Why are vintage patterns so small?! A history of pattern sizing (Why the size numbers are a lie)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 พ.ย. 2020
- Why are vintage patterns so small, you may be asking yourself. In today's video, I am going through the history of sewing pattern sizing to show you why vintage pattern sizes are so small, why vintage pattern sizes change so frequently and how the regulation of patterns and clothing came to be. I delve into the 1941 regulation of the pattern and clothing industry and address the changing size of the population in the 1958, 1967 and 1971 regulations.
I also tell you about how pattern companies changed with the clothing sizes. As well as addressing the elephant in the room, why haven't pattern sizes changed in 50 years.
So grab your coffee, get comfy and be prepared to look at some gorgeous vintage pattern catalogs and vintage sewing patterns as we step back in time together.
A huge THANK YOU for letting me use your amazing vintage pattern catalog images:
Vintage4me2: www.vintage4me2.com
Mrs. Depew: mrsdepew.com/
1860-1941: 2:15
1941-1983: 7:33
1983-present day: 16:12
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Other videos you may enjoy:
1930's sewing pattern tour: • 1930's SEWING PATTERNS...
1940-45 sewing pattern tour: • 1940-45 SEWING PATTERN...
1945-49 sewing pattern tour: • 1946-49 SEWING PATTERN...
1950's sewing pattern tour: • 1950's SEWING PATTERNS...
Exploring a 100 year old sewing pattern: • Exploring a 100 year o...
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Products I use to trace or repair patterns:
Document Repair Tape - bit.ly/DocumentRepairTape
Pellon 815 - bit.ly/PellonRedDot815
Frixion Pens - bit.ly/7packFrixionPens
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Wardrobe: Trashy Diva
Makeup: Mac & Nyx
My info:
My website: www.backroomfinds.com
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Music provided by Epidemic Sound
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I am an affiliate to the links provided above and do receive a small commission on some items that helps to support me and my channel.
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Sources:
Original 1939 study - archive.org/details/womensmea...
Analog Me blog - analogme.typepad.com/analog-m...
Fashion Law Wiki - fashionlawwiki.pbworks.com/w/p...
Time Magazine - time.com/3532014/women-clothi...
USDA exhibit - www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/ipd...
Seamwork magazine - www.seamwork.com/magazine/201...
#vintagepatterns #sewingpatterns #backroompatterns - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
I did my absolute best to research the daylights out of this one, however I am still human, so if you have anything to add please put it in the comments below. I also have many other pattern videos in this playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLaG2bBTXx7U74Wmx6LkyCC1NVgw6a1PqU.html
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I think that I wore "chubby" sizes because I really should have been wearing a size that didn't exist. In 1961 I turned 10, but I was also very short for my age, I wore size 6X. I was way too short for clothes designed for my age group. Clothes came in at least 5 "age appropriate" styles, and mother/daughter combos were popular, anyway styles for toddler through about 6 or 7 year old girls were very full skirted and bodices styled like the "mother" dresses. For girls from about 7 or 8 years old to about puberty, styles had pleated skirts or looser sheath or "A line skirts, still with the bodice matching the "mother" styles with the beginning of curves. From puberty to about 18ish, there were tighter skirts or pleated skirts, still with the same styling of the "mother" style of bodices with still youthful curves, but decidedly more shaping. Then the full on adult women's sizes for fully mature body types, but still slim, trim and not for anyone above 5 to 10 pounds overweight. It was a struggle when I was over 10, since I started developing curves and hit puberty at about 11 and clothes for my height were still designed for girls much younger.
When I took Sewing in 8th grade, the teacher gave us this whole spiel before sending us off to buy the patterns for our first project. We spent a whole class period taking our measurements and putting them on a card we could then take with us to the fabric store. I remember being horrified when I needed a size 8. At 13 years old, I weighed around 100 pounds and was still wearing a training bra. I just barely fit into a junior's size 3 but my pattern size was an 8??? Makes you wonder why they bother putting a size on the pattern at all, since they don't correspond to retail clothing sizes at all.
The retail sizes isn’t based on anything, at least in the female section. There isn’t any world wide standard or even country specific standard when it comes to garments the tailored sizes at least has some kind of standard, if I remember correctly.
Truth! I LOVE Nicole Rudolph's video on this (Sizes Were Meant to Fail).
I'm a seamstress and I can't tell how many times I have had to reassure clients that their "pattern size" has zero relevance, and has nothing to do with measurements or RTW clothing.
I remember buying a size 8 pattern( I was a 30A) in 1990 for a dress where bust size was mentioned but I didn’t notice the waist and it didn’t fit. I barely had enough room in the seam allowance to let it out and get the dress to be wearable. I was not “proportional” to the patterns and my waist had a pooch (turns out I had a wheat sensitivity that caused the bloat that I didn’t discover until 15 yrs later). I wish my otherwise wonderful teacher had taught me to be able to adjust patterns for a larger waist. I still struggle with adjusting some patterns now and sew less clothing for myself than I would like to. 😅
Thank you, knowing the history makes me feel better about having to size up because of my heavy chest.
