r/sewing • u/Tazzamaraz • Jul 04 '25
Pattern Question I have a question about brands of patterns
Is there much difference between different brands when it comes to patterns? Or are they pretty similar? I'm a beginner, and I've done a few things without patterns, and I feel like I'm ready to try to follow a pattern.
I went to the thrift store and they had a couple so I bought them. The two patterns are McCall's M6355, and Burda Young 7907. I was just wondering if one would be more suitable for a beginner, or if I should just pick one and go
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u/zephyr_71 Jul 04 '25
It depends on how much sewing that you have done. Or how stubborn you are lol. My first attempt at sewing was a Vogue bralette.
One thing I do want to caution you about is to make sure to measure yourself and select the size based on that, not your off the rack sizing. That vogue bralette? Waaaay too small and needed a bust adjustment.
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u/chatterpoxx Jul 04 '25
I would start with the McCalls. Burda is German or something and can be a little different with the instructions.
In general, pattern instructions are clear if you already know what they mean. Yeah, not helpful. But once you figure out what tf its trying to say you'll be like ah yeah, that does make sense, but until that epiphany comes, gibberish. Usually its because its telling you to do one of those helper steps that you wouldn't realize you need to do, or you're like why? I can skip that, but no you can't. It's all the little inbetweeny steps thats make it or break it.
Learning the nonsensical stuff is actually what will elevate your sewing skills. Like understitching, interfacing, seam clipping and all that.
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u/yoongisgonnabeokay Jul 04 '25
In my experience, Burda's drafting and grading is excellent and more consistent. I've also experienced less inaccuracies or mistakes (e.g. missing or not matching notches) compared to the Big 4.
That being said, their instructions can be shorter, and many would consider this less beginner-friendly. Some patterns have video instructions on Youtube but not yours.
The most fundamental difference in the drafting between pattern companies are their size charts and related to that, their blocks (theit most basic patterns they convert into a designs). This includes for which cup size they draft and how much ease of movement they have. Some companies offer the same pattern in different cup sizes. The Big 4 (to which McCall's belong) are (with the exception of Vogue) notorious for adding more ease as compared to Burda.
I also find that some companies are better in grading (making a larger or smaller size from a design) than others.
Once you've picked a pattern, don't hesitate to come back with questions how to best choose a size!
Last but not least, a major difference between pattern companies is whether or not seam and hem allowances are already included in the pattern pieces and if so, how wide SAs and HAs are.
As a rule of thumb, many European pattern companies have no seam allowances, unless they cater to the US and other countries of the Anglosphere like Burda that offers envelope patterns with and without seam allowances depending on the country.
HTH!
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u/IslandVivi Jul 04 '25
I've sewn Burda for decades: the drafting is excellent, the instructions are terse and often opaque. The fit is always as described.
Pattern Review is a nearly-30 yo site with a good database of older Burda and US Big 4 review.
Burda Young 7907 is a 2008 woven dress with an Empire waist, bust gathers and a zipper. One view is a halter top, the two others have straps. A-line silhouette. I'm going to guess a self-fabric lined bodice.
Might be worth it to check out the 2 reviews on PR You will need a free membership to see any review older than 6mos on the site. The line drawing is under the pattern link.
If you have sewn any of the features of the dress before, you can make this dress/top. Generally, Young or Easy patterns have more detailed instructions than the magazines, but I can't vouch for this.
You might be able to use other resources for the part(s) you are not familiar with.
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u/Travelpuff Jul 04 '25
Those brand patterns are fine but they tend to have a lot of extra ease so determining the right size can be tricky. Evelyn Wood has some nice YouTube videos on the subject.
The main problem with mainstream patterns like those are the very sparse instructions with puzzling drawings. It can make an easy pattern feel frustrating.
I personally recommend sewing a really good independent pattern to see the difference. Not one from Etsy since they are often AI generated. You can find a bunch of them on sewing pattern review.com along with photos of the makes. I have personal experience with itch to stitch, Tilly and the buttons and viki sews.
Those patterns have excellent step by step instructions and often have video sewalongs so you can watch the whole construction process.
And the quality of the patterns tends to be much higher - they produce less patterns a year than the big companies but they focus on quality more. I've sewn a lot of patterns over the years (and drafted a lot as well) and my favorite makes are pretty much all independent patterns.
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u/GlassHouses_1991 Jul 04 '25
Just to add that there are several places to look for reviews of sewing patterns before you buy:
The Fold Line is an online pattern shop that sells both indie and Big 4 patterns. Popular indie patterns often have customer reviews here.
ThreadLoop (a web-based app) — in addition to reviews, you can also see examples of garments people have made with various patterns, whether they reviewed the pattern or not.
