Career
Fabric and apparel patternmakers
Make the patterns clothing is cut from.
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Create a master pattern for each size within a range of garment sizes, using charts, drafting instruments, computers, or grading devices.
- Input specifications into computers to assist with pattern design and pattern cutting.
- Draw details on outlined parts to indicate where parts are to be joined, as well as the positions of pleats, pockets, buttonholes, and other features, using computers or drafting instruments.
- Make adjustments to patterns after fittings.
- Compute dimensions of patterns according to sizes, considering stretching of material.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then creation & expression?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Create a master pattern for each size within a range of garment sizes, using charts, drafting instruments, computers, or grading devices.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Time Management, Judgment and Decision Making.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though moderate-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $62,750 a year and 200 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Apparel and Textile ManufactureCIP 19.0902
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Patternmakers, Metal and Plastic$58,000 · -22.8%
- Sewers, Hand$36,480 · -12.0%
- Patternmakers, Wood$49,630 · -2.0%
- Tailors, Dressmakers, and Custom Sewers$41,640 · -8.8%
- Fashion Designers$80,960 · +0.1%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.