Scaling a Pattern

Scaling is taking a known image from a book and enlarging or "blowing up" the image to the needed size. Because errors can easily creep in, two suggestions are:

• That beginner costumers not attempt this.
• Make a muslin first.

Knowing this, recommended books include:

Janet Arnold has a series of books that have more extensive notes about the garments and scale drawings from actual garments.

• Patterns of Fashion 2
  Englishwomen's dresses and their construction c 1860-1940
  ISBN 0-89676-027-8 United States
  ISBN 0-333-13607-1

  Recommended by Frances and Carole Parker.

Patterns for Theatrical Costumes by Katherine Holkeboer
Simple patterns sized in small, medium, and large. You can easily scale up and adjust to different figure types. Recommended by Frances. Janice Dallas has used this book for many shows that she has costumed, and her experience with this book shows:

• One caveat: Do a prototype muslin first, as it's easy to make a mistake when blowing something up to 8x the original size.

• There's no clue to proper weight of material or how to put the shapes together.

Period Costume for Stage and Screen by Jean Hunnisett

• Patterns for Women's Dress, Medieval - 1500
  ISBN 0-88734-653-7
• Patterns for Women's Dress 1500-1800
  ISBN 0-88734-610-3
• Patterns for Women's Dress 1800-1909
  ISBN 0-88734-609-X

  Hunnisett gives the information on the size the patterns were scaled to. Frances has re-scaled several of her patterns, and she says they scaled up wonderfully.

Norah Waugh has two books:

• The Cut of Men's Clothes
• The Cut of Women's Clothes

  Both books have scale drawings from actual garments. Recommended by Frances.

The Known World Handbook
An S.C.A. publication for medievalist beginners has several scaled patterns, including cotehardies, back-laced gowns, and dagged tunics. Recommended by Randall White.

The Pleasure Book published by Raymond's Quiet Press
6336 Leslie NE
Albuquerque, NM 87109
ISBN 0-943228-00-X
An S.C.A.-related publication but not officially of the S.C.A. Also has basic costuming information along with other historical related information. Recommended by Carole Parker.

For people that have a computer and a graphics program that can do enlarging, Randall suggests a technique for scaling a pattern:

1. Scan the original page.
2. Enlarge it in graphics software (such as MacDraw Pro and its successors).
3. Print out the full-size pattern in strips from a dot matrix printer.
4. Tape the strips together.

If you have any further information to share about this topic, please e-mail Carole Parker for inclusion.