Body measurements for a sewing pattern: what to measure and how

Before you start

• Use a soft tape measure and measure in centimetres if you can; it is easier to be precise.
• Measure over close-fitting underwear or thin clothes, never over a jumper or jeans.
• Stand naturally, feet together, and breathe normally. Don't pull the tape in.
• Ask someone to help. Back length, across back and shoulder width are hard to take on yourself.
• Measure the body, not a garment. The pattern adds the ease for the design and the fabric.

The core measurements

• Chest or bust: around the fullest part of the chest, under the arms, the tape level all the way round.
• Waist: around the natural waist, the narrowest point, usually just above the navel.
• Hip: around the fullest part of the seat, feet together, the tape level.
• Back length to waist: from the bone at the base of the back of the neck straight down to the natural waist.
• Shoulder width: across the back, from one shoulder point (the bony tip at the top of the arm) to the other.
• Neck: around the base of the neck, the tape flat, one finger underneath.

For fitted tops, dresses and jackets

• High bust: around the chest high under the arms, above the fullest part of the bust, the tape level at the back. The difference from the bust tells the pattern how much shaping the front needs.
• Bust point to bust point: straight across from one fullest point to the other. It places the darts.
• Across back: between the arm creases, about halfway between the nape and the underarm.
• Across front: between the arm creases, about halfway between the shoulder and the underarm.
• Armhole depth: from the nape straight down to the level of the underarm. Hold a ruler under the arm and measure to its top edge.

Arms

• Arm length: from the shoulder point, over a slightly bent elbow, to the wrist bone.
• Upper arm: around the fullest part of the upper arm, relaxed.
• Wrist: around the wrist bone.

Skirts and trousers

• Waist to hip: down the side of the body, from the natural waist to the fullest part of the hip.
• Body rise: sit on a hard, flat chair and measure down the side from the natural waist to the seat.
• Inseam: inside the leg, from the crotch to the ankle bone.
• Thigh, knee and ankle: around the fullest part of each.
• Waist to knee, ankle or floor: down the side, for skirt and trouser lengths.

Mistakes that spoil the fit

• Pulling the tape tight. The pattern already decides the ease; a tight tape makes everything too small.
• Letting the tape drop at the back. Check in a mirror that it is level all the way round.
• Measuring the waist where trousers sit, not the natural waist.
• Guessing the back length. It sets where the waist falls on every top and dress.

Measurements in Styli

In Styli you save measurements as a profile, or start from a standard women's or men's size and change what differs. Each field shows where to place the tape. If a value is outside what Styli usually sees, it asks you to check it, and a single garment can override a measurement when it needs a different value.

Your measurements are never sent to the AI. They are only used to draft your pattern. How the pattern is made.