you helveteca for the tutorial, it was very helpful. One question... when you take a picture of garment how can you keep the actual size when you open it up in illustrator? Or do you just have to adjust it. If I just adjust it, what is the best way to measure the piece to adjust it with through illustrator. For example I have a back for a top that I need to grade once I get it in illustrator, so would best way to measure be a horizontal measurement through the center and a vertical line through the center?
Lynn Hibbard you can do it that way although I haven't tried that. Someone in the comments mentioned laying a ruler down flat on the piece before thanking the photo so that there is an accurate reference when blowing the pattern up in illustrator.
Ok thanks and I will try that and see how it works. How do you usually try getting the correct size when importing the image to Illustrator... or is it just how you take the picture? Making sure you are at a 90 degree angle... Also one other question, when I import the pattern in to my Gerber Accumark system and pull the pattern up in pattern design, it imports the bounding box with the pattern from Illustrator. How can I export the pattern from Illustrator without the bounding box so that it does not show in my pds? PDS adds the bounding box as a perimeter line and the pattern as internal lines. I have to work at swaping the lines and then trying to delete the bounding box. I worked for hours trying to remove the bounding box on one of the patterns with no luck. Where they touch, it's harder on some the patterns for me to swap the lines.
Hi Thank you for this awesome video. Have you done a video tutorial on how to print the digitized pattern? Having problems to print the pattern that it comes out the same size as i have drawn it. Please help.
+helveteca hey i have kind of figured it out. I didnt have the correct paper size and it scaled my drawing down to fit the page. But now i make the drawing to size then i open a new artboard and select the right paper sizes to which i can print and then copy the drawing over to the correct artboard size. (If you print on A4 and have a big pattern piece then you can put many artboards next to and below each other on draw markers for printing and the spacing between margins of the page. But i would still want to watch your video and see your methods aswell :-) and thanks for putting in the effort to help me. It is appreciated :-)
Question, when u dragged the pattern to measure the 14 7/8 , does it keep the same measurements for all the other lines? I really really would love for you to show how to grade it. That seems to be the next step after this one. U did promise (smile)
I think what you're asking is if when expanding my pattern to match the real life measurements, if the pattern maintained it's ratios? Yes, the pattern does scale up and down accurately, as long as your initial tracing was accurate to begin with. And yes I did promise a grading tutorial! My laptop went into the shop because it kept heating up too much when recording. I just got it fixed so I'm hoping to do the next tutorial ASAP!
Thanks for answering, that is what I wanted to know... I will go try out what you have taught me this week, I will check back to learn about the grading. Thanks.
Thank you! One tip: Because in this digitized fast, FASTER world of today, our brains and schedules are on fast forward. Please limit the "personal" comments and steps - or edit - to get right to the meat of the topic. (The fan, the personal font choosing) - we don't need to wait to get through those. It's amazing how quick our brains are able to work, so time really stretches and impatience sets in.
Reita Braich since I work 18 hours a day and run 2 businesses it's a miracle I even had the time to even share this info, and FOR FREE. if I were a paid educator or if I were even getting anything at all out of this, then your comment would be valid. But in my case I'm not. I share my knowledge out of the kindness of my heart and the understanding that education is incredibly expensive for most. So sorry to say but I will not be spending those extra hours to edit my videos because I have paying clients who need that time from me. However, if you would like more professional videos, you need to find them on paid subscription sites or take classes st a reputable school.
Once again - THANK YOU. TONS of HELPFUL INFO. TOTALLY COOL! . Feels like you took my comment as a criticism -which is was NOT Quoting YOU, : "It's my first tutorial so if it kinda sucked, it's ok to let me know - I can do it - and make it better" If you hadn't have said that - I would not have tried to HELP. If you see, I wrote, "one TIP" ..not - "This sucks".... - LOVE your tutorials.
I have already learned how to draw the pattern in illustrator (thanks to this video😍😘) but now I don't know how to put the image into pdf files since i need to print them at my home printer. I've searching a lot and haven't found anything yet. Any idea? 😩
Yes... in Illustrator, go to save as or export. It will give you the option in the drop down menu to save as PDF among other options. Save the file to your computer, when printing, make sure to print full size, do not scale, and pick poster printing. You may need to experiment. Let me know if you need more help.
