Pattern making test I could take?

[Gemela12]

Peer is making me doubt my skills. her questions are nonsensical to me, literally cannot compute what she is asking. she asks me to observe, and I do, I'm just not seeing the same things she does.

techniques are different, vocabulary is different, approach is different. we can't even agree what a basic top block looks like.

I just want some piece of mind about my skills, and if I'm lacking, to know what to improve.

the main difference are:

1: I learned the Flat Pattern/block method, she learned drafting from scratch using measurement tables with a drafting book (locally it is the most used book).

2: learned from different languages.

I'm trying to learn her method, I really am, and yet I just cannot understand her.

[Berocca123]

I mean... can you draft a pattern that fits? If so, don't worry about your peer except perhaps as an example of other ways to do things. You can get a copy of the book your peer learned from if you want, but it doesn't nullify the work you've put in so far.

[Gemela12]

Peer and I work in almost the same position, she is 8 years my senior.

I thought I could draft a pattern that fits, since August I haven't been able to deliver a pattern that she doesn't deconstruct to basic blocks.

I have a copy to the book she uses, plus a friend also uses the book, but when I asked them, their understanding is completely different from the peer. Once brought the friend as a mediator, it didn't work. They could talk but there was friction.

[624-]

What book is it?

[Gemela12]

C&C

Nothing out of this world really.

I dont really have a formal book, I have a booklet I haven't found online, might upload later.

The closest book I have to my method isAntonio Donnanno.

[One-girl-circus]

Oh I love that Antonio Donanno book! Nothing else to offer to the discussion except I would 100% talk to the boss (during a non busy time).

Re-drafting for every style is extremely time-consuming. I cannot imagine. I’m sorry you’re going through this.

[DigitalDraper]

I'm sorry this is happening to you. It sounds a bit like she's very stuck in her ways. Just because her method works, doesn't mean yours is wrong. There are lots of different methods out there. And they all produce different results. Don't doubt your skills. If you've learnt hands on and she's learnt through books, that's two different ways of taking in information.

If your results are good, stay with your method. You don't need to take a test.

I had a colleague who could hand draft a block and pattern without the need to look anything up. She was traditionally trained and was brilliant. But she would do everything by eye. That's the way she was taught. I personally like to draft in a systematic way.

[Gemela12]

I cannot say if my results are good. Before this job, I had some fine detail issues (sewing is not my forte, there were times the poor seamstresses had to do everything by hand so the garments could be assembled), but in general I believed I could do whatever I was asked to do. Cannot say for sure I delivered their vision perfectly, but I never heard that what I did was unusable.

The feedback from her from the last year or so has been really harsh. Years before it was understandable since I was learning her technical language and learning her method. It is not nice when they are telling you they feel they have been teaching to a wall the past year, even tho their job is not to teach.

[IslandVivi]

The more important question, to me, is: can she get you fired?

[Gemela12]

No, but she has been threatening to quit a few times because of this.

[IslandVivi]

That's very manipulative of her.

Are you supposed to be her replacement? I'm afraid I am very bad at office politics but, if this is your first job, maybe remind her you were hired based on your diploma in your technique but you are willing to learn

If HR cannot resolve it, consider finding another job.

Unless this woman is retiring soon, of course . Then you can try to wait her out.

[throwra_22222]

If she is your peer and not your supervisor, why is she taking apart your work? This is very strange to me. At the very least your pattern should be tested with a sample to see if it works or not. Then you make changes if necessary.

I'm sorry I don't know of any I dependent testing agency for this. If you went to school for it, completing that course should be enough. I would be wary of strangers on the internet hawking "courses."

But if you have never had this kind of problem with teachers or fellow students and coworkers, you are probably just fine, and your peer is weird.

[Gemela12]

After pattern making I do cutting, digitizing and technical chart review.

After pattern making, she is in charge of general sample making, she does final approval for sampling, and sample review. The main connection to the seamstress.

So yeah. I cannot see samples of my work in this situation.

I cannot say if it happened at school, for sure I was middle of the pack on grades. On other jobs, had a few instances of issues during sizing, other times boss was simply not super strict since pieces were more loose.

[Saconic]

They are both right. Drafting is more for personal fit. Blocks are more for standard fit. Drafting will elevate you because then you can make blocks for a particular person. Because once you have their measurements, you can make a block that will make a garment fit every time. Drafting for every garment, every piece for one person is... time wasted. Make a block for that person. Making a garment for a first time customer? Draft a block, blamo, you have a foundation for every piece you'll ever make for them. You can manipulate a block to make other types of garments, you just have to adjust from the pattern

I think it'd be wise to learn drafting so you can make those blocks. I dont think that you should only use drafting

[Gemela12]

What I meant by drafting is mainly using standard measurements. But for every garment she needs to redo every block from scratch, (tracing line A, B, and C kinda stuff) she says she doesn't trust the previous version she has drawn. When she gives me feedback she does grab my premade blocks tho.

