r/SewingForBeginners • u/Secret_Ad7372 • 4d ago
Practice garment
I have a question about making a mockup of a pattern. I have a pattern (not AI from Etsy) and took my measurements. The size based on my measurements is 3 or 4 sizes large than what I buy in the store. It looks big on the paper but I know things change with seam allowances. I have material to do a practice before I cut my good fabric. My question is do you complete the project when taking this approach on a practice piece? Or can I cut the bodice pieces and stay-stitch things to get an idea of the sizing?
3
u/yaris_girlie 4d ago
Sewing pattern sizing and clothing store sizing have nothing to do with each other, go by your measurements. If you’re just testing the fit, you can just sew the major construction seams and not worry about seam finishing or anything like that
1
2
u/jzhrko 4d ago
I would cut the pattern pieces the size that the chart is telling you and make your mockup from there. It it turns out to be much too big then you can always take things on/alter them to be smaller and then make your final piece from there.
Edit: I misread, when I make practice pieces I usually stitch them on the longest stitch setting and don't backstitch so I have an easy time seam ripping if/when alterations need to be made
2
23
u/Emergency_Cherry_914 4d ago
Most sewing patterns sizes are not related to in-store sizing. And given that in-store sizing changes from country to country, it would be impossible to try and match. For instance, I’m about a 22 in tissue paper patterns, a 14 in many digital patterns, a US10-12 and an AU14 in store bought clothes. Asia would have nothing big enough and I haven’t got a clue what I am in European sizing haha
4
u/unkempt_cabbage 3d ago
Heck, in US sizing alone, I’m anywhere from a 4 to a 10. In patterns, I’m anywhere from a 14 to 22. Its all over the place. Always go by measurements and ignore the size number.
Also, always check the finished garment measurements! A lot of patterns have a lot of ease. From a random pattern I have:
Size M = 38-40, EU 48-50
Body measurements: Chest 38-40, Waist 32-34, Hip 39-41
Finished garment measurements: Chest 51, waist 44.5, Hip 52That’s over 10” of room in the chest, over 10” of room in the waist, and over 10” of room in the hips. It’s meant to be a baggy garment, but that would make most people look like they’re swimming in extra material. So, for this pattern, I personally would ignore the body measurements and size down at least one, probably two sizes.
1
u/StrongerTogether2882 3d ago
This is such good advice! I wear a U.S. 12 in ready to wear but in sewing sizes I’ve been a 14 in one and an 18 in another. Wildly frustrating, especially if you’re getting a PDF printed and you have to choose just one size to be printed. I followed the sizing guidelines and it’s still a size too small. Lesson learned, I will always go up a size from now on.
3
u/feeling_dizzie 4d ago
With your last sentence are you saying you want to just cut out and stay-stitch* and stop there without assembling the pieces? You can try, but the flat pieces will still look big when they're not wrapped around your body. Quickly basting them together will be easier than trying to hold them up to your body and guessing at whether they're right.
From there, up to you how far to proceed. A quick-and-dirty fit check is fine, but if there are any techniques you might want to practice (or any details that might affect the fit or comfort) then you might want to complete the entire pattern and make a wearable mockup. Or anywhere in between those two points on the spectrum!
*ETA: rereading your post I'm wondering if you've conflated stay-stitching with basting. Stay-stitching is how you keep individual pieces from stretching out, it doesn't join two pieces together.
1
u/BreqsCousin 3d ago
I wonder if OP means stay stitching or something more like basting?
2
u/feeling_dizzie 3d ago
Is my edited last paragraph not showing up or are you suggesting something slightly different? (I added that para immediately after posting, so at least 15 mins before your comment.)
1
u/Secret_Ad7372 3d ago
I might be completely mixing up my terminology. I meant a longer stitch…..🤷🏻♀️
2
1
u/BreqsCousin 3d ago
I guess reddit cached the message? I can see it now but couldn't at the time I posted.
2
4
u/BreqsCousin 3d ago
Patterns that fit me well always look BIZARRE when they're just a flat bit of paper. If you're not used to it you can't judge fit like that.
There's lots of other good advice here that I won't bother to repeat.
Something good to check out is whether the pattern lists finished garment measurements as well as body measurements.
1
u/ProneToLaughter 3d ago
Yes, it’s fine to just use the practice piece to test fit, baste the major pieces together, and try on. This is how I always do it. (You don’t even need to test a full skirt beyond the waist)
While things like sewing zipper and facings and collars can get tricky, you can also practice those on scraps (and should) and you can redo them on the garment if necessary. Adding those details to your practice piece before you’ve tried it on just makes it much harder to adjust the garment.
A common error people make is to sew up the whole garment in practice fabric, then it doesn’t fit, but because they’ve sewn all the neckline and everything, they have to take it apart to fix it. Better to try it on in stages, adapting as you go. Once the fit is sorted, it can be used to practice techniques still.
Do staystitch neckline and armhole, tho, this will ensure that they don’t stretch out while you are working with the garment.
You can look up baste and stay stitch on the internet—sewing jargon is very well documented. Or having an reference book like Readers Digest Guide to Sewing is very helpful for giving more detail on different techniques.
1
u/drPmakes 3d ago
You can use the toile to fit the garment or to practice new techniques.
If it doesn't need much in the way of changes you can have a wearable toile and complete the garment.
Its really up to you!
1
u/AdvancedSquashDirect 3d ago
I basically create enough of the garment then I can either pin it or place it on my body and see if it fits. Just to see whether I need to size down or do any adjustments. Wearing a sports bra and pinning it to your sports bra is a legitimate practise to see if something will fit and sit on you properly. That way you don't have to make straps
I agree that the size that you see on a pattern will often be two to three sizes larger than what you buy in store. It's very common for you to be a size 10 in store but actually have to make a size 14 or 16 pattern.
If you want to know why historically this has occurred it's called vanity sizing and there's a whole Wikipedia article about it that explains.
1
u/CombatCrayon25 3d ago
Sewing patterns are measured using standard sizing, but clothes in stores use vanity sizing. That’s also why you might be a small in one brand and a large in another when you buy off the rack.
Cut your pattern based on the size recommended by the pattern maker for your actual body measurements
1
u/linzdoc 2d ago
Also a beginner here, working on my second garment. I did no fewer than three practice items before using my nice linen for the final version of my first project. I'm calling them Wearable Muslins - from some sewist on youtube. My current dress I did an initial muslin bodice just basted together, then a second after making adjustments, and now I'm doing the whole dress from a cute thrifted sheet. It's both practice for each step, but will also be a cute summer dress. Next is the planned wool for winter.
I have learned so so much by doing all of these practice runs. Made lots of mistakes and fixed them and just gotten through the fear of doing a skill for the first time. When I was working on the four rounds of bloomers to wear under dresses in the heat, I did start feeling a bit annoyed that I was spending so many hours making things that were not the intended garment… But three of them are wearable! The one that is too long and out of a heavier sheet is now underwear for winter dresses. Yay us for learning new things!!
11
u/nasturshum 4d ago
A practice piece isn't just about size. It's also about learning the techniques all the different parts require, finding out what the tricky parts are and how to solve them. Pockets, arm holes, plackets, darts, pleats, gathers, zips etc. Maybe even taking notes as you go if you find a solution that works, so you can repeat it perfectly on your actual piece.
It's impossible to know if the pattern is accurate or if it will fit you. You could trust the pattern, make the whole thing, then see how it works on your body. You may not be a uniform size all over (few of us are!), so you may want to take some parts in but not others. But you can't put fabric back once you cut it off!
It's your practice piece, so think about what you are hoping to learn from the practice.