stitchu / sewing guide / How to take your measurements and check a pattern size
Measure yourself, then check the size.
Patterns are sized by body measurements, not by the size on your clothes. Measure three circumferences, then compare them with the pattern’s body measurements and with the finished garment, which includes ease.
Take three measurements
Use a flexible but stable tape measure and keep it level with the floor all the way round.
- Bust. Measure around the fullest part of the bust.
- Waist. Tie a narrow elastic around your middle and bend from side to side until it settles in the hollow of the waist. Mark that line with a pen, because the elastic can shift while you measure. If your waist is not indented, choose where you want the waist of the dress to sit and measure there.
- Hip. Wrap the tape around the hips and slide it down to find the widest part. That can be anywhere from a few centimetres to more than 30 cm below the waist, so note how far below the waist it is as well.
Body measurements and finished measurements
A pattern lists the body measurements each size is drafted for; choose the size from those, not from ready-to-wear labels. Many patterns also give finished garment measurements. The difference between the two is the ease: the extra room that lets you breathe, raise your arms and sit down, plus any fullness the design adds.
Where your measurement is larger than the pattern’s body measurement, that much of the ease is used up. If it is larger than the finished measurement, the dress will not close there as drafted.
Measurements of stitchu’s sample patterns
Every sample is drafted only in size EU36, for a standard size-table body with an 84 cm bust, 66 cm waist and 90 cm hip; these are not anyone’s personal measurements. Finished measurements and hem positions below are from each sewing guide, read on 17 October 2026, without seam allowances.
| Pattern | Bust: body → dress | Waist: body → dress | Hip: body → dress | Hem on the EU36 body |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pink bow keyhole mini | 84 → 90 cm | 66 → 68.5 cm | 90 → 95 cm | 23.6 cm above the knee |
| Red gingham button-front mini | 84 → 90 cm | 66 → 68.5 cm | 90 → 95 cm | 12 cm above the knee |
| Navy gingham off-centre button mini | 84 → 90 cm | 66 → 68.5 cm | 90 → 95 cm | 19.1 cm above the knee |
| Pink bow wrap mini | 84 → 90 cm | 66 → 68.5 cm | 90 → 94.3 cm | 5.3 cm above the knee |
| Pink bow wrap mini with a pleated underskirt | 84 → 90 cm | 66 → 68.5 cm | 90 → 91.6 cm | 15.4 cm above the knee |
Reading the table: the waist of every sample has 2.5 cm of ease, so it is close-fitting there, and the pleated-underskirt version has only 1.6 cm at the hip. The sample patterns are offered only in EU36; the workshop’s example design can be generated in other sizes. If your measurements differ from the EU36 body, sew a toile first: it shows where the dress is tight or loose before you cut your fabric. Each sewing guide explains how to change the length.
Sources
- Threads: How to Get Accurate Body Measurements
- Threads: How to Find Your Waist and Other Measurements
- Threads: How to Measure a Pattern to Assess its Fit (wearing ease)
- Simplicity: Understanding the pattern envelope (PDF)
Next: print the pattern at true scale, work out how much fabric to buy and make a toile.