Pattern size running big

[leighi123]

I got this pattern for my son's bday outfit - he usually wears 18month size, but a 2T can work, it will just be big, so I made the shorts in a 2T size, and well... they fit ME!

Granted, I am a small person, but no where near the size of a 2 year old!

Now Im scared to make the shirt, it was expensive fabric, and Ive never made a shirt like that before so Im not sure how to make sure it will actually fit him.

and why are the patterns so HUGE??? Do they really think a 2 yr old is that big??? The measurments on the package arent nearly that big!

[sewchris2642]

I clicked on the link but got a page of Misses dresses, not baby patterns. I couldn't find a size chart on the Butterick website but did find one on the McCall's website. http://www.mccallpattern.com/charts/btoddler.htm For a McCalls 2T, the chest is 21", waist 20", with a height of 34". If your son's measurements is different from the measurements of the pattern size 2T, the pattern will not fit. And what size he wears in RTW (ready to wear) is not going to be his pattern size. The 2 have nothing to do with each other. Also a lot of patterns now are multi-sized. Did you cut on the wrong size lines by mistake?

Found the size chart for Butterick: http://www.butterick.com/tech/charts/btoddler.html The size 2T has the same measurements as the McCall's 2T.

[leighi123]

His chest and waist are both 20", he is 31" tall - but these are not even close to that, they are supposed to be shorts and on him they are seveal inches past his feet, and the waist, is just huge.

They literally fit me, with the pattern cut to the smallest size.

[sewchris2642]

Can you post the pattern company and number? This is becoming a puzzle I want to solve. I've had patterns that were way off but not so far off that a toddler pattern fit a misses size.

[Roxy2007]

i've heard patterns from the big 4 being ill-fitting but never that big. i know i made a few friends who sewed something from mccall in newborn size and it was soo big that she was able to get it on her 3 years old dd. i prefer the big 4 vintage, i find them fit better for kids, they might have change their sizing past 1970s or 80s and i hate how they fit now that i dont buy them anymore.

[leighi123]

Butterick 3475 - its the toddler version (there is another one with bigger kids sizes thats the same pattern)

I wear a size 0 in jrs clothes, so Im pretty tiny myself , but still, its not even close to the 2T sized clothes we have, and I wouldnt think any toddler sizes should fit me!

[sewchris2642]

Thanks. The shorts on the size 2T are 15" long finished according to the back of the pattern. My granddd, Lindsay, is about 29" tall (measured in January). That length comes to just above her ankles, say about an 1" or 2". The shorts are meant to be long and loose fitting according to the back of the pattern. According to the pictures on the pattern, the shorts are supposed to hit the middle of the shin. The toddler sizes also have diaper room so it's no wonder that you could get them on. Depending on what kind of diapers your son wears, they could be bagger or tighter than the pictures show. If you want them shorter, you need to cut them shorter or buy a different pattern. It is a very cute pattern. And one I'll keep in mind for Lindsay and baby Parker (when he gets that size; he's 5 months right now).

For future reference, measure the actual pattern pieces to get a true idea of how the finished garment will fit. I'm not sure of kids' patterns, but the adult sizes have the finished measurement on the pattern pieces.

[leighi123]

I guess he does have short legs, its easy enough to hem them shorter!

He has been potty trained for almost a year now, so no diapers! When you 'take in' shorts, where would I take it in from? The sides? They are really cute made, but just plain huge! The bigger sizes are also a lot bigger - are they expecting kids that wear 2T and bigger size clothes to still be in diapers??? I thought kids potty trained by 2-3ish at the latest. (I know, my ds was way early at that)

So I guess I'll measure the shirt pattern and see if it seems big, hopefully it wont take too much altering, Im not very good at that, and at least if the shirt runs big he can just wear it longer, the shorts are more of an issue being too big, they just fall off!

[sewchris2642]

The easiest was to make the shorts narrower is to take bigger seams in the side seams. Make sure that they are still several inches bigger than his hips so that he can sit and move in them. Check the elastic first; it could be just the elastic that is too big. Did you make a casing and run non-roll or ribbed elastic through it or did you stretch and stitch through the elastic? If you stitched through the elastic, you need to use knit elastic and cut it 4"-6" smaller than your son's waist.

Here's a link to a discussion on sewing elastic with a link to a youtube on it. http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1095677