The aim of this study is to develop a method of drafting a dress pattern from a basic pattern, for unskilled pattern makers intending to reflect an image of a fashion drawing. In this method, some sizes are obtained by measuring the corresponding positions of the fashion drawing, and others which are difficult to measure are estimated by choosing marks, according to the patterner's impression, among several ranks which have been arranged to give reasonable sizes. Inputting the sizes and the marks to a personal computer, the pattern is drawn automatically on a XY-plotter connected to the computer.
For the first step, a blouse of a simple design was used as an example. Following specimens were prepared for references : (1) a fashion drawing of the blouse (drawing-A); (2) a photograph of the blouse which was made according to a textbook; (3) a fashion drawing made by a designer imitating the photograph (drawing-B).
The method was tested by two groups of unskilled pattern makers. Group-1 was shown only the drawing-A, while all of three references were shown to group-2. As a result, the sizes obtained by measuring the fashion drawing were almost the same with those obtained by professionals. In the case of the sizes obtained by choosing the marks, only the results of group-2 were almost the same with those of professionals. These results suggested that the standard references (drawing-B and the photograph described above) were necessary for unskilled pattern makers.
By the use of this method composed with the above three references and a computer program which drives a XY-plotter, even unskilled persons could draw a pattern well reflecting the image of the design.