
All joking aside, the pattern is the essential component in the fabrication of a leather garment.
Think about a house. Does it really matter which color will be used to paint the rooms if the foundation is wobbly and the walls resemble the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the house will crumble in a few months? It's the same thing for a leather jacket, if one arm is longer than the other and the jacket doesn't close properly: does it matter which color leather we'll use?
It takes years for a leather specialist to master the craft of making the pattern for the perfect leather jacket and become a true pattern maker. Usually, fashion manufacturers or fashion designers who are not specialized in leather leave it to a specialist. They don't have the luxury to allocate the hundreds of hours required to truly master the art of the leather garment pattern. One of the most challenging aspects (and where most irreversible mistakes come from) is the seam allowance. The seam allowance is basically the extra space left in each panel at the cutting stage to allow for the sewer to stitch (or glue) the pieces of the leather garment together. Each pattern piece has a specific allowance (3/8''in, 1/4'' in, etc). The lining on the inside of the leather jacket also needs to respect this rule. Seam allowance in the leather apparel world is different than in fabric. Using a pattern from a fabric item to make a leather piece will not work. Another complication is that each leather hide is different from the next and varies in size, thickness, with its own irregularities. The process of translating the pattern into different sizes called grading also requires specific seam allowances.
All of this makes the hard pattern something of a work of art. This specialized work ensures that the sample maker gets to work with a solid and bulletproof base.
If you need patterns made for leather jackets, leather pants, leather dresses, leather tops etc, please reach out to info@ortuleather