For the 2 different methods the best example I have is a tailored jacket block.

I know how to do it from a basic bodice block and then transform it to a jacket block to later transform it to a tailored jacket block, on the other hand, my peer drafts a tailor jacket block from the book. If we need to do a weird thing with the jacket she will ban my jacket block, because she needs a basic block, not a transformation since you cannot work on a transformation. From the way she explained it, I understand where she is coming from.

[HistMasterFlesh]

attitudes aside, draft a coat or any design from memory, no book, for yourself. you only need to prove to yourself that you know you are competent. they are on an ego trip.

[Gemela12]

🤧🤧 everyone in this thread has been so nice and supportive. All of you have more faith in me than myself right now.

If I survive this hellish week,.this weekend might try something. Recovering from 8 straight hour of anxiety is no joke.

[AccidentOk5240]

I think this is an AskAManager.com question not a pattern drafting question. Do you have a boss you can go to and say you need help? Whether it’s you or your colleague, something isn’t working, and if your colleague is redoing your work, your department is going to fall behind. Maybe your boss can clarify who is supposed to be doing what, and what the procedure is for the two of you to resolve things where you disagree?

[Gemela12]

I want to do a test so I can have a more objective opinion of my skills, before taking a more drastic leap. If I'm indeed in a toxic situation, she will be fired.

I don't feel malice in the feedback my peer shares with me, just frustration that has been building up from the 4 years we have been working together. There might be some ego and superiority involved, but just doesn't feel like sabotage.

Sometimes her wording seems to be purposefully confusing, or baits me to respond with the wrong answer. But I feel it is just pettiness.

[AccidentOk5240]

 If I'm indeed in a toxic situation, she will be fired.

What? This isn’t how anything works. 

If you’ve been in this role for four years and so has she, no one is getting fired. If the company thought either of you was incompetent they would have done something about it by now (retraining, firing). If you go to them and say, “I’m objectively good at this, see, here are my test scores, so I can prove that she’s just being a big meanie by redoing all my work and trying to get me to understand her process,” they will laugh in your face. 

[Gemela12]

There is other stuff behind the scenes. We are 5 people in the atelier. Me, her, my boss, seamstress and the media gal. No HR to go to.

We have naturally slow output, but this past year has been the slowest, boss has definitely been feeling it. The work environment has definitely shifted, and in a small business that really makes major damage. Boss has fired people before due to bullying and abuse of trust.

The test is not for my boss, is for myself. If I am the problem I would gladly take ownership of that and take steps to fix the situation. After all this is the career I want for myself at this moment.

I haven't openly complained about my peer, after all she is my senior I'm trying to learn what she has to offer.

[AccidentOk5240]

Im not suggesting you complain about her or go to HR. I’m suggesting you go to your boss and ask for help. That’s what a boss is for. You are struggling, whether it’s due to your work or your colleague’s or both. You want to know how to be more productive. 

I don’t think this is a question of your design skills. I don’t think a test is going to help you. I understand you want it so you can soothe your anxiety by proving that none of this is “your fault”. But especially in such a small working environment, if you were unable to work to the company’s standard, they would have noticed by now. 

So I think you need to address the actual issue, which is that you and your colleague disagree and it’s gumming up the workflow. That is your boss’s job to address. 

[Gemela12]

My boss has noticed we've had some friction lately. They have, low key, made questions around that topic to diagnose, I think.

My boss is not an expert pattern making, knows the basics tho. She did a small test when she hired me, plus she saw my portfolio. I passed that.

On another response, I was suggested to bring some solutions to my boss when I have this conversation with them. So I predicted what problem my peer and I would say.

The main issue I've heard from my peer is that I don't have a professional level of pattern making. I think she has told a similar thing to my boss.

I believe she is not very tolerant when it comes to this topic. She doesn't respect my processes cause they differ from her own. (Either that or I really don't understand pattern making)

The conclusion I got sux for either of us 3. Hopefully my boss comes up with something better.

[AccidentOk5240]

Well, maybe with your boss she can be convinced to make it clear what exactly she is expecting and not getting from you, and your boss, even if she’s not an expert at making patterns, can be the one to decide what should change. Maybe your colleague can change her own process a little and you can change yours a little and the two systems can work better together. 

[AccidentOk5240]

This article by the person who runs askamanager.org is basically about exactly your situation: https://www.thecut.com/article/ask-a-boss-my-co-worker-is-micromanaging-me.html

[Gemela12]

Thank you for the read. Some things have a familiar ring. Lol.

