Curvy Girls Sewing Resources

"Ahead of the Curve," by Jenny Rushmore of Cashmerette is an informative and helpful book for fitting those who have curves. I was amazed at how beautiful the models in the book were when their clothing was tweaked to fit them better. Even though it was the same pattern, they appeared more polished and stylish. The Fit Clinic photos in the book are eye-opening! I was able to check the book out of my public library, but if it's not available from your public library or you don't have the funds to buy your own copy (it does come with five patterns: Kersoe Top, Honeybourne Dress, Stanway T-shirt, Foxhill Dress, and Magna Pants). 

The Kersoe Top is your foundation for practicing FBAs and SBAs and creating a tried-and-true pattern for future dart manipulations and techniques. The Honeybourne Dress expands on this foundation by introducing a sleeve and gathered skirt using woven fabrics. The Foxhill Dress is a sleek affair with princess seaming and a gored skirt made up in ponte knit or scuba fabric. The Stanway T-shirt is a raglan t-shirt, a notoriously difficult style for fitting those with large busts, but you'll learn how to master fit with this! Finally, the Magna Pant is a woven fabric slim-leg trouser pattern with an elasticized back waist and optional side zip. Everything you need for a capsule wardrobe can be found here---shorts from the Magna Pant, mounting a waistband or casing for the skirt portion of the Honeybourne Dress, lengthening the Kersoe Top into a tunic...you are only limited by your imagination and willingness to improvise! 

If you don't have funds to buy the book or can't get the book from your local library, here are online resources that can fill some of the gaps.

Curvy Sewing Collective 

This site provides tutorials, pattern reviews, and lists of plus-sized pattern companies. You can check out their blogroll for curvy sewists, join the Curvy Sewing Collective on Facebook, and even learn how to talk respectfully about size. 

Cashmerette This site provides tutorials, sewing patterns, and sewalongs for select patterns. If you need advice on how to cover the girls, this is where to begin. 

 YouTube Sites for practical sewing advice and support 

Alexandra Morgan (In-House Patterns) 

ThriftyStitcher (Claire-Louise Hardie) 

Threads Sewing 

Instagram: Get more ideas on how other sewists are creating! 

@Cashmerette 

#CurvySewing 

#CSCMakes 

#PlusSizeSewing

If you're looking for a diverse and inclusive community of sewists, consider attending one of our Neighborhood Group meetings! You can find more information on our Neighborhood Group page (we conveniently place our NGL contact information here, too!) or check out the current Neighborhood Group topics on Meetup. You can attend up to two meetings to see if ASG membership is right for you.