Replies

1. 
   HeartFire | Jun 27, 2005 04:26am | #1

   Bernie,
   There hasn't really been a lot of discussion about these,I have the Wild Ginger software - Patternmaster Boutique and I just got their Celebrations program - that does wedding gowns (which is what I do) I tend to use it more as a basic fitting tool, it gives me the essential design lines I want with a pretty good fit, I then fit the client with a muslin and from that point do what ever drafting changes I need to make for the design I want by hand. This saves me from having to draft slopers by hand for each client.

   If you are thinking about getting a program, I would probably recommend the Celebrations over the Patternmaster boutique, it has (I think) all the same design lines and then a lot more!
   you can go to their website and down load demo versions of the software to play with, you just can't print patterns or enter your own measurements.
   http://www.wildginger.com

   I'd love to hear from others that have other brands of software - how they use it and how they like it
   Judy

2. 
   TracyaR | Jun 30, 2005 04:23am | #2

   Bernie,

   I use Dress Shop pattern drafting softwear. It is very user friendly. You can download a demo that is fully functional except for printing.

   Give it a whirl ... I'll be interested in what you think.

   http://www.livingsoft.com

   TracyaR

3. 
   TrixieD | Jul 07, 2005 08:32pm | #3

   I have been using Cochenille Design Studio's Garment Designer for the last two years and I absolutely love it.  Although I've been sewing on and off for 40 years or so, I had virtually no experience in pattern drafting but I haven't found that to be a problem.  Garment Designer provides slopers in standard industry sizes as well as giving you the ability to customize slopers for your own measurements.  Their website is http://www.cochenille.com.  (By the way, Threads had a comparison of 8 pattern drafting software programs in their April/May 2003 issue (#106).  It was because of this article I chose the program I did.  That article may be a little outdated by now, but it might be a good place to start.)

   BD

4. 
   gowngirl | Jul 14, 2005 10:01pm | #4

   	4008.5 in reply to 4008.4
   	I also bought the garment designer software, but it doesn't work at all for my purposes.  Though it has some special capabilities, and definitely some good features to it that other software doesn't have (the reason why I bought it in the first place), in my humble opinion, the pattern shapes are not standard in relation to the darts, neck, and shoulder area. The raglan sleeve shape is especially bad.  The fit is large, even choosing minimum ease option. If I try to tweek it too much, it becomes impossible to correct and I often have to completely start over. It appears that changes need to be made in a particular order for best results.  Rather than saving me time, I find that it takes me more time to correct the pattern than if I were to do it by hand. As is probably the case with most pattern software, printing requires an awful lot of paper, and much of it is waste. It's not uncommon to take 50-60 sheets to print.  For those who like basic shapes and a roomy fit, this program might be great, but it doesn't work at all for me.  If you are just looking for a basic style to work from, it seems that a commercial pattern does the trick much cheaper, quicker, and with less paper waste.

    Laura