I know that they make larger sizes in other patterns but the reproduction patterns only tend to go up to a size 20 (34 inch waist) in the larger envelopes which is what I am commenting on in this video.
I’m literally making the reproduction right now. I’m plus size. A size 22 in RTW; I have about a 10 inch different between my waist and hip so I don’t expect zero alterations. HOWEVER…I have to add four sizes to the largest size on all their reproductions. It’s so annoying but honestly I expect to spend TIME grading. Like I’ll add an extra day just in case if I need it for something
Thank you for hating the top!! I'm a beginner sewer, and I loved making the shorts, but when it came to the top I just assumed I had done a terrible job - so pleased to hear that it's the top itself!
In all my sewing stores, I find the larger size pattern package in the same slot with the smaller sizes. I wear bigger sizes and have not had difficulty finding a pattern in the right size
Also, you probably needed to raise the armscye and do an ever so slight full bust adjustment to get the bodice to not raise with your arms. That would be my only thought on it.
Yup. Big 4 sizing is pretty messed up. When I was a ready-to-wear size 16/18 or 1X, I literally could not sew for myself using Big 4 patterns because they did not include a size to fit me.
I love the way you've done these!! The vintage top would often have a hack where you put a tightener in the back or have you loop bra straps through hoops in the back, but that's a mom secret
Loved this video it was extremely helpful. I'm a beginner at sewing and have only sewn repro patterns and always felt like I screwed up horribly when I finished 😫 Again, your video was Infinity helpful and I will be subscribing! (you should do this this with repro pattern simplicity 8932 and original simplicity 1302❤)
I remember back in my 20's, as I was slowly putting on weight, how the stores (one-by-one) no longer fit me. The struggle, she is real. I could do a post-colonial, post-modern, media-based breakdown of it all. But that's only been done a zillion times before. The short answer for 38FF me is trying to learn pattern drafting and full bust manipulations. Because the pattern & clothing choice in my size is, frankly, insulting. If I want something that will actually fit me I get to dive off the deep end of tailoring... been trying to teach myself sewing through the Covid... I love sewing, but fitting is hard. - Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown
I love the fact that you sewed both of them. The proof is in the pudding, and one might assume that the vintage would have been perfect all the way around. Excellent job. Next step, how to.saftey pin your shirt to your bra using original vintage techniques.
I just recently purchased a bunch of vintage reproduction patterns during the 99 cent sale. I have 32” waist I’m about a size 10 in stores and in all these patterns I’m an 18. They keep the small range and the larger range in separate envelopes and have a numbered letter to indicate which is which, like E5/H5. But this larger range only goes up to waist 41.5” so it’s not inclusive at all.
This particular one only goes up to a size 20 on the larger range packet. I know that some of the go up to 41.5 but I’ve noticed a lot of the repros only go up to that 34 inch waist.
Thanks for your comment on the waist measurements. I feel awful most of the times. I have a classic hourglass silhouette but I am curvy. Always was. After 2 pregnancys my waist grew to 41 inch. Still hourglass but oh well not good enough for big 4 patterns or vintage prints. Adding 4inches or more to a waistline after a full bust adjustment and what not is so endlessly frustrating. It takes long hours of working with a pattern until I get to sew
I read somewhere that they use to make the patterns “smaller” because then it would give the woman a better feeling about herself. I recently bought this repo pattern and I am scared to death just to cut it out. Everyone I watched has had trouble with this pattern!
The light blue blouse with the shawl collar that you're wearing for part of the video is gorgeous! Did you make it, and if so, which pattern did you use?
They do make larger sizes, you just have to buy a different envelope. I have no problem finding my size (usually my pattern size is 16 or 18) but if you were between the 12 and 14, it would be really frustrating.
Samantha, great video. Question: Will you make some pattern recommendation for me. I'm about to costume a show circa 1937-1939, and I'm wondering what patterns you've used that you found great! Thank you!!!!!!!!!
The shorts are so cute with the pleats, it's almost like a skirt. I don't know how to wear the top but if you raise the armscye at the underarm you'll have more range of arm movement without lifting the entire shirt. The waistband of the repro is silly. You can't have such a wide waistband without tapering it in toward the top or it will not stay put.