My wedding dress from 1973 is a size twelve… when I took it to work one day, my friend who is a modern day size 6 tried it on and.. it fit perfectly.
My mother made my wedding dress in 1988, pattern size 10 with a 25 in waist and we had to take it in to fit my 23 in actual waist. Those measurements today in ready to wear are a size 0-2. I've long advocated that clothing be sized by actual measurements not some number that changes from one company to another.
My mother's wedding dress (home-sewn in 1974) was absolutely tiny. I've donated it to a museum of living history, but they had to admit it would just be one of those "you can touch this exhibit", rather than something one of their re-enactors could realistically wear... Even a really skinny modern woman would have shoulders too wide for that dress!
I remember when the retail sizes changed. I was a teenager with my first job and buying my own clothing. I was a size 9 at 115 lbs. Then suddenly I was a size7. I was happy about that 😆 🤣. And that's why it changed, so women would feel better somehow and buy more. I was still 115 lbs. But, I do remember that having a mental effect on me.
@@CopenhagenDreaming How old was she when she got married? I think a lot of wedding dresses from the late 1800's early 1900's were made for girls ages 14-17. They married much younger then.
I knew some of this, but it’s still cool to have it so thoroughly explained. What a great teacher!
My mama used to say Vogue patterns were too expensive. We’d go to Hancock Fabrics and she’d let me look through the giant pattern books for a Halloween costume, even if it was December, while she picked out fabric.
I had a really good home ec teacher in middle school. She was a total hippie, but super smart. She taught us about textile quality, stretch direction, cutting out print repeats. She explained brand history and the illusion of choice. She told us that models are as small as possible for the least amount of fabric and do not have Betty Boop bodies, which was the most sexual thing she’d ever said to us. She was awesome.
Those regulations are horrifying. But the corseted measurement thing makes SO much sense and I had no idea! Very cool.
I know. I was just disgusted by the original study. But yes being in the undergarments makes so much sense for the measurements you see
Older sizing guides (like pre-1930s-ish) also don't really differentiate between women and juniors. You basically went straight from child to adult. Part of the reason antique clothes were so small was because they were making "adult" clothes for sixteen year olds. Yes, some sixteen year olds are shaped like adults, but not all.
My mother sewed her own clothes from the 50’s on and she explained to me that commercial sizing and pattern sizing have no correlation. I still think about this today when buying off the rack or sewing (which I don’t do enough of). My size can range from a 4-8 now… still frustrated that there is no real standard. Lol. Sometimes my vanity is happy and sometimes not. If it fits and I really like it, I’ll buy it.
In the horrifying category of “chubbies,” there used to be a plus-sized clothing store for women in the city where I live called Catherine’s Stout Shoppe. 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
The company I worked for ( Julius Garfinckel ), owned Catherines Stout Shop..
Beats "Evans Outsize"!!!
How about The Mammoth. Just what every Queen size woman would want to identify with.
Oh, boy. I had to shop in the Chubby Girls section of Sears. I call myself curvy and zaftig these days. Much better.
Totally remember this 😢
To add why it's easier to find size 12 or 14 vintage patterns is because they were probably used far less often than larger size patterns that would have been less likely to survive the decades from multiple uses and pattern sharing with friends etc. I don't really have any friends that are a size 14 from the 1950 because most of my friends have a bust larger than a 38 so I can't share my patterns with them. And I love my 50s patterns because they know how to cut a pattern to flatter the hips.
Oh absolutely! I actually touched on that in a video at the very beginning of my channel! (Link here: th-cam.com/video/cEh53QIboQU/w-d-xo.html) It frustrated me SO much that I had to address it straight out, before I really knew what I was doing on YT. I have a few friends that are 1950's size 14's but I have many more friends that are size 20 and up.
Exatly! I was given a box of an old dance wear shop from the 80's. Guess what I got: leotards and pointe shoes in sizes way too small for being very demanded. I also got A LOT of leg warmers that fit to small for the length. So that's why we always get to see old things that are smaller. Being smaller means that they can be worn by less people. You can always take in a big dress but you usually can't make a small dress bigger.
The "New Sizing" was a godsend when it came out because then all the pattern companies had the same sizing too and once it was introduced, you could be guaranteed a better fit regardless of what brand you bought. I guess I just gave away my age.
Indeed, I was in grades 7 and 8 ('67-68), the only time Home Ec classes were available, when "New Sizing" came out.
