How To Measure

This book is really extensive. Really. It's got 22 chapters that range from everything to complete dunces learning the necessary skills to even opening up your own dressmaking shop by the end of the book and how to set it up and what to sell to make cash on the side. It's extremely thorough.

So let's get started-


This book adheres to ten separate measurements needed to construct just the lining for a 'waist', or what we'd just call a shirt or a nice blouse today. Waists were garments that ended just below the waist- you could pair them with a skirt. The novelty of all the things you could do with a waist probably began the concept of mixing and matching, although their 'mixing' options were probably pretty limited to dark colored skirt A and dark colored skirt B. Still, it was a step to freeing up women from the burdensome clothing they'd been wearing probably since the fall of the Roman Empire. The waist itself, not including the sleeves, needs the following ten measurements in this precise order, according to the book. Let's see what it says....

1. Neck measure: This measure is taken around the neck directly under the chin.

2. Bust measure: This measure is taken around and over the fullest part of the bust, having the tape line well up under the arms, and bringing it to the center of the back. This may be taken as tight as desired. It is well to stand directly behind the person in taking this measure.

3. Waist measure: Pass the tape around the waist line, drawing it very snug and tight.

4. Front measure: Place the end of the tape line on the prominent bone at the back of the neck; pass the line over the shoulder near the base of the neck and down over the fullest part of the bust to the waist line, drawing it snug. This measure is taken from the back of the neck to get the length of the front from the shoulder down to waist line. It might be taken from the shoulder, but as there is no set or determined point from which to take the measure on the shoulder, we take it from the back of the neck.

5. Back measure: Measure from the prominent bone at the back of the neck to bottom of waist cord. Allow plenty of room, as too short a measure gives a low neck in the back.

6. Chest measure: This measure is taken across the chest, from armhole to armhole, midway between the base of the neck in front and bust line.

7. Width of back: This measure is taken across the back, from armhole to armhole, about midway between base of neck in the back and bust line.

8. Under arm measure: Place the end of the tape line close up under the arm and measure straight down to the bottom of waist cord. The arm should be dropped naturally at the side while this measure is being taken.

9. Armhole measure: Pass the tape around under the arm and bring it up to the shoulder. This measure should be taken very tight, or the draft will be too long from bust to shoulder. It drafts out larger than taken. It is the tightest measure we take, and should not be more than one inch larger than neck measure.

10. Shoulder measure: Measure from the base of the neck at the side, to shoulder point.    This measure can be taken as long as desired, depending on the prevailing style.

Ordinarily, these would have all been taken over a corset and undergarments, but since we don't go for all that stuff anymore, natural numbers will turn out larger than the model they provide. For example, their model has a waist of 24 inches (60.96cm). I'd probably be a tad worried about anyone who had that naturally.

So I took these measurements for myself, which, for some of them, was a bit daunting at times. Perhaps the best thing to do is to stand up for most of them. That might seem like common sense, but when you're sitting and reading on the computer with a tape measure handy, it doesn't really occur to you, I don't think.

The very first drafting exercise is for one half of the front of a waist liner. After quite a bit of time and math juggling since my drafting paper and tape measures are all in metric and this American book is all in inches, I was able to draft this pattern according to the explicit instructions given. I'll post photos tomorrow, as I'm already locked away inside my warm room. Japan doesn't have central air and heating. Yay? Defrosting after hours spent on the draughty floor doing this pattern has made me loath to go back onto it for the moment, but it'll definitely happen tomorrow. Definitely.