Designers of Debbie Bliss, Paintbox Yarns and MillaMia, discuss the importance of size inclusivity within the world of yarn.
All bodies are different. Some of us are taller, some of us have shorter arms, and some of us have larger busts. We are all different shapes; but in a world where so much divides us, LoveCrafts.com believe knitting and crochet should unite us. With this in mind, LoveCrafts now announces its commitment to creating patterns designed for every body, launching a new and inclusive sizing range launching September 8th.
With many of us falling outside the confines of “straight sizing” – “S, M, L, XL” – LoveCrafts house brands, Debbie Bliss, Paintbox Yarns and MillaMia have all made a commitment to creating all new pattern collections with a size range 32″ – 56″ chest measurement, with the patterns carefully proportioned and graded appropriately. Updating a collection of favourite patterns with the new sizing range to launch this initiative, LoveCrafts is building a home for all makers, with each brand pledging to improve the diversity of patterns and photography, to proudly ensure all makers are represented.
Wanting brands to reflect you as a maker and to inspire you to express yourself through craft, LoveCrafts unveil an array of exciting designs available in a wider range from September 8th 2022.
Designers Helena Rosen, founder and designer of MillaMia, Debbie Bliss, and Ella Burch, designer for Paintbox Yarns, discuss the launch of LoveCrafts’ new size-inclusive pattern range:
“Grading patterns isn’t just about adding inches,” explains Helena Rosen, founder and designer of MillaMia, the Swedish brand famous for colour and Scandinavian style. “It’s about proportion and considered thinking, to ensure that a design can work across a range of sizes without losing any of its impact and style.”
Debbie Bliss, passionate advocate of body positivity, agrees. “It’s so important to consider how a pattern is expressed in every different size, for example, how a cable meets a shoulder shaping, or the way a Fair Isle repeat works from one size to the next. There’s no point in spending time and money making yourself a garment that you’re not happy with – making your own knitwear should be a voyage of joy, not frustration just because the size isn’t right.”
Ella Burch, designer for Paintbox Yarns, has a younger, zesty audience to consider, where modern shapes are very much required. “Lots of Paintbox Yarns designs for knitting and crochet have modern silhouettes – cropped hems, balloon sleeves, intarsia motifs – these are all very important to consider when we look at different sizes of garment. The hem lengths, the placement of a motif, and even where a colour block change happens – designs really need to be thought out well for them to work on a range of sizes. It’s so exciting to be able to bring our designs to life in a wider range!”