It's interesting to note that the waist measurement went up by an inch by '72, although there was no notification by the pattern companies of this. So, in reality the sizing bore more resemblance to what was in place by the late 50s, except it was a numerical size smaller, i.e., a size 14 (34-26-36) became a size 12 (34-26.5-36). Prior to this time (early 50s back), there was a 3" difference between the bust and hips (i.e., a size 16 was 34 bust 37 hips -- can't remember the waist🙄). These sizes were more in line with one's age, I believe -- i.e., a 16-year-old would be more likely to have a 34" bust but an 18-year-old - size 18 - a 36" one. Sorry if this is TMI for most people, but for vintage pattern lovers and those of us familiar with "old" sizing, it's actually pretty interesting.😉
These days, being a female of a certain age, I'm grateful for Sandra Betzina's patterns in Vogue, which have considerably larger waist sizes. These she says are more reflective of modern women's measurements, but I think a more accurate description would be "post menopausal." Hey, what can you do??☺️
I love how the 1912 measurements accepted that there were larger ladies, including sizes for busts up to 48 inches and hips up to 57 inches. Larger bodies exist. We deserve to be well dressed.
When you mentioned the sizing for "chubbies". I was 11 in 1968 and I remember the Sears and Simpson's - Canadian department store - catalogues that carried "chubbie" clothing for girls but the boys larger sizes were called "huskie". This is why the women's movement was really needed! haha. But for a young girl to notice the difference speaks volumes about the discriminations towards women, the likes of which are unheard of today.
I’m an 80s baby and kid and remember the chubbies and huskies
Heck, I was always hardy peasant stock, shall we say 😅 I wore a size 16 in the sixties as a teenager but had to wear matronly clothing since those swingin teen styles didn't go up that far. It was awful for a tender ego 😣
@@PuffKittyYeah, my mom tried to put me in Chubby sizes as a kid. I actually didn’t match the measurements at all. I just had short legs! But I still remember the deep embarrassment of her even thinking it. Imagine what my child self would have thought of my current (much larger) body. Still dealing with all that body shaming from my childhood. *sigh*
I have a "chubby" kids pattern. I also have one with the glorious size definition of "stout".
Oh man, I don't think I have seen a stout pattern before. That isn't any better.
@@StephanieCanada It really isn't!
Pamela, isnt this maddening? I was always "skinny" so now im proud to go by "fat"!😄
Also fun fact, Store clothes sizes don't matter! It may not be apprarent for people who are petit, but if you have big hips or a big bust, sizes are kinda a nightmare, I can wear a size 46 eu pants, but have a 42 shirt because of my hour-glass figure. Also for some reason, with pants, if you have a bigger waist, companies assume that you must be taller then a petit person. Can't tell you who many times my mom has bought pants that fit her, but are too long.
Oh 1000% agree! As these were standards used not only for pattern but also for clothing. It is quite ridiculous how this has evolved basically back to the original issue we had when ready made first came out!
Used to be 5'6" and 105 lbs in the 60s. Had to learn to sew bc all the sleeves & pant legs were too short and all the waists way to big.
By the time I was IN my 60s, everything was too long but the bust was even bigger!🙄
Yes!!!
I totally understand the modern desire to have an "hourglass" figure since this is reported to be the most attractive shape. An hourglass was considered to be a figure where bust and hips were the same measurement with the waist at least ten inches smaller - so an example would be 34-22-34. If your measurements are 34-24-36, then you were a pear shape. If you were 36-24-34, then you were top heavy (nowadays an inverted triangle). In reality, hourglass figures account for less than 6% of all women with the most common shape being pear. The modern trend to "market to vanity" is the reason that shapes and sizes have changed so radically in the larger direction. In the 1970's, you could tell it you needed to lose weight by the size of clothing you wore .... A UK size 8 and you were veering on underweight, a size 12 and you were average, a size 16 and you needed to drop weight. Interestingly, a modern size 10 is around a size 16 from the 70's.
@@grandmalovesmebest you just described my entire childhood wardrobe.
It's called Vanity sizing. For example when I was 18 and 150 lbs I wore a size 14 pant. When I was 40 and 185 lbs I wore a size 14 pant. It's to appeal to the ego of consumers.
I remember that my mom (who was born in 1924) always worked to maintain her size 12 dress size. I am 60 and now wear a size 12, but I’m nowhere near as slim as she was.
That’s because over the years manufacturers have adjusted sizes to “vanity” sizing. What was a size 12 in the 50’s to 70’s is now probably an 8. We were cleaning out a friends attic and she pulled out a pair of size 10 jeans from the 70’s and her daughters who were probably wearing what was currently a 6 said they didn’t think it would fit them
My mom was size 12 as well. She was thin! I’m 12 now and thirty pounds heavier than she was.
I own a few vintage clothing items that state they are a size 12. The waist on them is smaller than a modern size 6 - closer to a size 4 in fact. Bring a tape measure if you plan to purchase from a thrift store; that way you can measure the garment and find out if the size actually matches your size.
I was born in 1980 and my smallest pair of jeans in high school were a size 13 from a very inexpensive store. My largest pair of jeans was size 4 from the sale rack at the Gap store. They were huge on me whereas the size 13s were the tightest jeans I owned ha.
@@annseabolt6645 A 1950's size 12 had a 32" bust, 14 was 34, 16 was a 36 bust. I remember my evil mother calling my beloved grandmother " a fat cow" because she wore a size 16 ( 36 bust, 26 waist ). My mother lived on cigarettes and coffee and had a 21" waist and but died from lung cancer
I recall that store sizes for women changed in the 1970's. Overnight I went from a 13 to a 9. It's so sad that women have gotten so much heavier, not just taller.