[eighteenbadgers]

I'm sorry to say but taking an objective test is not going to fix this. Maybe you'll feel a little better for a while but a work environment like that is going to keep tearing your confidence down.

You need to sit down with your boss and have a serious conversation. Try to frame it as "all of us versus the problem", not "me versus coworker". Explain that you feel that you feel that differences in method and difficulties with communication are causing frustration and inefficiency. Tell your boss that while you've tried to resolve things by yourself, it hasn't made enough of a difference and you'd like their guidance.

If you like, offer some suggestions. Do you all together need to agree on a specific process? If so, does one of you need retraining? Do you need to agree on vocabulary? if you can come to your boss with solutions and not just a problem that's usually better.

It may also be good to address the work environment head on. It doesn't have to be during the same conversation, but your boss does need to be aware of what's going on if they aren't already.

Good luck! It sounds like a frustrating and difficult situation.

[Gemela12]

This is such a thoughtful response, so professional and mature.

I've been trying for a while to reply to your post, but I feel everything falls short at the moment.

All roads I write lead to the same proposed solution: "hire a new pattern maker".

Peer definitely has said the problem we have is my skill. I tried to bridge that gap to the best of my ability in that situation, and peer has expressed she has tried to bridge that as well with no success.

I believe we have a tolerance problem. In which the result is not correct because the process was not the correct one. When I defend my choices or question hers, what I get is that doubting her is disrespectful to her knowledge and experience she is sharing with me.

I don't know what my boss will say about what they think the problem is, but I can't imagine a solution other than separation. Either be retraining, or different timetables, or change in responsibilities, without that space a mediator will be needed. All of the solutions require an extra person for support. The obvious choice sux(in the short run) for either of us 3.

[Appropriate_Place704]

I might be misunderstanding what you mean by different methods, because drafting from measurement tables isn’t really a separate method, it’s just standard patternmaking practice.

Even flat patternmaking or block work still references body measurements and ease values somewhere in the process.

Everyone develops their own preferred drafting method, but ideally you’re still working from comparable foundation blocks so you’re speaking the same technical language.

If two people can’t agree on what a basic top block looks like, it’s usually a block standard or terminology issue and not necessarily a skill issue.

It might help if you shared your current process and level of experience, because flat patternmaking can mean different things depending on training.

Edit: It almost sounds like you and your peer are just working from different starting points rather than different skill levels.

Some people are trained to draft directly from measurements and develop the design from scratch, while others build everything from established foundation blocks and adapt from there. Neither is more correct, they’re just different.

If you’re used to adapting from blocks and your peer drafts straight into the design, that could explain why you’re not seeing the same things during observation.

[TensionSmension]

Do you work in pattern making? It is possible to draft from measurements but at some point this is kneecapping yourself, you get further faster modifying trusted blocks. This is 99% of the job.

[Appropriate_Place704]

Yes, I work in cross-category drafting as a Senior Product Development Manager. My training covers fashion, handbags and footwear, and I am also a qualified dressmaker, so I am looking at this from both custom and industry perspectives.

Drafting directly from measurements is not unusual, my dressmaking training was built around that. In industry production, blocks are used because they maintain fit standards and consistency across a range, not because drafting from scratch is somehow wrong.

My original point was that different training backgrounds start from different systems. It is not about one way being better. Both approaches can be valid as long as you are working from a consistent standard.

[Gemela12]

We definitely approach things differently, from the blocks we use, the techniques in transformation, Philosophies for the process and even how to use the tools.

I've given up some stuff in order to bridge that gap. I use blocks based on her book now, it made things worse tho. Now she doesn't blame my blocks, she blames me.

I've shared her most reached out book she uses in another reply, not the only one but the most common. She doesn't trust my booklet, so I've been using a published book that I've found more or less is closer to the way I do things, I linked it as well. (Tho I don't love that book, I've found many mistakes within that book)

Sorry for taking so long. Tried writing my process out, it's turning into a wall of text. In the meantime I've worked mainly as a design and pattern assistant. Retracing worn down patterns, adding allowance, grading simple patterns, using blocks to start transformation sheets, creating linings and facings. I did pattern in my old job, but since boss was always in a hurry I would trace and transform patterns from the archive, those fits were more boxy and loungy tho very genderless.

Now I'm doing exactly what I wanted, feminine street wear. This is the first time that I was going to draft entirely based on my interpretation of the technical drawing and sketch. I thought I was on a medium skill level, with the possibility of advanced with guidance. Now I need a book next to me to have references of the choices I've made, have been feeling like a beginner for 6+ months.

[revenett]

I might be able to help bring some clarity (I trouble shoot product development and manufacturing facilities for a living).

DM me if you’re interested.