How to Make Your Own Sewing Patterns (From Just 2 Measurements)
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Making your own sewing patterns sounds intimidating — years of drafting classes, complicated slopers, endless math. It doesn't have to be. This guide shows how custom pattern drafting actually works, and how the Lutterloh System® reduces it to two measurements and about 30 minutes.
Why draft your own patterns at all?
Commercial patterns are drafted for a standardized body that almost nobody has. If you've ever bought a pattern "in your size" and still spent hours adjusting the bust, shortening the waist or grading between sizes, you know the problem. Drafting from your own measurements means the fit is built in from the first line you draw.
The two measurements that matter
Most drafting systems ask for 10–15 measurements. The Golden Rule method — developed in Germany in 1935 — needs exactly two:
- Bust circumference — controls everything above the waist: shoulders, neckline, sleeves, bodice.
- Hip circumference — controls everything below: skirts, trousers, shorts.
That works because human proportions follow predictable ratios (the same "golden ratio" Leonardo da Vinci documented). Once bust and hip are known, the rest of the body scales along with them.
Step by step: from mini-pattern to full-size pattern
- Choose a design. The starter set includes 280 patterns as miniature drawings — dresses, blouses, trousers, jackets, kids' and men's designs.
- Pin the special tape measure at your bust measurement (for top pieces) or hip measurement (for bottom pieces).
- Rotate and mark. The pattern has radial lines; the tape tells you exactly how far out to mark each point for your size.
- Connect the dots with a ruler and a tailor's curve for armholes and necklines.
- Add seam allowance and cut. 1–2 cm for seams, 5–7 cm for hems — then sew.
Our free step-by-step tutorial with photos walks through a complete pattern.
What you need to get started
Pattern paper, a pencil, a ruler — and a system that scales designs to your body. The complete Lutterloh System® includes the pattern book, the special tape measure, a French curve and an illustrated manual in 8 languages.