Since you already have advanced sewing skills, you'll find many concepts familiar. Focus on the drafting-specific terminology and tools that differ from working with commercial patterns.

Accuracy here determines the success of everything that follows. Practice measuring on yourself and others multiple times. Keep a measurement journal to track consistency.

Make a muslin test garment of your bodice block before moving on. Expect to make 2-3 iterations to perfect the fit. Save your final sloper on sturdy cardboard for repeated use.

The sleeve must match your bodice armhole exactly - measure carefully. Draft both a straight skirt and A-line variation to understand how silhouette changes affect the draft.

Start with simple manipulations like moving darts before attempting complex design lines. Keep your original slopers pristine and always work from traced copies.

Grading is optional if you're only drafting for yourself, but essential if you want to create patterns for others or potentially sell your designs.

Digital drafting has a learning curve but pays off for serious pattern makers. Start with free options like Seamly2D before investing in paid software.

The Helen Joseph-Armstrong textbook is worth the investment if you're serious about pattern drafting. Consider it your long-term reference companion.