It’s day 3 of the Patti Pocket Skirt Sewalong and today we are talking all about fit & sizing. Selecting the right size and making the appropriate fit adjustments are essential parts of making a successful handmade garment.
CHOOSING A SIZE:
Step 1 of choosing the correct size to cut and sew is knowing your exact body measurements. Most practicing sewists will know their measurements off the top of their heads. But if you are new to the game, or haven’t made anything for yourself in a while you might not be sure. If that sounds like you, be sure to watch the video below to help you get your proper bust, waist and hip measurements. For this pattern we will only need your waist and hip, but it always helps to know all three for future use. I recommend taking your measurements while wearing undergarments that you would typically wear under the garment you are sewing.
With most patterns, you will notice there are two size charts in the booklet. One for body measurements, which lists exact measurements of the body. Another for finished measurements, which lists the measurements of the finished garment where it hits each part of the body. This is because most patterns include some form of ease. Ease is extra room drafted into a pattern to allow for breath and movement or to add shape and volume. Unless of course you are sewing something like a swimsuit which will have negative ease to make sure the suit clings to your body appropriately. In our case we are working with positive ease. Any time I make a new pattern I always look at the finished measurements over the body measurements. This gives you a lot of information about how the pattern is intended to fit, and whether or not you want to size up or down depending on how you like your garments to fit.
Compare the size chart below to your own body measurements and decide which size you need to cut.
IN BETWEEN SIZES:
Lets face it, no size chart will be perfectly proportioned to fit every single body. Again, we don’t need bust measurements for this pattern, but you will notice that my size chart is geared to a slightly more pear-shaped figure, where the waist and hip are of “standard” proportion to one another but the bust is slightly smaller.
For this pattern we are focusing on the waist and hips. It is very likely that you will find you are in between sizes. For example, your waist is a size 6 but your hips are a size 8 or vice versa. Don’t worry! You are normal and this is completely common. Any time this happens I recommend taking a look at the pattern and deciding what the essential measurement for that pattern is. In this case, the essential measurement is the waist. The waist needs to fit properly for the skirt to sit where it’s supposed to. The hips are secondary as the skirt is quite full and will fall over the hips regardless. If you are in between sizes, cut the size that correlates appropriately with your waist measurement.
With some patterns (i.e. a fitted sheath dress) you will find that you have more than one essential measurement. In this case you would want to blend between sizes on the pattern before cutting out your garment. Often the instructions or sewalong for that pattern would guide you in doing so. For the Patti Pocket Skirt however this technique won’t be necessary. Simply choose the size according to your waist measurement and you should be good to go. Don’t hesitate to shoot me a message if you have any questions about this!
FIT ADJUSTMENTS:
One common fit adjustment that many will need to make for this pattern is adjusting for height. Whether its a general preference (i.e. you want a knee length skirt like many of my testers made) or your are taller in general. Amy Nicole Patterns are drafted for petites, so if you are 5’4” or under you will probably find that no height adjustment is necessary. However if you are 5’4” or above you may want to add length to your skirt, especially if you are sewing the short version. However, no matter how you are adjusting the length be sure to do so using the lengthen/shorten guidelines on the pattern. Do not add length to the bottom of the skirt or your hem facings will not fit correctly. Unless of course you decide to opt out of the hem facings and do a simple turned hem. With sturdier fabrics I definitely recommend keeping the hem facings as they give the hem great body & stability.
For help with adding length to your pattern, watch this video:
Join me tomorrow for some fun ways to customize your Patti Pocket Skirt.
Happy Patti Pocket Sewing!
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