Basically the standard was to be underweight if you weren't petite though
As a knitter, I face the same challenges with printed patterns; the gold standard is the chest/bust measurement, with no consideration of a person's height. I have a 36" chest, which would generally put me in the medium category, but I'm also 5'11", which means that medium hand-knitted garments aren't long enough. So I essentially have to meld two sweaters into one, to get something that fits: stitch count for a medium, row count for a large, or extra-large in some cases. It's gotten to the point now where I'm just making sweaters without a pattern. But we are in agreement: know your measurements, and knit/sew/make what looks and feels good on you (or whomever you're creating for). Great video, I enjoy history of all kinds.
My great great aunt and grandmother were dress makers to high society ladies in NYC. I inherited a 1950 wolf dress mannequin size 12. It would be today's size 6. Women were much thinner in those days and wore gurdles and all sorts of body smoothing and shaping foundations to make them look even thinner.
They told me that buying a dress off the rack that fits you like a glove is impossible as there are just to many different measurements and alterations needed in order to get the right fit.
In 1950 size 12 (today's size 6) was considered average. The portions of food they are back then was much smaller. Today everything is super sized as so are we...☺😉.
Indeed. Not only were food portions smaller, fast food restaurants were far and few between.
@@pluckyheroine9482 yup and even the fast food portions were much smaller than they are today.
If people ever saw a side by side comparison of food portions from the 50-60s vs today, they would be shocked. I know I was shocked. It looked like child sized portions because I'm so used to seeing everything jumbo and super sized and think it's a normal sized portion.
I am a size 6. I buy vintage clothing. I have realized that I need those undergarments they wore back then. So I opt for bigger sizes. No girdles for me. Lol.
I mean we aren’t smoking and drinking nearly as much as people in the 50’s to keep the weight off so them eating less doesn’t surprise me
They also had easier access to amphetamines and barbiturates, “mama’s little helpers,” and food companies hadn’t started pumping sugar into every available food in order to be “low fat.”
Very interesting subject. Thank you for all the information. I was a child in the 60s, in high school in the 70s. Yes, bullet bras were gone, padding minimized, but most women still wore a bra in both decades.
I certainly did (and do).
Because if you didn't wear a bra, you were a sl*t! Life was so great!
I have SO MUCH to say as Ive just discovered your channel - and ive been collecting and studying pattern sizings for years. I have a nice collection of vintage vogue pattern books, 1947, 1950, 1957, 1960, and European Designer only 1970 edition of Vogue. As well as having a huge collection of vintage patterns. I do also have a medical science degree and anthropology and human variability in that was a big part of my degree. Anthropometric proportions has been studied in detail by many - but all come to different conclusions as to what they mean - because as usual in medical science field, nothing is considered the final say. But i do want to mention the "chubby" comment. I think "chubby" is probably referring to children before they go thru a growth phase. Children commonly put on chub, all over, then have a growth spurt. Nearly every mum has seen their children grow, get thin, then put on "chub" (which is a vital process to support growth phases), and then they sprout up. Problem is, that when this happens to girls, it gets socially sensitive - so we attribute retrospectivly these judgements.
Agreed. However when looking back through a modern lens it feels like there could’ve been a better way to describe.
Personally I wish we'd bring back the different child sizes (tall, steady, & husky) my children have the hardest time finding pants that fit. Or at least include measurements on everything.
I taught my girls to measure their weight by their bicep arms, not their bellies (like the WHO does- because malnutrition causes belly bloat, and growth spurt chub, etc) If you can see the bicep dent right after the shoulder you're good. If your arm is a straight tube between shoulder & elbow, you're either over or underweight. If your armskin sags and jiggles underneath- that's a fluid imbalance in your lymphatic system. Cool thing is this works from babies to mothers to wise old ladies. Probably works on males too, but I haven't tested it yet. It keeps me on track when I'm fighting my eating disorder too.
@@mrsmorris265 If your arm skin sags and jiggles underneath you might be losing some bounce from lack of collagen. It will happen to us all some day. At 58 it's beginning for me! :)
@@therealJamieJoy Thanks for clarifying other possible causes. I think our collagen levels definitely affect the skin too. I found this channel because I'm trying to learn to adjust our clothes instead of trying to adjust our bodies to fit some "average."
Thank you for the research. I now understand how I grew up feeling that I was a very odd shape. I am so happy that I never will have to listen to those terrible sales ladies saying "I'm sorry I am sure that we have nothing in your size." I was 16 at the time.
Birdy
Thank you for watching! Yeah it must’ve been hard to hear that. I didn’t get that in clothes but I constantly hear that at shoes stores to this day!
Yes good size too! Not easy
Birdy
Oh wow, Lisa, i understand. My sister is 70 and still.has body issues bc salesladies used to say "we dont have anything to fit you" and she fit a size 16 pattern (16 like back in the 70s). Now we have pattern sizes 24 and RTW sizes at 5x!
