How to take body measurements for sewing

The essential measurements for sewing

These are the measurements most patterns, alterations and size charts ask for. Take the first four for every project. Add the others when a pattern or a fitting problem calls for them.

Why measurements beat your ready to wear size

A Big 4 Misses size 12 is drafted for a body with a 34 in (87 cm) bust, a 26 1/2 in (67 cm) waist and a 36 in (92 cm) hip. Those exact body measurements appear in the 1998 Big 4 fit brochure and in today's Simplicity chart. Pattern sizing has stayed put for decades.

Ready to wear labels are chosen by each brand, so the same number can mean different bodies from one shop to the next. That is why many makers find their pattern size is a bigger number than the one they buy in shops. Nothing is wrong with the pattern or with you. They are two different systems. Pick by your tape measure and the chart, and the pattern will behave the way the designer intended. Our sewing pattern size chart guide puts the Big 4, Burda and OTTOBRE charts side by side.

One more thing to know before you start: these are body measurements. The pattern adds ease on top for movement and style, so never add ease to your own numbers.

How do I measure myself for sewing patterns? The method

What you need

• A flexible tape measure that does not stretch. Check it against a metal ruler once a year; old tapes grow.
• Narrow elastic or a cord to tie at your waist.
• A light chain necklace to find the base of your neck.
• A ruler or hardback book for height and seated crotch depth.
• A full length mirror and, for back measurements, a helper.

Step by step

1. Dress for it. Wear the underwear you normally wear, including the bra you plan to wear with the garment. No jumpers, no jeans. Babies are measured over a nappy (diaper).
2. Tie the waist elastic. Tie it around your middle, bend from side to side and let it settle at your natural waist. Leave it on. It is the reference line for back waist length, hip depth and every length below.
3. Stand naturally. Upright, arms relaxed, weight even, breathing normally. Keep your feet together for the hip. Do not hold in your tummy: the pattern needs the body you will wear it on.
4. Get the tension right. Snug, not tight. The tape lies flat without pressing into the body, and one finger slides underneath.
5. Keep every girth level. Check the back in the mirror. A tape that dips at the back quietly adds length to every girth.
6. Measure the girths from top to bottom: neck base, high bust, bust, underbust, waist, high hip, hip, then arms and legs.
7. Measure the lengths with a helper: back waist length from the C7 neck bone to the elastic, shoulder length, across back, arm length, outside and inside leg, and height barefoot against a wall.
8. Sit for the rise. On a hard flat chair, measure from the waist elastic at your side straight down to the seat.
9. Measure each point twice. If the two readings differ by more than 1/4 in (0.5 cm), take a third and use the middle value.
10. Write it down with the date, the units, and what you wore. Round to the nearest 1/4 in or 0.5 cm for choosing a size.

How to measure your bust and high bust

The bust goes around the fullest part of the bust and straight across the back, just under the shoulder blades. Wear the bra you will wear with the garment, because a different bra moves the fullest point.

The high bust sits higher: right up under the arms, above the breast tissue at the front and straight across the shoulder blades at the back. It can tilt up a little at the front. If it slips down onto the bust, it is no longer a high bust.

Why bother with a second bust measurement? Because Misses patterns are drafted for a B cup, about 2 in (5 cm) between bust and high bust. If your difference is larger and you pick the size by full bust, the pattern fits your bust but is too big everywhere else: wide shoulders, a gaping neckline, an armhole that slips. The high bust tracks your frame, so it picks a size that fits shoulders and neck. Then you add room at the bust only.

The 2 1/2 inch (6.3 cm) rule

Subtract your high bust from your bust.

• 2 1/2 in (6.3 cm) or less: choose tops, dresses, jackets and coats by your bust.
• More than 2 1/2 in (6.3 cm): choose them by your high bust and make a full bust adjustment (FBA).

2 1/2 in is exactly 6.35 cm; SewNQuilt shows it as 6.3 cm everywhere. If you land exactly on the line, a quick muslin of the bodice settles it.

Measuring for a full bust adjustment

The 1998 Big 4 fit brochure reads the difference as a pattern cup size and gives the spread for each:

The brochure leaves 3 to 3 1/2 in (7.6 to 8.9 cm) between bands. SewNQuilt reads it as D, which is the generous choice. Pattern cup sizes are not bra cup sizes, so do not read your bra label here.

Because the front pattern piece is half the front, the finished garment gains twice the spread across the bust.

Worked example (imperial)

Bust 37 1/2 in, high bust 34 in. Difference: 37 1/2 minus 34 = 3 1/2 in, a D. Choose by high bust: 34 in is a Big 4 Misses 14 (high bust 34 in, bust 36 in). Spread the front 3/4 in at the bust point: the bodice gains 2 x 3/4 = 1 1/2 in, and 36 + 1 1/2 = 37 1/2 in. That matches your bust exactly, with the pattern's own ease still on top.

Worked example (metric)

Bust 96 cm, high bust 87 cm. Difference: 9 cm, inside the D band. Choose by high bust: 87 cm is a Big 4 Misses 14 (high bust 87 cm, bust 92 cm). Spread the front 1.9 cm: the bodice gains 2 x 1.9 = 3.8 cm, so 92 + 3.8 = 95.8 cm, within 0.2 cm of your 96 cm.