Hi Helveteca, When I place my photo it comes up with grid lines on it (the photo itself) I have Creative Cloud version not sure what happened?Any suggestions?
i cant believe i just found this video, thank you!! I have a question, what size of an artboard should it be i want to make patterns to print on regular machine? most PDF patterns that i have seen have indications like a start or numbers to attach pieces. any ideas on that?
Falak Naseem hello! I’m not sure I know exactly because I usually just print from a larger art board and have the printer break it down on it’s own in the options menu or the settings of the printer. I think it’s called poster printing. I can’t remember off the top of my head and I haven’t done it in a while but I’m pretty sure the printer will automatically mark the paper for where you need to tape it once you select poster printing.
helveteca omg! Thank you for replying, I know it’s a little older video but this is the best I’ve found over the internet so far. So thank you!!! I also have one more question, do you have any idea on how to grade panties/ bikini bottoms ?
This was a great tutorial. My question is once printing. How do I know this block will be a size 6 or M for example. Is this a step in printing process or? Thanks
+Trina Nyangoto Hi, if you started off copying a size 6 or "M" pattern then your printout will be true to life. I'm going to try to do a printing tutorial too but it's hard as we all have different printers and it's hard for me to know how different printers work other than my own.
+helveteca how do i know that my digtal pattern is the right size as my paper pattern, when i take a pic from my phone. i don't think thats going to capture the real size. I'm printing patterns on mine so i need it to be perfect... so how do i make sure that my curves, arm hole and everything are the exact same? when i take the pic isn't that going to down sample the size?
+Hina S Hi! No it doesn't capture the real size, that's why you must have the line measured on your pattern so that you can scale it up to "real life" size. For example, if you watch the video all the way through, you see that I measured a 14 7/8" line on the actual pattern that I took a picture of. The reason for that is, you can use that line to measure in the program, and then when you scale it up, it will be the exact size, but only as long as your original pattern and measurements were accurately measured by you to begin with. Rewatch the video, especially the part where I'm scaling the pattern up... then hopefully that will clear it up. If not, let me know! I can make a small special video for you if you need me to go more in depth for you.
could you use this method if you have a pdf pattern or if you want to clone your garments (after drawing out all the parts on paper and scanning them in)
dragonlord0666 yes I think you can, as a matter of fact I'm experimenting with just taking photos of my actual garments and tracing then correcting. It takes a lot of practice and skill to get it perfect but it's worth it
good thing with the pdf/scanned drawing is taking a photo part is not needed, you would just go from tracing I think. draw a 1 (or whatever) inch square on to help size correctly (most pdfs will have this on the pattern for printing)
why not re-calculating the design on the program instead of coping it? i mean if you want to digitalize a dress pattern then it will be super hard to make a photograph, unless you put the camera on the ceiling... :P
@@helvetecaLLC Yup! i just saw all of your videos so, i understund now! xD You've done awesome work and i just learned lots of stuff from you even if I'm slowly learning tailoring for 3 years now. I will sure practice more and learn techniques and tools that are more fit to me! Oh and also illustrator now that i know how useful it is for pattern making xD
In this book are basic drawing in various sizes. lingerieartikelen.nl/Handboek-Lingerie_lingerie-boek_zelflengeriemaken_lingerie-patroon-boek-lingerie-op-maat
Hi ! You are Amazing! Can you please make more VIDEOS PLEASE AND THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS!
Blessings to you and your family!
OMG, you are worried you kind of sucked .... you were kind of AMAZING! This was so easy to follow and so logical. Thank you so much for sharing.
I still have this version of Adobe Illustrator so this was fantastic!! Thank you.
Great tutorial. Watching you go from one thing to the next and correcting things as you went along taught me so much more than the exact steps to take. It removes the "fear" of using Illustrator. Thank you.
Thank you!!!!!!!! This is completely amazeballs - I just finished my first pattern using your toot. I wish there were better words than "thank you", but there aren't. THANK YOU, Miss H.
best explanation I've seen yet
Thanks, I also forgot to check to have grid lines in back. It did work.I listened to this video many times to get it correct. You just have such perfection!
This tutorial is great. I'm digitizing a vintage pattern this helps A LOT. I cant' wait to watch the grading video. A suggestion for adding text, type all the text before resizing to the original pattern size, then group. When you increase the piece size the text will grow with it. Easy peezy.
