Hello everyone!
I hope you are all well and happy and that whatever you are sewing right now is coming along nicely!
It’s time to announce a new Curvy Sewing mini-series: The Peculiarities of Plus Size Sewing. This will be a chatty monthly opinion post on the weird and wonderful world of sewing for larger bodies, and all of the issues and benefits in doing so.
The idea is to take a general sewing topic, for instance, piecing together PDF patterns, and put a plus size spin on it, creating a forum where we can identify what is different for plus sized sewers, what the common problems are and how we might troubleshoot them. It’s also an opportunity to have a bit of a laugh about the annoying assumptions that many non-curvy sewists and pattern designers have about sewing and the stuff that annoys us, ie. ‘It is SUCH a great pattern, and you can squeeze it out of a metre of fabric!’….. YEAH IF I WANT IT TO COVER ONE ARM. Please note however: this is all good natured fun, and we don’t want any body shaming language in this discussion, including disparaging remarks about thinness.
The GIANT pattern piece
I have a list of topics in my head that I think would be good to cover in this, but I am keen to hear of more, and also take contributions from you wonderful bunch. So far I have:
- The expense of needing to use more fabric
- Huge pattern pieces and storage
- TERRIBLE plus sized patterns (tents)
- Separate plus size ranges
- Small size ranges of patterns
- The need to learn how to grade patterns/do FBAs right from the start
- Models and sewing pattern packets that don’t look like us
- Sewing lessons that aren’t geared to curvy sewists
- The extra time taken for sewing much longer hems and seams!
What else should we cover? What do you think is unique about curvy sewing? And do any of you fancy writing a piece on one of these subjects?
My first FBA
Editor’s note: Wow, this has been up for less than 24 hours and there are already so many FANTASTIC suggestions! There are plenty that I will add to the list, and some that could stand to be developed further outside this series. Thank you so much for sharing all your tales of trial and error. I certainly can’t claim (as a sewist of just over a year’s experience) to know all the solutions to these peculiarities, but I feel hopeful that between us, we have so much useful experience that is much better shared. So thank you. And as I said before, if any of you want to write posts on any of these issues, please do let us know, either in the comments below or by emailing mail@curvysewingcollective.com
Cover stuff on sewing for a big booty. Not to brag or anything but 44-36-47(and then lower than my hips is my widest point at 51) I had some amazing adventures (and a few tears) trying to copy a pair of jeans I grew out of. With busts you can make a dart, or several, but I’ve never seen a dart on jeans. And on dresses if the top is medium and the bottom is not on the size chart deciding how to deal with that. And the issue of things riding up.
I often take a piece of clothing that I love the fit of and place it over new pattern pieces to mark adjustments, just be careful with using the same type of fabrics.
I guess mine would be where do you start a pattern alteration when you have to adjust for big bust, smaller waist, big butt, sloping shoulders, sway back, rounded back, narrow shoulders, and large arms?
I love this!
I said this in response to a couple of people but I’d love to see something about how armscyes and sleeves work. They’re such complicated shapes and I ALWAYS have to adjust them and it’s so easy to go wrong!
A couple of comments mentioned the concept of ‘fit’ (what does that even mean?) and ‘flattery’. How about something a bit more abstract about these concepts – I think it’s easy for those of us with bodies that don’t fit into the standard assumptions to feel like there’s something fundamentally not correct with the way we are. But the thing is, although modern ‘fit’ and ‘flattery’ is basically all about making us look as thin and hourglassy as possible, that’s not always been a fashionable figure. Look at slim, flat 20s silhouttes, for example, or pigeon fronts from the edwardian era! Some nice perspectives there.
Here’s an upside of being plus sized – I’m usually right at the top of the size range for a lot of patterns, often I can squeeze into a straight size as long as I’m prepared to do an FBA and be a bit generous with the seam allowances. I’m also a tracer rather than a cutter, so the upside is, if I’m the largest size, it’s much easier for find the lines I want to trace, or else I can cut out the whole pattern piece and still have all the sizes for future reference, but just cut out the biggest one. Secret bonus!
Here is the most helpful post on armscyes I’ve ever read: http://www.ikatbag.com/2014/03/subtelties-in-drafting-sleeves.html
Yes! I ended up finding that and it was super helpful. I was trying to sew a Jasmine at the time and I ended up giving up because it was just so fundamentally not right for my body but LiEr’s tutes in general have helped me be more comfortable sewing – and more comfortable doing things like saying ‘hmm… that sleeve cap just LOOKS too tall. I’ll trim it’. It generally works out pretty well! Although I’m still not quite there yet.
The learning curve is why for a long time I only made clothes for my daughter. I could gain skill without having to worry about grading and adjustments.
Ladies, I have recently began trying to sew a pair of trousers (you know the hard kind without an easy elastic waistband) but I am having difficulty trying to figure out how to adjust for a slightly larger protruding belly. I am sorry but my ‘waist’ does not curve inward by 5 inches. Does anyone else have this problem? Anyone have any solutions?
I personally would really like to know how to work with sleeves and arm holes to accomodate for very large arms. To really get the bodice to lay down correctly and the armscye would be great. I have the measurements but doing the sleeve enlargement and getting it to match up correctly with the actual armhole and is really tricky and would love help on this.
