Now, shame on me I suppose for not doing flat pattern measurements. But in my defense, I have never made a leotard before, and I assumed that leotards would be built with negative ease. Here's the first line of the pattern description from McCalls' website:
Flared, fitted dresses have dropped waistline, attached bodysuit with or without snap crotch closing
Hear that? "Fitted". Fitted does NOT mean 3 inches of ease in a frickin' leotard, people! It's not just this pattern. I have noticed a trend in the Big 4 pattern companies in the last few years. Call it Vanity Sizing for lack of a better term. The pattern envelopes indicate a size for a given set of measurements, but the patterns themselves run really large. Case in point - me. By my measurements, I fall firmly into a Big Four size 14. But the last half dozen patterns that I have made in a size 14 are way too big. Even a size 12 is pushing the size. And much as I like to think that I'm svelte, there just ain't no way I'm a 26 inch waist any more. I'm talking about all types of patterns - dresses, pants, skirts. And what's more annoying is that the measurements printed on some of the pattern pieces are wrong, too. It's not just the McCall companies. Simplicity is just as bad. Maybe I'm obtuse, but I would think that these companies would actually adhere to their slopers, or change the measurements for their size charts. And if it frustrates me, it's got to be ten times worse for someone who is just getting started with sewing.
Alright, enough of my rant. I'm going upstairs to cut a new leotard. Thank heavens I always buy at least double the amount of fabric I need when I'm making a completely new type of garment.
Hmmmm... I wonder if I should enter this dress in the Pattern Review New Techniques contest?
Happy sewing!
37 comments:
I think this is exactly why Sandra Betzina started her "Today's Fit" line -- to give us something with realistic sizing to our late 20th-/early 21st century bodies! You're not alone in your frustration, Ann.
I've been feeling the same frustration lately. I find it hard to get a good fit when I have to take things in so much.
I'm concerned that this could really turn new sewers off.
Yeah, this is why I love my BWOF patterns so much. If they say fitted, they mean fitted!
I wonder how much of the Big 4 extra ease is due to people not really knowing how to measure themselves? I wish they would update their websites with "this is how to measure" pages and videos, and a lot of information on the importance of accurate measurements.
Hmmm. I thought leotards were supposed to have negative ease. Maybe I'm wrong, but shouldn't the final garment measurements be *less* than body size desired in a form fitting stretch garment? This is a good reason why I ignore the numbers on the envelope and go right to measuring the pattern or by the finished garment measurements when I do sew a Big 4 pattern. Maybe you should have started with that HotPatterns bodysuit pattern you have.
I have the same problem with the big 4 patterns. Like you, I am a 14 according to their measurements, but I always cut a 12 because there is just too. much. ease.
What really bothers me about this is that the design photos and drawings in the pattern catalogues do not correspond to how the garment will fit if made based on the size charts. I love looking at the photos to see how a 2-D line drawing will translate into a 3-D garment, but what's point if the companies disregard their own sizing rules when dressing their models?
(Ohh, that rant felt good.)
I'm with Summerset. I thought negative ease was the norm.
This makes me crazy too.
I really am annoyed that after sewing for a really long time, whenever I use a Big 4 pattern I have to figure out what size to start with - each and every pattern! Aaargh! It does make me love BWOF, Kwik Sew, Jalie, etc. all the more.
If I were a beginner, I might just give up totally!
Oh, this is one rant I can jump in to.
I have been learning to fit this last year. My sewing skills are pretty good, but my fitting needed work. I made garment after garment and they were just too big. I started to really doubt my fitting skills, becasue out of 12 things I have sewn this year..you guessed it, 12 are too big for me. I read one pattern, and the bodice gave me 5 inches of ease...5!!
Madness!
I think you are right because I made a pair of Butterick pants in muslin to check the fit and they were HUGE. Not just a little bit big but a lot! I had to go down three sizes. That's just a crazy amount of ease. This is the kind of thing that makes new sewers (and old sewers)frustrated.
