Career experience thus far:
I’ve been working in the apparel industry since 2008, usually in combination roles as a patternmaker & tech designer
What type of product you specialize in or have the most experience with
Primarily in cut & sew knits - upscale athleisure-type apparel. I have done wovens including denim and linens, but I find knits most intriguing.
I’ve worked on both men’s and women’s but have most experience with women’s.
What programs you use
I used Gerber V8.5 for most of my career. This year (2021) I made the transition to Tukatech since it is so much cheaper and easy to work with for small brands & factories.
I also have learned Optitex for a client and I’m in the process of learning CLO3D
What you are hoping to learn or work towards
-I’m interested in inclusive sizing, grading & how to offer extended sizes that actually fit people.
-I would also like to learn more about textile types & manufacturing so I can recommend appropriate & ecofriendly fabrications to my clients. I think understanding fibers & mills on a deeper level will improve my ability to make a pattern accommodated to that particular fabrication.
-I’m really enjoying freelance work, I am learning so much! I’m hoping to create a network of other, great patternmakers I can hand work off to so I don’t get overwhelmed as it is hard to say “no” at times!
-I am learning CLO3D and want to continue that work to understand how I can utilize it as a tool in the development process. Right now I’m finding that CLO makes some patterns look better than they do in real life, so I believe part of the process is figuring out how to utilize the settings in CLO to give you an accurate read on fit.
Are you open to freelance/project work (in case someone here wants to work with you)
Yes! I do style development, patternmaking, tech packs, technical illustrations & grading. With small brands & factories I find it’s a lot about listening and working with them to solve a problem - I particularly love this work.