Freelance Garment Pattern Making Jobs in Washington

Position Overview 

Tuckernuck is seeking a Technical Designer, Sweaters to join our Washington, D.C.-based Design Team. This role is dedicated to translating our seasonal sweater concepts into impeccably fitting, production-ready garments that embody Tuckernuck’s signature style, quality, and performance standards. The ideal candidate has deep expertise in knitwear construction, stitch techniques, and yarn behavior, thrives in a fast-paced and collaborative environment, and is energized by the challenge of scaling and refining our growing sweater assortment. 

You will partner closely with design, product development, and global vendors to ensure every sweater silhouette—from timeless classics to seasonal statements—achieves flawless fit, optimal comfort, and premium craftsmanship.

Core Responsibilities 

• Interpret seasonal sweater design concepts into technically sound, production-ready specifications.
• Lead sweater fit sessions: measure incoming samples, provide precise fit comments, recommend pattern adjustments, and guide vendors through revisions with accuracy and speed.
• Own and maintain sweater tech packs, including stitch and gauge details, specs, construction notes, and graded measurements.
• Collaborate with factories to troubleshoot knit construction issues, improve fit consistency, and uphold aesthetic standards.
• Assess wear test results and integrate functional improvements into future sweater designs.
• Monitor consistency in silhouette, yarn quality, stitch execution, and fit across all sweater styles.
• Support onboarding of new sweater vendors and maintain clear, solutions-oriented communication throughout development and production cycles.
• Stay current on emerging knitwear techniques, yarn innovations, and sustainability practices in sweater manufacturing.
• Organize sweater fit samples: log and track incoming samples, communicate fit priorities, and prepare for fittings.

Minimum Qualifications

• 5+ years of technical design experience, with significant focus on sweaters/knitwear.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities 

• Advanced knowledge of knitwear construction, stitch types, yarn behavior, and knitting machinery capabilities.
• Strong understanding of pattern making, grading, and fit for sweaters (including impact of yarn content and gauge on measurements).
• Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, PLM systems, and technical flat sketching.
• Exceptional attention to detail and organization across multiple overlapping timelines.
• Excellent communication skills for collaborating across teams and managing vendor relationships.
• Passion for Tuckernuck’s aesthetic and a drive to build a best-in-class sweater assortment.

Compensation 

Compensation for the role will be determined based on the candidate's qualifications, skills, and experience. The estimated annual compensation for this role is $90,000-$115,000; classified as full-time exempt and not eligible for overtime. At Tuckernuck, we care about our team and offer benefits that support your health, growth, and work-life balance. This includes medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k) with a company match, generous paid time off and holiday, paid new parent leave, day care coverage, a generous employee discount, and other great perks. 

Core Values

The successful candidate will also demonstrate the following core values that inspire the Tuckernuck team to make a difference.

• Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

• Find the Fun

• Stay Authentic

• Respect

• Entrepreneurial Spirit

• Start Strong & Finish Strong

• Have Courage

Tuckernuck is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. Tuckernuck policy prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religious creed, sex, gender identity, marital or veteran status, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member), sexual orientation, pregnancy, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local laws. It also prohibits discrimination based on a perception that anyone has any of those characteristics or is associated with a person who has or is perceived as having any of those characteristics. All such discrimination is unlawful.