Rachel Arnsdorf

I decided to make the leap into freelance so that I could continue to challenge myself and deepen my learning around patternmaking, sizing, fit and construction.

So far I have worked on a variety of projects from woven dresses in extended size ranges to cut and sew jumpsuits and so on! Some clients give me a sketch, others give me a vintage style they would like to re-create or reference.

I work 100% digitally. Currently I use Tukatech & CLO3D for my freelance work.

At Eileen Fisher I worked primarily as a production patternmaker and technical designer for product made in NYC.

I worked on petite, missy (size 8) and women’s (size 16) styles and patterns, fitting each version on a live model.

I created clear but detailed construction sketches for the factory to refer to in the pre-production and production stages.

At Eileen Fisher I had the unique experience of working directly with the factories to get the product right. I discussed with them things like: where to put the notch and what type would be most helpful? What kind of fusible would be easiest to handle for a consistent outcome in production? What order of operations will yield the best results for the product? It was this long partnership with them that helped me understand how important each 1/16” of an inch can be!

I also had the opportunity to work directly with our grader to decide exactly how to grade style lines, pockets, unusual shapes and unusual sizing so that each size fit well. For more difficult or atypical styles (like jumpsuits) I would often get size runs to ensure that each size fit as well as we hoped it would.

I started my corporate fashion career at Abercrombie & Fitch in the Men’s Fashion Knits department. What are men’s fashion knits, you say? Great question. Men’s fashion knits are all those cut & sew knits that don’t really fit into any other category (like graphic tees or hoodies) because they are a little different. The items I worked on included things like (cut & sew knit) shawl collar cardigans, mock necks, long sleeve textured men’s crew necks, fashion forward tees (garment dyed, garment washed!), and so on.

At Abercrombie & Fitch I learned what a well oiled machine looked like. I learned how to write a visually appealing email that gave key people the information they needed in just a glance. I learned that no detail was too small to be overlooked. It was the best school I ever attended.

I started to work for Connie McClatchey on summer afternoons after spending my mornings coaching a swim team. It was the perfect, quiet, afternoon job to after a morning of chaos. Swimming and sewing, two of my favorite things.

I continued to work for Connie between classes during my senior year at the University of Michigan (where I was studying costume design).

After graduating from U of M in August of 2007, I worked about 30 hours a week for Connie while I applied for jobs and figured out what was next for me.

It was at C.D. McClatchey Tailoring that I saw the love and importance people place on their clothes. There was something so rewarding about fixing someone’s favorite sweater, or fixing the fit on someone’s suit so they felt that much more comfortable and confident in their job interview.

I also learned how to be a perfectionist when it comes to sewing. Every detail, inside and out, needs to be neat and tidy.

I started out doing lots of hems: pant hems, skirt hems, and sleeve hems. With Connie as my teacher, I learned how to properly take in the waist of a pant (you have to adjust the rise and inseam as well!) and even do alterations on a suit jacket. It was a lovely two years.