If you’re not working with a specific garment, measure over the curve of the top of your shoulder. You’ll also want to measure the width of your shoulder, starting from where you want the shoulder pad to sit inside a garment and reaching out as far as you’d like the shoulder pad to extend. For example, a your measurements could be 5 1⁄2 in (14 cm) wide by 4 in (10 cm) deep. [1] X Research source You want to make sure that the width from your neck to your shoulder or your armhole area is the same as what your shoulder pad is.

For example, if the measurements you took were 5 1⁄2 in (14 cm) wide by 4 in (10 cm) deep, your rectangle will be 5 1⁄2 in (14 cm) by 4 in (10 cm).

The side with a little more volume will be positioned towards the back of your shoulder area. If you’re drawing a true “D” shape, the fullness should be on the bottom half. This will be worn on your right shoulder. Use a French curve to get the smoothest possible line. The “D” shape is standard, but you might want a slight variation of this to achieve different results. If you want the shoulder pad to add more volume directly above your shoulder and extend a little beyond, sketch more of a circular shape. If you would rather have less volume directly above your shoulder, carve out the vertical line in your “D” shape so it’s more of an arch or moon shape.

If you prefer, you can draw out 2 separate patterns instead of using 1 piece of paper for both right and left shoulder pads. To do this, flip over the original pattern piece onto another sheet of paper and trace around the edges. Both pieces should be mirror images of each other. You can also make your shoulder pads symmetrical, in which case you won’t need to mark the right and left sides.

The lining fabric you choose should match the fabric on the inside of your garment. If you’re working with a red blazer that’s lined in black fabric, you should select a similar black fabric to use for covering the shoulder pads.

If you want your shoulder pads to have graduated thickness, cut out a series of progressively smaller pieces. Use fabric spray adhesive to secure the pieces together in a stack. You’ll place another full-sized piece of batting over the top to smooth over the levels. [4] X Research source

Take care in folding around the corners so that the seam allowance doesn’t stick out or add too much bulk.