Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers
Draw and construct sets of precision master fabric patterns or layouts. May also mark and cut fabrics and apparel.
- Median pay
- $62,750
- Doing it now
- 3,000
- By 2035
- Down 15%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
a year
across the country
200 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Test patterns by making and fitting sample garments.
- 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.
- Determine the best layout of pattern pieces to minimize waste of material, and mark fabric accordingly.
- Create a master pattern for each size within a range of garment sizes, using charts, drafting instruments, computers, or grading devices.
- Draw outlines of pattern parts by adapting or copying existing patterns, or by drafting new patterns.
- Create a paper pattern from which to mass-produce a design concept.
- Position and cut out master or sample patterns, using scissors and knives, or print out copies of patterns, using computers.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Apparel and TextilesSee 94 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Hands-on and practical
Creative and expressive
Organised and precise
Careers like this one
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $62,750 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.