I was going to comment on something similar. I always need a large bicep adjustment, but I also usually need to take the armscye IN. Which is really counterintuitive – in oerder to get more movement i have to remove space?? But that’s how it works. But so far I’ve been doing it mostly by guesswork.
I’d be happy to write something about this but it would very much be a ‘what I have learnt so far, on my body’ piece. I’d love love love to hear from someone with actual knowledge about how armscyes + sleeves work – because they’re one of those areas where once you change one thing, everything else is thrown off so you have to be careful!
A “what I’ve learned so far” piece would actually probably be really helpful to many people. Email us at curvysewingcollective@gmail.com, if you’d like to write something up for the site.
Okay, so I just scrolled through the comments and no one has mentioned my end of the spectrum…I’m 5’10”, and Amazonian rather than Taylor Swift. I have 36″ inseam for pants, and broad shoulders with a short waist, but, I’m high hipped rather than Apple shaped. Basically, all I can buy in RTW is short sleeved tshirts…everything else has to be from tall stores which means too much money for terrible quality. Bottom line: curvy and tall and not finding anyone like me!! I’ll take any help you can give…
I dont know if anyone has said it but what about fabric. When you make alterations how do you know how much more fabric you need to cover your alterations?
Maybe not the most interesting suggestions and I don’t know that they fit here but here goes anyways. I’d love some posts on how to do a larger arm adjustment. I’ve played with it some but I have the worst time getting a decent fit in the upper arm. On a similar not how to accommodate a larger waist if following ones hip measurement. In terms of this topic I’m more a live on the cusp girl. In most pattern lines my measurements straddle the size break not exactly a plus size problem but also not a size 6 problem.
How about needing an 18-20 back bodice for X-back and shoulders, but a 32 front bodice for bust allowance (including length) and then still needing to add for length in the front because nobody seems to realize that “the girls” take up top-to-bottom yardage as well as side-to-side, so just making pieces “wider” is totally insufficient?! And then, because I’m extra-special, I’m long-waisted too… so everything turns into either a sheath, a tunic, or an empire waist, even when the rest of me WAS thinner. Now that the rest of my front is a 32, and the rest of my back(side) is more like a 26, it’s slightly more complicated but somehow easier to grade, and oh heck, I just decided to learn how to make my own slopers. To heck with it. I’ll still look like a pregnant prow on a pirate ship, but at least the seams will be in the right place!
I’m long waisted, too, and I have real trouble every time I sew a new pattern figuring out where the waist should fit. I always have to adjust it, but I never seem to get it quite right how MUCH to adjust it.
I made my own slopers a while back but then every time I did I’d put on weight or just change shape. I was stable for a while and started to make them again and now it looks like I’m LOSING weight! Not much, just enough that my proportions are changing and I’d just worked out what adjustments I needed and now they are totally different. It is making me totally mad!
I would love to see an overview of how to flatter the plus size body. I know tents aren’t flattering, but poorly fitted dresses that accent problem areas aren’t either! Properly fitted clothing, seam lines, and even accessories can create a beautiful and flattering outfit. I think tips on complimenting different body types would be great. I’m not talking about “how to cover up problem areas”, but more how to accent and enhance your body shape with styles that best suit you. Ending your sleeves at the right length to best flatter your arm shape, prints that don’t over or underwhelm, and jewelry selections that can slim your look; small tips like this are so helpful!
Let’s see…waistband strategies when you can’t exactly find yours. Crotch curves and the hanging belly, it all goes south as you get older, you know. The minimal ease at different areas of the body is a good one. I only became aware of that as a software user.
I’d love to hear about sewing on the edge! I feel like Frankenstein’s Monster. Plus size some places, but not in others and it it so hard to sort it all out!
AHAHAHA I just ranted about something along these lines a week or two ago! See, I was going to sew a one-piece bathingsuit, but thought to try the bikini bottoms first to see how the fit would be there. And uh, I didn’t get any further than cutting out the front piece. Because the crotch on the size 20? Had a finished width of FIVE INCHES. WHO THE HECK HAS A 5 INCH CROTCH?!?! And looking at the size grading, there was a 2 inch difference between the smallest size and the largest. I just…wtf?!
Yeah, I gave up on that pretty quick, because, yeah, I could take out the width on the bikini and try to make it work, but how do I keep the width for the waist without buggering up the leg openings? And how the heck would I translate that to a one-piece when I definitely need the width on the body?
Heh, you can read my rant, if you’re so inclined. It’s a little ragey, but a little entertaining I think.
http://thingsimakeplusrocks.blogspot.ca/2015/06/whose-crotch-is-5-inches-wide.html
Full disclosure: I am not the typical curvy sewing collective seamstress
– I am over 50, post menopausal and have had children. My body reflects these facts. My bust has fallen and I wear a size 42B bra. My waist slopes and the hips are large. When altering for skirts or pants I am better off using a size 24 for the front and a size 30 or 32 for the back
(US sizes) as I have a large backside. A large portion of my weight is carried on the lower half of my body.
Here is my number one annoying assumptions about “Curvy Sewers”:
1. It’s easy to alter a pattern a size up or so – You only need to add to the pattern pieces at the sides. A post on when this approach to grading is appropriate and when it is not would be appreciated.
