Palmer/Pletsch was established by Pati Palmer and Susan Pletsch in 1974. Both women were already teaching sewing and went on to produce books, patterns, videos, and educational material designed to make dressmaking more accessible.

By 1980 the partnership with our pattern brands began! Then Susan Pletsch left the business in 1984, while Pati Palmer continued to develop the company and establish the brand as experts in fitting. Pati Palmer is “the Fit Expert,” known for creating the Palmer/Pletsch tissue-fitting method, along with Marta Alto.

The history is important because the Palmer / Pletsch patterns aren’t simply ordinary patterns carrying a Palmer/Pletsch logo. They are part of a long-running mission to make fitting more understandable, repeatable, and, crucially, less intimidating.

Palmer/Pletsch patterns have become popular for two big reasons:

Tissue Fitting - a unique technique that uses the pattern tissue as if it were muslin and make a quick toile perfect for a speedy fit check.

Fitting Support - fitting information is built directly into the pattern experience (on the pattern pieces AND instructions) rather than being treated as an entirely separate skill.

Pati Palmer has designed and written instructions for hundreds of patterns for us - under the McCall's brand and later Butterick. And now after 50 years, Pati Palmer has passed the baton to Tammie Pontsler. The latest pattern releases in our range come from Palmer / Pletsch designer Tammie, who has been teaching sewing for over 20 years.

• Tissue fitting allows you to use the pattern pieces like fabric to make a quick toile and check the fit of your garment. It works for dresses, pants, jackets and more!

There are detailed instructions inside every Palmer / Pletsch design to talk you through the process but here's a quick overview of what's involved.

• REMEMBER! Don’t overfit the tissue.

Leave yourself some room for movement. It is better to err on the side of adding a little extra… you can always make minor corrections during stitching.

• Palmer/Pletsch recommends trying the unaltered tissue on first. This allows you to see how the original design relates to your body before making alterations. Their philosophy is that if the design and proportions don’t look right in tissue, cutting it in expensive fabric is unlikely to magically solve the problem.

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One of the defining features of Palmer/Pletsch sewing patterns is the alteration lines printed directly onto the tissue pattern pieces. Rather than leaving the sewist to guess where an adjustment should be made, these lines show exactly where the pattern can be cut, spread, overlapped, or pivoted to change the fit.

The lines are positioned in strategic areas of the pattern, corresponding to common fitting adjustments. For example, a full bust adjustment (FBA) line can be used to add room through the bust while keeping the shoulder and upper chest in the correct size. A small bust adjustment (SBA) can remove excess volume in the same area. Other markings can help with lengthening or shortening, allowing extra or reduced length to be added through the bodice without distorting the garment’s proportions.

On pants, the fitting lines can help address issues such as adding or removing length, adjusting the hip, or accommodating different body shapes through the seat and thigh.

The real advantage is that the pattern itself becomes a visual fitting guide. Instead of learning a series of abstract alteration techniques separately, you can see where each adjustment belongs and make the change directly on the tissue. It turns fitting from a guessing game into a much more systematic process.