How to get 100% quality in Dressmaker

1. Fit: 20 points, decided before you cut

• Measurements are worth 20 of your Quality points. Get them wrong and the dress loses points from the start. [guide A]
• After drafting the pattern, set the mannequin to the client's numbers. Its ghost line has to sit just right too, and this step comes back for every dress because the mannequin changes from client to client. [guide A]
• Don't trust the mannequin when it says 100% accuracy. It can say that while your numbers are slightly off. For a 100% dress the numbers need to be exactly right. [guide B]
• Quick check: after setting the mannequin, look at the stat box at the cutting table or mannequin. If Quality is under 20, the fit is off. Restart the dress from the journal now, before you've cut and sewn anything. [guide A]

Exact numbers for every client: client measurements.

2. Cut every piece on grain

• Each piece has a double-arrow bias line. Rotate the piece until it reads 100% and the line turns green. [guide A]
• The mouse wheel rotates pieces fast but may stop short of 100%. Use the white circle or drag the piece's edge to finish. [guide A]
• Going off grain only costs a little. It's fine for an off-the-rack dress where you want a print or gradient to run a certain way, but not for a commission with a high Quality bar. [guide A] [guide C]

3. Sew cleanly

• Watch the meter in the middle of the sewing screen. Green and 100% means you're on the line, yellow means you've drifted, red means a big drop. [guide A]
• A bad stretch isn't final. If you sew the rest well, the percentage climbs back up. [guide C]
• Press R to restart the piece you're sewing. The seam ripper undoes a piece you've already sewn. [guide A]
• With automatic turning on, slow down at corners. The piece sometimes turns early or late, and that costs Quality. You can still hold the left mouse button and steer by hand. [guide A]
• Sewing assist in the options menu has no score penalty, so turn it on if sewing is where you lose points.

4. Meet the client's requirements

A perfect cut and seam still won't pass a commission that misses its brief. Check every requirement in the sketchbook, like style tags, fabric and colour, before you sew. [guide B] Put every cut piece on the mannequin before sewing, so you can see how the whole dress scores. [guide A]

Style tag stuck too low? See how tag scores work.

Why it matters for money too

When you sell a dress, Quality is a multiplier on the price, worth up to 150%. [guide C] The full formula is on making money.

Questions

Why is my quality low in Dressmaker?

Almost always one of three things: the mannequin isn't set to the client's exact measurements, a pattern piece is off grain, or the sewing drifted off the line. Fit alone is worth 20 of the 100 Quality points.

Why does my dress stop at 80 quality?

The usual cause is the 20 fit points going missing. Check the mannequin against the client's measurements. If the stat box shows Quality under 20 before you cut anything, the mannequin is off and you should restart the dress from the journal.

Can you fix bad sewing in Dressmaker?

Yes. The sewing percentage climbs back if you sew the rest well. Press R to restart the piece you're sewing, or use the seam ripper to undo a piece you've already sewn.