Other suggestions on blog topics
2. A discussion on what the word “fit” means and to include the use of the word “ease”.
What I have noticed is that many seamstresses have begun their sewing careers with sewing knits which allow the beginner to have a successful project with little to no thought about garment fit or ease. Many beginning seamstresses appear to have a skewed perception about what
garment fit means. Has the definition of “fit” changed over time? Is this definition change due to poor drafting in fast fashion seen in retail outlets?
3. How to alter patterns for large backsides, including crotch, rise, side seam, and swayback adjustments.
4. How to alter patterns for large calves.
5. All suggestions listed above are excellent and I would love to see posts on them also.
Good luck, I think you have enough ideas for many postings.
I’d love to learn more from my body shape “twins” out there, because I sometimes get overwhelmed with the multiple different fit challenges I face (large bust, short waist, narrow shoulders, rounded belly). I think it could be useful to identify a couple key sets of plus size body shapes (ex. apple, pear, etc.) and suggest a panel of alterations to try out first. Or maybe highlight a couple curvy sewing bloggers that cover the range of different fit challenges, so I could learn more from the ones that have faced similar challenges. OR what order to “attack” pattern alterations when you know you’ll have to do several.
I absolutely love this idea, Amber! We’re going to do some brainstorming about how to bring it to life
This is a fantastic idea Amber. We’ll see what we can do!
That IS a good idea. I know I need to make some adjustments for better fit (FBA, smaller waist, bigger backside, etc.), but I have no idea where to start.
I like this idea too. I think we’d be in the same group!
Yes, armscyes, shoulder width, and plunging necklines befuddle me. You guessed it, I’m an apple!
Also, I would suggest to discuess:
– minimal wearing ease for plus sizes in different areas
– how to grade pants; what to measure and what to modify in a pants pattern?
– It would be nice to have expert and professional plus size sewers discussing some other interresting topics (Barbara Deckert?)
Cheers!
M
Necklines. I often find (with both knitting and sewing patterns) that necklines are graded up too much with sizes – heads don’t scale up the same way bodies do! I often find myself tracing/knitting necklines for much smaller sizes than the rest of the garment.
So true. I am yet to see a plus size head!
I have a plus size head… I kid you not.
Me too! Hats are always laughably small on me… I still don’t need such wide necklines, though. Scoopnecks that fall straight off the shoulders!
You betcha. Seriously, just because I have H-cups doesn’t mean I want to show all 7″ of cleavage in a tee shirt.
I have a different problem…I have a small bust proportionally to my hips…so I have to make full hip adjustments and decrease the bust.
Oh, I would love to learn to do a Full Butt Adjustment from you guys. It’s the one thing that keeps me from starting to sew trousers… Having a relatively small waist and a more than full bum keeps on giving me issues finding a well fitted pair of jeans…
The alternative FBA!
Oooh yes! I heard there’s other ways of doing a FBA besides the slash & spread but have yet to find a good tutorial on it. Sometimes you just need more room only in the chest.
I second this as well. I hate having “saggy crotch syndrome” when I really only need room for my butt and upper thighs.
How about discussing the body type the Big 4/7 use for grading, and how this doesn’t come close to a typical plus size figure (like drafting for a B cup!). Discuss the most common alterations curvy figures need to make with the mass-market envelope patterns (FBA, lowering bust apex, narrow shoulders, adjusting for a spoon or pear shape figure, etc.). Discuss how the indies are handling this differently, like Sewaholic drafting for a pear shape, Blue Giner Doll drafting for a traditional hourglass with a D cup (so, it fits me as a spoon, I just have to use a larger size on bottom than top), Style Arc sizing being closer to typical Ready To Wear, etc.
That’s an excellent suggestion Jo, thanks. You don[‘t want to write it do you?!
oh, LOL…
One of the things I like about indie patterns is they often state what kind of size and figure they’re drafting for. That way, lots of people will still have to make adjustments (they’re not magic after all!) but at least you KNOW. And you know how big an FBA you might need etc. There;s more awareness and declaration of the way our bodies are different, coming from indie patterns, I think.
I was thinking about this overnight, and woke up a little mad about designers not scaling the size of features. Pockets, collars, yoke proportions, packets, and OMG Zippers!
Seriously, the opening on a pair of pants is a dart; when you unzip the fly on a pair of pants, the zipper is providing a wide dart to allow your hips to pass through the waist.
1. If your waist to hip ratio is low (mine is 10÷ inches different) the zipper needs to be longer.
2. If your rise is very long the zipper bottom needs to be lower.
3. If your belly is rounded, you need a zip fly or you will have zipper bites (a mock fly is a stupid risk to take)
4. You might need two zippers (one at each side in some designs)
5. Oh! And I bet some fasteners (center back) just cannot be reached by some sewists.
6. If I read one more “you may need to shorten” instruction set when I am starting with a 5″ zipper…..
I could write an article on why my butt commands a finer pocket than the tiny ones designed to suit the more petite sizing model. These shorts were pocket less by design.
Except for a special occasion dress I always change back or side zips to button fronts, really annoying to have to ask for help getting dressed/undressed, makes me feel like a Victorian lady!
Yes! Would you like to write a guest post for us?!