Actually this is one of the main reasons that I've almost given up entirely on using any of the Big 4 patterns for apparel sewing. Now I stick to BWOF or Japanese because they're much closer to the measurements they claim to fit. I can't figure it out because I've been anywhere from a Size 10 to a Size 14 depending on the pattern (and this is accounting for the the various eases in different styles). This makes shopping for patterns really frustrating because many patterns come in a size up to 12 and then 12 and above. I always worry if I get a size 12 and above that I'll end up really needing a Size 10.
You really do have to wonder what they're thinking. Imagine how much more business these companys would do if they were accurate with their patterns. I'm sure a lot of first time sewists give up after their first disaster!
Ridiculous! I have had this problem too, especially with knits from them. Leotards are like swimsuits, negative ease! This is really discouraging for beginners I would think. I am with Sommerset, I flat pattern measure everything.
I have the same sizing issue, and this is why I the majority of patterns I use nowadays are BWOF and indies. I really don't care what numeric size I am - 12, 14, 16 - just give us a measurement chart we can actually use instead of having to measure the flat pattern!
Amen to your rant! I think the ease issue in the Big 4 patterns is the reason why I have purchased very few lately - it's just such a headache to deal with.
I'm not sure if I've commented yet publicly here yet (Hello!), but I'm a reader and fairly new to sewing and I can't even tell you how frustrating this was for me in the very very beginning. Nearly Four inches of ease on a 26/27" waist is just crazy! At first I was all, "What am I doing wrong?!" Finally I found those "finished garment" measurements that are sometimes printed on ONE of the pattern pieces...which actually kind of made it worse. Why not print those in the instructions at least? Anyway, thanks for mentioning this--it'll surely help some other beginners somewhere!
Being a larger size woman the extra ease in the bigger sizes is less of an issue. I have a theory about the extra ease though. Not all sewers know to buy by their measurements, not by their RTW size, particularly beginners. The extra ease might be a way to offset that mistake. Vanity is an issue.
The more worrisome issues with the Big 4 is impossible layouts and inaccurate yardage requirements. Also, some of the construction instructions are wrong or stupidity designed.
I learned that about the Big 4 a while ago. I use to think it was just me. I have learned to flat measure everthing!
I don't bother with the size charts anymore. They tell me I should make a size 14. I pick a size 10, check the actual measurements on the pattern (which are usually closest) and go from there. Sometimes in Vogue patterns I am down to a 6 (and once even that was too big). With most styles I make an 8 or 10 and adjust up and down. How I wish I could draft my own patterns!!!
Just this very morning I took a class using a McCalls pants pattern. Amount of hip ease in that semi-fitted straight leg slacks pattern? **11** inches. Not 1.1", but **11**. No wonder beginning (or even experienced) sewists get frustrated. All I have to say about that is Hooray for Burda!!!
I've made dance leotards & ice skating clothes. I'd never use a big 4 pattern because they just don't understand that type of garment.
I'd try again with a Jalie or Kwik Sew pattern. You really have to watch the stretch factor because both of those companies design for fabric with 75% stretch, which can be hard to find.
Katherine
I use a size smaller than I'm supposed to because of this F*&&ing vanity sizing! If there's no label in the garment, the size shouldn't matter!
Once again, you've reminded me of an episode of Frasier, when Niles explains that his (never seen, but obviously emaciated) wife was dressed for the gym. "I told her lycra is supposed to blouse..." I've always found that to be true with the Big4, though for a while I thought they were getting better. Guess not, huh? Leslie...11 inches of ease? That would be about 30% ease in your size. Are they kidding?
I think that the worst part is that in just about every single fitting article I've read from vogue, they talk about rtw vanity sizing, and then self-righteously declare that they don't do this and that you must pick a pattern by your measurements. But how can this be if my favourite pant pattern from 2001 is a size 12 and fits perfectly, yet a size 12 pant now swims on me?
That's why I learned how to draft patterns. I spend more time adjusting patterns than I spend sewing, by three to one. Yes, if I buy a pattern, I spend three hours adjusting/altering it, for every one hour sewing.
