You may have noticed a few changes around here.
We’ve been slowly redefining the Papercut catalogue, and all of our current patterns are now available in our 1-8 size range (6 - 20 NZ/UK).
We are fully focussed on expanding our sizing further, to make sure our products are more inclusive and accessible to more makers in the sewing community.
You may wonder what’s been taking so long - and you’re right, we wish we’d been able to increase our size range much earlier as well. However, doing this well is not just a matter of want, but also of resource, especially for a small team like ours.
Although the fashion industry has very limited technical information, and resources available to help pattern makers develop inclusive size bands, we have done a lot of research into the best possible way we could do this.
From a technical point of view, increasing the ‘standard’ size range is not as simple as adding another size through the click of a button. The process requires a lot more technical knowledge and skill than that, as well as the ability to test draft patterns on a variety of body shapes and sizes.
Historically, patterns are developed using a “sample” size that’s generally a NZ & UK 8 - 10 / US 4 - 6 / EU 36 - 38, often drafted to a B cup. The pattern is then “graded”, which refers to the process that creates the smaller and larger sizes. This is the general method that most of the world’s top technical pattern makers have been trained to use. But what it also means is that this smaller clothing size has been coined the “industry standard” for both fashion design and pattern making.
To go into a little more detail, pattern grading uses a mathematical formula to lengthen and enlarge clothing. In simple terms, not one formula fits all. It’s simply not possible to base a larger set of sizes on the measurements of a NZ & UK 8 - 10 / US 4 - 6 / EU 36 - 38.
After a few sizes, your grading will likely start to distort, and we think this is important to keep in mind - not every body is the same. Whether it’s a size 10 or 30, every body shape is different, and while some of us have a bigger bust and hip measurement with a smaller waist, others have a fuller figure all over or a much curvier bottom than top. All three shapes may sit within a similar size range, but the same garment would look significantly different on each of them.
In short, getting a great fit means starting from the very beginning with a pattern, as its proportions will change with each size. In order to do this, we need to redraft all of our blocks (base patterns) to the mid size of our new size band. From here we will redraft our patterns from the new blocks, then grade up and down.
Dress forms, or mannequins, are a great way to test patterns on different body shapes. We did a lot of research into which forms we should use to ensure the best fit possible, and have found some fantastic ones which will help us in achieving our goal of increasing our sizing without compromising on fit. Due to the pandemic, the dress forms took a lot longer to arrive than expected but now that they’re here, we're working hard and are absolutely committed to getting it right.
We are devoted to not adding to the hurtful storytelling that has dominated our industry until recently, telling a huge percentage of women that they aren’t valued in our society unless they fit into the “sample size” bracket. We do not believe that, and we want our brand to reflect that.
It may take a little bit more time, but we really want to nail this and get it right. We’re going to start with a selection of our best sellers, but we’d love to hear from you about which styles you’d want to make. We will also need testers for the new sizes - please keep your eye out for our call-out on our Instagram, we will reach out as soon as we’re ready.
Below you can see the new size band that will be available. This size band will be drafted with a D cup.
