Fit and Measurement Guide
How to take the measurements an alteration depends on, and how to judge fit before you stitch anything permanently.
What you will learn
- Taking body measurements
- Reading ease
- Checking fit with basting
Measure the body and the garment
Alterations use two sets of numbers. Body measurements tell you what you need. Garment measurements tell you what you have. The difference between them decides what to change.
Use a soft measuring tape. Stand relaxed, wear thin underlayers, and keep the tape level and snug but not tight. A finger should slide under it.
- Waist: around the natural waist, the narrowest part of the torso, usually just above the navel. Do not pull in your stomach.
- Hips: around the fullest part of the hips and seat, usually 7 to 9 in (18 to 23 cm) below the waist. Keep the tape parallel to the floor.
- Inseam: from the crotch seam down the inside of the leg to where you want the trouser to end. Measuring a pair of trousers that already fits you is easier and more accurate than measuring your leg.
- Sleeve length: with the arm relaxed and slightly bent, measure from the top of the armhole seam (the seam where the sleeve joins the body, at the tip of the shoulder) down the outside of the arm to the wrist bone or wherever you want the cuff to end.
- Desired hem length: wear the shoes you will wear with the garment, stand straight, and measure from the floor up to where the hem should end. With shoes on, trousers usually end about 1/2 to 1 in (12 to 25 mm) above the floor at the back. Skirts and dresses are a matter of taste, so mark and look in a mirror.
Garment measurements and ease
Ease is the extra room built into a garment beyond your body measurement. Without ease you could not sit, breathe or lift your arms.
Lay the garment flat, fasten it, and measure straight across the waist or hip. Double the number to get the full circumference. A flat waist reading of 15 in (38 cm) means a 30 in (76 cm) waist.
Typical ease for a fitted garment is 1/2 to 1 in (12 to 25 mm) at the waist and 2 to 3 in (5 to 8 cm) at the hips. Loose and relaxed styles carry much more. If a garment measures only a little more than your body, it is already close to its limit and taking it in will make it uncomfortable.
Knit and stretch fabrics need less ease because they give. Rigid fabrics such as denim or linen need more.
Marking while wearing the garment
Mark alterations with the garment on your body. A flat garment lies about its shape. A body does not.
A helper makes this far more accurate, because you cannot see your own back and you distort the fit when you twist to look. If you are alone, use a full-length mirror and pin from the front where you can reach, then check the back with a second hand mirror.
Pin along the seam you want to change with the pins pointing away from your skin and the heads easy to grab. Do not put pins where you will sit or lean.
Check symmetry
Bodies are rarely perfectly even. One hip may be higher, or one shoulder lower. Measure both sides of the garment and both sides of your body.
If a hem is level on a flat table but dips on you, the garment is reacting to your body. Decide whether you want it level with the floor or matched to the garment. Mark both legs or both sides separately and compare.
Baste before you stitch for good
Basting means long, loose temporary stitches that hold fabric in place and pull out easily. Use them or pins to hold your new seam or hem, put the garment on, and look.
Hand basting uses stitches about 1/4 to 1/2 in (6 to 12 mm) long. On a machine, use the longest stitch length. Use a contrasting thread so the stitches are easy to find and remove.
Test before you trim
Do not cut any fabric until the fit is confirmed. Fold, pin and baste instead. Excess fabric left inside a seam or hem does no harm and can be used later if you need to let the garment out or change your mind.
Once the fit is confirmed, you can still choose to leave the extra fabric in place. Cutting is the only step that cannot be undone.
Fit is personal: comfort, movement and balance
A garment can match the tape measure and still feel wrong. Test it in use. Sit down, bend forward, squat, reach up and walk. Check that nothing pulls, gapes or rides up.
Balance means the garment hangs evenly. Hems should be level, side seams should hang straight down, and the centre front and back should line up with the centre of your body. If a skirt twists, or a hem lifts at one side, the fix is usually a change of fit and not a change of hem.
Stop when it is comfortable and looks the way you want, even if it differs from a rule of thumb.
Tips for a neat result
- Write every measurement down with the date and which garment it came from.
- Measure at the same time of day. Bodies change slightly through the day.
- Take the measurements twice. If they differ, measure a third time and use the figure that appears twice.
Common mistakes and fixes
The new hem is uneven after I measured both legs the same.
Your hips or legs may not be level, or the garment hung differently on each side. Mark each side while wearing the garment instead of copying one measurement across.
The garment fits when I stand but is tight when I sit.
You trimmed ease away. Check seat, thigh and waist while seated before any permanent stitching, and restore ease by letting the seam out slightly.
Check your result
- You can state your waist, hip, inseam and sleeve measurements and the matching garment measurements.
- The pinned or basted change feels comfortable while sitting, bending and reaching.