Yes, yes and yes again. I am working on that now. Having to put zippers in what normally wouldn’t because my bust is so much bigger than my midriff or I won’t be able to pull it over my top to get the dress on. How do we show fit add the correct zipper length for accommodating the alterations we are making. Trying to fit the bodice so it shows some definition, I don’t want it the size of my hips or bust or it might as well be a ready to wear tent. The proper length of zipper and closures and closure placements yep inquiring minds want to know.
I agree with the comments about not being able to try on in shops etc. My measurements might be the same as someone else’s but if she is 5’3″ and I am 5’11”, we are very different even before taking body shape into account. We each have different fitting issues in addition to many of the same. I bought a plus size book which is very good but is designed for petite – I wasn’t aware of that from the description; I’m not aware of one for the tall curvy person. Significantly lengthening pattern pieces in addition to FBA, lowered apex (low? or just long from shoulder to apex?), especially when there are no lengthening/shortening lines – add on sway back etc etc – this is complex stuff! What order to do the changes? Am I better to start with a regular pattern in a bigger size, or a petite pattern designed for plus (I probably wouldn’t need to do an FBA?) I look forward to the series, thanks.
This is my problem. I’m talking about REALLY lengthening the bodice like lowering the bust point (significantly by many inches) and adjusting down the armpit. Commercial patterns have the bust point by my neck and have the armpit set in my shoulder. My bust/waist.hip puts me as pattern size 18 or 20 but I’ve had luck using the 22W and then sizing down to fit my measurements because the length and bust height is better. If a pattern is simple in the bodice I will use my sloper bodice and then adjust my sloper sleeve to be the style given in the pattern. This kind of defeats the purpose of buying a commercial pattern though.
I have the same problem being a wee bit taller than you. I have to lengthen everything by at least 3-4 inches and drop my apex down by at least 2, sometimes 3 inches. I always do all the length adjustments first before the width ones. However, from fitting other people I would say that the only way round this is to measure every length/width, not just (high) bust/waist/hips. I wish all patterns would print the apex and waistlines on.
What about information about fabric pattern matching? The angst of tiny prints? The anguish of large patterns? The terror of tartan?
I love this thread! There is so much in the comments which I’m nodding vigorously at as I read. I echo the comments about shoulder size and about the impossibility of trying styles on in the shop – that’s why I sew, because I can’t fit the clothes in the shops which aren’t tents!!!!!!! I have a few more challenges to add to the conversation:.
1. even the a-b-c-d cup sizes annoy me, as though they even come close to fitting me (12HH/J Australian sizing and 34HH/J UK sizing).
2. Professional wardrobe support for uber busty women. It’s taken me a lot of work and learning to make clothes which fit and suit me in the upper body area. I’ve still got a lot to learn, but I have yet to see a tailored jacket on an uber busty woman on the internet or in real life. I’m sure it can be done, I just need to see it so I can learn from it. I’m in the narrow and sloping shoulders, huge bust, narrow underbust, short waist and full tummy camp.
3. I’m not even up to sewing with trousers, though I’d like to be. I’ve made leggings successfully and I made a pair of Style Arc Barb pants which were okay apart from cutting the fabric wrong so the first version had an inseam inside out on only one side, and the second pair were wonky because I didn’t pay attention to the grainlines – my errors though. I need help on trousers which could look good on me before I even buy patterns. I notice that sewing bloggers with similar figures to mine tend to wear dresses lots more than trousers.
4. I’m still on the lookout for styles which break up the plump pillow frontage AND are work friendly. I love wrap dresses, but I’m often pinning the front together further up. Although I could wear a camisole underneath, often that makes a flat line from apex to apex which the means the wrap shape is like crossing a pillow instead of separated.
Check out Lynelle’s blog at You sew girl! I think she has some of the things that you’re looking for. She’s a teacher, and she makes a lot of business casual clothing, including pants and jackets. (I work in software in the PNW, so while I’m definitely uber busty, I have zero need for tailored jackets.) Here’s a link to Lynelle’s blog: http://yousewgirl.blogspot.com/
Thanks Michelle.
Frustration of big boobs meaning any FBA adds lots onto the waistline, where I don’t need it.
I’m wondering about some posts on bust minimisation (sic) style lines??
An FBA done the right way only adds length to the side seam. If you’re ending up with more in the waist, the method you’re using isn’t particularly good.
Actually an FBA done most ways has you separate the pattern down the apex to hem and move the side portion toward the outside leaving a whopping great split down the apex to hem. That leaves extra around the waist. Pls enlighten me to a tutorial which doesn’t.
Hi Lesley – There are a few things that you can do. One way is to add waist darts, or make your waist darts wider. This really only works if you have a waist seam, like with a fitted bodice attached to a skirt. If you are working on a blouse pattern, you can do the FBA in the usual way, but before taping everything down, swing the bottom of the side seam piece over to the bottom of the center front piece, making both the waist and hip smaller. You have to true up the hem when you do it this way.
A fitted sheath dress with darts would still be too big in
the waist for that method, so another way would be to cut off your front
pattern at the waist line, and then do your FBA on the top portion. Do the
first method I mentioned earlier, and then put your two halves back together. You could also do the same thing by taking out the excess at the side seam before putting your two halves back together. I do it this way most of the time, because I have a thicker waist and I find it easier to trace off a multi-sized pattern (size 16 neck and shoulders, 18 bust, 20 waist, 18 hips) and then do a 1 inch (2 inches total) FBA. Then I know that when the FBA is finished, the waist will fit because I started out with the right size. Hope that helps!
