Hello there!
Welcome to the Curvy Sewing Collective! As our name suggests, we’re a group of curvy sewing bloggers intent on demystifying all things plus-sized and home sewing.
The Curvy Sewing Collective began in the spring of 2014, the brainchild of Jenny and Mary, as a way to bring together the plus-sized sewing community and address issues common to curvy sewists. Many plus-sized women, ourselves included, began sewing as a refuge from the exclusionary sizing and unimaginative designs of ready-to-wear fashion. However, without fitting help or style inspiration, home sewing can be just as intimidating! All too many pattern companies stop their sizing short of our measurements or don’t advertise their designs on plus-sized bodies. We believe that higher visibility in the sewing community is the key to addressing these concerns. The more curvy women who are encouraged to sew and share their creations, the more the industry will take notice of our needs. To further that effort, the Curvy Sewing Collective was born!
The seven editors of the Curvy Sewing Collective represent the plus-sized community in all its inclusive, gorgeous range. Though we each self-identify as curvy sewists, we are a wide range of sizes, ages, and backgrounds. Whether you’re a pear shape or hourglass, beginner or advanced seamstress, you can find common ground here. Above all, the CSC is united in the belief that body positivity and personal style are the keys to joyful home sewing. When a woman makes something she loves that fits her body impeccably, self-confidence shines through. To that end, you won’t find any dieting tips or complaints about cellulite on this website. Instead, we celebrate the female shape in all its varied, beautiful glory.
Here at the Collective, we’ve gathered a range of curvy-specific sewing resources. Our editors and contributors have pooled their knowledge to provide pattern reviews, fitting tutorials for all manner of shapes, and home-sewn style inspiration. We also have a forum, open to all Collective readers, where you can further interact with other plus-sized and curvy sewists. If you have specific questions about a pattern or want to swap sewing war stories, that’s your new favorite place! Overall, we hope to create a positive, helpful community where all sewists feel welcome.
Happy sewing!
Incidentally, we love posts from other sewing bloggers. If you have a great homemade outfit to share or tips to impart, get in touch! We’d love to add your positive, stylish voice to the Collective. If you have questions or comments, e-mail us at: mail@curvysewingcollective.com. We also have a Facebook page and Bloglovin’ feed, if you’d like to connect to us there!
Thank you so much for this. I am just learning to sew and have started with small home decor projects, but I am desperately in need of clothing that fits my body well. I posted this in the color wheel tutorial, but it’s appropriate for this post too, so I will paste it here:
“Wow! This was spectacular information! I really, really want to start sewing for myself. I’m 42 and shopping is a miserable experience for me. I’m 5’9” size 22 pants, 42G bra, sz 11 feet. Do you know how shameful it feels to walk into a store and know that I will most likely leave empty handed? I’m done with it. I’m also done paying outrageous prices at LB or Torrid for poorly made items that just barely fit well. There’s no reason I shouldn’t be able to wear tailored beautiful clothing in flattering shapes, patterns, and colors.
One thing I’ve always detested about RTW plus sizes is that they often just take whatever is popular for “normal”/smaller sized women and make it bigger. That is a big $#@% you to all of us curvier women. Remember a couple of years ago when hemmed and gathered tees were all the rage? Those look great on sz 4. On a size 22 (esp with my boobs) I look like a sad pumpkin. I don’t want to look like a sad pumpkin. No more sad pumpkins. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge – I look forward to learning from all of you!!!”
Oh wow! This is great! Thanks for doing this ladies!
BRILLIANT!! Well done to all of you for making this happen, this is the blog-collective I’ve been waiting for! Can’t wait to see how it develops and what you get up to.
I am ecstatic! So glad to have tis valuable resource. Thank you so much.
Great idea – I have added this to my reading list. A lot of the links on the blogroll to the blogs of the The Curvy Sewing Collective editors are not working for me though.
Thanks for letting us know – they are fixed now!
When I first saw your contributors modeling their Collette Moneta dresses, I was thrilled. I could see what the dress would look like on real bodies! And, it looked fabulous. So, I made one!
Thank you, Jan! I’m so, so happy that we inspired you to try the Moneta! It’s such a great pattern, isn’t it? I have yet to see one I didn’t love.
So pleased to see the repository of knowledge and support, can’t wait to be a frequent visitor 😀
Thanks so much, Kate! We look forward to those visits! 😉
Lovely!!
Thank you, Pam!!
Brilliant! Can’t wait to be a part of this! Love the forum idea too! x
Thanks, Nessa! I’m so glad you’re joining in on this. The forum is going to be such a great resource. I can’t wait to get to know other curvy sewers!