The Owner's Inspiration for Creating Petite Plus Patterns:
Owner Kathleen Cheetham, who has written numerous articles for sewing magazines, designed her line of sewing patterns especially for short women with plus-sized figures. According to Kathleen, petite plus women have problems finding clothes that fit properly, and it's difficult, even for women who sew and make their own clothes, to achieve proper fit because sewing patterns are traditionally "designed for tall figures with broad shoulders and B cup bras," which makes them a nightmare to adjust.
Petite Plus Patterns:
Petite Plus Patterns offers sewing patterns for the petite plus woman, who has been underserved by both the fashion and sewing trades. Each pattern from Petite Plus has been made to fit a woman who has
- narrow shoulders
- short back waist length
- D cup bra
- rounded tummy
- full curves
These differences from other home sewing patterns should help the petite plus sewer by making it far easier to achieve success sewing garments for herself because there should be no need for extensive pattern alterations.
Types of Patterns Available:
Petite Plus offers patterns for tops, vests, jackets, dresses, skirts, pants, jeans, nightwear, a swing coat, and a skort. Customers appreciate both the fit of the patterns and the clarity of the pattern instructions. One customer said that the patterns "have saved me literally weeks of fitting time," and another that the fit was "far better than any other clothing I have sewn in years." From the reviews of the patterns in several sewing magazines and the raves from customers, it's apparent that Petite Plus Patterns are a hit.
Pattern Sizing:
Most of the patterns include sizes 14-24 all in the same pattern envelope although there are a limited number of patterns which also include size 12. Always consult the manufacturer's size chart (vendor's site) to determine which size to use in the sewing pattern because sewing pattern sizing usually differs from commercially sized ready-to-wear clothing. In Petite Plus Patterns, a size 14 would fit a petite plus woman with a 40" bust and 42" hips, and a size 24 would fit a petite plus woman with a 50" bust and 52" hips.
Sewing Tips from Petite Plus:
Owner Kathleen Cheetham has posted a number of useful sewing tips on the Petite Plus Patterns site. These tips would help anyone who sews, whether or not they're sewing petite plus clothing. Here's an example of a tip from Kathleen that I really like:
"I've come up with a way to always remember to turn off the iron. My husband hung a powerstrip above the ironing board. The iron is plugged in and when the power is on, a power light comes on. That way I know at a glance, as I walk by the sewing room, that the iron is off or on."
How to Order:
Although a few retailers in the U.S., Canada, and Australia sell Petite Plus Patterns, the easiest way to order is through the Petite Plus Web site. Patterns cost $20 each and include the full range of available sizes.
Petite Plus Patterns (vendor's site)
