How to read a sewing pattern and choose your size
Body measurements, pattern sizes against ready-to-wear, ease and finished measurements, the envelope and its markings, layouts, and a fit test before cutting.
Start here Essentials
For a garment, take four measurements, choose a size and check its ease. For a pillow cover, a tote or mending, this chapter is preparation: read one envelope back and go on to Your project. Go deeper is optional.
- Read one envelope back. Find the fabric, notions, yardage at your width and the finished measurements on a real envelope or Simplicity's annotated one (the envelope).
- Take four measurements with a helper. Bust, waist, hip and back-waist length, written in the measurements sheet (measurements).
- Choose a size from the chart. Use the measurement that sets the size for your garment (choosing a size).
- Work out the ease. Put the body and finished measurements into the ease tool and write the result beside the size (ease).
- Mark the pieces you need. Circle your view's pieces and layout on the guide sheet (markings).
Minimum time: about 20 minutes for one envelope back; about an hour with measurements and a size. Done when: for a garment, the measurements sheet has the four measurements and the pattern size with its ease beside them; for any other project, you can name one envelope's yardage at your width, its notions and its finished measurements.
1. Measurements: a sewing record Understand
A pattern is drafted for a set of body measurements. To choose among its sizes, you compare your own numbers with the company's chart, so the numbers have to be taken the way the chart's were. A body measurement is the distance around or along the body, taken over the undergarments you usually wear. It is a sewing record, the same kind of number as a fabric width or a seam allowance. It says which lines on a tissue to cut along. It says nothing else.
This chapter uses measurements only for what a pattern needs: which size to cut, where to lengthen or shorten, and how much room a garment has. We say nothing about body shape beyond that. Oregon State's 4-H Pattern Skills sheet puts it plainly: pattern categories are not judgments, and the category that suits you can differ from one company to the next and change over time.
Which measurements, and where
New Mexico State University's Guide C-205 lists five for a women's pattern: bust, waist, hip, back-waist length and height. Simplicity's size-chart page adds the high bust, and Burda adds the inseam for pants. The pattern company's chart is the one that counts for its patterns, so the table below follows Simplicity's how-to-measure guide. Where other sources measure differently is under Go deeper, after the table. Convention
| Measurement | Where (Simplicity's guide) | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Bust | Around the fullest part, straight across the back | Size for tops, dresses, jackets |
| High bust | Directly under the arms, straight across the back and above the bust | Size for tops when bust and high bust differ by more than the chart assumes |
| Waist | Over a narrow elastic tied around the waist and left to settle | Waist size; skirts not fitted at the hip |
| Hip | Around the fullest part, usually 7 to 9 in (18 to 23 cm) below the waist | Size for pants and most skirts |
| Back-waist length | From the most prominent bone at the base of the neck to the natural waist | Figure type (Misses or Petite); bodice length |
| Height | Against a wall, without shoes, floor to top of head | Figure type |
| Inseam | (Not on Simplicity's guide; Burda measures it crotch to ankle) | Pants length |
Where other sources measure differently from Simplicity's guide:
- Bust: NMSU's Guide C-205 takes it high under the arm, straight across the back; Burda takes its bust "slightly higher across the back".
- Waist: Tilly and the Buttons uses the narrowest point, where you bend sideways; a University of Tennessee 4-H youth sheet uses one inch above the navel (a rule of thumb).
- Hip: NMSU's Guide C-220 says usually 6 to 10 in below the waist; one Simplicity envelope measures at 9 in below.
- Back-waist length: Burda measures to the lower edge of the waist ribbon.
The high bust exists because the bust measurement includes the cup. A chart is drafted for one difference between the two (Simplicity's Misses chart runs 2 in), and when yours is larger, the high bust predicts the fit of the shoulders and upper chest better. Section 3 gives the difference at which to switch to it. Back-waist length is how the company sorts its figure types: Simplicity's sizing guide says that if you are shorter than 5 ft 5 in and your back-waist length is at least 1 in shorter than the standard for your bust size, you are probably Miss Petite.
How to take them
- Use a helper. NMSU's Guide C-220 and Burda both say a helper makes the numbers more accurate. A tape around your own back is hard to keep level.
- Snug, not tight. NMSU says pull the tape "snug, not tight"; Simplicity says comfortably snug. Use a tape that does not stretch. Check in a mirror that it is level all the way around, as Tilly and the Buttons suggests.
- Over your usual undergarments, standing normally. Texas A&M's E-372 adds your usual shoes for length measurements.
- Tie an elastic at the waist first and leave it on. It marks the waist for the back-waist length and gives a reference line for the hip and for pants lengths. Simplicity, NMSU and Burda all use a tie at the waist.
