I love fashion. I love seeing what’s new in the shops and what’s trending on runways. But what I don’t like is that there are very few designers or stores where I can walk in and get a great fitting item of clothing.
My body does not conform to the ‘standard’ sizing, with its long torso and plump 40+ year old body shape.
In an ‘ideal’ world, I would fit perfectly into Balenciaga circa the Nicolas Ghesquiere era. Maybe even Balmain too, specifically their rock chic era.
But let’s keep it real – the only people who can actually – and comfortably – fit into those designs are young women with far less curves than me.
And this is one of the reasons I went to fashion school and learned how to make my own sewing patterns.
Now, I’m not saying you should go to fashion school… mine was an extreme response to bad clothing options. But I am saying you should be drafting your own sewing patterns, and here are three reasons why!
Get A Better Fit
I’ve yet to meet someone who doesn’t complain about the poor fit of shop bought clothing. We all long for clothes that fit us well and drafting your own patterns using accurate body measurements and a little ease thrown in means that you will be in a better position to make your own clothes that fit.
The resulting sloper – also known as a block – is something you can then hack away into new designs as much as your heart desires, knowing that unless you make a wrong calculation, the resulting hacked pattern will be a good fit out the box.
Better Fabric Choice
Sometimes, I pop into stores to see what’s ‘hot’. Occasionally I’ll take a few things to the fitting room to see how certain styles look on my body. Invariably those items go back onto the discard rail and I leave the store. Why? Because of the fabric choice.
Not only do we have to deal with bad fit in fashion, but there’s also nasty fabrics too.
I am super particular about the type of fabrics and fiber content that I wear. I strongly dislike polyester. In the summer heat it sticks to my body and makes me hot and sweaty in a yucky way. Why would I willingly pay money to inflict that feeling on myself?
I also think about the fiber content based on sustainability issues and by making my own sewing patterns, I can create them based on my preferred fabric options.
I’ve been known to make a denim jacket pattern up in a heavy weight denim one year to a silk organza the next. A variety of fabric options means that any one pattern that we make can be used with a variety of fabrics for a brand new ‘look’ every time. Win!
Creative Design
Which leads nicely into creative design. When I have my own sewing patterns, which fit me rather nicely, I can develop – often referred to as hacking – them into new designs for more creative and unique clothes.
Long gone are the days when I would walk down the street and see someone else wearing exactly the same outfit – or even piece of clothing! – as me!
If I like oversized side seam pockets in my skirts rather than an ‘afterthought’ pocket found in ready to wear? I can just cut them out and add them in.
Making my own sewing patterns allows me to really play around with style lines, fabric suppression, proportion and other fashion design elements to really create a garment that is unique to me while reflecting my own personal style.
So, will you be learning how to make your own sewing patterns? I have some amazing free pattern making resources if this sounds like fun to you, including:
Let me know how you get on, I’d love to see any projects you make using my pattern making tutorials!