Interested in posting a pattern review on the Curvy Sewing Collective?
Read out Contributor Guidelines and use the template below to help you write your review.
You can submit your review either via our Submission form or by emailing us at curvysewingcollective@gmail.com.
Answer the following question, within the body of your review, whether formally or naturally throughout your post.
- Pattern name
- Size range (with measurements)
- What size did you make?
- What are your measurements, height, and body type? (If reviewing a top or dress, bra size is very helpful for our readers.)
- What adjustments did you make and how long did they take?
- What fabric did you use?
- What was the construction process like? Did the instructions make sense to you?
- How do you like the pattern’s fit? Do you think the design works well for your particular body shape?
- Will you make the pattern again? If so, what fit or design changes will you make?
- Do you have any advice on this pattern for other curvy sewers? Are there any resources (blog posts, fitting books, tutorials) that helped you sew this piece up?
Pattern Rating System: We have moved away from a straight rating system, to a multi-part style of rating. Hopefully, this will make it easier for you to evaluate the pattern! Please include your ratings at the bottom of your review. (1 is the lowest score, 5 the highest)
Size Range (1-5) (See Guidelines below)
Instructions (1-5)
Construction Process (1-5)
Final Fit (1-5)
Overall Rating (1-5) + Explanation
Size Range Rating Guidelines
Update (22-January-2019), we have decided to standardize a set of size ranges for the Size Range rating of our pattern reviews. Please assign a score to your pattern based on the largest size available in hip or bust (whichever is most applicable to the garment type), according to the following scale:
- 5: 56″ (142 cm) hip or bust
- 4: 51-55″ (129.5 cm – 140cm) hip or bust
- 3: 46-50″ (117 cm – 127 cm) hip or bust
- 2: 41-45″ (104 cm – 114 cm) hip
- 1: 40″ (102 cm) and below hip or bust
Overall Rating
What overall rating should you assign? Here are some examples, for each score, although many reviewers simply average the scores for Size Range, Instructions, Construction Process, and Final Fit:
1: Bad pattern. The construction was a mess and the instructions were completely unhelpful. Worse yet, the size range wasn’t very expansive and you didn’t like the final garment. You would not recommend this pattern to any curvy sewer.
2: Okay pattern. This pattern was a mixed bag. You didn’t necessarily like the final garment, but the construction techniques were fine and the instructions were thorough enough. The fit was okay, but it isn’t something you’ll wear again. The size range isn’t expansive. You would only recommend this to someone who liked the design and you’d pass on some concerns.
3: Good pattern. This was a pretty solid pattern, with a few small issues. The fit is good and you liked sewing it up, but it’s not your new favorite pattern, for any number of reasons. Maybe the size range is small or the grading was a little weird on the larger sizes. You would recommend this to most sewers.
4: Great pattern. You love this pattern, but it probably wouldn’t work for everyone. Assign this rating to those patterns that you absolutely loved, but have limited size ranges or wouldn’t work on many other curvy body types. You would recommend this pattern to almost any sewer.
5: Best pattern ever. This is the unicorn of curvy patterns! It has a really expansive size range, is thoughtfully designed for a curvy body type (not necessarily all, since we’re different shapes), and looks absolutely gorgeous when worn. There is nothing you would change about this pattern, apart from specific fit adjustments for your body. You wouldn’t just recommend this pattern, you would shout about its perfection from the nearest mountaintop.