- Write each one down at once, with the date. The measurements sheet has a row for each and a column for the date.
- Retake them about every six months, or after a change in weight, as Simplicity's sizing guide and Texas A&M say. NMSU adds growing children and older adults.
Enter the numbers in the units you set up this manual with. If a chart is in the other unit, 1 in is exactly 2.54 cm (NIST). Physical principle A metric chart rounded to the whole centimeter can differ from its inch column by a few millimeters; compare in the chart's own unit when you can.
2. Pattern sizes, finished measurements and ease
Pattern sizes are a separate system from the sizes on clothes in a shop. Simplicity's sizing guide says your pattern size "may be one or two sizes larger" than your ready-to-wear size, and that ready-to-wear measurements vary between brands. Oregon State's Pattern Skills sheet says pattern sizes are unique to each manufacturer, line or brand. Burda says the same of its own sizes. Convention
Ready-to-wear has its own voluntary standard: ASTM D5585, the body measurement tables for the US Misses figure, covers sizes 00 to 20. The pattern industry's Misses chart, used by Simplicity, McCall's, Butterick and Vogue, runs 4 to 26 and is drafted for a figure about 5 ft 5 in to 5 ft 6 in tall. The two systems share a name and some numbers, and nothing else. The store size on a label is not an input to a pattern chart.
Reading a size chart
A size chart lists the body measurements each size is drafted for. Part of Simplicity's current Misses chart, read on its size-chart page on 2026-10-15, in inches:
| Size | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High bust | 30 1/2 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 38 |
| Bust | 32 1/2 | 34 | 36 | 38 | 40 |
| Waist | 25 | 26 1/2 | 28 | 30 | 32 |
| Hip | 34 1/2 | 36 | 38 | 40 | 42 |
| Back-waist length | 16 | 16 1/4 | 16 1/2 | 16 3/4 | 17 |
Read it down a column, not across. A body rarely matches one column in every row, and nobody is expected to. The chart is a starting point: it says which printed line on the tissue is closest. Men's charts are sized by chest, and Simplicity's unisex chart is based on men's measurements; children's charts add height and sometimes weight.
Ease: the room a garment adds
A garment that measured exactly the same as the body would be impossible to sit or breathe in. The difference between the garment and the body is ease. The McCall Pattern Company's fit brochure, and Simplicity's current sizing guide that repeats it, describe two kinds:
- Wearing ease is the minimum room to move. McCall's brochure and Simplicity's 2023 guide say every garment has it except swimwear and a few others (some exercise wear in McCall's wording, some knit garments in Simplicity's).
- Design ease is the extra the designer adds for the look: a loose shirt, wide pants, a full skirt.
The envelope's description names the intended fit: close-fitting, fitted, semi-fitted, loose-fitting or very loose-fitting. The word "ease" also has a construction meaning: Purdue's 4-H glossary uses it for working a slightly longer edge into a shorter one as you sew, as with a sleeve cap. This chapter means the fitting sense unless it says otherwise.
The finished garment measurements are what the sewn garment measures at the bust, waist, hip and length for each size. Simplicity's envelope tutorial says they include design and wearing ease; Simplicity's size-chart page says they are printed on the pattern tissue and on the back of many envelopes. Ease at any point is simple subtraction: finished measurement minus body measurement. Physical principle
Simplicity's own worked envelope, the S3102 shirt, shows it. Size 12 is drafted for a 34 in bust; the finished bust for size 12 is 37 3/4 in. The total bust ease is 3 3/4 in: wearing ease and design ease together.
How much wearing ease is the minimum? Published minimums for a woven garment run about 2 to 4 in at the bust and at the hip. Convention The ease tool shows each source's figure next to your result, without a verdict. NMSU's Guide C-228 adds that ease varies with the pattern, the fabric and your fit preference.
Tilly and the Buttons notes that a close-fitting knit pattern can have negative ease, a finished measurement smaller than the body, because the fabric stretches; the ease tool flags a negative figure for that reason. A large figure is not a problem either: a loose-fitting style shows several inches more than any minimum, because most of it is design ease.
The body chart and the finished-measurement chart sit close together on an envelope. Tilly and the Buttons names the mistake of reading one for the other: a garment cut from the body chart's numbers comes out too small.
The published minimums, source by source:
| Source | What it describes | Bust | Waist | Hip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McCall Pattern Company fit brochure | Minimum wearing ease | 2 to 3 in | not given | 2 to 3 in |
| NMSU Guide C-228 | A fitted garment | 3 to 4 in | not given | 2 to 4 in |
| Tilly and the Buttons | Typical minimum, woven fabric | 2 to 4 in (5 to 10 cm) | 1 to 2 in (2.5 to 5 cm) | 2 in (5 cm) |
The ranges are each source's Convention, and NMSU's caveat applies to all three. NMSU's own footnote example uses 2.5 in at the bust, below its table's range.
