Book Review: Sewing for Plus Sizes

Plus Size Sewing Techniques to Make Plus Size Clothes That Fit

Is Plus Size Sewing the Answer to Making Clothes that Fit?

For a plus-sized woman, one of the most difficult things is finding attractive clothes that actually fit without paying premium prices.

Shopping the outlet sales online is one way to do this, but even so, you still don't know if will fit until you receive your shipment.

Unfortunately, most of the sewing patterns for plus-sized women don't match well with my body, either.

Since I love to sew, though, I decided to see if I could figure out how to adjust sewing patterns I like to fit me.

I tried adding an extra seam width. Sometimes that worked, but sometimes, it made the clothes hang funny. Plus size sewing is not always easy to do.

When I found Sewing for Plus Sizes: Creating Clothes that Fit and Flatter, I was thrilled. I learned to take any pattern within 3 or 4 sizes of what I need and adjust it to fit me.

This means that those gorgeous patterns that they don't make in my size are now options for my sewing pleasure.

In this book, Barbara Deckert teaches you how to make any purchased pattern fit, and includes instructions for making a dress dummy that fits you perfectly. My daughter kept borrowing this book, so I had to go get it when I was ready to sew something. Guess what Santa brought her last year?

First Things First: Measure Yourself!

It Helps to Have a Friend Help with This

The first thing this book has you do is measure yourself and make a chart with your measurements. Then you take the measurements from the pattern and compare them to see where you need added, or even reduced, fabric.

The book teaches you how to adjust patterns to fit, based on how many vertical seams there are in the garment. It isn't hard and makes creating clothes that fit you and that you can actually enjoy fun instead of frustrating. My wardrobe and my husband's wardrobe have both benefited from the purchase of this book.

The Christmas after I found the book, I bought a copy for my daughter as a gift. At first, until she realized my copy is paperback and the one she received is hardback, she thought I had given her my used copy. Frankly, I wouldn't give up my copy for anything. She has used the plus size sewing instructions in the book to make her clothes fit better, too. And the same techniques make it easy for her to adjust patterns to fit her husband, too.

Plus Size Sewing Patterns

When making adjustments or alterations to a pattern, it is easier if you start with a pattern close to your size. After determining your personal measurements, select the pattern you want to use, then purchase the size closest to your measurements. Making adjustments of 1/2 inch per seam is much easier than making adjustments of 2 inches per seam, though it can be successfully done. Using the techniques taught in Sewing for Plus Sizes, you can sew trendy plus size clothes that are a joy to wear.

Meet Barbara Deckert

Do you make your own clothes?