Creating a grading standard pt. 2

In a previous blog, I wrote about the first steps in creating a grading standard, but failed to discuss the details. It would be helpful to also review my blog entry titled Too Many Sizes! In this blog, I will try to explain grading terms and the rules by which grading can occur. In the future, I will show how to develop your actual grade rules and how I grade a pattern (which is different from any other method I have seen).

There seems to be a lot of confusion about grading. Some people view grading as a magical process that can turn your beautiful pattern in one size into any other size you desire. Before anyone can grade your pattern, you should have already done some homework. You should have chosen a category, size range, and measurement chart. Your category and size standard should be fairly simple. You should only be working in one category and your size range should not have more than 6 sizes. You may want to work in men and womens plus and regular sizes all at once, but it is just not possible.

Now, I have to stop here for a moment and explain the concept of categories. I don't know if this is the appropriate term or not. I work in a children's category, but you may work in Misses, Juniors, Mens, or whatever. Within those broad categories, there are sub-categories or classifications based on your sizing system. A classification is based on a specific figure type such as Misses, Petites, Plus, or Talls. Each of these designations have a separate and distinct sizing system. You can't magically start with a Misses size and turn it into a Plus size by grading it. That is not how grading works, so don't even attempt it. There is no magic formula.

Grading is a simple, yet difficult concept for people to grasp. Grading is a process by which a base pattern is proportionally changed to create smaller or larger sizes. Grading is always based on a set of measurements specific to a size range and classification. Successful grading does not change the overall proportions of the intended design as the size changes. This is why a size range should be limited to about 6 sizes. Any more than that and the largest or smallest size will be proportionally wrong.

Successful grading is all about having a good starting point. A base pattern is a pattern created and perfected to fit a sample size. From that base pattern, you will create the other sizes in your size range. Now some of you want to offer Plus sizes in addition to your Misses Sizes. It should be as simple as grading your base Misses patterns up to the appropriate plus size, right? After all, it would save a great deal of work. You already have a perfect pattern and why would you want to go to the work of creating a whole new set of patterns.

The reality is, you will have to create a whole new set of patterns in a new base size contained in a new size range and classification. I know this sounds like a lot of work. The truth is that it is, at least initially. You will have to develop a set of base patterns for your Misses sizes and a separate set for your Plus sizes. You may sample a new style in a Misses size initially. Once a style is approved, your patternmaker will then create patterns in any other size ranges you want to offer. The process required to create the plus size patterns will be very similar, if not identical, to the process required to draft the Misses size patterns. There may be a little tweaking for fit during sampling, but the process will be faster than the original style development. Your patternmaker will already know what should be done.

For example, one company I work for will create a new style in a size 5 (in a children's size range of 4-6x). They then decide they want to offer that style in the entire range 2T-16 and plus sizes. I have already broken up the sizes into ranges of 2T-4T, 4-6x, 7-16, and 8+ to 20+. I then make patterns in the sample sizes of 3T, 5 (which is already done), 10, and 10+. The patterns for each sample size are then graded within their range. It may sound like a lot of work, especially if done entirely by hand. Since I work in a CAD environment, I can accomplish this task in less than a day. By hand, it may take 2-3 days.

Going back to our previous example......Once your set of Misses patterns and Plus size patterns are finished, you will then send those off to be graded. And this is where you have to create your grade rules. To create grade rules, you will need your measurement charts. So here is your homework assignment. Read your measurement chart. If you are offering more than one classification, compare the two. How does a Plus size differ from a Misses? Do your measurements make sense? Do the measurements decrease for the smaller sizes and increase for the bigger? In the next blog, I will show how to create your grade rules from your measurement charts. Once you see the grade rules, you will then understand why you can't grade a Misses size into a Plus size.

Sizing Up Children and shopping difficulties

In the March 2006 issue of Redbook magazine, Melissa Schweiger attempts to explain the difficulty of creating women’s fashion. The disparity in body shapes, weights, and sizing is an evolving and complex task. Fashion companies each create their ideal customer and manufacture clothing based on specific sizing. But all too often women fall in between sizing or have different proportions. Many women have to try on a mountain of clothes to find something that finally fits.

