Hot take: using a sewing pattern from 1995 for a modern dress is a disaster waiting to happen

Last spring I tried hacking a vintage Vogue pattern for a friend's wedding and the shoulder seams sat 2 inches too high while the waistline was practically under my armpits, has anyone else fought with old pattern sizing like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

joseph9322mo ago

...and don't even get me started on the darts. I tried a 1994 McCalls pattern last winter and the bust darts ended up pointing at my elbows. Vintage sizing is basically a guessing game, especially since they used totally different measurements for everything.

blake_black4719d agoMost Upvoted

See I actually have to disagree a bit here. Old patterns from the 90s are way more doable if you take the time to measure yourself against the finished garment measurements instead of just trusting the size chart. The issue with those shoulder seams is probably that 90s patterns had way more ease built in than what we're used to now. I've sewn probably 15 vintage patterns from that era and the trick is to flat measure everything before you even cut fabric. The bust dart thing with McCalls is real though, but thats usually because they drafted for a B cup and if you're not that size you gotta do a full bust adjustment or pick a different size to start with.

adam_robinson2mo ago

Yeah, honestly I used to think old patterns were fine but that experience totally changed my mind.