Dawn Dais hello, definitely. And that's a good tip. Don't forget to always test your patterns too! This method can be tricky to perfect!
Great beginner tutorial. This technique is an easy, straightforward way to get a perform a good digitization.
There are a few simple things that can increase the accuracy and maybe even make the process a bit easier.
The aforementioned method of drawing a square on the CF, CB, or whatever, and aligning to it is a good one. To be most effective, it should be as large as possible. Using a blank, standard, letter or A4 sized sheet of paper would definitely work better than a smaller, hand-drawn square.
Then comes the tl;dr part. It’s be _so_ easy to show with a video, but, well, I don’t have one handy. ... maybe some day.
To get good results, the method presented in the video requires that the camera be positioned such that it is perpendicular - in both directions - to the paper pattern. In practice, this can be quite difficult to get right and is, in fact, literally impossible to set up perfectly. Even getting close to an ideal position and orientation requires some sort of tripod or carriage. Unfortunately, even with a great setup (or a _really_ steady hand), there will still be some corrections - especially perspective correction - required.
Instead, don’t worry about making the camera _exactly_ perpendicular - just sorta make it close-ish. Before taking the picture, place a metal square - similar to a “roofer’s square” - or a plain old letter/A4 sheet of paper - on the pattern. This is easier and more accurate than drawing your own box, and it can placed at any reasonable angle. It doesn’t have to line up with anything on the pattern itself.
Then, in AI, create one vertical and and one horizontal line the size of the ruler or the sheet of paper**. Drawing a rectangle the size of the sheet of paper is another option. Like the photo, the lines or box are best placed on their own, locked layer. Trace the pattern and grab the selection corner boxes to scale the tracing - like the video. But, instead of (or in addition to) the rotation tool, use the shear tool at least three times - width, height and then width again - to align the lines drawn to metal square in the picture. The lines will then be scaled, rotated and otherwise corrected more accurately and with fewer steps than you’d at first think. (Really. It’s sort of magical.)
(If you’re a mathematician, you’re probably fuming right now. But, then again, you already know how to fix the technicality I just glossed over. Anyway, ...)
Once the corrections are finished, if desired, you can select a line - any line - in the traced pattern and use the rotation tool. AI will suggest an angle that will cause that line, and the rest of the tracing along with it, to be either horizontal or vertical, whichever is closer. Just go with the suggestion and the whole tracing will be all neat and tidy. You’re done.
OK, final tip: Both Photoshop and Illustrator have distortion/perspective tools that make the correction even more accurate. The PS one is drop-dead simple - highly recommended, but you obviously need the program in order to use it. Just align the photo before placing in AI. AI’s perspective tools are not as easy, but they allow one to do a pretty decent job with some practice.
* Although scaling using the shift key is important once the pattern has been aligned, you actually _don’t_ want to hold shift while first aligning the image. This is because there’s no guarantee that the photo isn’t stretched horizontally or vertically; it probably _is_ distorted, at least a little. Along with the other tweaks, scaling the two directions, independently, fixes that.
** These lines - already positioned and sized like the letter/A4 paper - are handy things to place in a template file, so they can easily be used with additional pattern pieces, designs, etc. Throwing a logo, title block and other boilerplate into the template is naturally time-saving as well. I have a whole alphabet soup of CF, SF, CB, 3/8 S/A, etc., B/W/H marks, grain, extension lines and so on pre-made in the template too. I just delete whatever isn’t used in a given pattern/piece.
If anyone has made it this far, I hope that they’ve found these notes helpful. Best.
I did it this way until I discovered I could impliment a projector, project my workspace onto a piece of dotted paper on a wall with pattern pieces affixed and trace the pieces directly into my application! Gerber/Illustrator/Autocad/etc..) What I do is, draw a rectangle around the pieces of a known dimension, (I use the sides of rectangle as CF, CB, Grainlines, so I know my pieces are square in the system ;) then draw a rectangle of same dimension in my application of choice. I then match the computer’s rectangle with the one on the wall via zooming in the application and projector until they are the exact same size! Now I know all pieces within that rectangle will be 1:1 scale! No need to resize later! Much more efficient if you have a projector! (I found one for $50!)
