Pattern Maker Mid level
Turns the measurement chart and tech pack into a block, then grades it and proves it on a sewn sample.
Pattern Maker — what the job really is
Every role guide, study and toolkit here is free of charge — no candidate fees, no employer fees, no commission. Never pay anyone for a job in this industry.
Works in: Sample room / CAD room
What you actually do
- Draft first patterns from the buyer's measurement chart and construction notes.
- Grade the size set and issue the graded nest to CAD.
- Correct patterns after fit comments and record every revision.
- Set seam allowances, notches and shrinkage allowance against the fabric test report.
- Hand over an approved pattern pack the cutting room can trust.
Skills employers screen for
- · Manual drafting plus one CAD system (Lectra, Gerber, Optitex or CLO)
- · Grading rules and size-set logic
- · Reading fabric shrinkage and stretch data and allowing for it
- · Fit reading — knowing which pattern line causes which fit complaint
Qualification & experience
Pattern making or apparel design qualification, plus a portfolio of blocks and graded nests. CAD certification from the software vendor helps a lot.
How to get in — the realistic route
- 1. Work through the free pattern explainers and build three blocks: tee, trouser, shirt.
- 2. Learn one CAD system properly; vendor training portals are free to browse.
- 3. Apply into the sample room as a Pattern Assistant / CAD Operator and grow into pattern making.
Free study to finish first
Real employers hiring this role
Every organisation below is a real company or industry body from the free NOSK.space directory. Contact details and careers pages are published by the organisation itself — always confirm current openings there, because vacancies change weekly.
Lectra
Paris · France
CAD pattern making, marker making and automated cutting
- Address
- 16-18 rue Chalgrin, 75016 Paris, France
- Phone
- +33 1 53 64 42 00
SHIMA SEIKI
Wakayama · Japan
Computerised flat knitting machines and whole-garment knitting
- Address
- 85 Sakata, Wakayama-shi, Wakayama 641-8511, Japan
- Phone
- +81 73 474 8210
Shahi Exports Pvt. Ltd.
Bengaluru · India
India's largest apparel exporter — knits, wovens and fabric processing
- Address
- Bellandur Gate, Sarjapur Main Road, Bangalore 560 102, Karnataka, India
Square Fashions Limited
Dhaka · Bangladesh
Knit garment manufacturing within the Square textile group
- Address
- Square Centre, 48 Mohakhali C/A, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
- Phone
- +880 2 883 3047
- info@squaregroup.com
Viyellatex Group
Dhaka · Bangladesh
Vertically integrated knit apparel, shirts, spinning and packaging
- Address
- Le Méridien Dhaka (6th Floor), 79/A Commercial Area, Airport Road, Nikunja 2, Dhaka 1229, Bangladesh
- Phone
- +880 2 55098318
Epic Group
Hong Kong · Hong Kong SAR (plants in Bangladesh, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Jordan)
Multi-country apparel manufacturer and sourcing group
Free explainers that teach this role
Photo and diagram walk-throughs covering the fabric, pattern, machinery and quality knowledge this job is built on — free, no sign-up.
Patterns · Free
From measurement chart to pattern block
How ease, tolerances and body measurements turn into a first pattern — and where fit problems are actually created.
Patterns · Free
Marker efficiency: where fabric cost is really decided
How marker planning, spreading and ply management move consumption by several percent — and what that means per order.
Quality checks · Free
How garment measurement checks and tolerances work
How to measure to the buyer's point of measure, apply tolerance correctly and tell a real fit failure from measurement noise.
Other pattern, cad & sampling roles
Entry level
CAD / Marker Planner
Makes the markers that decide fabric cost — usually the single largest controllable cost in the garment.
Open the role guideMid level
Fabric Technologist
Approves fabric against the buyer's standard and prevents shading, shrinkage and performance failures reaching the line.
Open the role guide