I think all clothes should have sizes marked like 42-35-47, w added ease.
What I would like to understand is why they think a size 22 needs the same sleeves as a size 12.
Or that we are all the same height!
People are MUCH larger now. Also, we are encouraged to let it all hang out.
I'm 5'11 and i was so confused with my measurements on the paper and what I have. I would be a 14 in today's world but on the patterns I was coming up as a 18/20. Thanks for the advice!
I just discovered your channel and can't believe how much information you give here. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and love of vintage patterns.
Wow! Thanks for this excellent, extremely well organized history! Truly one of the most interesting historical mini-documentaries I have seen on TH-cam, or anywhere. So well done. Thank you.
you put SO much into the research and editing of this video, I'm super impressed. And it's SO fascinating to learn everything!
Thank you so much’ I love patterns and this dive was SO much fun!
As a teen in the 70s those measurements played hell with my self image…
I measure the patterns itself too. It may say it’s for a 38 inch bust, but that doesn’t mean much in terms of fit. Yeah, I want to think about the style and factor in how much ease, but sometimes the pattern has too much ease and sometimes not enough. Even with vintage patterns particularly if you know you don’t fit neatly into a size chart, you’re going to make adjustments. It’s a suggestion for those sizes. It doesn’t tell you the garment size. Although modern patterns are now including all the finished garment sizes on the pattern pieces.
So I measure and decide ahead of time what adjustments need to be made because even the suggested measurements for body size are horrible.
Oh that thing about ease is SO FREAKING TRUE! And I completely agree that you should know how to complete minor adjustments (even if they are darts, which I despise).
Interesting history. My mom told me just have measurements and look at the back of patterns. I’m getting back in to making my clothes. I was always bad at it. Figure I’m almost 40 I should try again. Wish me luck 😬
So true! Always go by your measurements! And you can do it!!
Luck. Rem, sewing is fun!
Luck! You can do it!
I always thought sizing was messed up for clothes but that patterns where cool because at least you could see the bust waist and hip measurement. Also the best part of sewing is making it fit you. I can't tell you how lice it is to have pants that are long enough or long sleeve shirts be long enough and button properly on my slim wrists.
I’m starting next week with simplicity 8552, a sixties pattern , miss size 16, bust 38, new sizing! But I’ll do a fba and other adjustments before sewing in real fabric, I’ll make a mockup first. Thank you for your videos, greetings from the Netherlands
This was pretty informative - thanks for all the deep research!
Thank you! I tried very hard to get the measurements clear.
Absolutely love your video! Always have a problem realizing that my measurements don’t coincide with the actual size on pattern. Thank you so much. Looking forward to more informative videos from you!! ❤
Stephanie... this was an amazing video. Thank you so much for all that info and suggestions on pattern buying.. I have been so confused for years! You made it so clear.
Victoria, I am SO happy to have helped! It can be quite confusing and frustrating.
Thats why i very appreciate when patterns come in multiple sizes like EU 36-42. That way it's easier to adjust and find your right fit
Yup, I understand that! Nothing like being 3 sizes with all 3 measurements.
@@StephanieCanada you speak out of my soul haha. My waist is usually 3 sizes smaller than my hip 😭. Are you perhaps able to post a video on how to adjust multisize patterns to your right fit? I somehow keep struggling with it every time :(
Really enjoyed your video. Listened for the first time & will definitely check back on some of your other videos. I like the common sense approach to pattern sizing.
First time watching you. In less than a minute, I liked and subscribed. Watching till the end, I knew I did the right thing. You are a pleasure to watch and you made me laugh. Thank you!
I was a Chubbie! Or, at fancy stores, a Chubbette. The luncheon place even had a Chubbette special: two Melba toast, tuna salad, and a Tab soda. Trap door to fall through not included. Thanks, Hudson's!
Laura,lolol 🤣 😂 😆 U are killing me
I remember the embarrassment of shopping for clothes where I was a chubette also.Bra shopping was even more fun,lol. That's why I burned my bra
I really appreciate the research you put into your work!
This was really interesting, thank you! Seems I should look for patterns from 1906 if I want to minimise the alterations needed 😁
Amazing!!
Thank you! I've always wondered about the sizing.
You are so welcome! I even found some surprises myself
Love your channel, just found you can't wait to see more thanks for sharing
I just stumbled onto this and I’m a fan!! ❤❤Thanks for the fun inspiration!
This was so we'll researched and very informative, I had no idea about those department of agriculture studies! I've been sewing for 6 months or so and it really can be hard to get your head around modern vanity sizing versus the sizing on patterns, even though you know it's just about the measurements! It's that bit of insecurity we slowly chip away at and having the information behind it really does help
Thank you so much! I really did try to use first hand sources so that everyone could be as informed as possible. I agree that slowly chipping away at the thought of “size numbers meaning something” is a process. I am glad this video helped provide some backing for that process.