Ok wait this sounds interesting but I can’t fully understand what you’re saying... so what are you doing exactly? If I’m understanding correctly, you connect a projector to your computer, then project onto the wall? That’s a great idea honestly. I don’t have a projector but I will look into one and see if it is more efficient..
Here is an article I wrote about it. Hope it helps. Contact me if you have any questions. :)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An Easy and Cheap ways to Digitize Patterns Without a Digitizer!
By Aldo Sardone, Computer Pattern Technician III
Founder of terraMODA InK.
terramoda8@gmail.com
If you have the need to digitize patterns into your favorite CAD design program but lack the rather expensive digitizer, I have a few viable solutions for you! These methods have been proven to work for me quite accurately, if you are patient and precise.
The first and easiest method is to employ a projector. By projecting the workspace of your favorite CAD program (Gerber, Lectra, AUTOcad, Illustrator, etc.) onto a flat, level surface TO SCALE, you can then tape your pieces to said surface and trace them out on your computer! I stress TO SCALE! What I mean is, you have to adjust your projected window size to be scaled exactly 1:1. There are a few ways to achieve this, but basically, you are zooming your workspace and moving the projector in and out until the grid on your workspace is the same size of the projection. i.e.. a 1”x1” grid actually measures 1”x1” on the screen. I like to use dotted pattern paper to project onto, as it has a grid on it already and all I have to do is tape it to the wall, pin my pieces on it and match the grid on my computer with the grid on the pattern paper. I like to also draw a rectangle large enough to encompass all my pieces on the paper and then draw a corresponding rectangle in my CAD window then match them up on the screen. This way I know everything within that area is 1:1 scale! I then use the lines of the rectangle for CF/CB/Grainlines so I know my pieces are square and on grain in my software. This saves you the tedious task of realigning them later. One great advantage of the Projecto-digitize method is you can visualize real-time digital corrections directly over your hard paper/draped muslin pattern! This makes truing up muslins and making alterations a cinch! You are, in essence, combining your computer screen AND your digitizer into one so WYSIWYG.
Another more complicated way to digitize your patterns is to take a digital photo of your pattern pieces, preferably within a rectangle of known size. This way you can scale said photo in Photoshop/Illustrator, etc., until the rectangle is actual size. You can then import the image into a CAD/Illustrator program and trace the pieces at whim. After you have your pieces traced, export them into a format usable for your pattern making software, DXF, for example. You can then import them into your pattern making software and grade/edit away. This method is way more cumbersome and suffers from file compatibility issues if you don’t do it right. It has, however, worked for me in the past, in a pinch. I recommend the projector method to avoid most problems, as you are tracing the pattern with your native, pattern making software.
Keep in mind, for best results it’s imperative that you keep everything square! The camera/projector should be as parallel/square to the digitizing wall/surface as possible! Projectors with tilt/keystone features work great for making square adjustments. Make sure you measure your rectangle lengthwise and height as well (on both sides!) and you will have an accurate ‘digitized” pattern without actually having a digitizer!
Aldo Sardone has been working in the fashion industry in New York City and Seattle for most of his life. He now resides in the rural, foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains of Northern California, works freelance, and is currently developing a technical outerwear line and a luxury lingerie line.
Thank you for doing this tutorial. You did an awesome job for your first one. Keep up the great work.
This video is SUPER helpful! I love how detailed but still to the point it is. I was going to pay to have patterns digitized for me, but after watching your video I feel confident enough to do it myself. Thank you soooo much! I look forward to checking it out your other videos. xoxo, Shania
Shania O. Mason I am so glad to hear that! Always make sure to test your work afterwards! There is some trial and error (even I have to constantly test ESPECIALLY when I do work for clients). It’s easy to feel your patterns are perfect but they should always be tested. (Also make sure to hold your camera exactly parallel to the floor so that there is little to no pattern distortion in the photo)
Thanks for these tips, especially about testing the work. Sometimes I get so excited and antsy that I don't bother to test the fabric before using the final fabric. I'll be sure to do my best when setting my camera on the tripod to take a picture of the fabric. Thanks again!
You are so Awesome!!! Thank you for the tutorial. It is great to listen to you also...very calming voice.
+cocospaceman nice thank you! More videos coming soon!
