How To Become A Pattern Maker: What It Is and Career Path

What is a pattern maker and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a pattern maker. For example, did you know that they make an average of $27.47 an hour? That's $57,140 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -5% and produce -45,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScorePattern MakerUS Average

Salary

4.5

Avg. Salary $57,140

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.8

Growth rate -5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.94%

Asian 17.33%

Black or African American 7.05%

Hispanic or Latino 10.60%

Unknown 5.33%

White 58.76%

Gender

female 43.85%

male 56.15%

Age - 49

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 49

Stress level

6.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a pattern maker

Explore pattern maker education requirements

Most common pattern maker degrees

Bachelor's

39.5 %

Associate

36.8 %

High School Diploma

11.8 %

Start to develop specific pattern maker skills

Skills	Percentages
Sketch	21.73%
CAD	9.08%
CNC	8.56%
Blueprint Specifications	6.21%
Tech Packs	6.12%

Complete relevant pattern maker training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New pattern makers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a pattern maker based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real pattern maker resumes.

Research pattern maker duties and responsibilities

Manage team processes and production of costumes with other pattern makers and technical designers to ensure deadlines are meet.
Design and create women's apparel production patterns including dresses, tops, pants, and jackets.
Knock offs, draping, and digitizing.
Work with Lesage embroidery and Lemarie feather supplier.

Prepare your pattern maker resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your pattern maker resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a pattern maker resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable pattern maker resume templates

Build a professional pattern maker resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your pattern maker resume.