Introduction

If you want to sew your own clothes, you need to measure yourself. And honestly, if you want to sew clothes for other people, you need to measure them. While there are some things you will need to do differently to measure someone else, a lot of the basic principles remain the same.

And regardless, you need accurate measurements to be able to pick a pattern, draft a pattern, or make alterations to get a good fit.

So, let’s take a deeper dive into how to take accurate body measurements for sewing patterns.

Tools or Equipment Needed

First and foremost you will need something to measure yourself with. A dressmakers tape measure or flexible tape measure is ideal. They are about 60 inches long and some even have centimeters on them if that’s what you prefer to use.

For the three measurements we are going to take here, that is all you really need. However, if you are measuring yourself, you will want a mirror to check to make sure your tape is parallel to the floor. More on that later. If you have a friend measuring you, or if you are measuring a friend, you could use a box or stool to stand on (for the person being measured). That will keep them from fidgeting more and skewing results.

Lastly, you will need something to record your measurements on. You can use a notebook that you can easily find, or that you keep with your sewing. You can also use my measurement sheets available here.

General Measuring Tips

When taking circumference measurements (bust, waist, hips etc) always keep the measuring tape parallel to the floor unless otherwise noted. (It’s rarely noted otherwise, but on some specific measurements, the tape doesn’t need to be parallel to the floor.)

The tape measure should be held taut, but not too tightly, against the body. You want an accurate measurement, so if you don’t pull it tight enough, the result will be too big. But if you pull too tight, the result will be too small. Either will result in a poor fit, but too small could sometimes mean you can’t even wear it.

Wear close-fitting clothes, or your undergarments, more on that specifically for the bust/chest measurement. But you don’t want to measure over clothes that are bulky. They will inflate the measurements. Or, in some cases, the location of the measurement won’t be obvious because the clothes are changing your body shape. (More on that in the specific measurement how-to section below.

And always take 3 (or more) measurements at each location. Then either average them out, or if two are close and one is way off, toss out the way-off one. It’s interesting how much a measurement can differ within minutes of having it taken. Even when someone else is measuring you!

Make sure you are measuring from the zero end of the tape, especially if you have a tape that has the measurements on both sides. 34 inches on one side of the tape is 26 inches on the other, and that’s a bit of a difference. And the further you get away from 30” the bigger that discrepancy is, so make sure you’re using the correct side.

And you only really need to be accurate to the 1/8 inch (about 2-3 mm).

Lastly, be honest with the measurements. Leave your biases at the door. Remember that you are doing this to make garments that fit well. And they won’t fit well if you inflate or deflate the measurements. This is why it’s sometimes nice to have someone who has zero preconceived notions take your measurements.

Measuring Solo Vs. Having Help

If you are lucky to have a friend help you, make sure they know the above general tips. If they aren’t well-versed in taking measurements, you might need to help them out with some of the instructions. You might need to give them a hand to help keep the tape in place. You may need to help them decide if the tape is parallel to the floor. And you might need to point out where the tape should go in the first place. But once they have it, you can let them take the measurement while you hold still. Stand in your natural posture and keep the weight even on both of your feet.

And since you want to take each measurement 3 times, you should have them drop one end of the tape measure so it falls away between measurements. Otherwise, they will likely get the same number.

If you are measuring yourself, you might need to twist a bit to check the location and orientation of the tape measure on your body. But, when taking the measurement, keep your feet flat and weight evenly distributed and your body untwisted.

In general, measuring and reading Bust/Chest, Waist and Hips measurements on the tape is pretty easy to do. However, if you think you are bending too much, you can place your thumbnail on the tape where the end overlaps and use it to see what the measurement is once you take the tape off your body. You may need to practice this a few times to get the hang of it. But eventually it will be pretty easy.

3 Common Measurements

I’m only going to cover the three most common measurements found on pattern envelopes. These are also the three most common measurements found on clothing size charts for ready-to-wear, so you can use these numbers if you are shopping online, too. Though there are a few things to keep in mind regarding shopping online that I cover in my measurement sheet guides.

Bust/Chest

For the bust/chest measurement, you will measure the circumference of the body at the landmark stated, keeping the tape parallel to the floor (don’t let it hike up or fall down in back). You’ll need to lift your arms to get the tape in there, but take the measurement with your arms down.

The bust is a “female” measurement, and the chest is a “male” measurement. And I’m only saying that because of the drafting standards. Landmarks used to take these two measurements differ slightly, so let’s take a look at both, starting with the Chest measurement.

Measure the chest at the midpoint of the sternum. This will roughly fall about where your nipples are. And it will roughly be about the widest part of your chest. Personally, if I were taking this measurement to make any kind of fitted or dress shirt, I’d make sure that I had the widest part of my body below the armpits because I wouldn’t want gaping between buttons or buttons that keep pulling on the buttonholes. Also, you can eyeball the midpoint of your sternum; no need to measure. But your sternum starts at the top below your collarbones, you can typically find the tip in the divot at the base of your throat below your collarbones. The end of your sternum can kinda be felt where your ribs meet in that V.

For the Bust measurement, you will measure the circumference at the fullest part of the bust. You can choose to pull the tape straight across the gap between your breasts or you can dip slightly down into the crevice, but don’t go all the way to your breastbone (sternum).