Your commentary had me laughing, I'm just starting to learn about digitizing patterns, thanks for these.
😆 😂 girl you know it’s awful
Didn’t suck at all! Super helpful, actually. Thank you! 😀
Well thank you!
This tutorial was so helpful, thank you! I would LOVE to see the pattern grading tutorial you mentioned!
+Meagan Page Yep got a few of those out already with more methods on the way!
This was great....can't wait to see your grading and printing tutorial!!!
Thanks for this wonderful tutorial. I await part 2 on grading.
Hi helvetaca! so glad to find you and your tutorial on pattern making..I'm not a fashion designer but taken a pattern-making course a long time ago before the computer age, so trying to learn on my own through tutorial like yours...You are so talented in teaching and have patience to explain thoroughly... I liked your video so much and found it very helpfull to me.
I do see your old posts, where can I see your recent posts. I would like to connect with you for help. Thank you soooo much for this tutorial. :-)
I hardly upload for various reasons but fortunately I just upgraded my iPhone and my iPad so I’ve been inspired to start uploading again. My goal is this week although I might not start with patterns yet I will probably start with some sew alongs
@@helvetecaLLC thank you helveteca, for your prompt vreplyit makes me so happy that still are available on line. You do whatever is convenient for you and I'm sure you will be the best one there.
Have a wonderful start again and all the best to you ❤️
I'm looking forward to your uploads..keep it coming😊😘
Hey. I like your explanation. I'm learning CAD now after 20 yrs of hand making. I would love to see your grading video
Trying to get to that. I'm hoping real soon!
This is the best tutorial!! You are a God send!
OohlalaHolly ah I wish it was the best but thank you!!
Great tutorial. I just started and your instructions are very helpful.
On document setup, I clicked on presents and went to "Fit to Artwork Bounds" and it fit it to my artwork perfectly!
OohlalaHolly oh nice! I’m gonna experiment with that. It’s always nice getting more tips from others trying new ways to do things.
This is everything I've been looking for. THANK YOU!
This was so helpful. Just love your content ! I have been checking your channel alot to see what else you have uploaded. Waiting for the printing tutorial. Thanks so much for time and patience.
I've got tons of filmed footage but having a hard time getting it uploaded now, I'm hoping very soon!
helveteca is there any nessecity for hvng only plotter.or it can b print out by printing in tile mode with normal laserjet printer.how can we digitize our real cloth using this technique.
Yes definitely, it can be tiled as long as the ratio stays at 100% and that your printer settings are fine tuned for a perfect printout. You can figure that out by testing. As soon as I update my equipment I can upload a tutorial on printing.
Brilliant, I hope you do more videos. Thank you xxx
hey just a tip, for sizing, draw an inch by inch square on ur pattern on the grain line, then draw an inch by in square in the program and match the pic up to the square in the program, you will likely get it lined up squared and the right scale one time
+K Jay Hi yes thanks! I have since (I made this video a long while ago) use a 2x2" square these days to size up my traced pattern.
;) great!
Thank you, this is great to digitise my leather patterns.
Glad it was helpful!
Really helpful tutorial, thank you. The way I have been doing it is incredibly time consuming; photographing and tracing in illustrator from there is a much easier way to do it.
I'd love to see how you grade on illustrator.
from Egypt .. Thank you soo soo much dear it's helping alot keep the flow
I look forward to the next tutorial. Thank you for the lesson.
Thank you soo much! This helped a lot! ❤️
This is super. Thank you so much. I also would love to see one on how to cut it up to print on home printer.
Coming soon!
Thank you soo much! Someone who watches these videos needs to be nice and offer to buy you a new laptop! Once my business grows and I have more money I definitely will because you just saved my ass! Thanks girl
Wow thanks so much! It's nice to hear when someone actually has put the tutorial to use. They're not perfect so it's nice to hear when it's working
I am somewhat experienced in illustrator so that helps but I had no idea it was so easy to make my patterns this way it is going to save me soo much time and energy and I believe it is more efficient. All of the other videos I have found on this subject really suck so thank goodness for yours!
