I'm a beginner sewist with just a few simple patterns under my belt. Even with the few I have made, I am already finding myself wishing that I could make changes to make the garments fit me better. This measuring tutorial has been a great resource for me to figure out how my body compares to the bodies the patterns were drafted for. Thank you!
Very clear, concise direction. Thank you for taking time to share. I gave up sewing over 20 years ago. Try as I might, my self taught pattern altering was lacking. You inspire a new zest for sewing...at least in me.
+Anne Lindsay a better way to check would be to measure the inseam on a pair of pants that fit you in a similar style to what you're sewing. The crotch point is going to be different depending on how close the pants sit to your body (for example, leggings would have a longer inseam than pajamas) so measuring on your actual body isn't necessarily going to get you the best fit. Compare the pants measurement to the pattern and add hem and seam allowances to determine whether you need to lengthen/shorten. When in doubt, I always go longer than I think I'll need because you can always cut hems shorter.
Melly Sews You're correct Anne. When I sew leggings I sew them longer than pants, because if I sew them to the length according to the pattern, they come a little short on me like high water pants. I add 2 inches to the waist just to be on the safe side and add a diamond gusset to the crotch for more ease.
I am so happy 😀 I found you. I got to this video from making the bodice pattern article on your web page. My waist is a 41 bust a 42, I have struggled trying to adjust patterns. So many other sites on creating a sloper have been so confusing. You have a new follower 👍. Great video for measuring
Fantastic! Thank you sooo much for making this wonderfully informative video, this information is hard to come by on the internet, and for a totally inexperienced person like myself who is fed up buying impractical clothes that don't fit, I didn't want to spend money on this information when I'm just trying to gain the confidence to start making my own clothes (and hopefully one day gain the skills to make them for other body types). There are so many valuable tips you shared, thankyou
Loved this video. Very informative. The only thing missing is the shoulder slope. Most patterns are made for much straighter shoulders than mine. This causes many garments to not fit me very well. I will be using your information to draft many self patters for myself. Thank you for making this and providing an easy use chart.
You'd calculate should slope by first measuring center back and then measuring from center back waist to your shoulder point. It's not a measurement that you can take easily by yourself.
Thank you! Most of these I knew and do properly. The armsyce depth I didn't know about. But, that could totally help me as it's also a fit issue there for me ( think slight dolman/ batwing when it's not supposed to be) even with grading smaller for the upper upper bust.
I love it! I almost want to give up. I have watched so many video tutorial and i still find it so difficult to understand specially in making the pattern.. can you also make a tutorial about making bodice pattern? With full explaination of why you need to add inches and why you need to devide? A dress with sleeves please?? I wish you can do my request❤
I would take the high bust measurement only if I will be drafting a pattern that is an off-shoulder dress or a bustier. Otherwise, I will just need the full bust measurement for any regular dress style.
Was disappointed to not find a measurement to adjust for shorter torso. I'm a intermediate sewer but too often finding torso length a problem. Would love to know how to measure and adjust this part of fit. Thanks.
love the tape tip. Inseams - where do you stop (towards the floor)? According to the pattern the inseam is X. I measure from the crotch to the ankle bone, with shoes of the appropriate height. So far I'm not getting much of a hem.
Question. When determining what pattern size to purchase do you go by the upper best measurement or the finished garment size on the flap of the pattern envelope?
If the pattern gives a high bust measurement, I go by that. Finished measurements are useful for determining how much ease is in a pattern, and in most cases they shouldn't match your body measurements.
Hi melly sews thank u for ur videos.shoulders were falling when back neck depth is more like 10 or 11 inches so could u please help me to prevent falling shoulders
When you measure do you hold the tape measure at 1 inch mark, or from the very top of the measuring tape before 1 inch mark? Thank you. Also, do you have a video on how to measure women's inseam?
Melly can you please show how to measure yourself and how to draft a bodice. Like if you measure your neck then shows us how to draft it. I have watch so many videos but can't understand it thanks.
