Learn About… Ease

6 Oct

So what is Ease?

Ease is the amount of extra room included in the pattern above the body measurements, so you can move and bend etc. and also to create the chosen silhouette.

Wearing ease is the minimum amount of room required for movement. As a rule, we include a minimum wearing ease of 2.5cm at the bust, 2cm at the waist and 5 cm at the hip.

Design ease is the extra that is added to achieve the desired look and fit of the garment. This varies from style to style but for a close fit in a woven garment we include 2.5cm, for a tailored but loose fit we include 4–5cm and for a really loose fit this can be anything from 10cm to over 20cm.

A useful exercise is to look at some other patterns and work out the ease by looking at the body measurements and comparing them to the finished garment measurements. This will help you begin to understand how the garment might fit you, before you even start making it!

Using the All the Cute Skirts Pattern as an example, the finished garment measurement is 2cm more than the body measurement. This will mean the skirt will sit close to the body on the waist and hips. If you prefer a looser fit, you can choose to go up a size now you know the difference.

Also, if your fabric has a bit of stretch to it, take that into account and allow for the stretch by going down a size. You can trust that the waist is not going to feel too tight. If you choose a more rigid fabric, you might choose to size up at the waist.

To help visualise the ease, hold a tape measure around you at the finished garment measurement to get a feel of how the garment will fit when it is made up.