I gave up my hands a year ago. I learned how to draft and gave this madness up. Now I get the exact garment I want in precisely my fit and the h**l with the pattern compnaies.
OK- the word verification on my post was hilarious - DOWDIST - the epiphany of dowdiness?
RE patterns. I gave up in disgust a couple of years ago. I draft my own - they fit great and my imagination is the limit. Learn how to draft your own, there are lots of sites out there to teach you.
I am so frustrated too - last time I made some Mccalls shorts I very carefully made them to my hip size. However when stitched together they swam on me! The photo of the finished version on the cover looked reasonalbly fitted. I checked the finished size the on the back envelope and found out the amounnt of ease 4 1/2" which is swimming over the hips territory and not looking anything like their photos! The cover picture should be an indication of ease not an idealistic what you hope if might look like after you fit it 27 times! GGGGrrrr!
I find now as well with the multi-sized patterns if the starting size is 14 (my supposed measured size) I go down to the previous multi size pattern as I won't take the risk of the smallest size in the envelope being far too large!
I used to work in a fabric store and teach sewing. I believe one of the main reasons new sewists give up is because they buy a pattern and cut what they think is their size then it comes out all wrong! If the companies want to encourage people to take up the hobby, they're going about it the wrong way.
It's not just the big4, I have the same problem with BWOF and sew two sizes smaller than the measurement table tells me to do.
I do not get it why pattern companies do this, it's a bad practice that has cost me a lot of time over the years and takes a lot of fun out of sewing.
Do you hear the big sigh coming all the way from down here in Florida? I've even thought of just giving up sewing (save for alterations) because I'm just disgusted over the poor sizing on commercial patterns. I've been trying now for about the last three years to get a somewhat decent fit from patterns, and I've yet to achieve it. Just when I think I've got it, I move on to another pattern and guess what, I have to start all over again! RTW actually fits me so much better, especially petite sizes. If any one has any solutions, I'd love to hear!!!
Well, it's a lousy job, but somebody's gotta point it out. If everything everyone is saying is true, then if you're someone a little bit higher on the size scale, this means that you're LARGER than you've been thinking you were. Sigh.
Ann, you've obviously struck a nerve.
And, I have a little bitty request: Will you forward a copy of this rant, along with the string of comments that appeared so quickly, to the Big4?
I'm thinking You have a bit of a voice in the market, and they might just pay attention to what you're saying. Not only that, but maybe every single commenter here can commit to a write in campaign.
The fitting and sizing issue is totally out of hand! Totally.
Hi,
Boy, do I agree with all these comments. I love fabric, I love sewing but the fitting issue is getting me down!! It is so discouraging when I think I have it right and then things are just way out of proportion. The pattern companies should take heed!
Maureen
You are right Sandi, it does seem to fly in the face of everyone elses comments so maybe it is the style of clothes I sew that makes any extra ease not a problem...or my body shape which can use the extra ease because one measurement is bigger than the size I usually sew.
Things aren't the same for Plus Size women as they are for Misses or Petite women. Not worse or better, just different.
I LOVE Jalie patterns for this very reason - they fit! Their leotard pattern is great http://www.jalie.com/sewingpatterns/allsports.htm#gymnastics
I never fit into the big 3 pattern company sizes without major alterations and I'm really fed up with it!
I have always found the big 4 to be ridiculously large - even going back 30 years. That is why I like BWOF so much. As for leotards, the Kwik Sew book is fantastic as are their patterns. Good luck with your project :)
Wow. Well we are all in the same boat. Like so many others have already said, I thought the bagginess was me. (And I recognize quite a few of you as far more experienced sewists than I am.)
So the freaking pattern companies are doing vanity sizing now, too? This IS irritating.
And yes, according to all of my sewing books, leotards, like swim suits, are supposed to have negative ease so they won't gape or fall off!
Amen sister! I am running into the same thing and it frustrates the hell out of me. I spend way too much time adjusting for fit than I do actually sewing. And I'd RATHER BE SEWING!
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