There’s a very simple trick to accurately getting the front waist length measurement right. And you do want to get it right, considering how important this measurement is for plus-sized garments. Here, Barbara Deckert (instructor of Plus-Sized Pattern Fitting and Design) shares this awesome tip.
Enjoy this tip? Get a special 20% discount and learn more about Barbara Deckert’s online sewing class, Plus-Size Pattern Fitting & Design.
Hi, I’m sewing geek Barbara Deckert, and I’m teaching a class called Plus-Sized Pattern Fitting and Design for Bluprint.
When I take someone’s measurements, a lot of my customers look just like this. This is a very average woman’s shape. I take at least 24 different measurements, because that gives me the information I need to adjust the sewing pattern to fit the unique figure, not just a standardized, idealized figure. And let me give you a tip for taking one measurement that’s really important: that’s the front waist length.
Take a piece of tape and put it right across the bust from apex to apex. Apex is the most prominent aspect of the bust; it’s whereever you stick out the farthest. Put this tape across like that and then when you take the measurement, start at the base of the neck and go down over this tape, which is called a bridge, down to the center front to the waist. We take a measurement this way because when we actually wear garments, they drape over the bust, and they usually do not go in between. So we need to know the length that is taken up when the fabric drapes and the way that it would when you sew a garment.
If you like this tip and you’d like to learn more, check out my class, Plus-Sized Pattern Fitting and Design on Bluprint.
Related Plus Size Sewing Tips:
- How To Identify a Flawed Fit for Plus Sizes
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