Replies

1. 
   scrubble4 | Dec 01, 2007 07:09pm | #1

   Hi Jayzeyway:  I love my Garment Designer software from Cochenille.  I just bought it last spring ('07) when it was on sale.  This allowed me to buy a couple of add ons as well.  Someone has posted on this site that their old copy of GD didn't do the sleeves very well, but for me they are a dream.  Yes I made a minor adjustment on my first muslin but very minor.  I stand very straight, have wide shoulders and because of my posture my front is a lot wider and longer than my back.  This makes sleeve fitting a nightmare because of the angles of the armsyce and because of its length in both the front and back.  When I used to try commercial patterns the sleeve area looked like I had gone at it with a machette by the time I got all the alterations done, and even then I was never really pleased. 

   Here is what I like about GD:

   • You can turn on or off symetry.  When it is on it will make necessary alterations to adjacent pieces for any adjustment you are making.  For example if you shorten the length of the front of the bodice, it will shorten the same amount on the back.   You can turn this off if you want for design purposes.
   • Once you take your measurements, you can choose to always have your sloper shown in the background as you design.  I really love this as when you turn the grid on, you can count the number of inches for ease etc.
   • You can put in measurments for as many people as you want. 
   • You can take a design you have made for one person and then click up another person's sloper and it automatically makes the adjustments for that person.
   • You can really design with this software.  I particularly like that.
   • The company is amazingly helpful.  I have rarely waited more than 6 hours for a response to a question. 
   • The company, Cochenille, makes changes to the software based on customer requests and needs.  It is a small company run bywhat I think must be a very skilled lady who designed this software because she couldn't find what she needed to do what she wanted.

   Having said all that, you need to ask, ask, ask questions here and from each company.  It was telling to me which companies never responded to my initial questions when I was trying to figure out which software to buy.  What are your major fitting challenges, do you mainly want to use their templates or do you want to design, do you just want it for yourself or do you want to use it for friends, family, or a clients?  Hope I have been helpful.  Scrubble4

1. 
   jayzeyway | Dec 01, 2007 07:36pm | #2

   Thanks for the advice, I will go and check them out. I had re-read the article in an old Threads magazine but that gave lots of pros and cons. I suppose that magazines have to be impartial to some extent so they don't upset their advertisers!

2. 
   Alipye | Dec 24, 2007 01:31am | #7

   Hi, it is good to hear such good things about Garment Designer.  I own the first one that came out, it is called Garment Styler and it does a lot of what you mention.  I bought it to use to design knitwear, because I do a lot of machine knitting and I like my suits, pants and sweaters to fit just right.  I am more about fit than complicated designs on my knitwear.  The program allows you to print out patterns or written instructions to follow whey machine knitting.  I might have to look into upgrading my program.  I have taken several seminars with Susan Lazear, who is the creator of the program.  She even ran an on line class, where we all got on line and had a live interaction with her, she answered questions and guided us through the program.

   So it is good to hear your comments.  Susan lives in San Diego.

   AliPye

2. 
   jjgg | Dec 01, 2007 07:57pm | #3

   MY Label by Bernina costs $500.00, there are only 20 styles at this point and you can't really vary them in the computer- meaning, you can't change the neckline from a scoop neck to a V neck etc. What you can do with he program is select the fabric you want to use and then 'dress the manikin' with your garment in the fabric of your choice. When you plug in your measurements, there is a womans figure that is drawn to your measurements, but it is still a stylish picture, not a real human body, and you can make her twirl around so you can see all sides of what 'you would look like in the garment' I think this is more of a toy than really useful. but that is MY Opinion. There is also a means of placing embroidery designs so they show up where you want them on the pattern,

   I believe there is a demo on the bernina website you can down load to play with.

   I have the Wild Ginger Patternmaster boutique, it sounds very similar to the Cochenille program the previous poster talked about, it does all the same things, and the customer support is fantastic. They are coming out with an updated version this month. For $200.00 you get an almost unlimited range of things you can do - you pick a bodice style from about 20 styles, then pick the neckline you want, the type of sleeves you want, where you want the closure (front buttons, back zip etc) what sort of pockets, collars , darts etc. Wild Ginger has a fully functioning demo you can download to play with, you just can't " save" anything and you can't print the pattern.

1. 
   annenet | Dec 22, 2007 02:38pm | #4

   I have My Label and I love it. It has a 3d model that indeed does look like me. I've made the flared pants and tunic with absolutely no alterations. I managed to get it on sale for 25% off and the store honored a $20 coupon as well so I thought it was worth the plunge  - I really feel it was. Although there are only 20 patterns now they are good ones and they are planning more that will be in a service pack. You can scan fabric and put it on the garment so the model can "model" it for you. I figure when it comes to necklines and other things my drafting skills are pretty good. I also found you can modify lengths and widths on things - I narrowed the bottom of pants and got a more straight look that way.

1. 
   jjgg | Dec 22, 2007 03:54pm | #5

   I'm glad to hear that you like it. I've heard other positive comments about it. I suppose it was the fact that the person demoing it to me didn't really know what she was doing that I got such a negative impression about it.Thank you for the comments

3. 
   Alipye | Dec 24, 2007 01:23am | #6

   Hi jayzeyway, I went to my Bernina store in Keizer, Oregon to check it out.  They told me it costs $450.00, but they help you with all the measurements because you cannot take them accurately yourself, also they help with fitting the first muslin etc.  So, all in all the customer service sounds very good.  I don't know what experience the rest of the gals on this site have had, it would be great to get feedback.

   Ali

4. 
   Tatsy | Dec 27, 2007 08:49pm | #8

   I've been off the site over Christmas so missed your post until today.  I love Lutterloh for fitting the bust, but I found that I had to make more changes than they tell you. For the bodice, I draft both my hip AND my bust measurement above the waist then figure out which sets of marks are actually right. For me, it's a combination of the lower and outer marks since I have to shorten the armscye. It really works well and is a lot less work than most other alteration methods I've seen.

1. 
   jayzeyway | Jan 05, 2008 01:02pm | #9

   Thanks for your suggestion, I will give it a try. I find the system great for skirts and trousers but the tops take a lot of altering. I am going to give Garment Designer a try as have received a lot of positive info on it. I love to sew but find pattern alternation a mystery despite reading and rereading Threads.