Taking accurate body measurements is crucial to achieve a perfect fit. You may need to take them several times in your life. You will need them to make your own garments or just to check your size. You will need them if you want to draft a female pattern. Today I want to show you how to take body measurements.
Common mistakes taking measurements
The most common mistakes when measuring are the following ones:
- Back width. You take it from “bone” to “bone”. You don’t start measuring from the arm nor around your body
- Neck. If you don’t want to choke in your garment make sure to add a bit extra. For example, put a finger between your neck and the metrical tape.
- Arm length. Your arm needs to be folded to take this measure, otherwise your sleeves will be short
- Crotch depth. You can take this measurement while seated from your waist to the seat
- Waist vs Hips. Hips are wider than your waist, don’t forget to measure them when you do a skirt or a dress otherwise it may not fit! The true waist is the thinnest part of your body.
Details you will overlook
Let’s say you have mastered the technique and you can take measurements perfectly well. There are still other factors that may make your garment unfitted.
- Remember this…one side of your tape is usually in centimeters and the other one is in inches! Make sure you get it right! And stick to one measurement.
- Wear the right bra before you measure. If you are planning to wear a special bra for your garment make sure you take your measurements while you wear it. Otherwise, your garment may end up being too wide or too narrow!
- Leave enough space for possible body weight changes. Because we have all been there
I hope you found this tutorial useful. If you feel like it, remember you can support me on Ko-fi, there are no subscriptions and you will help me create more cosplays and more tutorials to share with you! Also, if you are looking for patterns and cosplay related downloadables make sure to check my collection!
