To sew a garment for a woman, you need a pattern.
To select a pattern, you need to know how patterns are sized.
To determine her pattern size, you need to know how to measure her.

You need a pattern

A fashion pattern is like a blueprint. It shows you how to cut, join, and shape flat rectangular pieces of fabric to create a garment that conforms to the curves of a three-dimensional body. Commercial patterns are created by large pattern making companies like Vogue, Butterick, McCall's, Simplicity, and Burda, as well as smaller independent pattern making companies. You can purchase patterns online or in most fabric stores. You begin by browsing through the pattern makers' catalogs until you see a picture of a garment you might want to make. The pattern will be identified by a number and will typically include a range of sizes. Cutting lines for each of the included sizes are nested on the printed sheets of tissue. You simply cut along the lines marked for the size you want to make. The pattern envelop should include layout, cutting, and assembly instructions for the garment. Once you have found the pattern you want in the catalog, go to the pattern drawers displaying the pattern company's name. Each drawer contains patterns in a range of numbers. Open the one with the range that includes your chosen pattern number. There will normally be several envelopes with the same pattern number, but having different size ranges. But how do you select the correct size?

How patterns are sized

Sorry, guys, you can't sneak a peak at the size tag in her favorite skirt. A skirt that she buys in the store is called ready-to-wear (RTW). Its size is dictated by a standard, which is based on the concept of an ideal woman. The trouble is, some garment manufacturers have their own vision of the ideal woman. So there is no true universal RTW size standard. In fact, some manufacturers are engaging in a practice called "vanity sizing", in which they put a smaller size number on a larger garment. It allows a woman, who isn't as slim as she used to be, to say, "I can still get into a size 8"; never mind that yesterday's size 8 is as large as yesteryear's size 10 or 12. That's one reason women spend so much time in the fitting room. They are frustrated. It's just too difficult to find a well-fitting garment in a flattering style. Now you know the meaning of "Shop 'til you drop!"

Unlike RTW, pattern sizes, which are based on three body measurements, are more likely to adhere to the accepted pattern drafting standard. For example, from the pattern drawer in my sewing studio I picked patterns published by five of the leading pattern makers. Each conforms to the following measurements for Misses' sizes 10 through 22:

Misses' sizes

But what if her measurements don't exactly match all three numbers for a given size? I'll cover this topic in detail in another lesson. But briefly, here's the story. Patterns generally have nested cutting lines for multiple sizes. For example, I have pattern packages in front of me with the following size ranges:
Sizes 12, 14, and 16
Sizes 10 through 22
Sizes 8, 10, 12
Sizes 8, 10, 12, 14

If your woman's measurements are Bust 38, Waist 28, Hip 38, she needs a pattern size 16 for her bust line and a size 14 for her waist and hip lines. If the pattern envelope provides sizes 12, 14, and 16, I would draw lines to blend the cutting lines from size 16 at the bust line down to the cutting lines for size 14 at the waist line. I would then make a muslin test garment before cutting the fashion fabric.

How to measure her

As you have seen, the basic measurements needed to determine her pattern size are her bust line circumference, her waist line circumference, and her hip line circumference. If this seems like such a simple concept that you are tempted to stop reading and reach for a tape measure, please don't. We still have some important questions to answer.

Which waist line should you measure?

I'll bet you didn't know there could be more than one. The answer is not obvious to everyone. Many women think their waist line is where they hang the waist band of their pants or skirts. It may be, but pants and skirts are often hung below the body's natural waist; some even hang precariously on the ridge of a hip line. Mercy!

The waist line you need to measure is her natural waist. The method you use to find her natural waist varies, but generally it is the smallest circumference between her bust line and her hip line. Don't rely on observation from the front alone. Her waist line could look smaller from a front view than it does from a side profile; a tummy contributes to the total circumference, even if it doesn't impact the curve of her sides.