Aaaamen woman!! As a 30 in waist I always wonder who has a 40 in bust, 30 in waist and 39 in hips...most of us are pear or triangle shaped, and if you have a large bust you're less likely to have a 10 in difference. I'd rather have patterns with tops based on bust cup size alone than to have waist measurements determine the rest
About the top, there is a great video on threads magazine about increasing the movement of armholes. Since this pattern is or rather was intended for sporty events aka sportswear the bodice sloper should have been prepped for this before the company started modifying the bodice into this design. Being into pattern drafting lately I see this all the time with big 4 patterns.
Having English as my second language I always feel I`m obliged to know my spelling. It's arm scye or scythe, my lovely. You have it perfectly pronounced "arms eye". Subscription made!
Hi Samantha, I am very curious. Where is the dart on the skirt waistband? The fit on you, in the vintage pattern is superior to the reproduction one. I love the skirt pattern, but the top is a hot mess. The shorts are really cute. Were there any extra darts on the 1940's short pattern. Your fabric is so pretty, but I am unable to see the placement of the waist darts. Please may I ask you where they are? Best wishes Sally Adams
Yeah, I learned very early on to never, ever buy from the big 4. Thankfully, all of my sewing needs can either be self drafted (which is quickly becoming my go to as I’m too cheap to buy patterns, and both too lazy to tape patterns together, and too impatient to wait u til they’re shipped all the way to the bottom of the world), or I can use an Indie pattern company. I have a 34-38 inch waist, and a 52-54in bust (depending on my undergarments). To say that patterns are not made to fit me is an understatement. I can get big 4 patterns to fit my waist, but almost never my bust. My daughter, who is much smaller than I am, has an even more extreme hourglass, and so I have to tailor her school uniforms for her. We buy 3-4 sizes too big to fit the bust, and take absolutely everything else in. Plus, with big 4 their ease is all over the place. Is it going to be way too big, or way too small? No one knows! Thankfully, I do enjoy drafting my own patterns, and if it’s something a bit too complicated for me, there are indie pattern companies that actually sell my sizes (plural, because I still have to grade between sizes, no matter which company it is). I’m very thankful for books like Authentic Victorian Patterns, the American Duchess Guide, Keystone Guide, etc, that allow me to continue to draft my own patterns, even on the more complicated garments. Because if I had to rely purely on premise patterns (and only big 4 at that!), I’d have given up seeing almost as soon as I started. But of the pattern companies I do buy from, Black Snail is my favourite. Even if it does mean taping together many sheets of paper.
@@TuesdaysArt my best tip is to make a bodice block (or a few) using whatever foundations you would use for the style you’re drafting. So I make Victorian style patterns based on me in my corset, or more vintage style based on me in my longline bra. Bodice blocks are definitely your friend. They’re pretty easy to add to or change about, and you’ve always got that base there, that already fits you perfectly. I do the same for sleeves- have one basic sleeve block that I can trace, then change to whoever I need. I do need to redo all of mine, because I’ve lost a significant amount of weight, and nothing fits me anymore (which is not a bad problem to have). Bianca of The Closet Historian was who I learned from in order to make my blocks, and she also has great videos showing how to take those blocks and alter them to make whatever new pattern you desire. Other than that, if you’re interested in late Victorian stuff, there are drafting instructions you can access on archive (dot) org. I’ve used the Keystone guide to make a very good walking skirt (Bernadette Banner has a video on that one). For more medieval drafting, Morgan Donner has videos on creating your bodice pattern, and I used the Elizabethan bodies draft instructions to make a Tudor kirtle and overgown. That one is super easy, as you plug your measurements in and it gives you the exact instructions. Have fun!
There's a plus sized version of the pattern.(14-24) I made it for my wife last week. The problems I will highlight after making the top twice. If you don't add extra to the bottom part of the top...your bewbs will come out. About 1"-1 1/2" added to the bottom of the curve of the font ties AND and equal amount to the bottom of the back pieces. The skirt was relatively easy, but the front band took me awhile to figure out. The shorts....oh the shorts...Kinda the selling piece of this pattern set, and there's some problems in the sizing. I had to heavily modify a pair that I had already taken extra room into consideration. The sizing table w/ease is incorrect. It's like they forgot to take into account all the fabric loss from 10 pleats! All this said...If you know where, and how to modify this pattern for your body, it is a FABULOUS looking pattern!
Yes! I'm not even considered plus size in most off-the-rack fashions, but have over a 30 inch waist, like most American women. My 12-year-old CHILD has a 24 inch waist and she's TINY... like supermodel slim and tall.