Thanks for your help. I do prefer princess lines for this reason. Have a look at this one – excellent fit, touch of elastane – yay! http://sewniptuck.com/2015/06/11/spotty-dress-renovation/
Yes, I need the answer to this too!
I would love to know more on choosing the size to start with to make adjustments. I usually fall between 3 sizes. My waist is always the problem sometimes larger than the pattern charts go to & my bust is smaller.
I would love to know how to adapt patterns to allow for ‘short waists’ being petite, but cuvy I have a real problem with this.
you might enjoy working with Petite Plus Patterns. They are basics, and really some of the styles are quite matronly, but the drafting is spot on for petite proportioned plus sizes. If you start with one of their basic patterns and get the fit right for you, you can then play with the design to your heart’s content!
Also, I now swear by Joi Mahon’s fitting method in her book “Create the Perfect Fit” http://www.amazon.com/Create-Perfect-Fit-Measuring-Solutions/dp/1440239614/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434465069&sr=1-1&keywords=Joi+Mahon
It is so easy to use her method to adjust patterns for individual proportions because it targets small sections of the body. So you get a real custom fit, not just one that approximates it.
Love that book!
The importance of making a muslin and having someone who knows how to fit the muslin correctly. I have a family of curvy ladies and they will never be thin due to genetics. I can fit them but none are experienced enough to fit me, ugh. We are working on them learning though. For us we work on one section of the pattern at a time.
I want to second how to fit a muslin. I know to make one, but I’m not always sure what to do with it. How do I transfer those changes to a pattern piece to replicate the change?
The last time I did any sewing for myself, I was plus size, but not the size I am now. Now, trying to shop for my older, more-expansive self is nearly a nightmare! I don’t like most of the color combinations, and the styles are made mostly for younger people. Classic patterns that are attractive for an older woman, as well as learning to sew again (machines have changed a great deal!) I’ve been on Craftsy and starting with small patterns to get “in the mode” again. But, I have some beautiful colors of t-shirt knits I am really wanting to get into! Never sewed with knits – but I’m game. LOVE the idea of this blog series!
Thid will be interesting! ! I think it will be important to cover the bust apex position and darts orientation.
Cheers!
Mon
Agreed – the well-endowed amongst us often hang a little lower in the boobage department. Working out where the apex on the pattern sits on your body and how to get it to the spot where it should be would be extremely useful.
Amen to that. The girls have definitely dropped over the years and this is a real issue getting the positioning correctly as well creating room for us DDers and above.
Plus, even without a lower bust apex (which I do have as well), there is more distance to travel to get to that point so, say, 6″ down on someone with an A cup is going to end up a lot closer to the ground than 6″ on my E cup.
I remember when I first started sewing as an adult, pulling out a pattern piece and holding it up to myself. The bust apex was barely almost exactly between my actual bust and my collar bone! I didn’t know what to do about it at the time but I sure did know it wasn’t working how it was supposed to work!
I want to know if there is such a thing as pants that look good on a person with extra weight around the abdomen. Pockets that don’t pull or gape, front that doesn’t delineate where the bulge is, or pants that do not need to be covered with a tunic.
You could draft a pocket stay? I just did this on my latest two versions of the Closet Case Files Ginger Jeans, and the effect was pretty awesome!
A pocket stay should definitely help mitigate pocket gape. We posted a tutorial on how to do this a while back: http://wp1094.hostgator.com/~waezmq0ac6rs/tutorial-creating-a-pocket-stay/
The pocket stay also does a great job of smoothing out belly pooch!
Seconded! It’s a miracle worker
I really need to put pocket stays in ALL my clothes. Even the shirts
This is a a great idea!
What I want is pants that can accommodate the way my belly expands when I sit down, but still actually stay up when I’m standing! So far my options seem to be 1) be cut in half by the waistband while sitting or 2) dangerously baggy waistlines when standing. I suspect the real answer is 3) elastic waists but I’m still holding out hope for another solution.
I would be interested in what we fabulous curvy ladies have found the best, easiest to fit, most comfortable pants patterns….. I am tall – have a 38″ waist and a long straddle…. so often when I try on pants in a shop, they don’t come anywhere near my waist… At the moment I am endeavouring to create a personal pattern from Suzy Furrer’s Craftsy class –
I despair buying pants for the same reason as you – they flap around my waist like a flag in the breeze
There’s a new pattern for wide-legged pants with a side zip coming out from Cake Patterns that goes up to a 55″ hip that has a range of waist sizing. I helped with pattern testing on it with a 55″ hip and a 40″ waist which is pretty extreme and it was a fairly easy sew, plus they are crazy comfy and look great. I think the pattern is launching at the end of June?
Glad to hear this pattern works on curvy people! I just bought it and have high hopes.
I look forward to this too! My biggest problem is finding patterns that work with the extra skin/flab from having twins, but my butt is flat! Not all plus size have large rear ends, so I’ve been trying to find ways to adjust patterns (even good plus size ones) but the results have been disastrous.