And for contrast: bust 34 in (87 cm), high bust 32 in (82 cm). The difference is 2 in (5 cm), under the line, so you choose by bust: Misses 12, no FBA.

How to measure hips for sewing

The hip is the fullest part of the seat, not the hip bones. Stand with your feet together (feet apart shrinks the reading), look at yourself side on in the mirror and find the level where your bottom sticks out most. For most adults that is 7 to 9 in (18 to 23 cm) below the natural waist, a range Simplicity prints on its chart.

Wrap the tape level all round at that point, then measure straight down from the waist elastic to the tape and write that depth next to the girth. Pattern pieces mark the hip line at a fixed depth; your own depth tells you whether to move it.

If your thighs are fuller than your seat, use the thigh level girth as your hip. Trousers have to pass over the widest point, wherever it is.

The high hip, about 3 to 4 in (7.5 to 10 cm) below the waist at the hip bones, is the one for low rise waistbands and for a full tummy. Take both.

What is back waist length and how do I measure it?

Back waist length runs from the prominent bone at the base of the neck (the seventh cervical vertebra, C7, the one you feel when you bend your head forward) straight down the spine to the waist elastic. You cannot measure it on yourself, so ask a helper.

It tells you whether a bodice will sit at your waist or above it. The Big 4 Misses size 12 is drafted for 16 1/4 in (41.5 cm). The 1998 Big 4 brochure suggests petite patterns if your back waist length is 1 in (2.5 cm) or more shorter than your size's and you are under about 5 ft 5 in (165 cm). Misses Petite keeps the same girths with a shorter back: 15 1/4 in (39 cm) at size 12. Most patterns also print lengthen and shorten lines for exactly this adjustment.

Body measurement chart for sewing: how your numbers become a size

Use your measurements in this order:

• Tops, dresses, jackets, coats: bust, or high bust when the difference is more than 2 1/2 in (6.3 cm).
• Trousers and skirts fitted at the hip: hip.
• Skirts that are not fitted at the hip (full gathered skirts): waist.
• Men's tops: chest; shirts also by neck and sleeve length.
• Children: height first, then chest, waist and hip.

If bust, waist and hip fall in different sizes, that is normal. Multi size patterns let you blend from one size line to the next at bust, waist and hip. The sewing pattern size chart guide shows the full charts and how to grade between sizes.

Measuring children

Children grow in height first, so European and OTTOBRE children's sizes are named by height in centimetres: size 104 is for a child about 104 cm tall, and the sizes step by 6 cm (98, 104, 110 and so on). US patterns use age style numbers (toddler 1/2 to 4, children 2 to 8, girls and boys 7 to 16), each with its own measurement chart.

• Babies: measure height lying down. Lay the baby on a flat surface, place one book at the crown and one at the soles of the feet, and measure between the books (the OTTOBRE method). Measure over a nappy (diaper).
• Toddlers and children: choose the size by height first, then check chest, waist and hip. OTTOBRE suggests adjusting when a measurement differs from the chart by more than 1 to 2 cm (about 3/8 to 3/4 in).
• The waist: many young children have no defined waist. Tie the elastic around the middle at about navel level and measure there.
• Back length: take nape to waist for dresses. For reference, OTTOBRE size 104 lists 25 cm (about 9 7/8 in), and Simplicity's children's size 4 lists 9 1/2 in (24 cm).

Make it quick and fun: measure while they watch a favourite show, and do the girths first while they are still patient.

Measuring pets for dog coats and cat jumpers

There is no ISO, EN, ASTM or JIS standard for pet clothing sizes, so pet sizing follows established pet apparel practice (Barbour and Ardmoor publish clear guides). Pet size bands are indicative only. Measure your own animal every time.

• Neck: around the base of the neck, where the collar sits. Leave room for two fingers under the tape, about 1 in (2.5 cm) for small and medium dogs.
• Chest girth: around the widest part of the rib cage, just behind the front legs. This is the key fit measurement for harnesses and for coats that close under the body.
• Back length: from the base of the neck (collar position) to the base of the tail. Most coat patterns are sized by back length.
• Also useful: waist girth in front of the hind legs (for belly straps), and the spacing between the front legs for coats with leg holes.

Deep chested breeds such as greyhounds and whippets need breed specific patterns. For a sense of scale, the Simply Sewing small dog coat example uses a 38 cm (15 in) neck. A treat in your pocket and a helper to steady the dog work wonders.

How often should I remeasure?

• Adults: every 6 months, as the Big 4 brochure advises, and before any fitted project such as trousers, a jacket or a wedding outfit.
• Children: every 3 months. They grow faster than your fabric stash.
• Pets: before each new coat, and after a seasonal coat change or weight change.

Keep the old records. Seeing that your back waist length never changes but your hip moved 1 in (2.5 cm) tells you which alterations to keep on your favourite pattern.

Your printable measurement record

Print this table, or copy it into your sewing notebook. Fill in one unit, or both.

Mistakes and fixes