Note: I am not fat and I am not a fat sewist, so I will try to keep my commentary to a minimum here. I am simply not the person you need to be hearing from on this topic.
Over the last week or so, fat inclusion has once again become one of the online sewing community's biggest topics of discussion. As someone who is newer to the community and who fits in straight sizing, I've had to do a lot of catching up. My immediate reaction is that while some progress has been made to increase size ranges produced by pattern designers, there is still a long way to go for inclusion.
As a straight size sewist and ally, I want to amplify and support fat sewists. One of the ways I have been doing this is by sending pattern designers emails to encourage them to expand their size ranges. I am sharing a modified version of what I have been sending, in hopes of encouraging other straight size sewists to do the same. If you choose to use this as a template, please remember to fill it in and personalize it to your own experience:
Hi (pattern designer),
I'm (your first name), and I'm a sewist based in (location). I am a straight size sewist (chest/waist/hip measurements) and have (insert their pattern names here). You can find me on instagram at (Instagram handle).
Today, I wanted to reach out to you to ask you to extend your size range to a 70" hip measurement. As a straight size sewist, I am asking you to do this because I care about inclusion in the sewing community.
From my research, I understand your current size range for most patterns goes up to a (XX") hip measurement. As Jess from Broad in the Seams has pointed out, a 58" hip is a good start, but doesn't go far enough for fat inclusion. Megan from The Green Violet recently analyzed patterns from 300 companies and highlighted how access to sewing patterns decreases as size increases, especially above a 65" hip measurement.
To me, this is a missed opportunity for inclusion and additional market share & sales.
I understand it is a financial investment to extend your size range, but wanted to let you know that I will be factoring a pattern company's size inclusion into my pattern purchasing decisions moving forward. I will also be posting min/max measurements with future makes on Instagram. I know many straight size sewists will be doing the same, and encourage you to take action on my ask and share your work on size inclusion with the sewing community.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