UGH...I have the original pattern. There are no printed markings on the pattern Its just tissue paper with little punched holes so you know where darts are to be placed. Each piece has a stamped in letter so it can be identified . The pattern I have is a size 18 only ( that in itself is the exact size I need,...talk about luck) I have over 40 years of sewing experience and work as a seamstress. Fingers crossed that this works out.
I don't see this being talked about in the discussion here. Did you check the pattern pieces for the "finished garment measurements?" These are often found on the bust and waist area of the actual pattern piece but can also be found on the pattern envelope (depending on the company). These measurements include wearing ease and design ease. In other words, they are more than your body measurements. Wearing ease is how much is added to your body measurement in order for you to move comfortably. These measurements are often standardized. Design ease is how much is added to make the garment drape on the figure to achieve a desired designed. The finished garment measurements equal body measurement + wearing ease + design ease. These are important and can often effect the size you should cut. Also, many find a better fit when they select the bust size using the high bust measurement. Good luck!
As a plus sized sewist, thank you for acknowledging that the Big 4 suck at inclusivity. Even when I get a plus size pattern, I have to make so many changes that it just makes more sense to order an independent pattern that has a plus size block.
Maybe you're not supposed to wear a bra with the top? Bra or no, the fault seems to be in the armscye. They're too deep and when you raise your arms, the rest of the top goes with them.
I know that they make larger sizes in other patterns but the reproduction patterns only tend to go up to a size 20 (34 inch waist) in the larger envelopes which is what I am commenting on in this video.
We learn to grade up.
I’m literally making the reproduction right now. I’m plus size. A size 22 in RTW; I have about a 10 inch different between my waist and hip so I don’t expect zero alterations. HOWEVER…I have to add four sizes to the largest size on all their reproductions. It’s so annoying but honestly I expect to spend TIME grading. Like I’ll add an extra day just in case if I need it for something
Even the larger sizes don't go up to 44inches. They usually stop at 41inches and the plus size patterns are few and basically potato sacks
I know you don’t like the top but the vintage top and shorts are just adorable on you. I love them.
Thank you for hating the top!! I'm a beginner sewer, and I loved making the shorts, but when it came to the top I just assumed I had done a terrible job - so pleased to hear that it's the top itself!
Good for you for getting it done though!
I was about to comment how I love your videos and am looking forward to her interpretation 🤟🏻
In all my sewing stores, I find the larger size pattern package in the same slot with the smaller sizes. I wear bigger sizes and have not had difficulty finding a pattern in the right size
Love you are taking Stephanies comparing one step further gives even a better understanding on the differensies
I have a few of the reproduction patterns in the larger sizes. Love how the vintage one came out on you!!
Also, you probably needed to raise the armscye and do an ever so slight full bust adjustment to get the bodice to not raise with your arms. That would be my only thought on it.
Yup. Big 4 sizing is pretty messed up. When I was a ready-to-wear size 16/18 or 1X, I literally could not sew for myself using Big 4 patterns because they did not include a size to fit me.
I love the way you've done these!! The vintage top would often have a hack where you put a tightener in the back or have you loop bra straps through hoops in the back, but that's a mom secret
Loved this video it was extremely helpful. I'm a beginner at sewing and have only sewn repro patterns and always felt like I screwed up horribly when I finished 😫 Again, your video was Infinity helpful and I will be subscribing!
(you should do this this with repro pattern simplicity 8932 and original simplicity 1302❤)
I remember back in my 20's, as I was slowly putting on weight, how the stores (one-by-one) no longer fit me. The struggle, she is real. I could do a post-colonial, post-modern, media-based breakdown of it all. But that's only been done a zillion times before.
The short answer for 38FF me is trying to learn pattern drafting and full bust manipulations. Because the pattern & clothing choice in my size is, frankly, insulting. If I want something that will actually fit me I get to dive off the deep end of tailoring... been trying to teach myself sewing through the Covid... I love sewing, but fitting is hard.
- Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown
I love the fact that you sewed both of them. The proof is in the pudding, and one might assume that the vintage would have been perfect all the way around. Excellent job. Next step, how to.saftey pin your shirt to your bra using original vintage techniques.
This was very informative. I just started my sewing journey and I am plus size. I don't have alot of luck.
