Let's talk about body measurements
2023-Jun-28, Wednesday 09:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chebeWe're going to be talking about bodies, sizes, and indirectly shapes. I know this can trigger emotional responses, so please take this as the Content Notice. You don't have to read these words.
If you spend enough time sewing clothing you will have to spend a lot of time with measuring your own body, and comparing those measurements to size charts of various companies. It is vital to remember that those size charts are arbitrary, and averaged / standardised to reduce the range of sizes those companies need to produce / cater to. The numbers (or letters) don't have any value in and of themselves.
This is your one and only body we're talking about. It was issued to you at birth, and you will have it until your last breaths. Whether you consider it a fixer-upper, or delight in its character, it is yours. Some people have sporty models, some luxury fashion models. Most of us have practical get-arounds. You didn't choose your body. There are many things about it you can't change, that are out of our control. There can be no moral judgement about things you have no control over.
And there is definitely no need for an emotional response to the numbers / letters on a label. In Seamwork patterns I am usually a 16/18 Curvy. In Burda patterns I am a 50. These numbers do not belong to me, they are not value judgements on me as a person. They are shorthand, for convenience. (As funny as that sounds to people who have ever shopped for clothing online.)
Okay then. Rant over.
Pattern envelopes usually list just three body measurements, to aid in selecting a size; bust, waist, hip. Anyone who has tried to get an accurate astrology reading from just your sun sign will know that you need more information. Sewing books will often have diagrams showing which measurements are most useful. Some patterns even have charts printed on the tissue. But which measurements are considered important varies. Sometimes naturally; a bust measurement is not useful when making trousers. But often not very helpfully. For example, most large pattern companies draft their patterns for a C cup, but they don't usually tell you that. Which is why one of the first alterations people learn is a full/small bust alteration. They also draft for different heights. Burda is 5ft 6". Seamwork is 5ft 9". How is that divided between legs and torso? Burda tells me their waist-to-ankle measurement, at my size, is 106cm, which is very close to my own. Which lets me know that the extra inches in height I need to remove is all from above the waist. Seamwork doesn't share this information. Leaving me to figure it out from toiles. Also, we rarely look like the people in the diagrams.
To help me connect with my body shape I got a croquis from My Body Model. It guides you through taking about 22 measurements, to feed into their figure generator, which gives you approximate outlines of your body to then sketch outfit ideas onto. This is a strange experience. Because you rarely see your body flat like this. When you look in a mirror your view is angled. When photographs are taken, they are taken at an angle. These croquis don't come with MySpace angles. (Or hair. Which does not help at all.) Today I'm going to use my croquis (from a couple years ago, things have changed since, but not drastically) to compile a list of useful measurements. (My Body Model does not use an exhaustive list either.)
Combining the images above, with extra information like that from Burda measurements today, I get a list of 27 measurements. There could be more, like for the armpit-to-wrist measurement, or some way to measure the depth of an armscye. But this should cover most of my use cases. For now. We'll see if the number expands with time. Have I missed a measurement that you find particularly useful? (And remember, if you have noticed an asymmetry in fit, you can always halve (or quarter) these measurements for a more accurate fit as well. For example, my low hip measurement could be split between front and back, to properly measure my arse.)
The best part in having all the measurements taken (checked periodically) is that you have them to hand. You can simply pull up the file with all the info, instead of having to grab a measuring tape and look in a mirror, whenever you have to check the width/length of something on the pattern that doesn't look quite right. Helping to reduce those numbers further to the simple data points that they are. And yes, fitting is hard. But when we get it right it feels amazing, like all clothes should.
1. Neck Circumference
2. Shoulder Width (Front)
3. High Bust/Chest Circumference
4. Full Bust Circumference
5. Under Bust/Chest Circumference
6. Waist Circumference
7. High Hip Circumference
8. Low Hip Circumference
9. Thigh Circumference
10. Calf Circumference
11. Ankle Circumference
12. Bi-cep Circumference
13. Elbow Circumference
14. Forearm Circumference
15. Wrist Circumference
16. Shoulder to Wrist Length
17. Neck Length
18. Neck to Waist (Front)
19. Waist to Hip Bone
20. In-seam
21. Out-seam
22. Neck to Waist (Back)
23. Shoulder to bust point
24. Shoulder to Waist through bust fullness / front waist length
25. Shoulder
26. Seat (waist-to-chair when sitting)
27. Shoulder to Waist (Back)
0. Height
If you spend enough time sewing clothing you will have to spend a lot of time with measuring your own body, and comparing those measurements to size charts of various companies. It is vital to remember that those size charts are arbitrary, and averaged / standardised to reduce the range of sizes those companies need to produce / cater to. The numbers (or letters) don't have any value in and of themselves.
