Hi, I'm Robin. I lead the Pattern Development team here at Seamwork. We're
a community of sewists all about sewing a handmade wardrobe. This is Wallis,
together we draft the patterns that we bring to you each month with Seamwork
Magazine. Today we're going to show you how to take your measurements.
We're gonna cover three things. 1: Why taking your measurements will help you
have better sewing. 2: Tips and tricks to help you take your measurements. And 3:
How to take your measurements. Let's get started. So why is it important to take
your measurements? Did you know that ready-to-wear sizes don't correlate to
sewing sizes? Every pattern company has their own set of size ranges and they're
all different. Knowing your true measurements will help you choose which
size to cut and when to blend between sizes. It'll also help you understand how
much ease is in the pattern, which is the first step to getting the perfect fit,
just for you. If you'd like to know more about ease, check out our video all about
ease right here on the Seamwork channel. We know it can feel awkward to take your
measurements. It's really tempting to judge the size that you are, or to
compare yourself to the size you used to be, or even the size that you want to be.
Just treat these numbers like helpful little tools that will help you get the
perfect pattern with the perfect fit, that will make you feel amazing in the
garment you create. Now we have some tips and tricks to help you get the best set
of measurements you can. The first tip is to take your measurements in your
underwear. If that's not an option, you can wear some close fitting clothes
and choose a bra that will give you the best average bust measurement. Enlist a
friend, or use a mirror to help, have a good flexible measuring tape, keep a
pencil and paper handy to jot down the numbers, and finally use your natural
normal everyday posture, and don't forget to breathe.
So how frequently should you take your measurements? If you sew often you can get
away with taking your measurements monthly, but if you don't sew frequently,
you should take them before each and every pattern. At the bare minimum, you're
gonna need your bust, waist, and hip measurements. Let's start with the bust.
To take your bust measurement, put your measuring tape here around the fullest
part. For your waist measurement, you want to measure here at the narrowest part of
your torso. It may be helpful if you're fairly straight to measure in a few
different spots, and take the smallest measurement, or to bend from side to side
like this. Now this is your natural waist, which is different from the garment's
finished waist measurement. You need to know this measurement regardless of
where you normally like to wear your pants or skirt. To measure the hip, you
want to take your measurement at the fullest part of your bottom, right about
here, and again make sure your measuring tape is parallel to the floor. In
addition to your bust, waist, and hip, here are a few other measurements that are
helpful while sewing. The first is cup size. You're probably thinking I already
know my cup size, but again ready-to-wear cup size and sewing cup size are two
different things. To get your sewing cup size, you want to
measure your high bust which is right here.
Subtract this number from your full bust. If there's a one inch difference, you're
an A cup. A two inch difference, a B cup. Three inches, a C cup and so on. You
should check your pattern, or the company's website to find out what size
cup they draft for. Here at Seamwork and Colette, our Misses size range is drafted
for a C cup. Our Curvy size range is drafted for a double D cup. Knowing this
is important if you need to make a full or small bust adjustment. The next
measurement is bust depth. To get your bust depth, you want to start your measuring
tape here, where your neck meets your shoulder, and measure down to the apex.
This measurement is really important if your garment has bust darts. It will help
you figure out whether the bust darts are in the right spot, or whether you
want to raise or lower them. Shoulder width is the measurement from shoulder
point to shoulder point. This is a hard measurement to take. It can help if you
put on a shirt that you already own that fits well in the shoulders. Then
measure from shoulder seam to shoulder seam. Right across the back here. This
measurement's really important. An ill-fitting shoulder can affect the hang
and the balance of your whole garment. Just remember that some designers choose
to have a drop shoulder and take that into account when adjusting it. For
garments with sleeves, it's very helpful to know your bicep measurement. That's
measured at the fullest part of your upper arm, here. A bicep that is too tight
can make your whole garment feel tight. It will affect your lift and it will
feel like it's pulling right across the front there. Waist length, to get your
waist length you want to measure from the nape of your neck down to your
natural waist. You should compare this measurement to the finished waist length
measurement on your pattern. This will help you know whether you need to
lengthen or shorten your top. If you're making pants, you'll want to know your
thigh and calf measurements also. To measure your thigh, you want to measure
the widest part, about here. To measure your calf,
you're measuring the fullest part of your calf right below your knee, about
here. The last measurement I want to talk about is inseam. To get your inseam
measurement, you should hold the measuring tape at your crotch and let it
drop to the floor. I like to take the measurement right around my ankle bone.
Taking your measurements is definitely one of the more tedious parts about
sewing, but also one of the most important. Knowing these helpful little
numbers is going to give you the best start to getting a good fit and making a
garment that you feel amazing in and want to wear, and isn't that always the
goal!? Thanks for joining us today and be sure to subscribe to the Seamwork
channel to keep up to date on all our latest videos that will help you create
the perfect handmade wardrobe.