+Savannah Scherrer just don't forget to always test your patterns and walk them too. I have experimented with different camera when taking pictures of the patterns on the floor. You have to take the photos super straight and use a decent camera. The first time I did it I used a dslr canon and it worked perfect. I don't have that camera anymore so I've been using my iPad and iPhone and I noticed that the patterns don't come out as accurate. You just gotta experiment and practice... Trial and error.
Yes definitely I am going to watch that video as well. I actually set my pattern against the edge of my ruler when I took the picture to make sure it was straight and I could see the measurements and such. I am very interested to see how these turn out
+Savannah Scherrer awesome idea!
Thank you for your tutorial! Do you have a video for grading? That would be great!
Hello yes check in my other videos for the grading videos, there are about 2 right now, and right now I am uploading a new video and drafting and digitizing with the iPad pro, stay tuned'
Fantastic video!! Thank you!
+Riva Juarez (Riva La Diva) Awe no problem! Thanks for the appreciation!
This was a great tutorial, thank you for doing this.
Im in the prosses of digitizing my patterns and I have Correl draw so i cant follow along exactly but it is still very useful, thank you again.
great I would love to see one on how to cut it up to print on home printer
You can scale your pattern piece to size by calculating the percentage difference of the actual size to the desired size. Then use the scale tool to enter the exact percentage. Then check against your rule guide.
Duncan Allan thank you, I'm going to try that! I've had issues in the past doing it like that but I'm going to try it again and see what I can come up with.
helveteca Using an app gives a convenient result than booting Excel.
If you have an iPhone try this free app that I use.
Percentage Calculator Free by Thomas Richardson appsto.re/gb/WYWpE.i
Great tutorial!
lily O Thank you! Much appreciated!
Hi I hope you are making g more videos on illustrator. I have just stared to make hard copy of slopes and want them on computer
Great tutorial! Would you be uploading a tutorial on printing on smaller home printers? Thanks!
+Lee Ting Chin Yes but ironically, teaching printing is harder than teaching this! Everyone's printers are different so I'm running a few tests at the moment.
Thank oyu so much for this video... it is going to help me a lot. Thanks again!
+Inês Rodrigues Good to hear! I've got a ton more videos in store.
This is great! I went to design school in the 90’s but unfortunately we only touched on CAD and grading. Would love to learn more. Thanks so much for sharing!
What program do you use?
This was illustrator CS5 before they started charging a monthly fee. I also use Graphic for my iPad Pro which is amazing
Awesome video
Thank you!
Thank you for your tutorials, I have learned a lot from them. Have you done a tutorial on printing yet? I've tiled the pages and could print from Illustrator, but I'd really like to save my patterns as PDFs so that I can sell them. However, when they're saved to a PDF they switch to single page instead of still splitting into pages for a regular printer. It has to be simpler than I'm making it but I cannot figure out what I'm missing.
Josiah Urlaub hi. Yes I actually do have a tutorial on printing filmed but my laptop doesn't have the power anymore to process editing and uploading. I am in the process of upgrading so I don't know when, but as soon as I got it all figured I have a bunch of videos to upload
I know this is late. But this is a very good vedio with clearly instructions. I work with lectra pattern makin software. But I want to know how to create pdf patterns for prining out from home. Is there a way to save lectra patterns to pdf?
sharmika malwatte hello, I need to get better equipment for filing and editing but that is one of the videos to be uploaded! I’m not sure you can save lectra files to PDFs unless you convert the dxf file or whatever format lectra is in to pdf, I’ll look into it
Great Video, I like how you said what’s this guy doing here. Lol!
Great Tutorial! Thanks
Thank you helveteca for the tutorial, it was very helpful. One question... when you take a picture of garment how can you keep the actual size when you open it up in illustrator? Or do you just have to adjust it. If I just adjust it, what is the best way to measure the piece to adjust it with through illustrator. For example I have a back for a top that I need to grade once I get it in illustrator, so would best way to measure be a horizontal measurement through the center and a vertical line through the center?
Lynn Hibbard you can do it that way although I haven't tried that. Someone in the comments mentioned laying a ruler down flat on the piece before thanking the photo so that there is an accurate reference when blowing the pattern up in illustrator.
