How to Play Dressmaker – Complete Beginner's Guide (2026)
Dressmaker is a cozy crafting simulation game where you run your own dressmaking shop, creating custom dresses for townsfolk with different tastes and budgets. Developed by elyaradine, raithza, and oomsarel, the game offers a realistic dressmaking experience inspired by actual sewing techniques. This guide covers the complete gameplay loop from greeting customers to delivering finished dresses.
⚠️ Version Note
This guide is based on Prototype v0.5.5 (released October 2025) available on itch.io. Mechanics may change in future updates and the Steam release.
Table of Contents
- 1. Game Overview & Core Loop
- 2. Step 1: Meeting Customers & Understanding Requests
- 3. Step 2: Designing in Your Sketchbook
- 4. Step 3: Shopping for Fabric
- 5. Step 4: Cutting Fabric Efficiently
- 6. Step 5: Sewing the Dress Together
- 7. Step 6: Adding Accessories
- 8. Scoring & Customer Satisfaction
- 9. Beginner Tips
1. Game Overview & Core Loop
In Dressmaker, you own a small dressmaking shop where customers arrive with specific requests for custom dresses. The game emphasizes realistic dressmaking processes rather than just aesthetic design, making it feel like running an actual tailor shop.
The core gameplay loop follows this sequence:
Design Phase
Sketch & plan your dress
Production Phase
Cut & sew fabric pieces
Finishing Phase
Add accessories & deliver
Unlike many fashion games, Dressmaker requires you to physically cut fabric from bolts, align pattern pieces correctly, and guide fabric through a sewing machine — making it similar to games like Good Pizza Great Pizza but for dressmaking.
2. Step 1: Meeting Customers & Understanding Requests
Each day, customers enter your shop with specific requirements:
- Occasion: What they need the dress for (work, garden party, ball, opera, etc.)
- Style Preference: The vibe they want (professional, cute, elegant, relaxed)
- Budget: How much they're willing to pay (this limits your fabric and accessory choices)
💡 Pro Tip
Pay close attention to the customer's description! Some want "smart but relaxed" for a library job, while others need "eye-catching" for fundraisers. Matching their style preference affects your final evaluation.
3. Step 2: Designing in Your Sketchbook
After accepting a request, you'll open your sketchbook to design the dress. Here you can:
- Choose bodice styles (various necklines and fits)
- Select sleeve types (short, three-quarter, long, ruffled, etc.)
- Pick skirt designs (simple, pleated, multi-panel, etc.)
- Add collar options (if applicable)
New in v0.4+: You can now see style tags (like "Cute", "Elegant", "Professional") directly in your sketchbook as you design. This helps you match customer preferences before committing to fabric purchases.
You can also color individual panels in your sketch and drag fabric samples into the sketchbook to preview how different materials will look together.
4. Step 3: Shopping for Fabric
Head to the fabric shop to purchase materials for your dress. The game features five main fabric types:
| Fabric Type | Best For | Visual Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Cotton | Casual, workwear, everyday dresses | Matte finish, sturdy |
| Linen | Relaxed, summer styles | Textured, breathable look |
| Wool | Professional, winter wear | Dense, warm appearance |
| Silk | Elegant occasions, formal events | Smooth, luxurious sheen |
| Velvet | Operas, balls, high-society events | Rich texture, dramatic depth |
🔍 Budget Management
Each customer has a fixed budget. Be strategic about fabric choices:
- More expensive fabrics (silk, velvet) reduce accessory budget
- Simple dress patterns require less fabric
- Leftover fabric from previous orders can be reused
- If you run out of money mid-project, you may need to restart (no undo system yet)
5. Step 4: Cutting Fabric Efficiently
This is where Dressmaker gets technical. You'll lay pattern pieces onto fabric bolts and cut them out.
The Critical Grain Line Mechanic
This is the #1 reason beginners struggle with quality scores. Each pattern piece has an arrow indicating the grain line (the direction of fabric threads).
⚠️ Critical Rule: Grain Line Alignment
When you place a pattern piece on fabric:
- The arrow on the pattern must point left or right (horizontally)
- When correctly aligned, the piece will have a green outline
- If the arrow points up/down, the piece will NOT have a green outline
- Misaligned pieces cap your quality score — even perfect sewing won't compensate
How to align grain line:
- Drag a pattern piece onto fabric
- Rotate it (usually by clicking/scrolling) until the arrow points left or right
- Check for the green outline confirmation
- Once green, click to place and cut
Cutting Tips:
- The game shows you how much fabric each piece uses before cutting
- Arrange pieces efficiently to minimize waste (like Tetris)
- You can see leftover fabric amounts in your inventory
- Some players report being able to overlap pieces before cutting finishes (this may be unintended)
6. Step 5: Sewing the Dress Together
The sewing mechanic is Dressmaker's most interactive (and challenging) feature. You'll guide fabric through a virtual sewing machine.
