Real patterns mean nothing to me, I seem to have a total blindspot about how clothes are put together :)

But just drawing out the item you want and then splitting it up so that MD can sew it back together again works reasonably well too and I've managed to create clothing that looks fine for what I need - luckily no one ever needs to see the side that's facing away from the camera! LOL.

I'd never be able to create clothing that anyone else could use due to my total lack of sewing skills, but making clothing that looks good in my own renders is pretty simple. Luckily!