Guide
Plus Size Sewing Patterns PDF: Styles Graded from XS to 5XL
Plus size sewing patterns in PDF solve the problem that shop racks and most paper patterns do not: the same style, graded in one continuous run from XS to 5XL, at the same price, in a file where you print only your size. Every women's pattern in the Sewly catalog is drafted that way, and a 5XL means a bust of 148 cm (58.3 in), a waist of 135 cm (53.2 in) and hips of 156 cm (61.4 in). This guide explains what those numbers mean for choosing a size, which styles fit straight from the chart without alterations, and which patterns to start with.
What XS to 5XL means in centimetres
A size label on its own tells you nothing; the body measurements behind it do. All women's patterns on Sewly share one measurement chart, so once you know your size on one pattern you know it on every other. The upper half of that chart looks like this:
| Size | Bust | Waist | Hips |
|---|---|---|---|
| XL | 104 cm / 41.0 in | 82.5 cm / 32.5 in | 109 cm / 42.9 in |
| 2XL | 114 cm / 44.9 in | 93 cm / 36.6 in | 119 cm / 46.8 in |
| 3XL | 126 cm / 49.6 in | 110 cm / 43.3 in | 132 cm / 52.0 in |
| 4XL | 140 cm / 55.1 in | 124 cm / 48.8 in | 146 cm / 57.5 in |
| 5XL | 148 cm / 58.3 in | 135 cm / 53.2 in | 156 cm / 61.4 in |
Two things stand out. The steps between sizes get bigger towards the top of the range, so being "between sizes" at 3XL to 4XL means a larger gap than between S and M. And the chart is in both centimetres and inches, so you can compare directly with whichever unit your tape measure uses. The full chart from XS upwards is on every pattern page under "Size chart".
Styles that fit straight from the chart
Above a 2XL, bust, waist and hip often land in three different sizes, and the fastest way to a dress that fits is to pick a style where that does not matter. Four shapes do this well.
- Relaxed Fit Linen Dress with Side Pockets skims the body from shoulder to hem with no waist seam. Choose the size by your bust and the rest follows, because there is nothing fitted below it.
- Linen Maxi Dress with Flared Sleeves, Boho Cottagecore has an empire waist that sits high under the bust and releases into a gathered skirt. The only fitted part is the short bodice, so your waist and hip measurements never come into it.
- Linen Wrap Midi Dress with Bishop Puff Sleeves and Slit closes with an adjustable tie at the waist. A wrap adjusts to you every time you put it on, and a slit in the skirt keeps the midi length easy to walk in.
- Gathered Waist A-Line Linen Dress has a fitted bodice and a gathered A-line skirt. Pick the bodice size by your bust; the gathers at the waist absorb a hip that is one size larger.
All four are drafted for linen, and the pattern pages list the alternatives: linen blends for less creasing, cotton lawn or viscose where a softer drape is wanted.
Separates: pants and a layer
A dress is one decision. Separates let you make two, which is useful when your top half and bottom half are two sizes apart.
- Relaxed Linen Pants with Elastic Waistband and Pockets are straight-leg trousers with no zip or button. Choose the size by your hip measurement; the elastic takes care of the waist.
- Women's Oversized Hoodie Sweatshirt with Hood is the knit option, cut generously through the body. Sew it in French terry, sweatshirt fleece or a brushed-back jersey, and choose the size by your bust.
Because each size is a separate file in these patterns, you can print the pants in a 4XL and a top in a 3XL from the same subscription without printing anything you will not use.
When bust and hip are in different sizes
If your measurements span two sizes, the garment decides how to handle it.
- A dress with a waist seam (the gathered waist dress above): cut the bodice in your bust size and the skirt in your hip size, then gather or ease the skirt onto the bodice as the instructions say. The waist seam hides the join.
- A one-piece shift or tunic (the relaxed fit dress): cut the larger size at the hip and draw a smooth line to the smaller size at the bust, starting the blend just under the armhole. A ruler and a pencil on the printed pattern are all it takes.
- Elastic-waist pants: use the hip size only. The elastic sets the waist, and a drawstring where the pattern has one lets you fine-tune it.
- A wrap dress: use the bust size. The tie closes the dress at whatever waist you have.
Where a pattern is a single layered file rather than one file per size, as the wrap dress is, turn on both sizes in your PDF reader and trace between the lines before cutting.
Fabric for larger sizes
Pattern pieces for a 4XL or 5XL are wide, and a skirt or trouser piece may not fit across a narrow fabric. Buy fabric that is 140 to 150 cm wide, which is the usual width for dress linen, and avoid 110 cm quilting cottons for anything below the waist.
For how much to buy, the only method that is always right is to print the pattern first. Lay the pieces for your size on the floor inside a strip as wide as your fabric, measure the length they take up, and add 10 percent for shrinkage and straightening. Linen shrinks 3 to 5 percent on the first wash, so pre-wash the fabric the way you will wash the finished garment before you cut anything.
Mid-weight linen, around 180 to 230 grams per square metre, works for all four dresses and the pants. Lighter handkerchief linen suits the maxi dress and the wrap dress, where the gathers and bishop sleeves want to fall softly.
Printing only your size
A multi-size paper pattern in nine sizes is a tangle of lines, and the largest sizes sit at the outer edge where they are hardest to follow. A PDF avoids that. Most Sewly patterns come as one file per size, so a 5XL prints with a single clean line for every piece, and the patterns that use a layered file let you switch off every size but yours before printing. Every pattern also includes an A0 file for a copy shop, which is worth the few euros for a maxi dress in a large size: the pieces are long, and taping forty pages is nobody's idea of a relaxing evening.
If you have not printed a PDF pattern before, read How to Print a PDF Sewing Pattern at Home first, and measure the test square before cutting any fabric. For the measuring itself, How to Choose Your Size on a Sewing Pattern goes through bust, waist and hip step by step.
Where to start
Sew the relaxed fit dress first. It has one size decision, no closures, and in-seam pockets as its only fiddly step, and it will tell you in one afternoon whether the Sewly chart runs true for your body. Then the pants, then the wrap dress. The full list of women's patterns, all of them graded to 5XL, is in the Sewly catalog and on the patterns page.