Been working with indie clothing brands for years. These three pattern issues come up every single time:

1. Ignoring ease allowances

Your block fits great on the dress form, but customers complain it's too tight. That's because you're drafting to body measurements without adding movement ease. Add 2-4cm minimum to the bust and hip for woven fabrics. Knits can get away with less, but zero ease = zero comfort.

2. Inconsistent seam allowances

Switching between 1cm and 1.5cm throughout the same pattern without notating it. Your sewing team shouldn't have to guess. Pick one standard and mark every exception clearly on the pattern piece.

3. Skipping the toile stage

Going straight from flat pattern to production fabric is a gamble. A quick muslin/toile in similar weight fabric will catch 90% of fit issues before you waste production fabric and time.

If any of these sound familiar, that's exactly what I coach indie brand owners through — from draft to production-ready patterns.