Possibly the single biggest roadblock that I think
all of us face when we are learning to sew our own clothes
is the point where you start to realize and you think,
Why does sewing patterns never seem to fit right? In this video
let's talk about all of the things that you need to know or levels
of understanding and skill that goes into learning
how to pick the right sewing patterns size.
So you can just shortcut that learning curve and get to the point
where you can learn to sew clothes that fit.
We have been on a beginner sewing clothes garment
journey here on this YouTube channel for a little while now.
And well, if we are just meeting for the first time, welcome.
My name is Evelyn Wood and I'm the creator of VintageSewingSchool.com
and as I said, we were all about garment sewing and have been on a starting
from the very start.
All the things that hit us on our sewing journey, the roadblocks ahead.
So if you haven't subscribed already,
do hit the subscribe button because there is more.
Be good videos coming up about this topic and well,
these are all things that we face and I know.
So one of the biggest, as I already said, is
the sewing patterns size, how to pick the right size.
They never seem to fit. What's the secret?
It is not a secret so much as well.
Let's look at it this way.
Let's start from the very, very start.
Where we come to and each of these points think of as, like,
a little learning lesson or a aha moment where each time you kind of learn
more like a higher skill level at being able to choose a better size.
And each one you get to, there's there's always like one more ahead, right?
And you just keep going, going and you get to the end and you realize how
you can actually start learning to sew patterns that fit you.
And let's condense it all so you can just get to that end part
and not take a very, very long time to learn like.
Let's make this a shortcut for you.
So do think of each of these points as a whole other like video lesson topics
that you can dive into to learn more, We'll just keep it
quite sequential and succinct for this particular video.
And remember, even when we get to the end of,
you know, what you're supposed to look for, right?
No one paints the Mona Lisa straight up, even if you have all the directions
and all of that. Right.
It takes skill and learning the same thing,
even when you know what you're supposed to do.
It takes skill and learning to be able to say the clothes that fit.
And that is the art that we call the the upshot of sewing clothes.
Okay, Let's start from the very, very start.
This is what I call the beginner category.
When you pick up a pattern and know absolutely nothing about sewing
ever before, why a sewing pattern sight?
Like why some patterns don't fit is the first reason is usually because.
So pattern sizes have nothing to do
with our clothing size or ready to wear that we buy in the shop.
These numbers on the back of here are just that random numbers
that don't mean anything compared to what we're used to.
It's like seeing numbers on our clothing and maybe you know already,
but from now, as a soloist, as a home soloist, that's here,
we only go by body measurements.
So whatever number you think, that size clothing that you wore before,
I want you to take that number.
You scrunch it up and throw it in the bin.
And we only use our body measurements from now.
So let's say you already know that.
No, The next reason I think that why they don't do it properly
is that we assume that
just because we've made it ourselves that it's going to fit.
Let me explain.
When you go into a store and you pick a size whatever
your number was or whatever, you know, it tells you to make 5
to 10 garments in of that size that it's supposed to fit you, right?
Of course.
Then you try them on and maybe find one that actually fits you
the way that you like.
And it's kind of the same with sewing patterns as in
all of these are just like random sizes, different manufacturers of made,
and they're all going to be slightly different
and, you know, we can't just assume that we make it up.
This one's really obvious, but I think we don't realize
until we make one and then we think,
Oh yeah, well, of course, why would it just magically fit me?
I know I used to think this one too,
and it was a big realization to kind of think, Oh yeah, I get it.
A size ten is completely different in, you know, if you picked up
20 random size ten garments, you'd have to try them all one to figure it out.
The only problem is we don't want to make up all of them too.
Then try them on to figure it all out.
And of course, this is where we're headed. We don't want to do that.
All right.
The next category,
I think once we have all that under our belt,
the next stage is kind of our learning stage.
We've got all that covered, all that stuff.
The next thing I think we really learn into why pattern sizes
don't fit properly or patterns don't fit is this thing called ease?
Yeah, if you know about it already, you know what I mean?
So briefly and I have made other videos on these before
and yeah, so I'm going to link all those down below for more.
But ease is a room in the garment for either different things.
And so and I'll get to more of that in a minute.
But generally I know you might have experienced this.
I know I did so much you might make up a size
that you've measured your body and you've gone off the chart
and sewn up the correct one that they've recommended for you.
But it's like a size or two too big, right?
That's called ease.
And we'll get to more onto
why all that happens in a minute as we go through each of these.
But yeah, when you start learning the world of ease,
you kind of it really starts opening up and this is why we're learning, right?
And so with ease, there are two different types.
There is ease for movement or body like that.
For fitting is often called fitting ease.
And this is because the garment just needs to be slightly bigger
than your body, otherwise you wouldn't be able to move at all.
Right?
So it needs to be the actual garment needs to be slightly bigger
to actually, you know, allow for movement and fit.
Then there's the other kind of ease that is design ease, meaning
that is just part of the design, the esthetic of the garment
and so the next thing we understand is that we can use
design ease to our advantage.
Let me explain this one.
So design ease is, of course, extra room in the fabric.
And now my shape in particular, my body shape is a pear shape.
So I am quite small through the waist and large like two sizes
at least bigger ways in proportion through my hips.
And so, as you might have mentioned, I have never, ever tried on a pencil skirt
out of the box, straight off the envelope without alterations that has ever fit.
I've never it never happened because that's my shape.
I can use design, ease to my advantage
to get a better fit by, for example,
a fitted circle skirt like this.
My body is set like this size. Right?
But this skirt is this measurement through the hip.
