Making Your Own Clothes: Understanding Pattern Shape and Design
In this blog series, I’m exploring the different considerations when making your own clothing versus buying ready-to-wear. So far, we’ve looked at several factors related to fabric. Now, we’re turning our attention to pattern shape and design.
It’s useful to pay attention to the information included on a pattern and a few other details to determine if it’s right for you. In this post, we’ll look at measurements and types of ease.
Body Measurements vs Finished Garment Measurements
Most patterns provide two sets of measurements:
- Body measurements – These refer to your actual body size. Think of wrapping a tape measure snugly around your body: this is the size you’re measuring for.
- Finished garment measurements – These tell you how large the garment will be once it’s made.
Every pattern designer works from a standard dress form, which is their “ideal” body shape. This standard can vary significantly between designers, and it often differs from the sizing we find in ready-to-wear shops.
This is where many sewists go wrong: they rely on the size label rather than the actual measurements. For example, you might usually wear a size 12 in store-bought clothes, but for a particular pattern, your measurements might align more closely with a size 14 or 16. The key is to follow measurements, not sizes.
Taking Your Measurements
The first step is to measure yourself for the dimensions most relevant to the garment style:
- Shirts/blouses: bust, waist, hips
- Dresses: bust, waist, hips, nape-to-waist
- Pants/skirts: waist, hips, thigh, length
You may need some other measurements depending on your body shape and the style you’re making. Once you know how your body compares to the pattern’s standard, you can start considering any adjustments.
Understanding Ease
Once you’ve matched your measurements to a pattern, the next thing to understand is ease. Ease is the difference between your body measurements and the finished garment measurements. There are two types of ease:
- Wearing ease – This is the extra room in the garment that allows you to move comfortably. For example, a shirt or dress would need some wearing ease to sit properly over your bust, shoulders, or hips without feeling tight.
- Design ease – This is extra space added intentionally for style or silhouette. For instance, a loose, flowing dress or oversized jacket will have more design ease than a fitted pencil dress.
Most garments combine both types of ease. When looking at a pattern, checking both your measurements and the garment’s ease will help you decide whether the style will fit your body as intended—or if you need to make alterations.
Subjective Sizing
Ease is quite subjective, and you’ll often find that you can fit into about three different sizes: the smaller size for a snugger fit or less volume, and the larger size for a looser, more voluminous fit. Choosing between them often comes down to personal preference.
There are also some style details to consider. For example, a very loose, flowing blouse will almost certainly fit a larger size across the bust. However, if you size down, the armholes may become tighter, which might not match the overall style. A tight armhole can make the garment look smaller and may feel uncomfortable to wear.
Cross-Checking Sizes
It’s common to find that your measurements fall between sizes. For example, I often find that I’m a size larger on the bust than the hips, and sometimes two sizes larger on the waist. Knowing this allows me to make informed decisions about pattern alterations before I cut into my fabric.
Summary:
- Always measure your body rather than relying on size labels.
- Compare your measurements with the pattern’s chart.
- Understand wearing ease vs design ease.
- Decide on any alterations before cutting fabric.
Next time, we’ll explore pattern shapes and details—how features like darts, pleats, and seams affect fit and style.