3. Choosing a size
Pick a starting size from one measurement for your garment type, check the room it leaves against the finished measurements, and test the fit. The finished measurements and a test settle the size for your pattern.
No size rule is the right one for every pattern. Publishers differ on which measurement sets a skirt's size, which way to go between sizes and when to use the high bust, sometimes within one company. A rule gives a starting size; the pattern's finished measurements show how much room that size has, and a tissue fit or a muslin (section 5) shows how it hangs on you. Fit changes beyond length and simple width are Go deeper material here.
Which measurement sets the size
Simplicity's 2023 sizing guide and the McCall brochure give this starting point, and Burda uses the same measurements:
- Tops, dresses, jackets: the bust. Simplicity and McCall switch to the high bust for a C cup or larger, a difference of 2 1/2 in or more between bust and high bust.
- Pants: the hip.
- Skirts: the hip for most skirts; the waist for a skirt not fitted at the hip.
These are thresholds for one decision, not facts about a body. Convention Simplicity's live size-chart page starts skirts and pants from the waist instead, unless the hips are two or more sizes larger; the Go deeper block at the end of this section compares the rules.
Between two sizes
When your measurement falls between two sizes, do the arithmetic: subtract your body measurement from each size's finished measurement at the point that matters, and see which leaves the room the envelope's fit description suggests. Test it Publishers' rules of thumb point different ways (Go deeper, below), so the finished measurements decide.
Blending between sizes
A multisize pattern prints several sizes' cutting lines on one tissue. Simplicity's guide says this lets you cut a different size in each body area. Tilly describes how: follow your bust size's line at the bust, then draw a gradual curve to your waist size's line at the waist, and on to your hip size's line at the hip, rather than jumping from one line to another. Burda gives an example of size 38 at the bust and 40 at the waist. Blend the matching edges of every piece that joins (the front and back side seams, the waistband if it is sized) by the same amount, or the seams will not meet.
Where the size rules differ
The pattern companies and the extension guides give different answers to which measurement picks the size, and one company gives two:
| Garment | Simplicity sizing guide (2023) and McCall brochure | Simplicity size-chart page (live) | Burda |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tops, dresses, jackets | Bust; the high bust for a C cup or larger (a difference of 2 1/2 in or more) | Bust; the high bust when bust minus high bust is more than 2 1/2 in (6.3 cm) | Bust |
| Pants | Hip | Waist, unless the hips are two or more sizes larger | Hip |
| Skirts | Hip for most skirts; waist for skirts not fitted at the hip | Waist, unless the hips are two or more sizes larger | Hip |
The same company's two documents start skirts from opposite measurements. For tops, Texas A&M's E-372 sets the high-bust threshold lower: choose by high bust when the full bust is 2 in or more larger. Closet Core Patterns treats a difference over 2 in as a hint that a full bust adjustment may be needed. Convention
Between two sizes, the rules of thumb run three ways:
- Smaller: Texas A&M's E-372 says the smaller is usually best, partly because multisize envelopes are made to fit the largest size printed.
- Depends on the fit you want: Simplicity says the smaller size for a closer fit or a small frame, the larger for a looser fit or a large frame.
- Larger: Tilly and the Buttons says you should usually choose the larger, because taking a garment in is easier than letting it out. McCall's brochure says the more closely fitted the silhouette, the safer the larger size, which runs against Simplicity's closer-fit rule.
Each is one publisher's Preference, which is why the chapter goes by the finished measurements.
Cup-size keys and the full bust adjustment
The publishers do not agree on what a bust and high-bust difference means. Simplicity's Misses chart header says the block assumes a B cup with a 2 in (5 cm) difference; a footnote on the same page says 2 1/2 in (6.3 cm). The Misses chart's own high-bust row is 2 in below the bust in every size. The keys:
| Source | A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplicity and McCall | under 2 1/2 in | 2 1/2 to 3 in | 3 1/2 to 4 in | |
| Closet Core Patterns | 1 in | 2 in | 3 in | 4 in |
| Tilly and the Buttons | 2 in (sizes 6 to 16) | 4 in (sizes 18 to 34) | ||
A full bust adjustment adds room at the bust to a pattern chosen by the high bust, so the shoulders fit and the front still closes. NMSU's Guide C-228 describes the slash-and-spread method: slash along the bust-dart fold line toward center front and from the waist toward the shoulder along the waist-dart fold line, spread the desired amount, and do not spread at the shoulder seam; the darts become larger. The McCall brochure gives amounts for its dart method: spread 1/2 in for a C cup, 3/4 in for a D, 1 1/4 in for larger. NMSU gives no figure. Practice the method on a copy of the tissue, and test the result in a muslin.
