This is part of a week-long Tips & Tricks series for National Sewing Month. Don’t forget to enter the Grand Prize Giveaway!
We all need clothes that fit well in order to dress for success in our everyday lives. Thankfully, sewists can make clothes to fit their exact measurements.
This eliminates the pulling, stretching, pinching, bagginess, and unflattering silhouettes from store-bought, factory-sized clothing. (After all, you weren’t made in a factory!) If you know how to sew for your body, every outfit is tailor-made.
It can be challenging to sew for a curvy body type when many sewing patterns call for straight lines. But never fear! With the tips we’ve gathered here, you can make more informed decisions on cut and style before you start a sewing project.
How to Sew for Your Body
1. Measure yourself
Before you start on any clothing pattern for yourself, know your current measurements for bust, waist and hips. This means busting out the tape measure and making notes of your measurements for reference.
Check out this guide on how to take body measurements. Keep in mind that for women, size can fluctuate throughout the month, so you may want to give your garments a little breathing room.
Learn how to cut a pattern in your size.
2. Know the best styles for your shape
Garments tend to come in the same basic styles, and knowing which styles flatter your body eliminates the guesswork.
3. Know the best fabrics for you
Once you know the shape of the garment you’re making, take the fabric into consideration. Would a stretchy fabric make the cut more flattering, or would you want a less clingy fabric?
Mid-weight cottons are a great option for most sewing patterns but you might want to consider a knit fabric or something with more weight, depending on how you want the garment to fit.
4. Tailor as necessary
Even if you aren’t into making your own clothes, it’s handy to know how to tailor clothes to your shape. Here’s a list of common adjustments you might need to make:
How to Enter Our Grand Prize Giveaway
To celebrate National Sewing Month, we’re giving away a GRAND PRIZE: this BERNINA 215 Simply Red valued at $999! Enter to win on AllFreeSewing.com.
Gain extra entries for our grand prize by commenting on our daily National Sewing Month blog posts here on Seams & Scissors. Comment your answer to our question below for an extra entry!
Contest Rules:
- Commenting on this page will enter you to win the prize. Duplicate comments will be deleted and are not tallied.
- The winner will be selected at random from the comments on this page and entries on AllFreeSewing.com.
- You have until September 30th, 2016 at 11:59 CST to leave your comment on this post. Comments after that will not be counted.
- Contest is open to anyone 18+ in the US and Canada. Void in Puerto Rico, the Province of Quebec and where prohibited.
- The winner will be contacted by the e-mail address provided in their account.
Today’s Question: What are your sizing tips?
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