Technical Package Calculators — FAQs

Guidance for preparing sample specifications, using your calculator subscription and saving your technical packages.

Created by Stacy Stewart Smith for Atelier Quarterly.

Subscription and access

Your Menswear subscription includes use of the currently available regular woven-shirt technical-package calculator, an access PDF and its measurement preparation worksheet. Additional menswear calculators will be included as they are released. Other services and resources offered as separate purchases are not included. Womenswear is a separate subscription offering and is not yet available.

Your subscription covers use of the available calculators within the collection you subscribe to. Additional calculators are added as development and testing are completed; no release dates are guaranteed. Follow the access instructions delivered after successful payment and keep them for return visits. If an update changes how you enter a workspace, current subscribers will receive revised instructions. Services and resources identified as separate purchases are not included.

After successful payment, you receive an email with your access instructions and included downloads. Open the access PDF and select its workspace link. Keep that email and PDF for return visits.

Check your spam or junk folder. If it is still missing, email couture@stacystewartsmith.com with your order number. Do not send payment-card details, private client measurements or drawings in your initial message.

Your subscription is for your own use. Please do not share calculator access links or subscription downloads with others. You may share completed technical-package PDFs with pattern-makers, contractors and other production partners working on your projects. Anyone wishing to use the calculators independently should purchase their own subscription.

Preparing your sample and measurements

The storefront SPEC REFORM fit calculators help shoppers choose a size for supported garments in our store. The Atelier Quarterly — Behind the Couture Door Technical Package Calculators help designers and garment developers prepare graded garment specifications for production. They do not recommend your personal clothing size.

Prepare a finished sample garment, its requested measurements and construction details, and a numeric sample size. Use garment measurements, not body measurements; an alpha label such as Small or Medium alone is not a sufficient starting size. The worksheet helps you organize finished sample-garment measurements, construction details and drawing references, but you must enter information into the calculator manually. It does not calculate grades, transfer entries automatically or save a calculator session. Keep it as your own preparation record; you do not submit it to the atelier for approval.

Use the finished sample-garment measurements requested by your selected calculator, not body measurements. Enter dimensions in decimal inches and follow each measuring instruction.

For best results, choose a sample near the middle of your intended numeric size range. An alpha label such as Medium alone is not a sufficient starting size; use the numeric sample size requested by the calculator. BIG & TALL samples and custom or altered prototypes are outside the standard starting basis presented here. For a garment not previously manufactured, work with a fit model and professional pattern-maker to assess whether the sample is suitable for grading.

A fit model is a person whose measurements and proportions represent your intended sample size and customer. They wear the sample so you and your pattern-maker can assess fit, balance, movement, and comfort. Hiring one is not required to operate the calculator, but live fitting is an important development step. Calculations cannot replace evaluating a garment on a person.

Grading is based on the numeric sample size requested by your selected calculator and its stated default increments. The sample-size column is highlighted in the calculation. Follow the garment-specific sample-size instructions in that workspace.

We do not provide referrals for pattern-makers or Fit-Models. Please select qualified professionals with experience in your garment category and intended size range.

Calculating, reviewing and exporting

No. The numbered specification fields record sample-size construction information. Only the designated grading inputs generate size-range calculations. Enter those measurements separately in the grading section; numbered entries do not transfer automatically.

Yes. You can revise inputs and edit calculated table values. Recalculating regenerates the table, so check any manual edits again before exporting. Confirm final specifications with your pattern-maker and production partners.

Use the print function to save your technical package as a PDF. Open and check the saved file before closing the workspace. You can export another PDF after revising your work, but editable-project saving and recovery are not provided, and a PDF cannot be imported back into the calculator to restore your work.

You can use the print function to save your technical package as a PDF. Open and check the saved file before closing the workspace. Editable-project saving and recovery are not provided, and a PDF cannot be imported back into the calculator to restore your work.

No. The calculator prepares garment specifications and grading calculations for review and communication with your pattern-maker or production team. It does not create sewing patterns, guarantee fit or accuracy, or approve production. Review the sample, specifications, and graded sizes with your team before proceeding.

Email couture@stacystewartsmith.com with your order number, the calculator name and a brief description of the problem. For calculation issues, include the measurement reference number and the steps that led to the issue. A screenshot with private information removed can help. Do not send payment-card details, private client measurements or proprietary drawings in your initial message.

Questions about subscription access or calculator use? Email couture@stacystewartsmith.com.