To Fit Your Body, Measure Your Clothes

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An Online Extra to Threads Magazine

To Fit Your Body, Measure Your Clothes

Printable measurement charts for the clothes you like to wear most can tell you exactly how to fit garments you make

by Susan Lazear

Clothes Measurement Chart

(opens in new window)

One of the biggest concerns among sewers, and one of the biggest stumbling blocks to successful sewing, is achieving a really great fit. We want our clothes to feel comfortable on and flatter our figure. Since most of us already have several well-fitting garments in our closets, why not use those as the basis for fitting clothes we make?

In Threads No. 116, I show you how to measure your favorite, well-fitting clothes and how to compare those measurements to a commercial pattern so you can duplicate the fit you like so much. The first step in this process is to record the dimensions of your selected clothing. Print out the clothes measurement chart to guide you in the process, and you'll be well on your way to successful fitting and sewing.

Susan Lazear designs pattern-drafting software; contact her at www.cochenille.com.

An Online Extra to Threads #116
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