Ok thanks and I will try that and see how it works. How do you usually
try getting the correct size when importing the image to Illustrator...
or is it just how you take the picture? Making sure you are at a 90
degree angle... Also one other question, when I import the pattern in to
my Gerber Accumark system and pull the pattern up in pattern design, it
imports the bounding box with the pattern from Illustrator. How can I
export the pattern from Illustrator without the bounding box so that it
does not show in my pds? PDS adds the bounding box as a perimeter line
and the pattern as internal lines. I have to work at swaping the lines
and then trying to delete the bounding box. I worked for hours trying
to remove the bounding box on one of the patterns with no luck. Where
they touch, it's harder on some the patterns for me to swap the lines.
omg!!!!thank you so, so much! u r a godsend!!! thank you thank you thank youuuuuu!!
+Gia Lucille Wow thank you for the appreciation! ... I got a ton more videos coming up too
+helveteca thanks for taking the time to make these tutorials! i subscribed. can't wait to see the others.
+helveteca btw, love that illustration u did on how to take a photo of ur pattern. totes adorbs!
+Gia Lucille Haha my finest work!
Hi Thank you for this awesome video. Have you done a video tutorial on how to print the digitized pattern?
Having problems to print the pattern that it comes out the same size as i have drawn it. Please help.
Hi! Yeah actually maybe I can get to that today. It's a fairly simple tutorial so as long as my competent can handle it I'll see what I can do.
I'm still working on it! Didn't forget about you.
+helveteca hey i have kind of figured it out. I didnt have the correct paper size and it scaled my drawing down to fit the page. But now i make the drawing to size then i open a new artboard and select the right paper sizes to which i can print and then copy the drawing over to the correct artboard size. (If you print on A4 and have a big pattern piece then you can put many artboards next to and below each other on draw markers for printing and the spacing between margins of the page. But i would still want to watch your video and see your methods aswell :-) and thanks for putting in the effort to help me. It is appreciated :-)
merci merci !
Question, when u dragged the pattern to measure the 14 7/8 , does it keep the same measurements for all the other lines? I really really would love for you to show how to grade it. That seems to be the next step after this one. U did promise (smile)
I think what you're asking is if when expanding my pattern to match the real life measurements, if the pattern maintained it's ratios? Yes, the pattern does scale up and down accurately, as long as your initial tracing was accurate to begin with. And yes I did promise a grading tutorial! My laptop went into the shop because it kept heating up too much when recording. I just got it fixed so I'm hoping to do the next tutorial ASAP!
Thanks for answering, that is what I wanted to know... I will go try out what you have taught me this week, I will check back to learn about the grading. Thanks.
Thank you! One tip: Because in this digitized fast, FASTER world of today, our brains and schedules are on fast forward. Please limit the "personal" comments and steps - or edit - to get right to the meat of the topic. (The fan, the personal font choosing) - we don't need to wait to get through those. It's amazing how quick our brains are able to work, so time really stretches and impatience sets in.
Reita Braich since I work 18 hours a day and run 2 businesses it's a miracle I even had the time to even share this info, and FOR FREE. if I were a paid educator or if I were even getting anything at all out of this, then your comment would be valid. But in my case I'm not. I share my knowledge out of the kindness of my heart and the understanding that education is incredibly expensive for most. So sorry to say but I will not be spending those extra hours to edit my videos because I have paying clients who need that time from me. However, if you would like more professional videos, you need to find them on paid subscription sites or take classes st a reputable school.
Once again - THANK YOU. TONS of HELPFUL INFO. TOTALLY COOL!
.
Feels like you took my comment as a criticism -which is was NOT
Quoting YOU, : "It's my first tutorial so if it kinda sucked, it's ok to let me know - I can do it - and make it better"
If you hadn't have said that - I would not have tried to HELP. If you see, I wrote, "one TIP" ..not - "This sucks".... - LOVE your tutorials.
I have already learned how to draw the pattern in illustrator (thanks to this video😍😘) but now I don't know how to put the image into pdf files since i need to print them at my home printer. I've searching a lot and haven't found anything yet. Any idea? 😩
Yes... in Illustrator, go to save as or export. It will give you the option in the drop down menu to save as PDF among other options. Save the file to your computer, when printing, make sure to print full size, do not scale, and pick poster printing. You may need to experiment. Let me know if you need more help.
This is great!
Is it possible to convert the illustrator working files into CAD files (or anything similar) later on?