This is your one and only body we're talking about. It was issued to you at birth, and you will have it until your last breaths. Whether you consider it a fixer-upper, or delight in its character, it is yours. Some people have sporty models, some luxury fashion models. Most of us have practical get-arounds. You didn't choose your body. There are many things about it you can't change, that are out of our control. There can be no moral judgement about things you have no control over.
And there is definitely no need for an emotional response to the numbers / letters on a label. In Seamwork patterns I am usually a 16/18 Curvy. In Burda patterns I am a 50. These numbers do not belong to me, they are not value judgements on me as a person. They are shorthand, for convenience. (As funny as that sounds to people who have ever shopped for clothing online.)
Okay then. Rant over.
Pattern envelopes usually list just three body measurements, to aid in selecting a size; bust, waist, hip. Anyone who has tried to get an accurate astrology reading from just your sun sign will know that you need more information. Sewing books will often have diagrams showing which measurements are most useful. Some patterns even have charts printed on the tissue. But which measurements are considered important varies. Sometimes naturally; a bust measurement is not useful when making trousers. But often not very helpfully. For example, most large pattern companies draft their patterns for a C cup, but they don't usually tell you that. Which is why one of the first alterations people learn is a full/small bust alteration. They also draft for different heights. Burda is 5ft 6". Seamwork is 5ft 9". How is that divided between legs and torso? Burda tells me their waist-to-ankle measurement, at my size, is 106cm, which is very close to my own. Which lets me know that the extra inches in height I need to remove is all from above the waist. Seamwork doesn't share this information. Leaving me to figure it out from toiles. Also, we rarely look like the people in the diagrams.
Needle Craft, Judy Brittain, DK, 1989
Photo by chebe
Sewing Lingerie that Fits, Karen Morris, Taunton Press, 2001
Photo by chebe
Burda Style sewing pattern, 2012
Photo by chebe
To help me connect with my body shape I got a croquis from My Body Model. It guides you through taking about 22 measurements, to feed into their figure generator, which gives you approximate outlines of your body to then sketch outfit ideas onto. This is a strange experience. Because you rarely see your body flat like this. When you look in a mirror your view is angled. When photographs are taken, they are taken at an angle. These croquis don't come with MySpace angles. (Or hair. Which does not help at all.) Today I'm going to use my croquis (from a couple years ago, things have changed since, but not drastically) to compile a list of useful measurements. (My Body Model does not use an exhaustive list either.)
Combining the images above, with extra information like that from Burda measurements today, I get a list of 27 measurements. There could be more, like for the armpit-to-wrist measurement, or some way to measure the depth of an armscye. But this should cover most of my use cases. For now. We'll see if the number expands with time. Have I missed a measurement that you find particularly useful? (And remember, if you have noticed an asymmetry in fit, you can always halve (or quarter) these measurements for a more accurate fit as well. For example, my low hip measurement could be split between front and back, to properly measure my arse.)
The best part in having all the measurements taken (checked periodically) is that you have them to hand. You can simply pull up the file with all the info, instead of having to grab a measuring tape and look in a mirror, whenever you have to check the width/length of something on the pattern that doesn't look quite right. Helping to reduce those numbers further to the simple data points that they are. And yes, fitting is hard. But when we get it right it feels amazing, like all clothes should.
My Body Model croquis, marked up with 27 measurement lines
Photo by chebe
1. Neck Circumference
2. Shoulder Width (Front)
3. High Bust/Chest Circumference
4. Full Bust Circumference
5. Under Bust/Chest Circumference
6. Waist Circumference
7. High Hip Circumference
8. Low Hip Circumference
9. Thigh Circumference
10. Calf Circumference
11. Ankle Circumference
12. Bi-cep Circumference
13. Elbow Circumference
14. Forearm Circumference
15. Wrist Circumference
16. Shoulder to Wrist Length
17. Neck Length
18. Neck to Waist (Front)
19. Waist to Hip Bone
20. In-seam
21. Out-seam
22. Neck to Waist (Back)
23. Shoulder to bust point
24. Shoulder to Waist through bust fullness / front waist length
25. Shoulder
26. Seat (waist-to-chair when sitting)
27. Shoulder to Waist (Back)
0. Height
no subject
Date: 2023-06-29 07:55 pm (UTC)I ended up with a more exhaustive list putting together my person for freesewing.org, though you don't need to do them all, only the ones for the pattern you want.
Same for making my dressform (bootstrapfashion.com), so many measurements and the demo image they send goes all out of whack for large circumferences, thankfully the actual pattern made more sense. A 3D model really helps if you have the space.
I started assembling a mybodymodel, but the pictures look odd so I haven't turned my credits into images. In the meantime I traced some pictures of me in very fitted clothes, and well, that looks a lot more like me. Accounting for roundness is hard.
The hardest part is getting measurements parallel to the ground, or figuring out which waist a given pattern maker means (noooooo I don't need my waist all the way up there).
Tree
no subject
Date: 2023-06-29 08:43 pm (UTC)