Let's talk about size range!
Not all of my sewing patterns come in the same size range, which is definitely confusing to people and something I'd love to remedy. However, as it seems unlikely we'll be able to accomplish that in the near future, I thought it would be helpful to post some information about our women's pattern sizing. And look! Elli made a handy infographic to make it easy to see at a glance the evolution of our size range and which patterns come in which sizes.
[UPDATE December 2020: See the most recent information here]
Many of you are aware that my latest pattern, Rose, comes in a larger size range than any of our previous patterns. Rose has gotten a fair amount of attention for having a more inclusive range, and I don't think it's any coincidence that Rose has been our most successful women's pattern launch to date.
Here is the size chart (11 sizes) we began using this year (2019) beginning with Rose:
I've noticed that many people aren't aware that the size range we began using in 2016 included plus sizes (up to roughly a US size 24). Gemma was the first pattern to be released in this range. We have begun working to update our older patterns as well, starting with Ruby, which we released in this new nine-size range in both print and PDF early last year.
Here is the size chart (9 sizes) we began using in 2016 (Gemma, Isla, Ruby,Cleo, and Jade come in this range):
If someone stumbled across an older pattern in the original size range (like Washi or Beatrix), it makes sense that they would assume that ALL of our patterns have the same range. Until we manage to update all of the patterns, this will continue to be confusing. It's also a bit of a vicious cycle -- if people assume that all of our patterns come in a limited size range, we don't get included in plus sized pattern roundups and it's harder to get the word out that we have more sizes, which also means the updates don't sell as well.
Happily, we're currently working on grading both Luna and Washi into the newest range, and adding a bodice piece for fuller busts to Washi (similar to what Gemma, Beatrix, and Josephine already have). Because Washi is my oldest women's pattern and has been in print since 2013, figuring out the logistical issues of re-releasing this pattern is definitely going to be a challenge. But I really want to be able to provide a wider range of sizes for those of you who would like to sew this beloved pattern (and Luna!), and I'm committed to this project. Stay tuned.
In the interest of transparency, one of the questions that I still can't answer is whether the investment of increasing size range for older patterns (that is, grading, testing, updating and reprinting) pays off. We’ve only managed to update one pattern (Ruby) so far, but I suspect that that a re-release will never be as exciting as a new pattern launch. Fewer people talk about it, or share online, and despite our best efforts to let people know, it is understandably less of a big deal. My guess is that the most sustainable path forward will be to continue to intersperse pattern size updates with new pattern releases. We'll see how it goes with Washi and Luna.
I'd like to say thank you to the awesome sewists who shared their body measurements online using the #sewmysize hashtag earlier this year. Knowledge is critical, and knowing what sizes we weren't reaching allowed us to depart from using the size data we were using before and add more sizes to our size chart. Voices matter, and the amplified conversations around size inclusivity have been important to this change for us.
Many people have expressed appreciation for the new sizes. It's encouraging to hear that feedback, and I am also very aware that we still have a lot of work to do, and that there are still people who are outside of the current range who would love to sew for themselves. While I certainly wish I had done things differently from the start, the best I can do is try to do better moving forward.
Thank you to those of you who helped post about and spread the word about our new size range and previous size updates. And if you didn't know about it before, know that we are working hard to make more of the patterns fit more of your beautiful bodies!