Hello, firstly thank you for a great video ! I want to do the bodice pattern according to this site: mellysews.com/2015/09/how-to-make-a-bodice-pattern.html but I'm not sure about the dart on the front part. My full bust is 5" wider than the high bust and I'm afraid that the dart will create a sort of triangle under my breasts since the difference is quite big. Do you have any suggestions what to do ? Thank you !
My advice is to try it. If you find one big dart creates too much of a point, you can change it to 2 smaller darts. But you might be surprised. The dart on my bodice is several inches wide at the bottom.
Best explanation I found on net. Very clear instruction. Thank you so much.
Thanks for watching!
I'm a beginner sewist with just a few simple patterns under my belt. Even with the few I have made, I am already finding myself wishing that I could make changes to make the garments fit me better. This measuring tutorial has been a great resource for me to figure out how my body compares to the bodies the patterns were drafted for. Thank you!
Glad it's helpful!
Very clear, concise direction. Thank you for taking time to share. I gave up sewing over 20 years ago. Try as I might, my self taught pattern altering was lacking. You inspire a new zest for sewing...at least in me.
+Kathy Nagy Glad to hear that!
Melly Sews de
+Anne Lindsay a better way to check would be to measure the inseam on a pair of pants that fit you in a similar style to what you're sewing. The crotch point is going to be different depending on how close the pants sit to your body (for example, leggings would have a longer inseam than pajamas) so measuring on your actual body isn't necessarily going to get you the best fit. Compare the pants measurement to the pattern and add hem and seam allowances to determine whether you need to lengthen/shorten. When in doubt, I always go longer than I think I'll need because you can always cut hems shorter.
Melly Sews You're correct Anne. When I sew leggings I sew them longer than pants, because if I sew them to the length according to the pattern, they come a little short on me like high water pants. I add 2 inches to the waist just to be on the safe side and add a diamond gusset to the crotch for more ease.
Excellent instruction. Simple and informative. Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
This explained why my arm size never works on me. I’d never heard of the measurement for where “tall” the arm hole is especially the bottom. Thank you
Glad it helps!
This solves my measurement errors. I've been making errors for months now and couldn't draft a pattern properly. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME :)
Glad it helped!
This is such a great tutorial because you explain the why of the measurement as well as the positive/negative results if measured wrong. Thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Best measurement information I’ve seen. So helpful. Thank you.
Glad it's helpful!
I am so happy 😀 I found you. I got to this video from making the bodice pattern article on your web page. My waist is a 41 bust a 42, I have struggled trying to adjust patterns. So many other sites on creating a sloper have been so confusing. You have a new follower 👍. Great video for measuring
Glad it's helpful!
This is very helpful! I'm just starting out with sewing, so learning how to properly take measurements of myself is great! Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
Love this video. Concise, detailed, complete measurements. Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
Needed to watch again!
Hope it was a good refresher!
Very informative and helpful thank you Melly
Glad it was helpful!
Fantastic! Thank you sooo much for making this wonderfully informative video, this information is hard to come by on the internet, and for a totally inexperienced person like myself who is fed up buying impractical clothes that don't fit, I didn't want to spend money on this information when I'm just trying to gain the confidence to start making my own clothes (and hopefully one day gain the skills to make them for other body types). There are so many valuable tips you shared, thankyou
Glad to help!
First congratulations on your adding to your family. Second this video has been extremely helpful. I learned a lot. I also use your patterns.
Awesome! Thank you!
It's so useful - Thank you so much for sharing.
+Salamandre995 Thanks for watching!
I like your explanation on how to measure the waistline. 😊
Your explanation is just excellent💋
+Ayah Valiyeva Thanks for watching!
Loved this video. Very informative. The only thing missing is the shoulder slope. Most patterns are made for much straighter shoulders than mine. This causes many garments to not fit me very well. I will be using your information to draft many self patters for myself. Thank you for making this and providing an easy use chart.
You'd calculate should slope by first measuring center back and then measuring from center back waist to your shoulder point. It's not a measurement that you can take easily by yourself.
Thank you! Most of these I knew and do properly. The armsyce depth I didn't know about. But, that could totally help me as it's also a fit issue there for me ( think slight dolman/ batwing when it's not supposed to be) even with grading smaller for the upper upper bust.
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent tutorial!! Thank you for sharing this information!