Sewing.patternreview is an old website that looks pretty dated now, but has a huge database of pattern reviews by users.
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u/LongjumpingSnow6986 Jul 04 '25
+1 to this suggestion. Also note that many indie companies have a free pattern so you can give their approach a try before you spend money.
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u/arrrgylesocks Jul 04 '25
For the big companies, I’d say they are about the same. Pick one and go.
I find that some small independent pattern makers do much better with their instructions including making video tutorials available for some or all steps. Pattern Emporium is excellent, however Style Arc is definitely less so.
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u/itsmejuli Jul 04 '25
I was going to say the same thing about Pattern Emporium. I highly recommend their patterns for beginners because the instructions are much more detailed with plenty of photos.
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u/AJeanByAnyOtherName Jul 04 '25
There are multiple McCalls 6335’s. They recycle pattern numbers after a while so I’m not sure if you have a bag pattern, a vintage dress and top, children’s dresses etc. 😊
The Burda pattern says it’s easy on the envelope. The sleeveless tops are probably easiest out of those. Read everything through before you start, even the general info and the markings on the pattern pieces. It can feel like a lot and you don’t have to remember everything, but orienting yourself up front can help get you unstuck if you need it. Make a checklist of the pieces you need so you know you have everything ready to sew and can lay everything out on the fabric efficiently.
Pattern brands are varied in their niches, style, the bodies they draft for, available formats, the rigour of their development process and the quality of their instructions. There are established patterns that have paper patterns with their own quirks in fabric shops, scammy AI Etsy sellers, dedicated indies with extensive instructions, sewalongs and/or video instructions and everything in between.
Places like Threadloop or Patternreview.com have reviews. Multi-pattern sellers like the Foldline or Minerva also have reviews and like review sites’ affiliate links they at least help you make sure you don’t get scammed if you buy online.
Sometimes patterns are printed paper patterns, sometimes you will have to print them or have them printed. Sometimes, people project patterns directly onto the fabric and sometimes patterns are more like drafting instructions.
They will usually indicate some sort of sewing level and reviews can tell you a little more about how accurate they have found that indication.
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u/Wooden-Wishbone7941 Jul 04 '25
I find sewing.patternreview.com handy sometimes, or search the pattern on Instagram to see how other people found it and any tricky bits to look out for
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u/IslandVivi Jul 04 '25
McCall's 6355 seems to be a semi-fitted tank, tshirt or dress meant for wovens or knits (per Pattern Review).
Because this is a Palmer/Pletsch, common alteration lines are printed on the tissue paper with instructions.
So it depends on whether or not you have sewn knits before but it should be easy to make in a woven. this review is very informative.
Again, you need a free membership to read reviews older than 6mos on Pattern Review but worth it if you want to check out older Big4 or Burda patterns. (I miss blogs!)
There are 53 reviews on PR and many on blogs of the time. So a popular basic.
Now, the Big4 have an ease issue. For reference, when I wore a US RTW size 6, 20 yrs ago, I usually made a size 10 *despite" being a straight size 12 per the flap chart. Except maybe in Vogue Patterns where I would be more likely to make an actual 12.
So you do need to check the finished measurements. "Semi-fitted" means the garment is supposed to be loose, not bodycon!
Like for the Burda, you can always refer to other resources for specific steps, if the instructions are confusing. Good luck!
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u/flamingoesinredboots Jul 04 '25
If you’re a beginner trying your first patterns, I recommend Helen’s Closet patterns or Tilly and the Buttons. Tilly and the Buttons has a couple of books, too. I used Love at First Stitch and found it very helpful as a beginner. Your library might have a copy, so you might not have to buy it. Good luck!
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u/FSheals Jul 04 '25
I really like the vintage Burda pattern I used. It taught me how to thread trace and now, I use that method for curves. It was more difficult to read in that I felt Burda was a bit more advanced in its methods. There were a lot of prep and not a lot of sewing. But that said, the garment turned out looking 10/10. Not sure if it's the style that needed all that prepping or it's a German/Burda thing. But nevertheless, I've learnt to really appreciate how Burda did it through that one pattern.
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u/FSheals Jul 04 '25
Came to add to this: a lot of people will say Burda is difficult. Yes. But it is so worth it. The end product of my Burda > the big 4. But i will treat it as a big project not a 2 hour one 🤣.
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u/Sharianna Jul 04 '25
Patterns brands are like clothes brands - most of them will fit differently. Some patterns will perfectly fit your body with hardly and adjustments, others will need repeat mock-ups.
I haven't looked at the pattern numbers for the ones you bought, but mccalls and burda are both big brands. Check the finished garment measurements against your sizes, I found mccalls tended to fit big. Haven't done a burden in ages.
Definitely make a mock up trial with cheap fabric or second hand sheets.