53125 – Patternmakers - textile, leather and fur products

Lead statement

Patternmakers in this unit group create master patterns for the production of garments, footwear and other textile, leather or fur products.

Main duties

• Examine sketches, samples of articles and specifications of designs to determine number, size and shape of pattern parts and assess the amount of cloth required to make a product
• Draw, lay out and cut master patterns of products
• Outline parts of patterns on paper and mark patterns to indicate details such as the placement of pockets and pleats on garments, decorative stitching on shoe parts or eyelets on canvas products
• Create pattern size variations from master patterns using computer or drafting instruments, or forward patterns to computer operator to create pattern size variations
• Lay out master patterns on fabric and cut sample patterns
• Mark size, identification, style and sewing instructions on sample patterns.

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school is required.
• College courses in design and patternmaking orone to two years of on-the-job training are required.
• Courses in computer-assisted patternmaking may be required.

Example job titles

canvas goods pattern designer and patternmaker · canvas layer-out - textile products · canvas patternmaker · cartoon embroidery enlarger · digitizer operator - textile, leather and fur products · doper - fabric products · dress patternmaker · embroidery patternmaker · fur garment patternmaker · fur patternmaker · garment patternmaker · last-pattern grader · leather products patternmaker · canvas pattern designer · pattern designer and patternmaker - textile, leather and fur products · pattern modifier - textile, leather and fur products · patternmaker - textile, leather and fur products · pattern marker - fabric products · shoe patternmaker · sail lay-out and patternmaker · sail maker · shoe-last patternmaker · textile products patternmaker · canvas goods maker · textile identification mark remover · textile mark remover · textile marker-down · pattern grader · modifier and lay-out marker · doper and marker · modifier and marker · pattern modifier · fur products patternmaker · patternmaker - computer assisted · layer-out and patternmaker · lay-out and patternmaker · tracer-patternmaker · patternmaker - textile products · pattern marker · men's and women's wear patternmaker

Wages (per hour)

Source: Job Bank wages, 2025 release (ESDC). Low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles.