Sewing Patterns & Alteration Guides for Extreme Height Variances (Petite/Tall).

Okay, based on the previous analysis regarding sewing patterns for individuals at height extremes:

Product/Service Opportunities:

  1. Product Line: "Ultra-Petite" Sewing Patterns

    • Description: A dedicated line of sewing patterns specifically designed and graded for individuals under 5'0" (e.g., for a height block of 4'10" or 4'11"). This goes beyond standard "petite" ranges, which often target 5'0"-5'3". These patterns would address not just overall length but also proportional adjustments like shorter torso lengths, adjusted rise in trousers, and armscye depth.
    • Specifics:
      • Initial offerings could include wardrobe staples like trousers, basic tops, simple dresses, and skirts.
      • Clear markings for common minor adjustments (e.g., slightly more or less length at specific points for those 4'9" vs. 4'11").
      • Available as PDF downloads and potentially print-on-demand physical patterns.
    • Expected Benefit:
      • Significant reduction in alteration time and frustration for this underserved group.
      • Higher success rate in achieving well-fitting garments, leading to increased sewing enjoyment and confidence.
      • Potential for a loyal customer base due to meeting a very specific, unmet need. Revenue would depend on pattern pricing (e.g., $15-25 per pattern) and market reach, but could be substantial as this niche is vocal. Assuming a conservative 1,000 customers purchasing 2 patterns a year at $20/pattern = $40,000 revenue.
  2. Product Line: "Extended Tall" Sewing Patterns

    • Description: A dedicated line of sewing patterns specifically drafted and graded for individuals over 6'0" (e.g., for a height block of 6'2"). This goes beyond standard "tall" ranges, which might cap out earlier. These patterns would feature longer torso lengths, appropriate sleeve lengths, extended leg lengths with correctly placed knee shaping, and adjusted rise.
    • Specifics:
      • Initial offerings could include trousers, long-sleeved tops, jumpsuits, and dresses.
      • Clear markings for minor length adjustments within the "extended tall" range.
      • Available as PDF downloads and potentially print-on-demand physical patterns.
    • Expected Benefit:
      • Similar to the "Ultra-Petite" line, this would provide well-fitting foundational patterns for a group that struggles with off-the-rack and standard patterns.
      • Reduces extensive, often complex, lengthening alterations.
      • Potential for a strong niche market. Revenue similar to the petite line, e.g., 1,000 customers purchasing 2 patterns a year at $20/pattern = $40,000 revenue.
  3. Information Resource: Online Course/Masterclass - "Advanced Pattern Alterations for Extreme Heights"

    • Description: An in-depth online course (video modules, downloadable guides, live Q&A sessions) teaching advanced techniques for significantly altering commercial patterns for those under 5'0" or over 6'0". This would cover more than simple "lengthen/shorten here" lines.
    • Specifics:
      • Modules on:
        • Understanding body proportions at height extremes.
        • How to correctly divide and conquer alterations (e.g., shortening/lengthening above/below knee, waist, bust).
        • Adjusting for rise, torso length, and sleeve length while maintaining design integrity.
        • Redrawing curves and grainlines after major alterations.
        • Specific tutorials for complex garments like trousers, fitted bodices, and set-in sleeves.
      • Could also include a segment on drafting a basic personal sloper (bodice, skirt, trousers) tailored to extreme height measurements.
    • Expected Benefit:
      • Empowers sewists with the skills to adapt a wider range of existing patterns, rather than being limited to niche pattern companies.
      • Increases fitting confidence and reduces "wadders" (failed projects).
      • High perceived value for a specialized skill. Course pricing could range from $99 - $299. With 200 students enrolling in a $150 course, this would generate $30,000 per launch/year.
  4. Information Resource: "Custom Fit Lab: Drafting for Height Extremes" (Focus on Trousers)

    • Description: A specialized, intensive workshop (possibly online or a series of detailed video tutorials) focused exclusively on drafting a perfectly fitting trouser sloper from scratch for individuals under 5'0" or over 6'0". Trousers are notoriously difficult to fit, especially with significant height deviations.
    • Specifics:
      • Covers taking accurate, relevant body measurements for extreme heights.
      • Step-by-step drafting process focusing on crotch curve, rise, inseam, and thigh/calf proportions.
      • Making and fitting a toile (muslin mock-up) and transferring adjustments back to the paper pattern.
      • Adapting the sloper to create different trouser styles (wide-leg, tapered, etc.).
    • Expected Benefit:
      • Solves a major pain point (trouser fit) for a highly motivated segment of the sewing community.
      • Provides a foundational block that can be used repeatedly.
      • Could be a premium offering due to its specificity and high-impact results. Priced at $79-$149. With 150 students at $99, this generates $14,850.

These opportunities directly address the expressed frustrations and desires for better-fitting patterns and the knowledge to achieve custom fits for individuals at the far ends of the height spectrum.

Origin Reddit Post

r/sewing

I know most patterns are too tall for me but this is ridiculous

Posted by u/mellbell1306/02/2025
I got halfway through taping together these Make My Lemonade pants when I realized how comically long they were. Checked the measurement box, no issues there. I'm used to chopping 6+ inches o

Top Comments

u/itsyagirlblondie
Curious about the length though. Even the smallest size looks super wonky
u/mellbell13
The test box was scaled correctly! They're supposed to be pleated wide leg trousers so that's likely why they look so wide
u/Jisan_Inc
As a fellow amazon, thank you
u/Own-Tea-4836
I'm so sick, and this just made me go into a laugh cough loop with no regrets
u/Midi58076
No, no you're just confused cause they're my pants. 5'8" and 36 inch inseam. I'm built like a moose, it's all legs.
u/mellbell13
Lmao they're the [Harya Pants](https://www.makemylemonade.com/en-int/products/harya-sewing-pattern-pdf?srsltid=AfmBOop8K1S-Irg3No6I1nwZdG9IwrlcaPgLh2mZh27wJLhqzkJqN9GU).
u/Lizz196
I’m a tall lady with long legs (5’ 9”), this reminds me of a pair of pants I found at Nordstrom’s that were still too long when I wore stilettos with them. I was like, who are these for?? I h
u/austex99
That’s hilarious. I just found a height percentile calculator, and it said that as a 5’9” woman in (presumably?) the U.S., you are in the 97th percentile for height! So I guess those pants we
u/zgtc
> They encircle your waist and buttocks, before dropping down to your ankles Finally! Can’t believe nobody until now thought to have pants cover one’s ass *and* go down to one’s ankles.
u/those_pesky_kids
But a very pretty moose! Make all the boy moose go waaaahhhh!
u/lfl226
Try SBCC patterns. They are drafted for petites. I am 5'1" and only have to make width adjustments with these patterns.
u/Lizz196
I’m a tall lady with long legs (5’ 9”), this reminds me of a pair of pants I found at Nordstrom’s that were still too long when I wore stilettos with them. I was like, who are these for?? I h
u/Jisan_Inc
As a fellow amazon, thank you
u/Brown_Sedai
They look very wide too… are you sure the scale was correct on the printer? Was there a test box?
u/the_pastry_gremlin
Find 20 inch heels
u/OGHollyMackerel
me in any store holding up a pair of pants to check length.
u/Midi58076
No, no you're just confused cause they're my pants. 5'8" and 36 inch inseam. I'm built like a moose, it's all legs.
u/mellbell13
I'm 4'11" and obviously none of that height is in my legs
u/splithoofiewoofies
When the line drawing seems like an exaggeration but it's accurate, lmao.
u/Elelith
Haha, I get this so much in Finnish xD And plenty of words have more than one meaning that aren't related at all.
u/dudewheresmysock
How tall are you, if you don't mind saying?
u/Jisan_Inc
As a fellow amazon, thank you
u/Neenknits
The scale box can be 1/8” of an inch off, and then that is 5” over 40”. I draw a line in my software, measure it in the software, and measure that on the paper. It’s more accurate than the
u/FoxyFromTheRoxy
> Harya is perfectly suited to H-shaped body shapes, and will be sublimated this winter over a bodysuit I used to think I was fluent in English but I'm having doubts.
u/nibbled_cookie
Hahahaha… this is hilarious to me can you please drop the pattern link I’m 6’2 and have the exact opposite problem you have
u/cuterobot
I took them online through a community college but one of the instructors also teaches privately. https://www.lyndamaynarddesigns.com/courses
u/Brown_Sedai
They look very wide too… are you sure the scale was correct on the printer? Was there a test box?
u/cuterobot
I don’t have any recommendations because I have the same experience as you. In the end, I took a pants drafting class to get a pants sloper custom fit to me and pattern making classes to lear
u/nibbled_cookie
Hahahaha… this is hilarious to me can you please drop the pattern link I’m 6’2 and have the exact opposite problem you have
u/AJeanByAnyOtherName
Machine translation is great, isn’t it? The rest of us non-native English speakers have to suffer this all the time now if we want a website in our own language 🙃
u/Brown_Sedai
They look very wide too… are you sure the scale was correct on the printer? Was there a test box?
u/SquirrelAkl
H-shaped bodies??? Is that legs with significant thigh-gap, arms that go straight up in the air, and no torso?
