A size chart assigns concrete body measurements to standard sizes. It is the basis blocks are drafted and graded from.
There is no binding standard. DIN EN 13402 makes recommendations but prescribes nothing, and every label measures the group it actually sells to. That is why a size 38 from one brand is a different set of numbers than a 38 from another, and why comparing labels tells you very little.
Body measurements, not finished measurements. A chart says how wide a bust is, not how wide the garment ends up. The difference between the two is the ease, and that belongs to the pattern rather than to the chart.
Take your own measurements, compare them against the chart, and let the largest deviation decide. Where bust, waist and hip land in different sizes, most people pick the size that fits the hardest area to alter and adjust the rest on the pattern.
The chart tells you which size to cut. Whether the pattern actually holds those measurements is something you can check on the digitized piece, by measuring it against the finished measurements.
Digitize sewing patterns without tracing.
Test PatternScan Pro free for 14 days with the full feature set. You need your smartphone, a printer and one pattern you always wanted digital.
Photograph your paper pattern and get an automatically scaled digital version with PatternScan Pro.
Usage
.svg){kind=icon}