Patterns need to list the high bust (under the arm pits) and finished measurment on the envelope so woman can see if they need a bust adjustment before buying the pattern. If I go by bust alone, it never fits right, always gappy at the neck. We need more patterns for apple/rectangle shapes too. When I started sewing in the 70s there were young jr/teen patterns.
I do the math and go down from my actual bust measurement to a B cup, and buy that size. That gives me the fit I need for my tiny shoulders and since I have to do a FBA anyway…
This video was so interesting! And I find it so funny that the oldes patterns sizes were closest to fit both my bust and waist. But it seems like through all these years i would still need the pattern in three different sizes to fit my hips, wast and bust... the size is "just three numbers" in my case then. Lovely video!!
Thank you for sharing this information. It’s obvious you put a lot of research towards it.
Thank you so much! I tried my best.
I loooved the video. Thanks for these awesome educational minutes! ❤️
Thank you so much! I am glad you enjoyed it.
This is the best video Ive seen in weeks! I literally started a diet so I could find vintage patterns to fit me…LOL…now I must reassess LOLOLOL
Well that's quite a peculiar last name. And thank you for this video, I never bothered to put the two pieces of data together. You gained a new subscriber
It is a unique name...
This is. Nuts!!! According to the first sizings to the last, my size had gone from 18 to 16 to 14, for my graduation measurements of 36 28 36! When at that time I wore a store size of 7-8. Years later I came close to those measurements again and wore a store size of 4 even thought I was slightly bigger than that!
Thank you for the video, I learned a lot.
You are certainly welcome! I am glad it helped clarify a bit.
Fascinating topic, well covered
[Puns :]
Great job, Thank you!
Thank you for such an excellent, "educational" and informative video.
I could listen to you all day.
I found your video from the Historybounding group! I had to subscribe!
Aww! Thank you so much! I am happy you are here!
I started sewing at about 10 yrs old, in the mid 60s. It didn’t seem to matter if I tried to buy a pattern by size or measurement, I ALWAYS had to remake every single pattern I made. Being a head shorter and always large busted, there was nothing that fit. Wether ready to wear or hand made. It did force me to figure out tons of tricks (along with many, many failures) to make clothing that fit properly. No one in my family sewed. I was totally on my own. But I loved sewing and pushed on. I wish my girls had had an interest in it but alas, no. Although they did let me make a whole lot of their clothes through about 8th grade. And they always had the best Halloween costumes!! I only have grandsons so not much opportunity to sew for them.
Thanks for all the fascinating information. Very appreciated.
Thank you for this video - it helped me to understand why bought have never fit me well.
Thank you for the end pep talk. It about the same as what i'd tell my sewing 101 students. The size is just a label, a marker to differentiate. If companies used letters of the alphabet instead, people would be mad they're a size G instead of A.
This is amazing! Always thought the sizes were wacky, but I never really thought about the why. The measuring with the shaping garments/corsets seems so obvious now!
Right! It is so cool to see how things shifted.
Just started back into sewing cloths and love your videos, mostly because you remind me of my smart sarcastic granddaughter who I adore! Lol
Aww thank you! That means so much! So glad you are here
"Nothing has changed in ...50 years" truer words...😎
RIGHT!! At least for patterns. Vanity sizing for clothing is a whole other chat.
My goodness! In 1:22 and I'm already liking your sense of humor LOL Thank you for your wisdom. Awesome! :-)
Thank you so much Dee! That is very kind of you.
Appreciate your great explanations. I’m in the chubby category, pattern size 18-20 or XL-XXL and off the retail rack size 12-14 or L-XL❤ thankyou for you value and support ❤❤❤
i love sewing, ( i have 12 sewing machines the most are from 1868 to 1960s , but .. ^^) , and this video of you is what i watch rn, youtube thought i could like it, and yes i do . greetings from germany, and merry crisis ( christmas) ^^ ,
I am 65 yo,, that says a lot in sewing years! By the time I was 10, I was sewing all my own garments, including underwear. Being in 4-H I learned a lot more about sewing, then finally I got to 7th grade where *nirvana* I had Home Ec! So through the 12th grade I had the same Home Ec teacher. Sadly, she had had polio as a child and had a very curved spine. She dressed herself beautifully! I learned so much from her, most notably that the size numbers on a pattern mean squat and how to alter a pattern to actually fit YOU. Fast forward to 2022 and I am using those skills to adjust for my own scoliosis, aging body and personal tastes. That you SO MUCH for your videos! They provide an immeasurable amount of help to sewists who, today, I find were not given this information in their more formative years. Oh, BTW, I LOVE your presentation style!!!!
Your sarcasm is hilarious! It totally made the part that could be deemed offensive light hearted and body positive
Oh thank you so much! It means the world to me that my intentions are coming across correctly! Thank you for the sweet comment.
Thanks so much because I have had pattern buying hysteria because I couldn't figure out how to pick the right size. Knowing I just need my bust hip and waist measurements makes me feel better and like I could buy one know. Thanks so much
So glad I can help!
My last name is England and I don't live there, or from there......yeah I get that a lot too lol.