I would like to talk about how pattern grading makes Everything bigger. I always have to take in the necklines, the armscye, the width of the shoulders. Just because we are goddess sized doesn’t mean our shoulders grew out 4″.
Never a truer word spoken!
Seriously, the armscyes! And then you end up with sleeves you can’t move your arm in because the armscye is about 4″ too big. Argh!
This is especially problematic in jackets and coats, as well as button-front shirts. It’s awful.
If I only had this 3 years ago when I started!!! Buying size 20-24 to fit hips and then discovering that my petite 5’2″ frame might have 45 inch hips but was actually closer to a size 14 for shoulders and B cup top. Arrrgggghhhh. The hours spent learning how to grade up from fitting shoulders and armscyes. And pants!!!!Struggled through crotch length and depth adjustment and guess what? Still don’t fit. I needed to understand the extra fabric needed to cover my EE …. um… rear-end, and plus size thighs, and yes the crotch lengthened but not the way all the books said. Shorter depth, a longer length (but not at the crotch point) and lots of room for thighs. thank you Minott method. And along the way, with all the muslins, I learned to sew.
And I bet your clothes fit beautifully now too with all this expert knowledge!
I’ll throw out one that’s always frustrated me. People often advise new sewists to go snoop shopping and try on a bunch of different types of clothing to figure out what looks best on them. Or, if you’re curious about trying out a new style (e.g. culottes) to “go to the mall and try on a few pairs”. But what do you do when RTW fits your body type so badly that you really can’t get a realistic idea of how something will look on you when you sew it up and control the fit yourself?
Working with a croquis (like Jenny’s book) certainly helps, but I have yet to find a consistently reliable way to do this outside of actually buying the pattern and making up a muslin, which is still an investment of time and money.
Ha! yes it’s like: “Why don’t you go to a shop and try something not in your size, and then buy a sewing pattern version also not in your size!”
Especially when it’s a style very dependent on how it drapes or hangs – like coulottes! Or even something like peplums, when they were in fashion. A peplum in the wrong place on one’s torso is not a good look, but I have a long waist so I’d end up with a flare halfway down my back. I never did make anything with a peplum even though I suspect I would have liked the style, because I didn’t have the time to take a risk.
Hi I would love to hear all about Plus Sized sewing….I have been hating to buy clothes RTW as they all look terrible or someone just makes up the size and puts it on the clothing…I am like Couturette…wanting to learn….and needing the input or those who already –in the know—-….
I am a tall apple with a waist that is almost the same as my hip size and bust size. It is very difficult to find styles that minimize my large belly. I have been reading about some of the members of the Curvy Sewing Collective to see if any are apple-shaped or near-apple. Thus far I haven’t found any. I used to be a rectangle and now I am an apple. I need help and appreciate all the contributions your group have made.
Love this idea! Went shopping with a smaller sewist this weekend and we both bought the same pattern that was only available up to size 18. I told her that I loved the pattern but I would have to learn how to make the pattern bigger because the largest size on the pattern is too small for me. She said, “Oh I never learned how to do that. I just always buy the right size” :-/ LOL, I didn’t bother telling her that sometimes that’s not possible if they don’t make your size! I love reading this blog and knowing that others out there have the same experiences
‘I just always buy the right size’. A sentence dreams are made of! Though actually, I don’t think anyone, large or small fits a pattern exactly straight out the packet. And the more you learn about fit, the more you want to fiddle with it!
I think this is so important! Starting with a harder-to-fit body was a handicap at first but now I’m getting better I find I’m having more successes than my straight-sized sewing friends. Because they didn’t have to tackle fitting and I did, they’re more likely to make something without adjustments and then be disappointed, because very rarely does a pattern fit ANYONE right out of the packet.
That said, it would be nice to not HAVE to make one million adjustments in order to get a garment to come close to fitting. And doing a few tweaks like bringing in the shoulders or even an FBA is not the same as having to grade up! Or maybe I’m just saying this because I am kind of afraid to learn how to grade up….
It must be nice to be so evenly proportioned… I run into this even while shopping as the person helping me can’t comprehend that I don’t need a larger size as it’s not going to help since the proportions are off. Even when I was a “size 8”, I still couldn’t buy a sheath dress from a store.
FBA without maternity effect please!
I don’t know about you other ladies, but I find body shape is even more important when choosing a pattern that I intend to use for a curvy body, even with patterns geared for plus sizes. It often seems like the patterns are only geared for pear or hourglass shapes, and the models reflect this. So when you see a pattern and want to purchase it, you have to spend hours trolling google, instagram, pinterest, pattern review, etc. to hopefully see a completed version on someone who has the same shape as you. I think that all the amazing independent pattern makers also need to check body types when asking for testers, so that we can all see how the pattern can work for most of us.
Yay that sounds great! Gosh I hate it when pattern designers forget that plus size woman can also be petite. Yes I’m curvy ánd I’m petite, imagine the struggle of adjusting a dress pattern like that
Sandra, have you checked out SBCC patterns? Betsy drafts for a woman who is 5’3″, she uses a separate plus sized block, AND most of her patterns go up to 53″ (134cm) bust/56″ (142 cm) hip.
Hello.