Ai-Vi Tom hello, yes I believe there is an export option where you can save and send in a .dxf format.
So good to know :)
You may have just saved me so much $$$!
You have a new subscriber haha
Ai-Vi Tom nice! Let me know if it works out for you. I've converted patterns to auto cad a few times now but never tried manipulating it once in cad.
I plan on giving it a go once I transfer it onto CAD so I'll let you know if its successful :)
Do you have plans to show pattern grading on illustrator?
Yes I do! Soon but I have a fan problem on my MacBook, makes it hard to record when it's running.
Can I use a scanner?
Hi Helveteca,
When I place my photo it comes up with grid lines on it (the photo itself) I have Creative Cloud version not sure what happened?Any suggestions?
Central Home try hitting enter after you place it
great job
i cant believe i just found this video, thank you!! I have a question, what size of an artboard should it be i want to make patterns to print on regular machine? most PDF patterns that i have seen have indications like a start or numbers to attach pieces. any ideas on that?
Falak Naseem hello! I’m not sure I know exactly because I usually just print from a larger art board and have the printer break it down on it’s own in the options menu or the settings of the printer. I think it’s called poster printing. I can’t remember off the top of my head and I haven’t done it in a while but I’m pretty sure the printer will automatically mark the paper for where you need to tape it once you select poster printing.
helveteca omg! Thank you for replying, I know it’s a little older video but this is the best I’ve found over the internet so far. So thank you!!! I also have one more question, do you have any idea on how to grade panties/ bikini bottoms ?
how to use this pattern for all over sublimation ?
This was a great tutorial. My question is once printing. How do I know this block will be a size 6 or M for example. Is this a step in printing process or? Thanks
+Trina Nyangoto Hi, if you started off copying a size 6 or "M" pattern then your printout will be true to life. I'm going to try to do a printing tutorial too but it's hard as we all have different printers and it's hard for me to know how different printers work other than my own.
Awesome. I'll look out for your printing video. Thanks!
+helveteca how do i know that my digtal pattern is the right size as my paper pattern, when i take a pic from my phone. i don't think thats going to capture the real size. I'm printing patterns on mine so i need it to be perfect... so how do i make sure that my curves, arm hole and everything are the exact same? when i take the pic isn't that going to down sample the size?
+Hina S Hi! No it doesn't capture the real size, that's why you must have the line measured on your pattern so that you can scale it up to "real life" size. For example, if you watch the video all the way through, you see that I measured a 14 7/8" line on the actual pattern that I took a picture of. The reason for that is, you can use that line to measure in the program, and then when you scale it up, it will be the exact size, but only as long as your original pattern and measurements were accurately measured by you to begin with. Rewatch the video, especially the part where I'm scaling the pattern up... then hopefully that will clear it up. If not, let me know! I can make a small special video for you if you need me to go more in depth for you.
Thanks so much!
could you use this method if you have a pdf pattern or if you want to clone your garments (after drawing out all the parts on paper and scanning them in)
dragonlord0666 yes I think you can, as a matter of fact I'm experimenting with just taking photos of my actual garments and tracing then correcting. It takes a lot of practice and skill to get it perfect but it's worth it
good thing with the pdf/scanned drawing is taking a photo part is not needed, you would just go from tracing I think. draw a 1 (or whatever) inch square on to help size correctly (most pdfs will have this on the pattern for printing)
Do you have your seam allowance in your pattern?
Helen Bornancin hi! This pattern did have the seam allowance but ill need to make sure I mention that in future tutorials!
why not re-calculating the design on the program instead of coping it? i mean if you want to digitalize a dress pattern then it will be super hard to make a photograph, unless you put the camera on the ceiling... :P
Taking a photo of a long dress pattern only requires 5-6 feet of distance.
@@helvetecaLLC Yup! i just saw all of your videos so, i understund now! xD
You've done awesome work and i just learned lots of stuff from you even if I'm slowly learning tailoring for 3 years now.
I will sure practice more and learn techniques and tools that are more fit to me!
Oh and also illustrator now that i know how useful it is for pattern making xD
In this book are basic drawing in various sizes.
lingerieartikelen.nl/Handboek-Lingerie_lingerie-boek_zelflengeriemaken_lingerie-patroon-boek-lingerie-op-maat
Great tutorial thanks!