HOW TO TAKE ACCURATE SKIRT MEASUREMENTS
Today, we’re going to focus on how to take accurate measurements to draft a skirt sloper or alter a commercial skirt pattern.
Are you having issues fitting your skirts? Do your skirts show stress lines over the hips or are the seams not aligned, do the seams pull and pucker at the sides?
Issues of this type are caused by either taking or using incorrect body measurements when drafting the skirt sloper or altering a commercial skirt pattern.
If you are learning how to draft or alter a pattern and experience FIT ISSUES, your first step should be to verify that you have taken accurate measurements.
If you fail to take accurate measurements you will have FIT PROBLEMS with your slopers, patterns, and finished garments – GUARANTEED!
First, let me share THREE BASIC FACTS OF PATTERN DRAFTING with you.
1. To measure the body accurately for drafting or altering a pattern, you ABSOLUTELY MUST, know WHAT to measure and WHERE the measurements are to BEGIN and END [point to point].
2. If you are inconsistent or sloppy when taking your measurements you will have inconsistent or sloppy results – sad but true. . .
3. Learning to take accurate measurements is a SKILL that you can develop through skillful, deliberate, and consistent practice – kind of like learning to play the piano.
So, today, we’re going to master the skill of TAKING ACCURATE SKIRT MEASUREMENTS!
Okay, before we get started, you will need:
1. To wear tight-fitting clothes, a body suit, or a leotard – no loose clothing
2. A good measuring tape,
3. An extra pair of hands to help take the measurements, and
4. A worksheet to record your measurements.
LOWER TORSO CIRCUMFERENCE MEASUREMENTS
We begin with the Torso Circumference Measurements. When referring to the “Torso Circumference Measurements” in pattern drafting, we are referring to measurements “around” the torso.
The “torso” is simply the “trunk” of the body, meaning it is the body without attachments such as the arms, legs, and head.
Record the measurements on the worksheets as you take them.
For the bodice measurements, we took “Upper Torso” measurements, but for the skirt, we are taking “Lower Torso Measurements” – measurements “Below” the waist.
TORSO CIRCUMFERENCE MEASUREMENTS
1. WAIST – Measure around the waist front and back waist
2. HIGH HIP – Measure around the abdomen, 3-inches below the waist
3. HIP – Measure around the widest part of the hip with the tape parallel to the floor
LOWER TORSO HORIZONTAL – BACK
8. WAIST ARC – Measure from the center back waist to the side waist
9. HIGH HIP ARC – Measure from the center back to the side seam, starting 3-inches down from the waist
10. HIP ARC – Measure from the center back to the side seam on the hip line
11. DART PLACEMENT – Measure from the center front waist to the side front along the waist at the “princess seam line.” [To establish the “princess seam line” divide the waist arc by 2 and subtract .25-inches, then measure this distance from the center back waist, along the waistline towards the side back]
LOWER TORSO HORIZONTAL – FRONT
4. WAIST ARC – Measure from the center front waist to the side waist
5. HIGH HIP ARC – Measure from the center front to the side seam, starting 3-inches down from the waist
6. HIP ARC – Measure from the center front to the side seam on the hip line
7. DART PLACEMENT – Measure from the center front waist to the side front along the waist at the “princess seam line.” [To establish the “princess seam line” divide the waist arc by 2 and subtract .25-inches, then measure this distance from the center front waist, along the waistline towards the side
front]
LOWER TORSO VERTICAL – SIDE – 1
Vertical Lines – goes up and down, or down and up
12. SIDE HIP DEPTH – Measure from the side waist to the hip line [measure the right and left sides, if the measurements differ by more than 1/8-inch, the hips are asymmetric, and you would draft the pattern differently].
13. WAIST TO KNEE – Measure from the side waist to the knee
14. WAIST TO ANKLE – Measure from the side waist to the ankle
15. WAIST TO FLOOR – Measure from the side waist to the floor
TORSO VERTICAL MEASUREMENTS – FRONT
16. FRONT HIP DEPTH – Measure from the center front waist down to the hip line
TORSO ARC
What the heck does bust arc, back arc, waist arc, high-hip arc, and hip arc mean?
We measured the “circumference/torso” of the body in the first step taking the whole measurements around the body.
So, when I refer to arcs, I’m talking about measuring a quarter section of the body. Measuring from the center front or center back to the side of the torso.
WHAT IS MEANT BY ASYMMETRIC HIPS?
I’ve mentioned “Asymmetric Hips” a couple of times. Asymmetric hips occur when one side-hip depth is 1/8-inch higher or lower than the opposite side-hip depth, which is why we measure both the right and left side-hip depths.
TORSO VERTICAL MEASUREMENTS – BACK
17. BACK HIP DEPTH – Measure from the center back waist down to the hip line
Okay, now that you know how to take accurate skirt measurements – it’s back to the drawing board. First, be sure you use a good tape measure, wear tight-fitting clothes or a leotard, and have someone assist you.
Record your measurements on the WORKSHEETS that are included in my eBOOK – PATTERN DRAFTING FOR WOMEN | HOW TO TAKE ACCURATE SKIRT MEASUREMENTS.”
Get in the habit of checking your measurements a couple of times a year to update your worksheets, for body changes due to weight gain or loss and gravity shifts.
Once you’ve mastered the skill of taking accurate “SKIRT” measurements, you’re ready to draft your “BASIC SKIRT FOUNDATION” – BTW this process is known as “FLAT PATTERNMAKING.”
You can also view the YouTube video: CLICK HERE. . .
Get your FREE eBook by subscribing to my newsletter: DESIGN, DRAFT, SEW, & GO!
Click the SUBSCRIBE button, below. . .
UP NEXT – HOW TO TAKE ACCURATE ARM/SLEEVE MEASUREMENTS
If you are experiencing difficulty getting your Armholes/Sleeve slopers to fit properly, don’t miss PART 3 of this 4-PART SERIES “HOW TO TAKE ACCURATE ARM MEASUREMENTS.” CLICK HERE. . .
Thanks!