Hello, fellow sewing enthusiasts and Sandy survivors!
We have power back in the warehouse now, and we have been furiously cutting and packing to catch up on the backlog. I’m on a short break right now, but I had to share something with you. As sewists, we have all experienced a LOT of frustration with commercial patterns. Just check out Phyllis‘ and My Adventures with making our dress form doubles to see adventures with slopers.
Today, I found this great thesis from North Carolina State:
An Investigation of the Sizing, Grading, and Fit of Commercial Sewing Patterns.
It’s worth a read to anyone who wants to tear their hair out when trying to get a well-fitted garment. I certainly hope the big pattern companies read it. I’m cribbing a picture from the thesis to give you an idea of the egregiousness of the pattern companies’ bad fit:
Source: An Investigation of the Sizing, Grading, and Fit of Commercial Sewing Patterns. Author: Debra Lee McLendon
If you want to get to the pictorial evidence, just head straight to page 96. Anyone who has ever tried sewing a well-fitting garment with Big-4 (and others, it’s not just the big guys) knows well these issues. It’s just nice to have someone independently verify them.
Well, break’s over. I have to get back to shipping out orders.
Oh, BTW – we’re extending the 15% off almost everything sale at Gorgeous Fabrics! We’re so grateful to be back up and fully operational, that we’re going to continue it through Sunday. Enjoy!!!
Click Here to Shop the Sale
Happy sewing!
Happy to hear your warehouse is up and running again and that everyone is safe.
Just did a quick read of the thesis…so true. I had to make huge alterations to the armscye of the top I made a few days ago. Must figure out to make my own patterns or find a better source for my demographic…oldie, but goodie.
Glad to hear your warehouse has power again. It’s going to take some time to clean up all the mess that Sandy left behind, but it seems as though good progress is being made.
Thanks for posting this thesis. I didn’t have a chance to read all 156 pages, but I’ve got it bookmarked for when I have the time. You would think that the pattern companies would be constantly tweaking their patterns to keep their customer base happy. Maybe more articles like this one will convince them that it would be a good idea. I know it would make me more inclined to buy more patterns…
I skimmed through the thesis as well; I’d like to sit down and really read through it. I was amazed to see that the pattern companies failed to state the correct finished garment measurements; I’d been using that for the ‘start’ number for alterations. Looks like I’ve got to go back to measuring the patterns. Thanks so much for the very informative link!
No, it’s definitely not just the big players whose patterns don’t fit out of the envelope. These problems are why my long-term plan is to build a library of slopers. Most of the clothes I like are fairly classic in shape; it seems as if it would be so much easier to develop a design from a sloper or basic block pattern than to work through all the changes I have to make to a commercial pattern, all the while feeling like Quasimodo.
Any ideas on what we can do as consumers to pressure the pattern companies to change their sizing? This research paper should be required reading for all their staff. RTW sizing has changed over the years. Why not patterns? When we all spend so much money on patterns, why do we have to settle for poor fit? I am willing to work on this-point me in the right direction!
Disclaimer: this is just my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt.
Pattern companies are in the business of printing patterns. They are not fashion companies. They make their money by selling as many patterns as they can, so they are more in the league of magazines. Now, that said, they DO listen to their customers, so it can’t hurt to let them know that they need to do something about the way their patterns fit. So please. Feel free to tell them what you love/like/dislike. It may take a while but it certainly can’t hurt to let them know.
Great that you have power! And that photo illustrates my constant, unending problem with armscyes. I thought it was just me and my having to get a bigger size to fit my bustline. Now I see that the whole thing is a trainwreck.
Thanks for posting the link to the thesis! It looks really helpful. FWIW, it might be worth writing the author to let them know you found it useful and posted it on your blog. Those of us who labor away in obscurity in academia almost always enjoy hearing that someone in the outside world read our work and was able to make use of it themselves.
And that thesis confirms what I found out by reading the blogs of those like you who show what alterations were needed to get the results you do. I came back to garment sewing after a break of a couple decades, and nothing worked any more (not that I had great results when I was closer to pattern measurements). Buying by bust size resulted in huge shoulders, etc. After reading so many posts, I gave up all ideas of ever again taking a pattern and simply sewing it up. I’ve now added a good chunk of time learning and making alterations. Like Sewer commented, I’m considering making slopers and buying patterns only when they have a high “how’d they do that” factor.
Thanks for the link, I’ll be reading it more closely.
I thought my armscye issues were related to having a large bust. I was surprised to see the problem is inherent to the pattern drafting. I am going to read the entire thesis. Thank you very much indeed for posting this!
Very interesting thesis! Thanks for posting! ….now off to make a pot of tea and read through properly!
Wonderful blog. I wonder if you would consider adding the gadget to allow someone to follow by email? For those of us who are disabled and don’t get a lot of time at the computer, it is surely appreciated. Thanks,.
I have no doubt that commercial patterns have many flaws. That said, I think that American sewists often expect too much and know too little. The human body has a million variations and even the most technically well-drafted pattern will not fit everyone properly—that’s impossible. Every sewist should know how to do pattern alterations to make a pattern fit. But too many sewists think that they should just be able to cut out a pattern, sew it up, and enjoy perfect fit. In many other countries, people have a higher level of fitting, pattern drafting, and sewing skill. In Japan, for exampe, they don’t buy patterns; sewists draft patterns themselves from small schematics printed in sewing magazines. Your average American sewist could never do that! So, yes, patterns have flaws, but these flaws wouldn’t bamboozle us so badly if our skill level were higher. So I applaud the sewists who are willing to improve their own skills in order to create better-fitting garments.
In many other countries, people have a higher level of fitting, pattern drafting, and sewing skill. In Japan, for exampe, they don’t buy patterns; sewists draft patterns themselves from small schematics printed in sewing magazines. Your average American sewist could never do that!
Ah- it’s refreshing to see that broad generalizations are not the sole property of Americans!
PS – I tease because I love. And I’ve seen some dreadful fitting garments from all over. American’s aren’t the worst, we just are the loudest about it.
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For me, the armscye is secondary to the gaping neckline. I thought it was just me… Thanks so much for sharing this link!
Finally this gets recognized! I also find armholes way too low….and ease on fitted garments way too big! BTW, I wrote a petition to Burda to address some of the magazine issues
http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Upgrade_Burdastyle_Magazine_to_21_century/?cRjGxdb
I hope you can sign it. Hopefully they will hear us.
Thanks for posting this. I have saved it and will enjoy reading it in full. It just so reminds us we do need to know our own bodies and how to alter patterns to get the look and feel we want.
I have noticed this for quite a while. It is almost as if they are taking various parts from old patterns and throwing them together to make new patterns, not really making a new pattern. Instead of buying new patterns, if I can, I just make my own pattern. I have had more luck with that. Now I only buy patterns if they are 99 cents or so.
Thank you so much for posting this!!! Oh my gosh the armholes and gaping and oversized neckline -almost all the time. Here I thought it was just cuz I am not very busty. I end up using the size that is smaller than my measurements just to try to get rid of all the excess ease and STILL the neckline and armhole issues..I can’t stand it. I have made garments where the neckline doesn’t even fit on top of my shoulders-slides off, now that is not just a matter of making adjustments, that is just messed up. I totally get that every person’s body is different but I don’t have the same problem buying clothes off the racks. I have just started trying style arc and so far I am waaaaay happier.