Can you also use my software to create sewing patterns for men or children?
I'm actually getting asked that more and more often. I recorded a short video where I address the question. But don't worry—I've also summarized the key points below.
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So, in short:
My experience is with the female body. By “female,” I mean a body with at least a little bust and no “appendage” between the legs. Clear so far? ;)
However, I’ve also seen examples where my patterns have been used for men or children. I think that, with your own set of measurements, it should work for the most part, but I do have to make a few caveats.
Skirts
These should actually work for everyone, even if the hips are narrower than the waist.
Pants
The front crotch curve for men or boys may need to be adjusted slightly. But other than that, it should actually work just fine.
Tops (dresses included)
This is where it gets a little more complicated. We need to consider both the bust dart and the ratio of bust to waist.
Some of my tops have an option for “no bust dart.” Of course, these also work for people without breasts. For the other patterns, a dart is ALWAYS generated, even if it might be very small. You can easily sew even the small darts, and you're all set. Princess-line patterns should work just as well. However, some patterns transform the fabric in the bust dart into pleats or gathers, such as Dianella or Hollyhock. While these patterns will technically work, they probably won't look very good. These patterns are better suited for larger bust sizes.
And then there’s one more restriction: The waist measurement must not be larger than the bust measurement. A larger waist measurement is perfectly fine, as long as the bust balances it out. But the basic grid for the pattern is based on the bust measurement, and from there, it’s not so easy to calculate “outward.” You’d first have to create the pattern with a smaller waist and then adjust it.
This is in no way meant to be discriminatory; it's simply a technical limitation that I haven't figured out yet. I've worked on this before, but my test group wasn't very impressed with my results, so it's still an open question.