I just recently purchased a bunch of vintage reproduction patterns during the 99 cent sale. I have 32” waist I’m about a size 10 in stores and in all these patterns I’m an 18. They keep the small range and the larger range in separate envelopes and have a numbered letter to indicate which is which, like E5/H5. But this larger range only goes up to waist 41.5” so it’s not inclusive at all.
This particular one only goes up to a size 20 on the larger range packet. I know that some of the go up to 41.5 but I’ve noticed a lot of the repros only go up to that 34 inch waist.
@@Samanthasnow34 inch?! What are they thinking, do they want to further the myth that vintage is only for thin people? 😞
Thanks for your comment on the waist measurements. I feel awful most of the times. I have a classic hourglass silhouette but I am curvy. Always was. After 2 pregnancys my waist grew to 41 inch. Still hourglass but oh well not good enough for big 4 patterns or vintage prints. Adding 4inches or more to a waistline after a full bust adjustment and what not is so endlessly frustrating. It takes long hours of working with a pattern until I get to sew
Very interesting and informative, thank you!
Please try this again with a different pattern! It's so interesting
I love the shorts but the sizes you mentioned the patterns come in, wouldn't fit my over-30"-waist. 😖
I read somewhere that they use to make the patterns “smaller” because then it would give the woman a better feeling about herself. I recently bought this repo pattern and I am scared to death just to cut it out. Everyone I watched has had trouble with this pattern!
I'm not considered plus sized. I'm a large (maybe x-large depending) and struggle to fathom why I have to cut the largest size on Big 4 or 5 pattern.
Original pattern looks great on you.
The light blue blouse with the shawl collar that you're wearing for part of the video is gorgeous! Did you make it, and if so, which pattern did you use?
They do make larger sizes, you just have to buy a different envelope. I have no problem finding my size (usually my pattern size is 16 or 18) but if you were between the 12 and 14, it would be really frustrating.
Samantha, great video. Question: Will you make some pattern recommendation for me. I'm about to costume a show circa 1937-1939, and I'm wondering what patterns you've used that you found great! Thank you!!!!!!!!!
The shorts are so cute with the pleats, it's almost like a skirt. I don't know how to wear the top but if you raise the armscye at the underarm you'll have more range of arm movement without lifting the entire shirt. The waistband of the repro is silly. You can't have such a wide waistband without tapering it in toward the top or it will not stay put.
Aaaamen woman!! As a 30 in waist I always wonder who has a 40 in bust, 30 in waist and 39 in hips...most of us are pear or triangle shaped, and if you have a large bust you're less likely to have a 10 in difference. I'd rather have patterns with tops based on bust cup size alone than to have waist measurements determine the rest
About the top, there is a great video on threads magazine about increasing the movement of armholes. Since this pattern is or rather was intended for sporty events aka sportswear the bodice sloper should have been prepped for this before the company started modifying the bodice into this design. Being into pattern drafting lately I see this all the time with big 4 patterns.
Having English as my second language I always feel I`m obliged to know my spelling. It's arm scye or scythe, my lovely. You have it perfectly pronounced "arms eye". Subscription made!
Hi Samantha, I am very curious. Where is the dart on the skirt waistband? The fit on you, in the vintage pattern is superior to the reproduction one. I love the skirt pattern, but the top is a hot mess. The shorts are really cute. Were there any extra darts on the 1940's short pattern. Your fabric is so pretty, but I am unable to see the placement of the waist darts. Please may I ask you where they are? Best wishes Sally Adams
There is a diamond shaped dart where the side seam would be on the opposite side from the zipper
Aaah thank you, very clever!
Yeah, I learned very early on to never, ever buy from the big 4. Thankfully, all of my sewing needs can either be self drafted (which is quickly becoming my go to as I’m too cheap to buy patterns, and both too lazy to tape patterns together, and too impatient to wait u til they’re shipped all the way to the bottom of the world), or I can use an Indie pattern company. I have a 34-38 inch waist, and a 52-54in bust (depending on my undergarments). To say that patterns are not made to fit me is an understatement. I can get big 4 patterns to fit my waist, but almost never my bust. My daughter, who is much smaller than I am, has an even more extreme hourglass, and so I have to tailor her school uniforms for her. We buy 3-4 sizes too big to fit the bust, and take absolutely everything else in.
