Garment Designer review
A flexible desktop pattern maker with broad sizing and PDF output, but no nested grading.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Garment Designer is desktop pattern-making software for sewers, knitters, weavers, and textile designers. It combines standard sizing libraries with custom Simple-Fit and Refined-Fit measurements, then lets users edit pattern points and curves visually. Its style combinations cover tops, dresses, skirts, pants, necklines, armholes, and sleeves, with additional options such as collars, hoods, pockets, facings, bands, hems, extensions, and seam allowances. It is suited to home and hobby designers who want to create and adjust sewing or knitting patterns on Windows or Macintosh computers.
Pricing is a one-time purchase rather than a subscription. The Windows and Macintosh Basic editions each cost $199 and include Garment Designer 2.9.1 for Windows or 2.9.2 for Macintosh. The Windows and Macintosh editions with Style Sets 1&2 cost $249 and include the corresponding software version plus Style Sets 1&2. The published plans show no free plan. Pattern display and printing can use full-scale, half-scale, quarter-scale, and other scales, while PDF output supports printing or plotter use.
Its strongest fit is for designers who value measurement flexibility, visual pattern editing, broad size libraries, and practical output options. Knitters also get gauge-based shaping instructions and row-by-row summaries. A key limitation is that Garment Designer does not perform nested graded-pattern output, although an existing pattern can be adjusted by changing its size or measurements. Choose it for independent pattern development across sewing and knitting projects; choose an alternative if automated nested grading is central to your workflow.
Garment Designer pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Broad sizing libraries, including children, plus sizes, petites, and dolls
- Custom measurements with visual click-and-drag pattern editing
- PDF output plus gauge-based knitting shaping instructions
- Where it doesn't
- Does not perform nested graded-pattern output
- No free plan; entry pricing starts at $199 one-time
- Desktop software is limited to Windows and macOS
Garment Designer fact sheet, pricing and score →
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