How Sewing Works
When you start sewing a seam, you'll see:
- A dotted line or "marching ants" line showing where to sew
- A red dot on the line that you need to follow
- Your "hand" (cursor) that you control to push fabric through
🎮 Control Options (v0.5+)
Mouse Control:
- Click & drag to push fabric forward
- Mouse movement adjusts direction
- Release to stop sewing
Keyboard Control (NEW):
- SPACE bar: Start/stop sewing
- Arrow keys: Guide fabric direction
- Better for precision control
Quality Score System
Your sewing quality is tracked in real-time:
- 100% = Perfect stitching along the line
- Straying from the line = Quality drops rapidly (can go from 100% to 30% very quickly)
- Severely off-track = Forces you to restart the seam
💡 Sewing Tips from Players
- Go slow, especially on curves and corners
- You can release the mouse/space bar to pause and adjust your angle
- The sewing machine has momentum — don't try to dart to the next section
- Use the speed limiter (v0.4+) to slow down machine speed if needed
- Practice makes perfect! The first few dresses will be rough
Common Sewing Issues
| Problem | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Twitchy/shaking hand | Known bug in some versions | Try keyboard controls or wait for fix |
| Can't see green line on light fabric | Low contrast issue | Go slower and follow the pattern edge |
| Quality won't reach 100% | Usually grain line misalignment | Check that all cut pieces had green outlines |
| Machine runs while adjusting fabric | Intended mechanic (like real sewing) | Release space/mouse before adjusting |
7. Step 6: Adding Accessories
Once your dress is sewn, you can decorate it with accessories (added in v0.4+):
- Buttons: Place anywhere on the dress (you can place as many as you want, including making faux pearl buttons with white ones)
- Bows: Various styles for cute or elegant touches
- Lace trim (v0.5+): Add decorative borders to sleeves, hems, and necklines
- Appliqué: Decorative fabric shapes (mentioned on Steam page, implementation may vary)
🎨 Accessory Notes
Current limitations (may be fixed in future versions):
- Lace can be glitchy to place
- Accessories may clip into the dress on the mannequin
- No undo option yet — if you misplace something, you may need to restart
- Cannot change thread color to match design (all thread appears the same)
8. Scoring & Customer Satisfaction
When you present the finished dress to your customer, they evaluate it based on multiple factors:
Known Evaluation Factors
- Quality: Determined by grain line alignment and sewing precision → Capped if grain lines were misaligned during cutting
- Style Match: How well the dress design matches their preference (elegant, cute, professional, etc.) → Check sketchbook tags before committing
- Budget Adherence: Staying within their price range → Overspending may affect satisfaction
⚠️ Scoring System Uncertainty
The exact weighting of Quality vs. Style vs. Budget is not publicly documented. Many players report confusion about how final scores are calculated. Developer communication suggests these three factors matter, but precise percentages are unknown.
After Delivery
Once you deliver a dress:
- You receive payment (amount varies by customer budget)
- Your reputation increases (shown in newspaper at end of day)
- The dress is saved in your sketchbook so you can review past creations
- A new customer arrives with a new request
9. Beginner Tips
✅ Do This
- ✓ Always check for green outline when cutting
- ✓ Practice sewing on the tutorial dress first
- ✓ Use leftover fabric from previous orders
- ✓ Slow down on curves and corners
- ✓ Check style tags in sketchbook before buying fabric
- ✓ Save often (though auto-save exists in newer versions)
❌ Avoid This
- ✗ Don't ignore grain line arrows
- ✗ Don't rush through sewing sections
- ✗ Don't overspend on first fabric purchases
- ✗ Don't expect to undo mistakes (no undo system yet)
- ✗ Don't try to sew and adjust fabric simultaneously
- ✗ Don't skip the tutorial!
Unlockables & Progression
As you complete dresses and earn reputation:
- New fabric patterns and colors unlock
- More dress style options become available
- Higher-tier customers with bigger budgets appear
- Additional bodice and skirt designs unlock (v0.5.1 added new options)
You Can Pet the Cat! 🐱
Yes, this is an official feature listed on the Steam page. Look for the kitty in your shop and interact with it for a cozy moment between commissions.
Remember
Dressmaker is still in prototype stage. Some features are rough, bugs exist, and mechanics may change before the full Steam release. The developers actively read feedback on Discord and itch.io, so your experience helps shape the final game.
The learning curve is steep at first, especially with grain line alignment and sewing controls, but players report it becomes very satisfying once you "get the feel" for the mechanics. Don't get discouraged if your first few dresses are disasters — that's part of the charm!