My name is Esperanza. I am a plus sizes designer with over a 40 years of experience. I would like you to test this pattern in sizes 20 to 56. https://goo.gl/jUvcGq
We sold 2000 garments with this design in “El corte inglés” from Spain.
The instructions came through from dropbox, but not the pattern pieces
Sorry. You’re absolutely right. I made a mistake with the link.
There it goes the good one
https://goo.gl/wFeaO2
Your post said 56, the pattern says 26? I’d rather not test-drive your pattern while having to grade it up to the 32 I need.
Hello.
In this link you will find sizes from 28 to 32 (58 to 60 european sizes) in a .PLT file https://goo.gl/xi0vdN (I think you will be able to print it in your local copyshop in a plotter so you don´t need to match tiles).
Also in this link you will find sizes 20 to 26 in .PLT file. https://goo.gl/KVAu82
Give me time to prepare the PDF to be able to print in 8.5 x 11 paper.
You can write me to sewingpattersdesigns@gmail.com (att; Esperanza)
The lining is not stricly necessary if you use a non transparent fabric.
We manufactured this model in a thin georgette, that´s why we incorporated lining. We give it to you and recommend starting to sew the lining.
Sorry, I can’t open .PLT files, I’ll wait for the 8.5 x 11 format when it’s ready, hopefully as a .PDF?
Hello
Link to PDF sizes Letter (8.5 x 11 inches), sizes 20 to 26 https://goo.gl/V8lBOn
Link to PDF sizes Letter (8.5 x 11 inches), sizes 28 to 32 https://goo.gl/v8Jgud
Link to PDF sizes A4, sizes 20 to 26 https://goo.gl/qAwdXq
Link to PDF sizes A4, sizes 28 to 32 https://goo.gl/ZP0xiB
We know that probably you are not able to open a PLT file, but if you give this file to your local copyshop, they will be able to print it in a plotter. This way you will get only one big sheet with the patterns, so there is no need to match tiles.
Best
Hi Michelle, no I’ve never heard of SBCC patterns, it sounds really good, thank you! The Mimosa blouse looks really good!
Amen, Sandra! I have spent so many frustrating hours trying to fit my “apple” petite body into some of the patterns I have purchased. I would love to learn more about pattern making and making adjustments, but can’t afford some of the classes.
Thank you, yes same here!
I have been struggling with a FBA and 3 different sizes on the Adelaide dress by Seamwork (Colette), it took me 3 hours and after I cut the fabric (as the muslin looked good) I found out I need to do some more adjusting on the blending of the sizes, meh ;(
I totally agree with you =) I am 4′ 11″, curvy and rather umm, well umm endowed. I find with ready to wear it looks great if I want to walk around lifting up the shoulder.
Yep I know the felling
Have you tried Petite Plus Patterns? I love that they are drafted for people like me — who are SHORT AND PLUS!! Drafted for narrow shoulders (THANK YOU!!!) and high waist (THANK YOU AGAIN!!!) — and basic draft is for a “D” cup — so — I do have to make some adjustments (up to DDD, but still better *starting* from a “D” instead of a “B”!) — but oh so many fewer adjustments than with standard patterns! And I love that each pattern comes with complete (rather lengthy) lessons on how to do every kind of alteration you want (you know, like even if you were TALL with a SMALL BUST! — she tells you how to do EVERYTHING!!) OK, I know I sound like I’m selling them, really I’m not — but they’re the only patterns I’ve felt really comfortable with for the last 15 years or more!
No I’ve never heard of them so I looked them up and they got some really nice basics, I like it, thank you so much!! I live in Europa and I checked the Mccalls website, they sell some pdf patterns of Petite Plus Patterns (more then their own website if I remember correctly), cool, then I can simply download them yay
And yes that looks awesome, I could learn some lessons on alteration (see my reply to Lettetia belof)
Ty for the information. Will definitely check them out.
I bought a few vintage Simplicity patterns recently and they were 1/2 sizes- indicating they are for women 5″3 or under (from the 60’s), somehow I got them to work for me even though I am 5’8″…I had assumed they still made them this way but since i never actually had to look I never thought about it! I wonder when they discontinued this?
Hi Jewel! I checked the Simplicity website and gues what? They still sell patterns for “petite” (and curvy) woman, yay! I never would have thought about Simplicity to have such patterns, so even after all those years they still sell these patterns and they look cute, nice basic clothes (even a cute high waist pencil skirt with Princess seams, yay!). So thank you so much for bringing this up *goes ordering some patterns*
Very interesting!
Yes it is, and isnt it awesome that we can help eachother on this website/blogpost, I keep coming back to read the new comments
it looks like we all struggle with the same things?
Pretty sure the Simplicity “petite” patterns are not really petite-sized and just include lengthen/shorten lines for cutting apart the tissue.
Im happy if they include those lines, not every patterndesigner adds them and I find it a bit hard to adjust a pattern without instructions, but that is just me Im afraid, sewing is one thing, adjusting patterns is a little harder for me
Interesting!
I also think it’s a shame that half sizes went away in both patterns and RTW. They seem a perfect answer for shorter women with short waists and a little rounder shape. I think they were proportioned a little better. I have yet to sew a vintage pattern, but when I start, I think I will sew some in half sizes.