Glad it's helpful!
great explanation! ! very clear and enlightening. Thankyou so much for sharing your knowledge!
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for doing this video. A little to wordy (?) for me but super helpful.
Excellent video. Very informative and helpful!
awesome information. I saw a few mistakes I've been doing. thanks for sharing
+Aysun Taylor hope it leads to better fit for you!
I love it! I almost want to give up. I have watched so many video tutorial and i still find it so difficult to understand specially in making the pattern.. can you also make a tutorial about making bodice pattern? With full explaination of why you need to add inches and why you need to devide? A dress with sleeves please?? I wish you can do my request❤
I'm glad it's helpful. More on drafting bodices here: mellysews.com/how-to-make-a-bodice-pattern/
This is so helpful! Thank you for your content!
Thanks for watching!
I would take the high bust measurement only if I will be drafting a pattern that is an off-shoulder dress or a bustier. Otherwise, I will just need the full bust measurement for any regular dress style.
No, the high bust and full bust ratio helps you figure out if you need a bust adjustment, so both are important.
How would you adjust a ready made pattern to your measurements? Love your videos! They are very helpful and inspiring. Thank you.
It depends on where your measurements differ. I'd suggest exploring the posts on fitting on my site mellysews.com/?s=fitting
Thank you for this information.
Glad it's helpful!
Was disappointed to not find a measurement to adjust for shorter torso. I'm a intermediate sewer but too often finding torso length a problem. Would love to know how to measure and adjust this part of fit. Thanks.
This is just a video on how to take the measurements, not on how to adjust anything. Torso length would be the back neck to waist measurement.
love the tape tip. Inseams - where do you stop (towards the floor)? According to the pattern the inseam is X. I measure from the crotch to the ankle bone, with shoes of the appropriate height. So far I'm not getting much of a hem.
Great information! Thanks for sharing.
+Kathleen Swafford Glad to help!
thanks
Thanks for watching!
Question. When determining what pattern size to purchase do you go by the upper best measurement or the finished garment size on the flap of the pattern envelope?
If the pattern gives a high bust measurement, I go by that. Finished measurements are useful for determining how much ease is in a pattern, and in most cases they shouldn't match your body measurements.
Thank you so much for this! It was really helpful!
Thanks for watching!
Hi melly sews thank u for ur videos.shoulders were falling when back neck depth is more like 10 or 11 inches so could u please help me to prevent falling shoulders
I really couldn't address that more specifically; there are a lot of reasons that could be happening.
When you measure do you hold the tape measure at 1 inch mark, or from the very top of the measuring tape before 1 inch mark? Thank you.
Also, do you have a video on how to measure women's inseam?
You need to hold it at a mark, and if you're holding it at 1 inch then subtract an inch from the overall measurement.
Thank you for the video.
Thanks for watching!
you are amazing,thanks
+douglatorare 3030 Thanks for watching!
If you carry your weight in the stomach area - do you need to take that measurement and incorporate that when you are drafting patterns?
All your measurements are important if you are drafting a custom pattern
Where did you get your sewing table from ?
It was a vintage find from a sewing classroom that I painted white.
A new subscriber here. Thank you so much for this video
Thanks for watching!
Melly can you please show how to measure yourself and how to draft a bodice. Like if you measure your neck then shows us how to draft it. I have watch so many videos but can't understand it thanks.
mellysews.com/2015/09/how-to-make-a-bodice-pattern.html
THANK YOU!!
Thanks for watching!
subtract of What? how much to subtract? Thanks
I don't understand your question.
Hello, firstly thank you for a great video ! I want to do the bodice pattern according to this site: mellysews.com/2015/09/how-to-make-a-bodice-pattern.html but I'm not sure about the dart on the front part. My full bust is 5" wider than the high bust and I'm afraid that the dart will create a sort of triangle under my breasts since the difference is quite big. Do you have any suggestions what to do ? Thank you !
My advice is to try it. If you find one big dart creates too much of a point, you can change it to 2 smaller darts. But you might be surprised. The dart on my bodice is several inches wide at the bottom.
Do you have a video ?
+Joanne “Lady_Jo” Hurst not for a nurse's top, no.