The method I prefer is to tie an elastic cord around the general area of her waist, then have her bend from side to side. As she does, indentations will form on each side. The elastic cord should find its way into the deepest indentation on each side. If it doesn't, coax it along a bit. This approach can even work when her natural waist circumference is a tidge larger than her hip line. Without moving the elastic cord from its side positions, make sure it is level with the floor all the way around. I have used a laser level to do this, but you can use a yard stick or other measuring device that will reach from the waist to the floor. It is important that the marked and measured waistline be level, because the measurement can be skewed if the elastic rides out over part of a tummy that is below the waist.

Where is her hip line located?

Her hip line is the point between her natural waist and the top of her thigh, where you measure the greatest circumference. This is another location that cannot be found by observing from the front only. In fact, I always line up this measurement from the side first.

Bear in mind that the derrieàre contributes to the circumference near a woman's hips. When viewed from the side, one can see why the hip line may be lower than it appears in the front, yet a flat tummy could compensate for that. The best test is to hold the tape measure around the hip, then slide it up and down, keeping it level with the floor. If you have to let out more tape to clear an area above or below your suggested hip line, then you have just identified a new candidate position for the hip line.

You might as well make note of the hip line measurement now, since it's right in front of you. Do not verbalize it. Write it down using invisible ink, which can only be read under the black light in your sewing workshop.
(Yes, I'm just kidding about the invisible ink, but you may not want to say the number out loud, just in case it's larger than she expected.)

Measurement procedures

Following are the step-by-step procedures I use when taking a woman's measurements. They are not the only procedures you can use and not necessarily the best, but they work for me.

NOTE: Being a mannequin, Mannique is not shy about being measured in her underwear. Black tights and a black leotard would be better options for the preservation of a woman's dignity. Having a female friend or relative take her measurements would be even better.

Bust line measurement procedure

1. Stand behind her.
2. Hold the zero end of the tape measure in you right hand.
3. With your left hand, grab the measuring tape near the thirty inch mark.
4. Raise your hands over her head and lower the tape measure in front of her.
5. Ask her to position the tape measure directly across her bust points and hold it in place.
    (Yes, that's what they are, but in the sewing world they're called "bust points" — OK?)
6. Have her raise her elbows high enough to allow the ends of the tape to pass under.
7. Bring the ends of the tape to the back of her body.
8. Make sure the tape is level with the floor, at the same height in back as in front.
9. Place the zero end over the other end of the tape.
10. Do not pull it tight. It should be just snug enough to prevent the tape from slipping.
11. Note the measurement.

Waist line measurement procedure

1. Stand behind her.
2. Hold the zero end of the tape measure in you right hand.
3. With your left hand, grab the measuring tape near the thirty inch mark.
4. Raise your hands over her head and lower the tape measure in front of her.
5. Ask her to position the top of the tape against the elastic cord (see Which waist line..., above) and hold it in place. It is important that she not move the elastic cord in the process. Also, she should try to position the tape measure by feel, rather than bending forward to view the cord. A full length mirror might help.
6. As you bring the ends of the tape to the back of her body, sight along both sides to maintain an alignment of the top of the tape against the elastic cord. This will ensure that the tape is level to the floor, because you confirmed the elastic was level when you applied it.
7. Place the zero end over the measurement location on the tape and note the measurement.

Hip line measurement procedure

If you followed my earlier suggestion, you have already written down the hip line measurement, as explained under the heading Where is her hip line located?

Make note of the vertical spacing

The pattern will indicate the vertical spacing used between the top of the neck to the natural waist line and between the natural waist line and the hip line. You should measure the actual distances and make a note of them. You will use these as a guide to altering the pattern.

Now that you have the three essential measurements, you can return to the section on How patterns are sized and determine her commercial patter size.

 
In keeping with the practice in fashion magazines of crediting the sources of garments and accessories worn by models, my model, Mannique, is wearing Victoria's Secret Stretch cotton convertible T-shirt bra XC-181664 and her panties are Victoria's Secret Knit boxies XC-185401, both from the PINK® collection.