15 ways to size inclusive patterns
1. Grade for more sizes.
Whether they be socks or sweaters or hats or shawls, for a pattern to be size inclusive, of course it needs to include a wide range of sizes. When it comes to sweaters or garments for the top half of our bodies, generally in the yarn industry to be classified as size inclusive a pattern needs to fit busts sized between 30”/75 cm and 60”/150 cm. Designers and yarn companies are trying to include more sizes now, as that range just really isn’t enough. There is data out there on bodies to support adding more sizes, so if you are currently designing garments, try to fit bust sizes 28”/70 cm up through 66”/165 cm. Those are ‘to fit’ body sizes, not finished measurements, an important distinction.
But it’s more than just sweaters. Our brains zero in on garments when we talk about size inclusivity but remember that smaller bodies need smaller hats and gloves, and larger bodies need shawls that cover their shoulders just like they do on a smaller body. Any item that is worn is clothing, and writing those patterns is creating clothing for all sizes, not just one size.
2. Be careful of pitfalls.
Educate yourself about fit points on bodies, and study sizing standards. Determine your finished measurements based on what will give your intended fit for all those points in all the sizes. Make sure to avoid too deep armholes, necks that choke, necks that fall off the shoulders, etc… All the answers are in the sizing standards you are designing with. If you need help with grading rules, or how to determine your measurements, get it. Grading responsibly to assure good fit for all sizes is tantamount to a pattern being truly size inclusive.
3. Mind your motifs.
Before you begin the work of writing all the sizes of a pattern, look at what stitch counts you’ll need in key places, and see if your intended motif is in a multiple that will work for all sizes. Sometimes you can play around and adjust a motif to get the number you need, or create slightly different ones for different size blocks or for each size, or sometimes you need to scrap it and pick something else. But don’t get started without checking, and don’t let yourself be so locked into an exact motif that you sacrifice your size range.
4. Double check the grade.
Before you do the work of creating a sample, figure out your target measurements and know where you want to go with your design. Check your schematic with an editor or experienced designer and see if it makes sense for your size range and offers the same fit across sizes. When you are editing, check all those measurements to make sure the grade is well done for good fit.
5. Let the yarn work for all sizes.
When choosing yarns for projects, make sure the properties of the yarn, and of substitutes that you suggest, offer the same stretch (or stability), drape, and texture no matter whether the garment is large or small. The answers won’t be the same for every type of garment, so really examine this when choosing yarns. A roomy, thick, and cozy sweater with long sleeves and a big collar made with a heavy and stretchy yarn will be a recipe for disaster in larger sizes, while likely not an issue for smaller sizes. But a heavy and stretchy yarn could be perfect for a cropped short sleeve tee in any size. Is there a change or addition you could make to the design to make your yarn choice a success for everyone?
6. In garments, do not size by the full chest circumference.
While it is important to fit this part of the body and the pattern needs to accomplish that, it is important first to fit the upper chest and shoulders where the weight of the sweater hangs, to ensure a good fit. At either end of the size range, the difference between the upper chest and full chest is significant, and we need to grade and design with that in mind. If the garment completely falls off the shoulders, or the wearer can’t get it over their head, it won’t matter about the full chest circumference being right.
7. Give guidance for choosing a size.
Make it clear how the maker should choose their size. What measurement on their body do they base their choice on? What measurements in the pattern do they need to check against? Give this information and include what they can expect in how it will fit and feel.
8. Give static ease recommendations.
Stay away from suggesting the item can fit with a range of ease, such as: ‘Recommended to be worn with 4-8”/10-20 cm of positive ease.’ This seems like a good idea because then the designer has grading wiggle room, and the maker has size-choosing wiggle room, right? But the big problem is that it is misleading. The item will not look the same or fit the same at any ease – there is a big difference there! Be sure to recommend the ease you intend, and the ease that is photographed. When grading, be sure to grade with the same amount of ease applied to all sizes, to the best of your ability. Don’t cheat.
9.Share the schematic and finished measurements where you buy the pattern.
Please do this. Please support those who do this. Transparency with your customers about what you are selling is good business, and good ethics. Folks need to know what they’re buying before they can choose whether to buy it. Don’t hold back the information they need, namely here, whether what they are buying will even work for them!
10. Include mile markers for modifications.
Remember that your makers will each likely need to make different modifications, possibly be working at different row gauges, and have different bodies. To optimize their success, offer guideposts in the pattern that make it easy to know, no matter what change they need at that spot or no matter what gauge, where the mod is made and what their options are. E.g., giving row counts as well as work-to measurements, saying precisely where on the body something should hit before moving on, how much extra yarn you will need for extra lengths, etc...
11. Use the same sizing structure for all instructions.
A pattern with a lot of sizes and numbers can get confusing to look at, and it can be easy to lose your place. Make sure the sizing structure you start with in your sizing information (e.g. [x, x, x] [x, x, x] [x, x, x]) is the one you use every single time sizes are indicated: in headings, in instructions, in stitch counts. When some sizes aren’t being worked, use dashes instead. When stitches aren’t changing or being worked for some sizes, use zeros. Do not just omit those sizes and end up with them being listed in places where other sizes were listed before. Let that structure remain the same so that it is easy for makers to find their size every time and know where they are.
12. Specify what needle lengths will be needed for every size.
A short needle won’t work for long sizes. A long needle won’t work for small sizes. Dpns won’t be necessary on a larger sleeve. A circular won’t work on a smaller sleeve. This is a common oversight, so be clear about what lengths or type of needles will be needed for every size, or don’t name that information for any size. But whatever you do, please do not list the length and type needed for only your size. This goes for markers, notions, buttons, zipper lengths, etc… for all sizes too.
13. Show the design on as many different bodies as you can!
Seek out models of different sizes. Use more than one sample. Seek out testers for all sizes and ask if you may share their photos. Representation matters; do your best to let makers see what they will be making!
14. Don’t assume.
Not all makers of the pattern will be experts, and even if they are, they may do things completely differently than the pattern should dictate. Do not leave things up to personal interpretation if they need to be executed a certain way or understood precisely. You know what you mean, but not everyone experiencing the pattern will know, believe it or not. Be clear, always. The alternative is frustrated makers, and that’s an outcome we don’t want. Think about this design on different sized bodies, think about what considerations bodies different from your own might need when working this pattern.
15. Offer support.
Designers, offer support to your makers. Listen when they say that something doesn’t work, or there is something else they need. Editors, offer support to your clients. Help designers with their goal to be size inclusive by offering grading help, resources, contacts, information. Check the grading when you check the pattern, say what doesn’t work.
All of us need to support each other’s efforts in this important task. Keep this list in your mind when you are working on patterns, make notes of anything you come across that can make patterns truly size inclusive and altogether better for makers, letting them be more successful and happier with their makes.
Checklist
- Expanded size range.
- Graded with fixed ease.
- Motifs that work.
- Sizing based on most important body point first.
- Yarn requirements make sense for all sizes and modifications.
- Sizing and ease recommendations included.
- Schematic freely available.
- Pattern written clearly and concisely.
- Sizing notations consistent.
- Needles and notions requirements listed for all sizes.
- Testers planned for most, if not all, sizes.
- Pattern support structure in place.
