"Ready-made clothes and store-bought patterns just don't feel quite right..." There is a reason for that discomfort

Hello!
I'm Keiko Murakami from Atelier Tensen.

The concerns about garment making shared by those who have
joined the Atelier Tensen My Pattern Academy
generally fall into four categories.

・Store-bought patterns don't fit my body,
　and I'm bothered by wrinkles or the way they feel when worn

・I feel I've reached the limits of self-study,
　and I want to learn pattern making from the basics

・I want to work as a creator, but
　I lack confidence in my own skills

・I am already selling items, and
　I want to create original products

Everyone's age, sewing experience,
and where they live are all different.

Some have just started sewing,
some have been attending classes for nearly 20 years,
and some are already selling their work.

However, when I line up the survey responses,
I realized that many people are
stuck in the same places.

“Even though I make it exactly according to the pattern,
　for some reason it doesn't fit my body”

“I want to change the neckline or sleeves a little, but
　I don't know where or how to fix them”

“I have an image of the clothes I want to make, but
　I can't turn it into a pattern myself”

“After making corrections over and over,
　I feel like I'm starting to hate sewing”

At first glance,
they seem like different problems.

However, at the root of them,
there is a common sentiment.

That is,
they are not looking for a pattern that fits them,

but want to become able to create patterns that fit them,
is the sentiment.

What they want is
not to get their hands on a new pattern,

but to acquire a lifelong approach to garment making that can be applied even when body types or designs change.

Many people
are joining the Academy
in search of that.

So, why is it that store-bought patterns don't feel quite right...?

Store-bought patterns are made based on
standard measurements and proportions
so that as many people as possible can use them.

That is a necessary mechanism
to accommodate many different people.

However,
just as everyone's face is different,
everyone's body shape is also different.

Even with the same bust measurement,

the slope of the shoulders, the roundness of the back,
the height and fullness of the chest, the position of the neck,
the way the arms are attached, and the thickness of the body from front to back
are all different for each person.

Therefore, even if you choose
the same size on a size chart,
when you try it on,


"the neck feels tight"
"the neckline pulls backward"
"the sleeves pull when I raise my arms"
"wrinkles appear on the back or under the arms"
"it looks frumpy overall"

are things that happen.

In other words, it is not that the store-bought patterns are bad,
nor is it that the maker lacks skill.

It is inherently more difficult for a pattern
made for an unspecified number of people
to perfectly match
each individual's body.

The more sensitive you are,
the more you notice that slight discomfort.

However, if you do not know the cause of the discomfort
or the mechanics of the pattern,
even if you think, "I want to change this part a little,"

you cannot judge which line to move,
in which direction, or by how much.

As a result, you end up remaking it many times
or repeating adjustments,
taking a long time to finish.

Even though you started because you loved making clothes,
before you know it, the frustration
becomes greater than the enjoyment....

I have heard many such concerns
up until now.

So, if you study at the academy,
will you be able to make anything right away?

To be honest,
just because you studied at the academy for a year
does not mean you will immediately be able to draft any pattern
without hesitation.

With dressmaking, too,
you need to gain a certain amount of experience
at the beginning.

Draw a line.
Shape it with muslin.
Try it on to check.
Make corrections.
And then, go back to the pattern again.

Through this repetition,

"If I change this line, the silhouette changes like this"
"This ease leads to comfort"
"The cause of this wrinkle is here"

you will gradually begin to understand these things.

It might be similar to cooking.

At first, you follow the recipe and
make it exactly as written.

However, as you cook more often,
you begin to understand your own preferences
and the characteristics of the ingredients.

Eventually,
"I'll change the flavor a little today,"
or "I could probably make this with these ingredients too," you start to think and arrange things yourself.

Dressmaking is the same.

By learning the underlying theory and
repeatedly working with your hands,
the techniques will gradually
accumulate within you.

Among the graduates who have continued
making clothes for three or four years
since graduating from the academy,
there are those who see a lovely garment in town

and can think, "Isn't this design
developed from the basic block like this?"

They sketch the design that caught their eye in a notebook,
note the dart manipulation using a scaled-down block,
and draft it into an actual pattern.

People who previously couldn't make anything without a pattern
are now able to observe what they see, think for themselves,
and bring it to life.

That is not something that can be gained
from a single course.

It is a skill acquired precisely because of the accumulation of learning the basics,
continuing to make things, failing,
and making corrections.

That is why I do not make
simply finishing one garment beautifully
my only goal.

Rather than just learning how to make one piece,
it is about cultivating the ability to think for yourself and keep creating.

That is what we value
at Atelier Tensen.

Next time,

I will talk about the reason why
people in their 40s and 50s feel that the clothes they used to wear
"no longer suit them."

Those who made things with store-bought patterns
but for some reason they didn't fit their body.

Those who made things many times,
but they never turned out the way they imagined.

Those who have been sewing for a long time,
but never lost their fear of patterns.

What did such people learn, and
how did they study
to become able to make clothes that fit their own bodies and ideals?

I will explain this by unraveling the relationship between
the body that changes with age and clothing patterns.

Please be sure to read the next installment as well✨