Friday, April 21, 2006

Kids sizing mini-rant

Three years ago, I made a hat and capris for DD from Simplicity 5540. She was six years old, going into a size six. The pants were, um, rather large. I told her they were cropped pants, not capris, and figured she'd be able to wear them for several years. Now, she's 9 and the last jeans I bought for her were a size 10 slim. We pulled out the summer clothes box last week, and she put those purple capris on yet again. She had to work at it just a little; they're *just* big enough to get over her hips...but the length is perfect. It just needs a wee bit of length added to the back crotch seam. So, I'm thinking I'm going to use some stretch twill and denim I have in the stash, use 3/8" side seams instead of 5/8" and she'll have some capris that fit. In a slightly modified size 6.

She can also still wear Simplicity 5641, which I made for her in a slightly lengthened size 5, for Easter that same year. It hits her just above her knees now and actually looks really good.

I feel kinda bad for letting her run around in such oversized clothes in years past.

But...she's a 10 slim...and the dress is a 5...the pants are a 6...who'da thunk that they'd've been so big? Has anyone else found kids patterns to be way oversized related to RTW? Why do you suppose that is?

I guess I just need to take new measurements each time I sew for her. Nuisance for both of us.

But I should get the capris made real soon; several things in that summer box WERE outgrown!

But she's happy she can still wear the dress...

3 comments:

  1. Perhaps the discrepancy in children's sizes is to get them used to the idea. Then, when they are adults, it will be no surprise:)

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  2. But...once in the adult sizes, it goes the other way; RTW runs bigger than standard pattern sizing. Ah, well, at least it's consistently independant!

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  3. i have no idea why it is like that, but i just traced off a pair of boxer shorts (timberlane press ones, so it's not just the big 4) for calvin. he is 6.5 years old, and granted, he is small for his age, but i ended up tracing off a size TWO!!! i compared the measurements to a pair of RTW ones he already has (size S), and they were the same! i'm prolly going to have to make them even a bit smaller, since the RTW ones hang on him. it's ridiculous.

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