Let’s talk about undergarments for a second. Wear the undergarment you plan to wear under the garment you are going to make with this measurement. Meaning, if you are making something you want to wear a pushup bra under, then wear a pushup bra for the measurement. If you’re going to wear a sports bra, wear that for the measurement, if you are going to wear a minimizer or binder, wear that for the measurement. And yes, this means that if you are making clothes for yourself, and you have different types of clothes you wear with different types of undergarments, then you may need different measurements and different pattern sizes to accommodate that. It’s ok. That’s why we sew, so we can make our own custom fit wardrobe!

Lastly, when taking a bust/chest measurement, exhale all the air from your lungs, then inhale and fill your lungs up. Then let about half of the air out. Take the measurement there. You want to be in the mid-range of your ribcage expansion when you breath. Most garments will have enough ease to allow for breathing. There are some garments that are super close fit like workout gear or shape-wear, but even those will be fine with the mid-point of your breath cycle. If you are into extreme binding garments, like corsetry, you can experiment with your measurements, just stay safe! No one needs to get sick or pass out from having something on that’s too tight. Or wearing something too long when your body needs a breather.

Waist

Your waist measurement, regardless of your body type, is generally taken at the narrowest part of your torso below your ribs and above your pelvis. This is considered the “natural waist”.

And yes, it might be quite high on your torso. And yes, you might be absolutely mortified if you ever were to wear pants with a waist that high. And yes, this is still the measurement you need to take for the waist measurement. Don’t worry, it is highly likely that any pants you are going to buy or sew will have a lower waist than your natural waist. Though, for females, skirts do tend to sit at the natural waist, and some pants do as well. And in general, a “female” waist is generally closer to the navel than a “male” waist.

So, what do you do if you don’t have a discernible “narrowest” part? Or, let’s say you are pregnant or you carry all of your excess weight in your midsection, forcing your narrowest part up to your rib cage.

You will measure your waist at some distance away from an obvious landmark on your body. When I learned basic pattern drafting (for women) the instruction was 1/4” above the navel. That works fine if your navel is pointing forward. If not, you can choose a mole, the level of your elbow, or some other landmark that isn’t going to move (a tattoo?) and measure some distance away from that. Say it’s the level of your elbow, you will want to measure some distance below that. Just make sure to write down what the landmark is and how far away from it you took your waist measurement so you can stay consistent over time.

That being said, if you are using your “Natural waist” as defined by the narrowest part, just keep in mind that over time, that location can move up and down. You’ll still want to use it for your waist measurement, but you may need another vertical reference for well-fitting clothes.

So, we have to mention undergarments again. Just like with your bust/chest measurement, if you are wearing any kind of shape-wear or corsetry that might change the location or dimension of your waist, make sure that is the same undergarment you will be wearing under the clothes you make from these measurements. And I highly recommend that if you are making activewear like leggings or the like, that you stick to measuring your natural body because you can add some shaping to your garment, but be much more comfy working out.

Like with the bust/chest measurement, you want to take this in the middle of your “body expansion” as you breathe. So, again, take that full breath and let half of it out before taking the measurement. You can probably see why you might get 3 different measurements because half a lungful of air isn’t a precise measurement unless you have the scientific equipment set up to measure and calculate that.

Hips

The hip measurement is the circumference at the widest part of your body below your navel, above your legs. Typically this is around the fullest part of your butt. (On my female sheet, this is the Low Hip.)

When I take this measurement, I often put the tape a little higher than where I think it would be, then I slide the tape down, letting it expand as it goes till it is wide enough, and any location lower is narrower.

If you have quite a difference in measurement above and below the widest spot, make sure to take the measurement on the tape where it is touching your body; don’t try to conform the tape to your body. One edge will touch you, the other may not.

A couple of reference points to note, this could be your actual hip joint, where your femur pokes out from your pelvis. It could also be higher. If you can’t actually find the widest part, you can measure at some distance below your natural waist. The standard for females is 8-9”. And for males, that could be longer due to the generally higher waist. So, 11 inches or so, maybe. If you take this measurement using a reference location, as with the waist, note the reference point and the distance away from it so you can stay consistent with your measurement.

Breathing doesn’t affect your hip measurement all that much.

Wearing compression shorts or shape-wear might. So, the same rule applies. Wear what you plan to wear under the garment when you are taking the measurement.

Recording and Using Measurements

As I’ve said above, you will want to write these measurements down and keep them handy for sewing or buying clothes so you don’t have to keep measuring yourself.

Periodically check your measurements because over time, most of us will change at least one of the three measurements. Double-check every 6 to 12 months or if you notice things not fitting quite the same. Weight doesn’t even have to change, it could be the distribution of weight on your body. Even as strange as shifting slightly lower from belly to hips. It happens.

Check out the handy measurement sheets I’ve put together. They include these three measurements and so many more for altering your patterns, drafting your own patterns, or just buying clothes online. You can print them as often as needed and date them.

Conclusion

Getting accurate measurements of your body is crucial for sewing well-fitting garments. There are some best practices to getting good measurements. And sometimes it take a bit of practice before taking these measurements doesn’t feel awkward. So, keep at it!