Great video ❤ NOW help I-need a video how to up size my vintage pattern! I was excited it was 12, and when I measured and compared I need it 3 sizes larger.
Very interesting, thanks!
This is fascinating, and make me better understand why some of my patterns I'm making a 12 and some a 20. :p
This is nuts. I know when I was in high school, my measurements were 36-26-36. I wore a size 15/16!!! In todays sizing the measurements are 41” bust and 33” waist! Today a size zero has a 27” waist! That’s nuts. I went through high school feeling so fat. 😟. I wish I was even close to that size now.
This goes for the number on store bought clothes. Just wear what you like and what fits. Numbers mean nothing, they're just a general guide for where to start looking on the rack. Don't let a number make you feel any way about yourself or your body.
nice video, thanks for making and sharing
Happy to help! I am glad you enjoyed it!
As you know I’m learning to sew and I made a video talking about how hard it is seeing that your measurements mean you are not a uk12 but actually a uk22! But understanding why that is helps so so much so thank you for this thank you 🙏 I do always wonder why they have sizes on just put the measurements that’s what counts grrr xx
It really is disheartening! That is why I wanted to dig back in time and see where all this hype came from. I wish that I could've included the snarky response I got from Simplicity in this video but they just got back to me. Basically saying "know your measurements" but in a very snarky way. One line even included, "the pattern industry has always remained the same". I just wanted to say "NOPE!" GAH!!!
@@StephanieCanada urgh really? Why do they not think of their customers and how this set up will hurt people xx
@@StephanieCanada I feel like this really isn't a problem though, and its more the RTW industry's fault that there is even a difference since the pattern companies haven't changed. Having a 'size' either in number of letter or whatever is essential to distinguishing between sizes on pattern pieces, and people will get arbitrarily emotional whether you're size E or 16.
My mother made a lot of my clothing from childhood to teens with patterns from the 70s to the 90s (ah, 90s 70s styles) and a running issue I had with every pattern made garment was my shoulder measurements were always several inches bigger than all my other measurements and the amount of repatterning needed was prohibitive for any tailored type top that wasn't originally designed to be worn with big shoulder pads.
This was a fantastic video.
Thank you so much!
You deserve more subs! Love the video!
Thank you so much! That is very kind of you.
@@StephanieCanada its a real gem :)
I learned that clothing manufacturers used larger size numbers on smaller clothes while in high school.
I had slacks that fit labeled in one size. I used that size when looking for another pair. When I went into the dressing room to see how I looked in them, I couldn't get them up past my thighs. I double checked the size labels side by side. They were the same number. I laid the newer one on top of the one I wore into the store and discovered that there was a two inch difference straight down from the waist to the hem of the legs...even the inseams were shorter by half an inch. I have dismissed sizing labels ever since. It either fits and I like it or I don't buy it.
Great video ❤
Thank you! ❤️
I know this is an older video, but now I'm curious about the sizes of my apportioning scales
There's a local indie brand DesignerStitch which has sizes 1-11. In Big 4 patterns I'm usually suze 18-24 depending on the body part. In DesignerStitch patterns I usually cut size 7-9. Oh, also wasn't there a stage when one of the Big4 runs had sizes A-J?
Oh man. That is too much! I am simple, just give me measurements!
Great video!
Thank you so much
Thank you! 🎉❤🎉
I remember in the mid 1960s the Big Four pattern companies adopted New Sizing which more closely reflected the sizes of real women. The pattern companies also had Women for a fully developed mature woman and Junior and Junior Miss for teen figure and petite figure. I haven't seen those for decades.
Wow, who knew? Great video!
Thank you so much.
I like 1940's and New Look 1950's styles. I also like 1900's. I am quite fond of Edwardian and Victorian clothes. That's what I am currently working on. The struggle I have in vintage sewing patterns is that I am unable to find any with a bust size 47.
I just wish all patterns included both bust and overbust measurements, it's annoying to have to figure that out everytime since I buy by overbust size and do adjustments from there
Hi Stephanie, just discovered your channel and loved this video 💕 Thank you, thank you for the emphatic message of inclusiveness! My daughter is into Anime and does cosplay. I would sew many of the garments for her outfits. As she is a curvy girl, she would often get upset when instead of her off-the-rack sizing (usually sz 14 or 16) I would be using a sz 22 on the patterns that reflected her measurements, and would have to tell her that (as you said) the size numbers don’t mean anything, and the manufacturers were idiots. She is a lot more body accepting of herself now, and has realized that the fashion industry on a whole is rigged. On that note, I’m often curious about the waist sizing from the 50s and early 60s. Did ‘regular’ woman really have 25 inch waists? Were minimizes like corsets or girdles still in use? Even when I can match the hips and bust sizes in vintage patterns for myself, I’m adding extra inches onto the waist. Anyway, going to check out your other videos, thanks!🌸
Hi Yvonne! Welcome to my channel! I am so glad you enjoyed this video. I am always here for inclusivity and body positivity. The industry has gone to "vanity sizing" and it is THE WORST!
