How to choose your correct pattern size for skirts or Trousers.

The most important thing to remember about sewing from Commercial patterns is that the sizing is VERY DIFFERENT to High street ready to wear sizes. Generally pattern sizes are about 2 sizes smaller than British High Street sizing.The only way you can get good fitting clothes from a pattern is to compare your own body measurements with the size chart provided on the pattern.

To get a really good fit, you need to look at the pattern sizing in 2 steps.

Step 1- will help you buy the correct pattern pack. Patterns are often sold in 2 size ranges, so you want to make sure you’ve selected the right one!

  • For trousersor agarment for your lower body, you’ll be basing the size selectionon your hip measurement. You will then blend from the hips to your waist size. This means the trousers will fit your frame, and you’ll be either adding or taking away at the waistline. The last 2 columns on the first chart refer to the pattern size closest to each of your body measures, and this will help you easily draw between pattern sizes.

For example- you may be closest to a 8 at the waist and a 12 on the hip, as in my example below. I’ve filled out the second chart with your own measures

Chart 1- Basic pattern size

My measurements / Closest pattern size to my measures
Waist / Hips
WAIST / 25 1/2 / 8
HIP / 40 / 12
My measurements / Closest pattern size to my measures
Waist / Hips
WAIST / 29 / 12
HIP / 38 / 10

Step 2-Understanding “ease” and using Finished garment measures to fine tune your fit and size selection.

  • The most important bit of fine-tuning to will think about when choosing a size is the amount of “Design Ease” that’s been allowed in a pattern. This involves using the finished garment measurement chart on the project page, and is essential for trousers.
  • All clothes need “Wearing Ease”! If you cut trousers to exactly the same size as your body measures, then it’s impossible to breathe or walk! You need all your clothes to be a little bigger than you, so they’re comfortable to wear. I’ve added the minimum ease in Chart 2 below
  • “Design Ease” is the amount of extra fabric in the garment over and above your own body measurements. If you compare your actual measures plus wearing ease with the finished garment measures for each pattern you use, you’llbe able to see how fitted or baggy the garment will be. You can choose to go up a size if the pattern has come up tight, or down a size if the pattern seems very loose. The capri trousers were cut on a different mannequin than the other gbsb patterns, as it was a leg mannequin, and they are a close fit.

Chart 2-Finished garment measures to fine tune size

Your measurements plus “Wearing ease” / Finished garment measures
( found on capri trouser project page)
8 / 10 / 12 / 14 / 16 / 18 / 20
Waist + 1.5” / 31.5 / 30 3/4 / 32 3/4 / 34 3/4 / 36 3/4 / 39 / 41 1/2 / 43 3/4
HIP +2-2.5 “ / 40.5 / 37 / 39 / 41 / 43 / 45 1/4 / 47 3/4 / 50

Based on your measurements, I’d suggest cutting half way between an 8 and a 10 at the waist, and a 12 at the hip. Looking at your photo, The legs may need to be slimmed down to a 10 from above the knee, fit that area before you finish trousers

How to measure yourself.

  • Wear close fitting clothes like a vest top and tights, or underwear.
  • Put your hands between your hip bone and rib cage and bend from side to side, This will help you find your natural waist. Most fashion dictates that clothes rarely sit right on the natural waist,But all patterns have been cut from this measurement unless they state otherwise.
  • Make sure the tape measure is snug. Too tight or too loose and you’ll get the wrong size.
  • When you take the measurements, keep the tape measure horizontal, and try and look straight ahead, so you don’t bend forward

Full bust- this is taken around the fullest part of your bust

Waist- this is your natural waist measurement, and is taken at the position of the elastic you tied around your waist

Hips-take this around the fullest part of your bum

These are the main measurements you’ll need to determine pattern size.

Use your experience of clothes shopping to help you get a good pattern size. Few of us are exactly the same size as thestandard pattern sizing. If you always have to alter the hips to get the waist to fit well when you buy a skirt, then chance are you’re an apple shape and in between sizes. If your Ready To Wear trousers fit perfectly at the hips but gap at the waist then you’re a pear shape. Common to both of these figure issues is that you’re between sizes. Don’t worry, most of us are!

The beauty of dressmaking is that you can blend a pattern between several sizes to get a custom fit!

EG-If you always need to shorten your skirts before you can wear them then you’ll need try checking the finished length measurement of your favourite skirt against the pattern pieces, and shorten the pattern to match. Likewise if you know you’ve got long legs then you may need to lengthen the pattern pieces.

By altering the pattern pieces before you even lay them on the fabric, you are already making a unique pattern piece tailored just for you

Blending between pattern sizes.

Most of us need to blend several pattern sizes to get a good fit. Let’s say your hip measure is close to 14, but you’re 10 at the waist. Trace the fullest size (14) from the hipline down. Then using a curved ruler draw a new shaped line from the hips to the waist. Your traced pattern is now tailored to your own unique body measures.