How to Use KATAPATA
Follow the basic workflow from entering your measurements and creating a sloper to making adjustments, saving your work, and exporting a PDF.
The Women’s, Men’s, and Kids’ Sloper Tools differ in the pieces available, adjustment options, and the order of some screens. Follow the steps shown at the top of each tool.
Before You Start
Choose a Sloper Tool
From the KATAPATA entrance page, choose the Women’s, Men’s, Kids’ 110 cm, Kids’ 140 cm Girls, or Kids’ 140 cm Boys Sloper Tool.
The Women’s tool can create bodice, sleeve, skirt, and pants slopers, while the Men’s tool can create bodice, sleeve, and pants slopers. Available pieces and adjustments differ between the Kids’ tools; follow the steps shown in the tool you choose.
Take the Required Measurements
Measure the bust or chest, waist, hip, back length, and any other measurements required for the sloper you want to create.
Some measurements, such as sleeve length, are set on the relevant adjustment screen.
Check the Language and Units
You can switch between Japanese and English, and between cm and inches.
Before entering measurements, confirm the language and units you want to use.
Open KATAPATA in Your Browser
No dedicated software needs to be installed. Open the KATAPATA Sloper Tool in your browser and begin.
Basic Sloper-Making Workflow
Use the step buttons shown at the top of the screen to move through the process.
Enter Your Measurements
Use the measurement illustrations on screen as a guide and enter the measurements required to create your sloper. Check that the values are correct before continuing.
- Bust or chest
- Waist
- Hip
- Back length
- Other measurements shown on screen
- Load saved KATAPATA data
Adjust the Bodice and Sleeve
Switch between the front bodice, back bodice, sleeve, and other available pieces while reviewing the overall shape and making any necessary adjustments.
- Check the balance of the front and back bodice
- Adjust the shoulder, neckline, and armhole
- Check sleeve-cap height and sleeve length
- Compare the sleeve cap and armhole measurements
- Check movement amounts in the value fields
- Reset only the adjustment points you want to restore
Transfer Darts When Needed
If dart transfer is available in your chosen tool and you want to change the basic dart position, use the dart-transfer screen to choose from the destinations and adjustment options shown.
- Switch between the front and back bodice
- Distribute darts to the neckline, shoulder, armhole, or waist
- If the tool uses percentage-based dart distribution, make sure the total equals 100%
- Check the transferred dart positions and outline
Adjust the Bottoms Sloper
If you are creating a skirt or pants sloper, review the measurements and shape on the bottoms adjustment screen.
- Set the length
- Switch between the front and back pieces
- Check the waist, hip, and crotch curves
- Move adjustment points to refine the curves
- Compare corresponding front and back seam lengths
Review the Finished Sloper
On the final screen, switch between the pieces you created and review them one by one. The pieces shown depend on the tool and options you selected.
- Basic front and back bodice
- Front and back bodice after dart transfer
- Sleeve sloper
- Skirt sloper
- Pants sloper
- Return to an earlier step for further adjustment
Save Your Work
Resume from Browser
Use this option to continue your current work later on the same device and in the same browser.
If you clear your browser history or site data, the saved browser data may be deleted.
KATAPATA Saved Data
This file keeps your measurements and adjustment settings so you can load it back into KATAPATA and continue working later.
Save this file as well if you want to move your work to another device or keep it for a long time.
Export a PDF
Full-Size PDF
Exports the sloper at full size on one large page. This format is suitable for large-format printers or printing services.
A4 Tiled PDF
Divides the sloper across A4 sheets so you can print it on a home printer and assemble the pages.
A3 Tiled PDF
Divides the sloper across A3 sheets. Print it on a printer that supports A3 paper, then assemble the pages.
Letter Tiled PDF
Divides the sloper across US Letter sheets, a paper size commonly used in the United States and Canada.
On the final screen, use the ZIP download option to save all generated pattern pieces in full-size, A4 tiled, A3 tiled, and US Letter tiled PDF formats together. Extract the ZIP file, then choose the PDF format that matches your printing method.
Printing a Tiled PDF
Print an A4 tiled PDF on A4 paper, an A3 tiled PDF on A3 paper, and a Letter tiled PDF on US Letter paper. Make sure the paper size selected for the PDF matches the paper loaded in your printer.
- Select “Actual Size,” “100%,” or an equivalent no-scaling option
- Do not select “Fit to Page,” automatic shrinking, or similar scaling options
- Print the test scale first and confirm that it measures correctly
Saved Data and PDFs
KATAPATA Saved Data
An editable data file that stores your measurements and adjustment settings. Load it into KATAPATA to continue or make further adjustments.
A file for printing the finished sloper. A PDF cannot be returned to the KATAPATA adjustment screen or restored as editable sloper data.
We recommend saving both the KATAPATA data file and the PDF.
Related Guides
Ready to Create Your Sloper?
Measurement entry, on-screen adjustments, data saving, and PDF export are all free.
Open the Sloper Tool