I like all of your topics. What irks me is when they say a size pattern goes from 00-22 but, do they ever show a size 22 in it? only the 00 or size 6. Show me what it looks like on someone with curves. show me., put in the pattern how to adjust for curves.. how to shorten the pattern. Most likely all survey girls/women are not 6’5.. And don’t put them all in grey, blue or brown.
If they made a sample that fits a size 22-24+ model, they wouldn’t be able to get away with the look they “designed” for larger sizes. Then all the issues with shoulders being too wide and necklines hanging down too low would be obvious. Because as someone mentioned, if our bust goes up 4-10″, it doesn’t mean that our necks and shoulders are that much wider. Plus size patterns need to be drafted differently, not just graded up from smaller sizes. It is sad, very sad, but patterns seem to be going through the same changes RTW clothing does – cheap and fast approach.
Please address the assumption that all plus sized women are proportioned similarly. Some plus sized women do not have a large bust. If I make most patterns without an adjustment, the shoulders are far too wide and the neckline far too low.
That is very similar to what I wanted to comment. How to grade a pattern for major differences of size? where there is a 10 size (or more) difference between bust and hip, the lines are crazy. I have to make everything smaller, higher and narrower for the top and then waaaaaay larger for the butt and thigh. Oh and add in a proportionately tiny waist and I am going crazy trying to get a good fit.
I love this!! Maybe a super duper beginner series or things you wish you’d known/found out when you started? As a new sewer (who is also curvy) I would appreciate some _really_ basic level stuff – I know I’ll have to make adjustments for the bust and probably the belly and lack of bum, however once you make those adjustments, how do you put it all together? I mean, once you slash/spread some of the pattern pieces apart, how do you do the next step and make them fit the other pieces you didn’t have to adjust? I’ve never really seen this part, and I’m a very visual type/need extreme hand holding at the beginning learner and feeling a little paralyzed of how to even know where to start.
Fab idea! That’s exactly what I was thinking! I taught myself how to knit so I’m not completely hopeless when it comes to crafts.
However learning dressmaking as well as all these alteration techniques when you’re just starting out is pretty overwhelming.
I can use my sewing machine and have made many non-garment things but clothes that don’t look like a tent or cut off your blood circulation…. that’s a different matter!
I know that feeling all too well, and I would love to know the answer. Hopefully it’s something the glorious hive mind of the CSC will be able to answer: there’s a lot of expertise among our ranks
Definitely!
One other ‘beginner’ type thing I’ve been pondering but not sure how to verbalize (so I’ll use lots of words to get at what I’m pondering… LOL!) is about getting over the idea of ‘perfectionism’ when we start sewing our own garments. It’s very inspiring to see the amazing garments created here on the CSC, but there’s also a bit of angst when seeing how fast things are created because 1) I don’t sew fast and 2) I don’t have much time or a dedicated space to work on sewing projects (and combine that with a chronic condition, I’m sometimes wiped out just setting up the ironing board and sewing machine); and then the angst of WOW they got that to fit perfectly and I look horrible in my project.
I do find a little comfort when I read that the fit isn’t *quite* right but does your not quite right custom garment fit better than any RTW item you have?
I think it goes back to the hand holding and ‘where I started’ stories so those of us who are just starting out can see we’re not alone with our steep learning curve.
Aww I look forward to this new blog series! As a novice sewer whose body *expanded* very quickly, I find myself completely lost when it comes to patterns, measurements, grading up, fba, armscyes… Sewing when you’re outside the box and don’t know how to alter the box isn’t much fun
HA! Great minds think alike! I just left a very similar comment.
I know, sometimes it feels that you need a degree in pattern drafting to become a curvy sewist! We’re here to help though
Pattern grading, FBAs, swayback alteration etc – it all goes towards making us better sewers who can tackle anything!
I would LOVE a good sway back tutoiral for dresses!
I’ll start. Why, oh why, do pattern makers grade out the shoulders to linebacker proportions? We may carry some extra padding on our shoulders but, really, not inches and inches more than “standard” sizes.
If you have a pattern that spans regular sizes and plus sizes, and the smallest plus size isn’t smaller than the largest regular size, you don’t have a plus-sized pattern. You just have one with larger regular sizes. So either be prepared to make adjustments everywhere on the pattern, or dump that designer for someone who knows how to draft a plus-size pattern. We don’t have to settle for second rate patterns if we don’t want to.
Amen!!! The small-shoulders/narrow-back/large-bust fitting conundrum drives me crazy! (see also: Monster-sized armholes)
This. So much this. I could write a thesis on this.
Yes! And really, is it impossible to believe that we could have a 55″ chest measurement and NOT have 25″ biceps? I’m constantly redrawing the armsceye and taking in the sleeves in the bicep, and taking MILES off the ends of long sleeves. Did we get TALLER when we got rounder?
(can’t stop laughing, can’t breathe, need air)
This is the problem. You do not need to expand a pattern evenly when you grade it up. There are so many bad examples of this, I feel kinda mean just picking one. But this sums it up for me. It’s not as bad as others, but the idea that every line has to go out another evenly measured distance from the previous one is nonsense.
I can get away with a Big 4 24, the 16″ bicep KILLS me. I don’t have particularly large arms, but having to adjust the sleeve by 4 or 5 inches?