Drop $200 on a custom pattern block and it was a total waste

I paid a pattern maker $200 for a custom block based on my measurements and it came out completely wrong. The armhole was so tight I could barely move, and the waist sat two inches too high. I spent another $50 on muslin trying to fix it myself before I gave up. Has anyone else had bad luck with ordering custom blocks online, or did I just pick the wrong person?

3 comments

3 Comments

drews551d agoProlific Poster

That exact thing happened to me with my first custom block. Taking a sewing class at my local community college changed EVERYTHING. The instructor showed me how to do a basic sloper draft on paper first, then make a quick muslin to test the fit. Cost me like $60 total for the class and materials. Now I make my own blocks and they actually fit. Maybe look for an in-person class instead of mailing measurements to someone.

the_john1d ago

Man, I feel this. I tried mailing my measurements out once for a custom pattern and what came back looked like a circus tent sewn by a toddler. Ended up taking a night class at the local adult education center and it was a total game changer. Being able to poke the instructor when something looked off on the paper draft was worth more than any pattern I could buy online. Plus you get to see how other people in the class mess up too and learn from their mistakes. That $60 class probably saved me hundreds in wasted fabric and frustration.

the_nancy1d ago

And seriously, finding a local class was my fix too. I wasted so much money on online custom patterns before I just learned to draft my own, and now I actually know how to adjust things on the fly.