There's so much extra room and so I can use this to my advantage
by just going off the size of the waist
because the extra design is in the hips.
There is lots there that takes up my body shape.
Yeah, you get it right?
Because just like I said,
I can't expect to go into a store and have a pencil skirt fit.
So why would a pencil skirt fit from a patent?
Just because I've made it Choose the same sorts of styles of garments
that fit you naturally,
like in my case and A-line or Circle skirt with that extra room in the hip.
And it will make choosing the right size
and fitting easier because you won't have to as much.
And I know what you're thinking.
You're trying to make clothes
because you want to make all the clothes that you can't buy in the store.
I know, I know.
And you will absolutely get there and be able to do all that, too.
But to begin with, to start as you're learning,
make it easy for yourself and you can choose.
Use that design is to your advantage for your shape, your personal body shape.
The next point in this category is that the
body measurements, the size
recommended for your body measurements on the back of the envelope here
is only what the manufacturer that company, that brand suggest.
It's their version of how that garment should fit you, how tight it
is, for example, not how tight you want to wear it.
For example,
as I was talking about before, when we sew up garments,
they're often a size or two, even too big for us.
This is easy, but this is because the company from that pattern,
they have decided that the garment should fit about that big.
But of course, if it's a nice like fifties style dress right,
you probably want it quite fitted and contoured
because that's our modern esthetic and that's how we want things to fit.
So yeah, yeah.
Realizing and understanding this is of course
when the clouds start to pop and the light starts shining in
and we hit the next level, which is where we realize
this is the way that we need to look at finding pattern sizes that fit us.
Is this thing called body measurements, this
finished garment measurements.
Now, I will be making a video next week
in depth all about this and how you can use this better.
So, you know, if you haven't already, do hit that subscribe button
because that's coming up next week.
But briefly, body measurements are exactly as you might think.
What we measure around our body, how big our body is,
the finished garment measurements are exactly that.
What the garment measures when it's finished
and understanding this and being able to use this information
is the key, absolute key
to how then you can choose the best pattern sizes
for you and start learning to then fit and choose appropriately.
Because from here this is where you learn to measure the actual pattern pieces
inside here to figure out what the finished garment measurements will be.
Yourself.
Sometimes they tell you on the envelope, but not really, not very often.
And we'll talk more about that next week.
But you can learn your self to measure.
So, you know, any any, any pattern anywhere bust, waist, hip
any measurement, you can learn to do that yourself
and then learn how much is you want the garment to have.
Right.
And this is when the world of actually fitting and choosing the right sizes
actually, I think like opens up and you can really start learning
and making great things if you just thinking,
yes, this is what I need to learn.
This is exactly what I do at Vintage Sewing School.
Vintage Sewing School is my online school where I teach, not vintage sewing.
So to say, is in vintage patterns.
It has nothing to do with vintage designs.
It is the vintage skills.
Just like we've been talking the average dress maker that that picked up
this pattern from 1953 knew all this stuff already.
It was just like common knowledge, right?
Whereas it's not now. Right.
Where is all that?
That's what I do is bridging the gap of all those skills needed.
We go step by step in learning the fundamentals of altering your patterns
so that you're not just like Frankenstein ing it together,
that the patterns actually match up and how to measure them.
Find out this finished garment body measurement, how to make adjustments
as a pattern library of all the major adjustments
that we need to do for fittings so that you can like step by step
not only how to identify it and know if it's exactly what you need
and of course tutorials and how to do all of those common
adjustments, how to use 12 and mock ups to actually decipher and learn
where and what and how much you need to fit these patterns to your body.
I've got it all covered in step by step 24
seven Access online, so you can look at it any time when you need it, right?
So you know, when you're halfway
through a project at midnight and you need to know. Yeah.
So it's all available.
I would absolutely love to invite you to join me there, a vintage sewing school,
because I really think I've made it to be the shortcut, right?
As all that assumes knowledge in one place
where you can search it and find it when you need it.
So you can just get on with sewing and have far less frustration and,
you know, maybe spare some tears there when you can't figure things out.
That's what I've got to do for vintage sewing school.
I'm going to leave a link down in the description box,
so just click the little link down below, open up the box, and it's a dropdown menu
for the description to see more and you'll find a link there
because at the end of all of this, the major realization, of course, is that
patterns are just the starting point.
These are designed as the starting point and they are meant to be altered to fit.
There is no one size fits all and that is where,
oh yeah, that's where we can actually start learning
to better choose those the right pattern size straight up.
When we look at all the things we've talked about right?
So when you know how to measure your body, you know how to use design
is to your advantage for your body shape.
When you know the difference between finished
garment measurements and body measurements and start
using that and the ease in there to better choose the right size.
And then, of course, altering patterns beyond that,
that is what they are meant and designed to be for.
And knowing all this, you have just shortened your journey
because now you actually know where you're headed, right?
You know what to aim for in choosing these sewing patterns, sizes and to fit.
I know this was a lot for this little video, but it is a really big topic
and I know it's one that you can often really get stuck on is pattern sizing.
But it's not impossible.
It's just that, well, it takes someone to tell you
these kinds of things because it's not really, say, intuitive and well,
like I said at the start, fitting I class as the art of dress making.
That's very, very recreating here. That's what we're doing.
I would love to hear from you down below.
What has been your biggest takeaway from this video?
What is the biggest aha moment that you had through the little list here?
Or maybe even better, leave a little story of your real life
Aha moment when you learned different levels of the fitting stages.
I'd love to hear it,
so leave that down in the comments below and I look forward to seeing you
next time. And until then, happy sewing, bye.