The innovative strategy was to introduce students to the concept of generating decision-making hypotheses for flat patternmaking. This would teach students a method of critical thinking to utilize when deciding the appropriate slopers to use in creating basic or original garments. The concept of generating decision-making hypotheses was introduced to students first with a brief explanation and using a general example. Next student were given a context specific example. Then students were required to practice generating their own personal hypotheses for patternmaking. The outcomes were students felt that generating decision-making hypotheses helped them to think more critically about their patternmaking and the ideas they had for future projects.