As far as the 1950's, yes, girdles and body shaping were still VERY much a thing. Also, the updates to the sizing charts in the late 40/early 50's came after the WPB (War production board) rationing had ended after World War 2. So the rationing on things like nylon, rubber, etc had ended so the undergarment industry could go back to making their girdles with those items again.
Hope you enjoy the channel! See you again soon!
This is great! If anything I love seeing what size I would’ve been back then and people so often forget that they wore some pretty heavy duty undergarments! Also, if you know your vintage pattern size, you’ll know your vintage clothing size, making it easier for you to find vintage fitting clothes if you happen to be on the hunt for them!
So very true!!
Bless you. The answer ....pretty much all.of.them
Thanks that was really informative. I had no idea the sizing now is from 1968!!! Unbelievable! I always vintage patterns were much smaller back then! Lol and it's all a big fat lie!!!!
I am 61 inches tall. I have always had to adjust for waist height and crotch height. What has always frustrated me is the "ease", the extra size allowed for body movement and fabric swing. When comparing bust my actual bust size to a pattern, I have never seen a note to allow for "ease" or how much "ease" is needed in a pattern. I gave up on patterns a long time ago and just reproduce clothing that I know fits well.
As problematic as the regulation era phrasing was, I much preferred shopping during that time to the mess it is today. Vanity sizing does a terrible disservice to women. Besides making shopping more frustrating than it needs to be it teaches us that a mythical number somehow establishes our worth as a human being. Make sizing based on measurements and allow women to be comfortable with their bodies they are.
Chico's had me totally confused. 0-4 sizing. A 0 being a women's 14-16 which is larger than a 14-16 retail in other stores. A size 1 is an 18-20, a 2 is actually a 22, a 3 is a 24, a 4 is a 26. As near as I can tell anyway. This may be off as it's my opinion and I'm not a buyer for Chico's but I di love their clothing and it does feel good to be in the smallest size as opposed to being in the largest sizes of most stores in misses clothing. Why does it affect us mentally? 😪
@@vickigonya9432 The whole point of this video is to tell you that the numbers absolutely do not mean anything. "Deregulation" strikes again, ain't it great?/s The manufacturers literally do not adhere to sizes, make clothes however they want, put any size label on, and send them to the stores. Give up bragging/moaning about being a particular size. It's a total bad joke and PITA. Over-production of fast-fashion has made it too easy to buy clothes without trying them on, and probably a lot of people don't even bother returning them, just "donate" them when they don't fit. I've learned to estimate my fit by pulling at the sides of the clothing in the stores, to see if they fit half-way around my body. If they're not roomy, I don't even bother taking them into the try-on room. I hardly ever find anything, being short-waisted and built like an apple.
Fascinating
Thank you Judy!
On the subject of the measurements being taken over undergarments: The small waist in proportion to bus and hip was created in the 19th century not by tight lacing, but by bust and hip padding. No they did not create a 201 inch difference from waist to hip by squish....
I'm just now realizing that my natural measurements and the corseted measurements are lining up almost exactly...maybe I should look into a Victorian / Edwardian wardrobe. 😅
YES!!! Go for it!
Stephanie, Women were smaller decades ago. Of course there were a few "plump" women and patterns were made for them. I was a size 10 all through high school.I wasn't considered "skinny" either, and I was 5' 7" I matured into a size 12 in my 20's, after marriage. I went to a country high school, and most of the mothers were were farm wives and we saw them often. I can recall only ONE mother who was obese (over size 16). My own mother had six children and was also a size 10 and even though she was 3" shorter than I was, we shared clothes. She was an energetic sewer for her 5 daughters and herself. She loved it. So I'm familiar with patterns from the 50's and 60's.
The truth is, obesity is really is a plague in our western nations.Choosing a pattern should aways depend on one's measurements. Other women my age (74) and I were discussing this change in women and we can only blame eating habits. For example: fast food. In town there were two "hamburger joints." Eating out was special. Even then we all knew that fast food was not "good" for us. Today, it's nearly impossible to see a woman who isn't overweight. I'm not exaggerating either. We are just too well-fed.
I've heard many folks complaining about the pattern sizes not reflecting actual women...but they did. We also knew that pattern sizes had no connection to clothing sizes in retail stores. It was fun to stop in and shop in high end stores (Saks 5th Ave) to find that we suddenly wore size 6 ! Whee! This always caused eye-rolls and the comment, "Rich women, eh?"
You mentioned that women in the Air Force would be fit, and yes they would. But they would NOT be thin. And the women would come from a cross-section of the population.
And as someone who spent countless hours with her mother , thumbing through pattern books in the fabric stores, I can also tell you that we had no problem buying and using across the companies: Simplicity, McCalls, Butterick, Advance, Vogue. I'm also old enough to remember when clothing was made in the U.S. and there really was a "Garment District." That is history now. Retail sizes can be...anywhere on the map of measurements. But patterns have never let us down. Knowing our bust, and hips (more important than waist) made us Captains of the Sewing Ship.