What information do you need to write on a pattern?

And what do they mean?

Understanding the information on a pattern will help you to avoid getting tangled up in all your papers. I try to stay very organised when it comes to my patterns. Indeed, I've lost some in the past but I've learned my lesson... Anyway, here's a list of the basic things you should write on each pattern piece:

Information-pattern — Example:

The **name of the garment** it belongs to and the size. (ex: Lovely Shirt 01 - Size 38)
The **name of the piece**. (ex: Sleeve)
**How many times the piece needs to be cut and with what material**. Here you also need to add if the piece is cut on the **fold** or if you need to **mirror** it. (ex: Cut 2x Mirror (Fabric 1) )
**Grainline** and notches
Is there a **seam allowance** or not? (ex: SA: 1CM)

Let us develop a bit of each of these pieces of information and why they are so important to write down every time.

The name of the garment and the size:

If you are working on a pattern you are developing or if you are making modifications to an existing pattern, you will find yourself with multiple copies of the same pattern with slight differences in each one.

It is very important to make sure that the very first thing you write on the pattern is which evolution it is. Is it the first one with the large sleeve, or the one with the short sleeve where you changed the collar etc...

I always try to have a little note paper next to me, to note down the changes I have made so I can retrace the history.

Of course, if you are just manipulating your pattern to fit your size and you only have one copy of your pattern it applies as well. But no need to note down all the steps. You will know that the only change you have made is to change the size.

The size name or size number is important for later use. If you come back to the pattern a month or years later, you will have forgotten what size it is. So it is important to have it on each piece.

The name of the pattern piece:

A pattern is a bit like a puzzle. You could make it without the image reference, but it is difficult.

To reduce the steps and the difficulty, you should have the pattern piece's name written on each piece. You can then know directly which piece you are working with.

Sometimes, the pattern is a bit complicated so you might need a longer name than "Sleeve" or "Collar". Maybe it will be "Under sleeve Left-hand side". But that is if you make more advanced patterns.

How many times the piece needs to be cut and with what material

This indication is important to know how much fabric you will need, how to cut the fabric and from which material.

When you start the process of cutting, you need to make sure you cut all the parts you need. It is annoying to miss one little piece and to take out the cutting board again, to take out the fabric, etc... So make sure you have noted down how many times this piece needs to be cut.

The material can be chosen afterwards so you don't really need to specify what material exactly. What is important however is if it is a lining material or an interfacing material.

If the piece needs to be cut the same in different materials, you can write it as follow (this is an example):

Cut 2x Fabric 1
Cut 2x Lining
Cut 1x Interfacing

Grainline and notches

The pattern pieces are interacting with each other in a very organized way. Notches are the connecting parts of your pattern and they will be essential for the sewing part. You should not forget to note them down.

They are often indicated with perpendicular lines in the outlines of the patterns.

If you make the pattern yourself, it is good to always double-check if they are correctly drawn. When you are sewing your pieces together, you have to trust your pattern. So if the notches are not in the right position, you will make mistakes while sewing.

The grain line is to indicate the direction of your piece on the fabric.

Seam allowances (SA)

The seam allowances indicate the amount of fabric you will use for your seams. They change from pattern to pattern and sometimes, within a pattern piece, you might have a difference in allowance so you need to be careful.

Usually, the seam allowance is indicated with a second outline around your pattern piece, but it can also be indicated under the other explanations. For example: "No seam allowance". Then you have to make sure you add it when you cut your piece.

Conclusion

There is always a moment when you draw a pattern multiple times with a lot of modification that it is impossible to remember where you started and what steps you made. The papers fly around you happily while you try to remember where you put this beautifully drawn pocket, with the proper shape. Unfortunately, you cannot find it because you forgot to put the proper information on each piece or you threw it away because without the information it looked like leftover paper.

So to avoid all this, each time you start a new pattern or make any modification, make sure to:

Have a little note to yourself written somewhere to make sure you remember what steps you made.
Always write the proper information on each piece.
Be careful of what you throw away.

I would also like to add that this information is very basic but it might change slightly depending on the country, the company or the person who is drawing the pattern. Sometimes it might be the order is changed or some other times it is the way people write down their information.

But the core remains the same.

If an outsider would take over the pattern you made they should be able to know what garments it is for, what piece it is, how to cut it and how to make it.

I hope this is helpful! If you have any tricks you use for yourself, please share them in the comment section below!