Schweiger makes some interesting points about the changing shape of American women. Many of these ideas also apply to children’s fashion and sizing. Below, I highlight some key points:

Arbitrary Sizing

Each manufacturer develops their own sizing system. In women’s fashion the sizing numbers are relatively standard. For example, the sizes run 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and so on. In infant clothing, the sizing varies from label to label. One place will size 0-3, 3-6. 6-9, 9-12, 12-18, 18-24. Another will size 0-9, 9-12, 18-24. Some simply place a label with corresponding weight such as 19-26lbs. Stores like the Gap hand out info cards to help the consumer determine the right size.

After determining one size for one label, you will be out of luck at the next store. A 6-month-old baby can easily wear any size labeled 6-18mo. The added difficulty of fitting a baby is that they get fussy. If you can’t stand trying on 10 pairs of pants, imagine an infant after one pair.

Changing Shapes

According to this article, American women have changed. They are a bit taller and heavier. American women are more ethnically diverse. The challenge for manufacturers and designers is to design a product that fits a more diverse range of people. Some are making attempts, some refuse.

The general consensus among children’s fashion professionals is that children are changing along with their parents. They are taller and heavier, and more ethnically diverse. Childhood obesity and inactivity play a part in changing shapes.

The problem is children’s clothing manufacturers cling to their 30+ year old size charts. They protect their sizing information like a trade secret (not uncommon in every segment of the fashion biz). And while major studies are being done on men and women, they are not being done on children. (If I am wrong, please let me know).

Shopping for children who fall outside of the norm has tremendous difficulty. Plus sizes for children are not stocked in many stores, despite the apparent increasing demand. And if there is truly a demand for children’s plus sizes, it is hard to gauge. Children in this category move to adult sizes much more quickly.

Overall, this magazine article was an interesting review of the difficulty faced by clothing manufacturers. Well worth the read if you have wondered why you can’t find anything that fits.
Additional ideas and fitting information can be found at http://www.fashion-incubator.com.

Fitting Frustrations

Sitting in one of my pattern drafting classes in design school, my professor tried to explain common fitting dilemmas.

"No one is a perfect pattern size!" said Dr. S, referring to the measurements on the back of a pattern envelope from one of the big pattern companies.

And yet, I was an exception. I could pull out a pattern and a tape measure and my measurements would match up exactly with one of the sizes. I did not pay too much attention to my measurements because I could make up any pattern and have it fit relatively well. I only paid half attention to what Dr. S. said. After all, I "was" a perfect pattern size.

That was until ten years later. After frustration and disappointment, I have had to rediscover patternmaking and proper fit. I can no longer just make up a pattern and have it fit properly. Seams do not lay straight, hems are uneven, darts are in the wrong place. It has almost been enough to stop making clothes for myself.

Working in the fashion industry, I could rely on standard size patterns and dress forms. What’s more, I have been designing children’s clothing. Children’s bodies are relatively straight. No need to worry about bulges and curves. I could whip out a pattern and sew up a sample in an afternoon. Tweak and grade it a couple of hours later. It was a breeze.

Now I am attempting to sew for myself again. It is amazing that I could even find the occasional hour to re-explore a personal hobby. But somehow my body has changed. I am relatively fit and thin and have been most of my life. And yet, I have more curves. My clothes fit differently. I have gained and lost the typical weight that comes with the holidays. A few wrinkles and gray hairs later, I have realized that I am a different person.

I should have realized this when I have had to go shopping for jeans. I used to be able to try on one pair of jeans, just about anywhere, and have it fit. Now I have to travel to about 8 stores and try on several pairs of jeans. The discount stores never carry my size - the jeans are usually too short for my tall frame or are sized for thin teenagers. The department stores either sell out of my size or want $150. It is a hit or miss with catalogs, but I have had more success ordering pants that are long enough. Yes, I am a different person.

Now I face a sewing dilemma. If I make something for myself, using my time and money, it has to look good, fit, and last a long time. That means I can’t gain or lose weight. Curves have to stay where they are. What if I have a baby and my body shape changes again? What if by some miracle I motivate myself to start my exercise regime and my body changes shape again? And so goes the debate about sewing for myself.

As I pull out Dr. S’s book on fitting and pattern alteration, I admit I am a fitting neophyte. With trepidation, I am relearning and refining a lost skill. Things I had learned in theory actually have direct application to me. With my measurements falling all over the map, I realize I am no longer a "perfect" pattern size. And yet, all of this is a "perfect" motivation to keep on stitching (and fitting!).