Lessons in calculating fabric use & pattern engineering

This isn't what I intended to be writing about but it ended up that way. This entry was supposed to be about making men's ties -along with a nifty construction process I think is better than the way that other people on the web show you how to do it. No no, it ended up being about calculating fabric usage by way of marker making because the trickiest thing about making men's ties -presumably in a production environment since that's what we do around here- is figuring out how to cut the things out. Ties are an extreme and in some respects, simplistic example but I think it's still useful for illustrative purposes.

The trickiest thing about making ties isn't sewing them. It's cutting them in such a way you don't sacrifice product quality but optimize your yield. A reason why ties are such a great example of this is because they are definitely generated according to the fabric width. In the book, I talk about how and why a pattern maker will -ideally- need to know the width of your fabric before they start working (don't hire one who doesn't ask). A pattern maker has to keep a macro view of fabric usage as they work. Ties are the best example of this as I've ever found. Before I forget. In keeping with the original intent of the series, I have a tie pattern for you if someone can tell me how to output it. I thought I could save as anything (DXF etc) but those options aren't popping up for me.

When you're planning a line of products, anticipated material usage should be right at the top of the list. Making bias dresses is going to take quite a bit more fabric than ones cut on grain. Therefore, you're probably looking at higher price points. Same thing with ties. Can you afford to make them? Fabrics designed for ties can be expensive. If your ties will have an obvious pattern such as a large graphic on the tip of the fatter end, it'll cost even more. If you want to use fabric like that, not only will you have to tell the pattern maker the width, you'll have to provide a fabric sample containing more than one repeat.