How to become a Fabric and Apparel Patternmaker

Official title: Fabric and Apparel Patternmakers

Also called: Cutter, Designer, Fabric Cutter, Pattern Designer, Pattern Maker, Pattern Technician, Production Pattern Maker, Sewing Pattern Layout Technician, Technical Designer

Draw and construct sets of precision master fabric patterns or layouts. May also mark and cut fabrics and apparel.

Main tasks

• 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.
• Mark samples and finished patterns with information, such as garment size, section, style, identification, and sewing instructions.
• Draw outlines of pattern parts by adapting or copying existing patterns, or by drafting new patterns.
• Test patterns by making and fitting sample garments.

How to become one

Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent

Ways in

• Apprenticeship: Design & Patternmaker Shoe.
• Apprenticeship: Pattermaker (Textiles).

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $62,750 a year The middle half earn $42,620 to $93,930.
• About 3,000 people work in this job now, and about 2,600 are projected by 2035. (-15%)
• People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Related jobs

• Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers
• Upholsterers
• Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers
• Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials
• Sewing Machine Operators
• Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairers

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Fabric and Apparel Patternmaker?

Ways in include: Design & Patternmaker Shoe.

How much does a Fabric and Apparel Patternmaker earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $62,750 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $42,620 to $93,930.

Is a Fabric and Apparel Patternmaker a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to fall 15% by 2035, from about 3,000 to about 2,600 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Fabric and Apparel Patternmaker?

Usually not. Only 19% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Design & Patternmaker Shoe.

Will AI change the work of a Fabric and Apparel Patternmaker?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.