Also have you noticed that if you buy the next larger size blouse/shirt with long sleeves from what you have been wearing (went from xl to 1x), the length of the sleeve has really increased. I have to roll up the sleeves 2 or 3 times or I've got the cuff at my finger tips.:)

It seems to me that ready made blouses in large sizes means you should have gorilla length arms. Don't they know our arms don't grow longer just because our behind is larger?

Thank for the chart. I've been looking all over for mine since I started a new shirt yesterday.

I bought a size medium pattern but according to their measurements I needed a large so I traced a new pattern 1/4" bigger on all TEN pieces! So far it's working.

Now I wish I could find the envelope (the pattern). I shopped for it a long time ago and got started and realize now I forgot the interfacing pattern. Oops.

I have noticed the very long arms on larger sizes. I want to learn to sew because I'm tired of see-through clothing with cap sleeves, and low-rise pants, etc.

The thing I hate is that they think all fat people are short! All of the shirts I could buy, are way too short. Anything labeled as a tunic length is going to shop at my hip if I am lucky. I am only 5'6" but our family has very short legs and long bodies, so nothing ever fits me (with the exception of Lee jeans, for some reason they fit perfect) sewing for myself is just as frustrating. I need four patterns, or a four size pattern, just to make a pair of pants fit. When my DD was small, I made her one piece, zipper front, jump suits to play in, and had to take six inches off at the hem, and add the same amount to the waist! My biggest pet peeve is large size tank tops are always cut so most of my bra shows under my arms, and I have to either alter them, or wear a shirt over them which defeats the point of wearing a tank top!

As far as waistlines - is the person's waistline parallel with the floor?

Mine isn't - and it is not a commonly shown alteration - it is about three inches lower in front than in the back - so a skirt clinging to the narrow part of my midsection will really droop in front.

Pants are usually really short in the center back and come up almost to my breasts in front. (I did try turning them backwards - but that didn't take care of the problem, either. :rolleyes: )

Most non-sewers do not realize that pattern sizes, especially for women, do not correlate to ready-to-wear sizing.

Also, most adult female patterns are designed for a b-cup bra sized figure.

That's interesting, because when I was getting weighed and measured, they would have me bend sideways, and where I bent was what they called my natural waist. And let me tell you, if my pants went up that high, I would go nuts. I can't stand pants that cover my belly button.

Sometimes I really envy men. Why is it that all they need is waist and length, and pants fit them just fine, no matter their shape???

When my daughter was small she had no hips. If I bought her a 'slim' size pant they came up to her ankles. I started buying her jeans from Sears in the boys department. You could get slim - and order by waist size where girls were more like small-med-large.