Q&A

PLUS-SIZE SEWING
By Barbara Deckert

People carry their weight in different places, but plus-size, ready-to-wear clothes seem to be large all over. For example, pant legs look like tents and the stomach is larger than the backside; short-sleeve shirts have tight arms, but tank tops have huge armholes. Stripes always seem to go horizontally rather than vertically. And why do clothing manufacturers use huge floral prints instead of smaller feminine prints?
Kate V.F.,
Los Alamitos, CA.

Plus-size, ready-to-wear clothes are plentiful and inexpensive, but they may never completely meet your need for comfortable clothing that fits well, enhances your self esteem, and expresses your personal style. That's because the ready-to-wear industry makes assumptions about plus-size women in order to market to them. Many of those assumptions about body shape, taste and income levels simply don't apply to many plus-size individuals.

For example, the industry assumes that most large women are large busted and relatively slim through the hips. In plus-size clothing catalogs, most blouses are photographed unbuttoned at the hip level because there isn't enough room for the models to button them. Likewise, the industry seems to think that all large women must be about 6' tall, so sleeves are often too long. That's why models scrunch the sleeves up on their forearms.

Unfortunately in the fashion world, plus-size apparel is low budget and low prestige. There are plenty of choices in fairly large sizes, similar to a size 16 to 22 pattern. However, if a woman wears a size 24 to 32 pattern and wants high-quality, ready-to-wear apparel, such as in the Bridge price range (jackets for $500 and skirts or pants for $200 and up) or Designer price range (jackets for $900 and skirts or pants starting at $400), she isn't likely to find anything.

Women who sew can make basic or luxury apparel in any size, and for much less money. So stop shopping and start sewing. You can alter plus-size apparel, but if it's low quality it might not be worth your time. When you sew your own clothing, however, you have complete control over the design, fabric, fit and construction. It takes time and effort to sew well, but you're worth it!

Barbara Deckert is the author of Sewing for Plus Sizes: Design, Fit and Construction for Ample Apparel and Sewing 911: Practical and Creative Rescues for Sewing Emergencies, both from The Taunton Press. She is a custom dressmaker in Elkridge, MD.

From the December 2005 issue of Sew News magazine.