Plus, with big 4 their ease is all over the place. Is it going to be way too big, or way too small? No one knows! Thankfully, I do enjoy drafting my own patterns, and if it’s something a bit too complicated for me, there are indie pattern companies that actually sell my sizes (plural, because I still have to grade between sizes, no matter which company it is). I’m very thankful for books like Authentic Victorian Patterns, the American Duchess Guide, Keystone Guide, etc, that allow me to continue to draft my own patterns, even on the more complicated garments. Because if I had to rely purely on premise patterns (and only big 4 at that!), I’d have given up seeing almost as soon as I started. But of the pattern companies I do buy from, Black Snail is my favourite. Even if it does mean taping together many sheets of paper.
Ooo...do you have any tips for drafting patterns? I'm a bit of a cheapskate myself.
@@TuesdaysArt my best tip is to make a bodice block (or a few) using whatever foundations you would use for the style you’re drafting. So I make Victorian style patterns based on me in my corset, or more vintage style based on me in my longline bra. Bodice blocks are definitely your friend. They’re pretty easy to add to or change about, and you’ve always got that base there, that already fits you perfectly. I do the same for sleeves- have one basic sleeve block that I can trace, then change to whoever I need. I do need to redo all of mine, because I’ve lost a significant amount of weight, and nothing fits me anymore (which is not a bad problem to have).
Bianca of The Closet Historian was who I learned from in order to make my blocks, and she also has great videos showing how to take those blocks and alter them to make whatever new pattern you desire.
Other than that, if you’re interested in late Victorian stuff, there are drafting instructions you can access on archive (dot) org. I’ve used the Keystone guide to make a very good walking skirt (Bernadette Banner has a video on that one). For more medieval drafting, Morgan Donner has videos on creating your bodice pattern, and I used the Elizabethan bodies draft instructions to make a Tudor kirtle and overgown. That one is super easy, as you plug your measurements in and it gives you the exact instructions.
Have fun!
There's a plus sized version of the pattern.(14-24) I made it for my wife last week. The problems I will highlight after making the top twice. If you don't add extra to the bottom part of the top...your bewbs will come out. About 1"-1 1/2" added to the bottom of the curve of the font ties AND and equal amount to the bottom of the back pieces. The skirt was relatively easy, but the front band took me awhile to figure out. The shorts....oh the shorts...Kinda the selling piece of this pattern set, and there's some problems in the sizing. I had to heavily modify a pair that I had already taken extra room into consideration. The sizing table w/ease is incorrect. It's like they forgot to take into account all the fabric loss from 10 pleats! All this said...If you know where, and how to modify this pattern for your body, it is a FABULOUS looking pattern!
Yes! I'm not even considered plus size in most off-the-rack fashions, but have over a 30 inch waist, like most American women. My 12-year-old CHILD has a 24 inch waist and she's TINY... like supermodel slim and tall.
UGH...I have the original pattern. There are no printed markings on the pattern Its just tissue paper with little punched holes so you know where darts are to be placed. Each piece has a stamped in letter so it can be identified . The pattern I have is a size 18 only ( that in itself is the exact size I need,...talk about luck) I have over 40 years of sewing experience and work as a seamstress. Fingers crossed that this works out.
I've sewed many patterns, new and vintage. Some of them just don't work. P.S. armscye
I don't see this being talked about in the discussion here. Did you check the pattern pieces for the "finished garment measurements?" These are often found on the bust and waist area of the actual pattern piece but can also be found on the pattern envelope (depending on the company). These measurements include wearing ease and design ease. In other words, they are more than your body measurements. Wearing ease is how much is added to your body measurement in order for you to move comfortably. These measurements are often standardized. Design ease is how much is added to make the garment drape on the figure to achieve a desired designed. The finished garment measurements equal body measurement + wearing ease + design ease. These are important and can often effect the size you should cut. Also, many find a better fit when they select the bust size using the high bust measurement. Good luck!
As a plus sized sewist, thank you for acknowledging that the Big 4 suck at inclusivity. Even when I get a plus size pattern, I have to make so many changes that it just makes more sense to order an independent pattern that has a plus size block.
for the vintage top issue, did u try wearing a bra w/ the retro shape (pointy) as opposed to the current shape?
I was wondering if it was meant to wear a bullet bra, like the Katie Did kind.
Maybe you're not supposed to wear a bra with the top?
Bra or no, the fault seems to be in the armscye. They're too deep and when you raise your arms, the rest of the top goes with them.
Very annoying background music!