u/cuterobot
I took them online through a community college but one of the instructors also teaches privately. https://www.lyndamaynarddesigns.com/courses
u/cuterobot
I don’t have any recommendations because I have the same experience as you. In the end, I took a pants drafting class to get a pants sloper custom fit to me and pattern making classes to lear
u/those_pesky_kids
But a very pretty moose! Make all the boy moose go waaaahhhh!
u/Funsizep0tato
5'2"...this checks out. I make the same patterns over and over, so I avoid doing it :too: many times.
u/itsyagirlblondie
Curious about the length though. Even the smallest size looks super wonky
u/SquirrelAkl
H-shaped bodies??? Is that legs with significant thigh-gap, arms that go straight up in the air, and no torso?
u/Background-Book2801
Try the Sewaholic Thurlows. Old school but meticulous drafting and she was a petite pear. Lladybird (another old school sewing blogger) made a whole lot of them and I think she did a few sewa
u/the_pastry_gremlin
Find 20 inch heels
u/Lizz196
I’m a tall lady with long legs (5’ 9”), this reminds me of a pair of pants I found at Nordstrom’s that were still too long when I wore stilettos with them. I was like, who are these for?? I h
u/24601pb
It kinda annoys me the sample photo doesn’t show what the waist looks like. How am I supposed to know what it actually looks like beyond the illustrations
u/lfl226
Try SBCC patterns. They are drafted for petites. I am 5'1" and only have to make width adjustments with these patterns.
u/zgtc
> They encircle your waist and buttocks, before dropping down to your ankles Finally! Can’t believe nobody until now thought to have pants cover one’s ass *and* go down to one’s ankles.
u/mellbell13
Lmao they're the [Harya Pants](https://www.makemylemonade.com/en-int/products/harya-sewing-pattern-pdf?srsltid=AfmBOop8K1S-Irg3No6I1nwZdG9IwrlcaPgLh2mZh27wJLhqzkJqN9GU).
u/FoxyFromTheRoxy
> Harya is perfectly suited to H-shaped body shapes, and will be sublimated this winter over a bodysuit I used to think I was fluent in English but I'm having doubts.
u/mellbell13
Lmao they're the [Harya Pants](https://www.makemylemonade.com/en-int/products/harya-sewing-pattern-pdf?srsltid=AfmBOop8K1S-Irg3No6I1nwZdG9IwrlcaPgLh2mZh27wJLhqzkJqN9GU).
u/austex99
That’s hilarious. I just found a height percentile calculator, and it said that as a 5’9” woman in (presumably?) the U.S., you are in the 97th percentile for height! So I guess those pants we
u/lfl226
Try SBCC patterns. They are drafted for petites. I am 5'1" and only have to make width adjustments with these patterns.
u/mellbell13
The test box was scaled correctly! They're supposed to be pleated wide leg trousers so that's likely why they look so wide
u/AJeanByAnyOtherName
Machine translation is great, isn’t it? The rest of us non-native English speakers have to suffer this all the time now if we want a website in our own language 🙃
u/OGHollyMackerel
me in any store holding up a pair of pants to check length.
u/24601pb
It kinda annoys me the sample photo doesn’t show what the waist looks like. How am I supposed to know what it actually looks like beyond the illustrations
u/nibbled_cookie
Hahahaha… this is hilarious to me can you please drop the pattern link I’m 6’2 and have the exact opposite problem you have
u/mellbell13
The test box was scaled correctly! They're supposed to be pleated wide leg trousers so that's likely why they look so wide
u/splithoofiewoofies
When the line drawing seems like an exaggeration but it's accurate, lmao.
u/OGHollyMackerel
me in any store holding up a pair of pants to check length.
u/Elelith
Haha, I get this so much in Finnish xD And plenty of words have more than one meaning that aren't related at all.
u/mellbell13
It's looking like this might be my best option lol. Did you take classes in person or online?
u/cuterobot
I don’t have any recommendations because I have the same experience as you. In the end, I took a pants drafting class to get a pants sloper custom fit to me and pattern making classes to lear
u/mellbell13
It's looking like this might be my best option lol. Did you take classes in person or online?
u/Own-Tea-4836
I'm so sick, and this just made me go into a laugh cough loop with no regrets
u/Background-Book2801
Try the Sewaholic Thurlows. Old school but meticulous drafting and she was a petite pear. Lladybird (another old school sewing blogger) made a whole lot of them and I think she did a few sewa

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