Measuring the pattern, or not
Texas A&M's E-372 and NMSU's C-220 teach measuring the flat pattern: pin darts and pleats closed, measure from seamline to seamline, double any piece cut on the fold or cut twice, and compare with your body measurement plus ease. Burda says the opposite for its own patterns: do not measure the pattern pieces, because the ease is already built in; use the chart. Both are coherent. The extension method checks a pattern whose finished measurements you cannot find; Burda's applies to a company whose charts you trust. Where the tissue prints the finished measurements, start there.
Length first, then width
Texas A&M says make one alteration at a time, length first from the shoulder down, then width, and at the source of the problem. Threads' Fitting for Every Figure sample chapter says the same: fold a pleat at the lengthen or shorten line to shorten, or cut and spread to lengthen, by the same amount front and back. Texas A&M adds that a width change of 1 in (2.5 cm) or less can often be made in the seam allowances, with exceptions it lists. Larger changes, and changes at the shoulders, neck or crotch, are beyond this manual.
4. The envelope, the markings and the layout
Everything you need to decide whether to buy a pattern, and how much fabric to buy with it, is on the envelope. Simplicity's tutorial, Understanding the Pattern Envelope, annotates a real one. Oregon State's and Tennessee's 4-H sheets list the same parts.
| Where | What it shows | What you do with it |
|---|---|---|
| Front | Brand, pattern number, size range, sewing rating (such as Easy), views as sketches or photos | Check that the envelope holds your size: Simplicity says it contains only the sizes printed on the front |
| Back: description | The fit (fitted, loose-fitting) and construction details | Read the fit words before you judge the ease |
| Back: suggested fabrics | Fabrics the design was tested with; "knits only" patterns point to a stretch gauge | Choose from the list on a first garment (Choosing and preparing fabric) |
| Back: notions | Thread, elastic width and length, zipper length, buttons | Add each to the shopping list |
| Back: body measurements | The size chart for the sizes inside | Choose your size (section 3) |
| Back: yardage chart | Fabric needed by view, size and width; often lining and interfacing | Read down to your view, across to your size, at your width |
| Back: finished measurements | The sewn garment's bust, waist, hip, length | Work out the ease |
| Inside: guide sheet | Pieces by view, symbol key, cutting layouts, numbered sewing steps | Circle your pieces and layout |
The yardage chart
The yardage chart is a grid: one row per view (and per fabric width), one column per size. Oregon State's sheet gives the order: find your size, then the garment, then your width. Two marks matter. In Simplicity's charts an asterisk marks yardage "with nap" and two asterisks "without nap". A fabric with nap has a texture or design that has to run one way on the finished garment (corduroy, velvet, a one-way print), so every piece is laid the same direction and the layout takes more fabric; a fabric without nap looks the same either way up. Narrower fabric needs more length: Simplicity's tutorial says so of 45 in against 60 in fabric.
When your fabric's width is not on the chart (flannel measured at 42 in after preshrinking, say), the yardage converter scales the figure by width: yards × the chart's width ÷ your width, rounded up to the next 1/8 yd. It is approximate. Layouts do not scale evenly, so a chart figure at your actual width wins whenever there is one. Convention Add the shrinkage you measured in Choosing and preparing fabric if you buy before washing.
Why the converter rounds up, and why it is only an estimate: pieces sit across the width in whole numbers. A piece 22 in wide fits twice across 45 in fabric and once across 42 in, so the narrower fabric can need almost twice the length for that piece, far more than the 7 percent a width ratio suggests. The widely reprinted width-conversion chart credited to Rutgers extension is a rule-of-thumb table that does not follow a pure width ratio either; no original was found, and we do not reproduce it. If a pattern is expensive or the fabric scarce, lay the pieces on a measured strip of floor or paper at your fabric's width before you buy.
Pattern markings
The symbols are close to standard across the large US companies. The Tennessee 4-H sheet and Oregon State's Pattern Skills sheet both list them; the table follows them.
| Marking | Looks like | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Cutting line | Solid dark line; on a multisize pattern, one line style per size | Cut on your size's line |
| Stitching line (seamline) | Dotted or dashed line inside the cutting line | Often absent: Oregon State says stitching lines are not typically printed on multisize patterns |
| Grainline | Straight line with an arrow at each end | Lay it parallel to the selvage; measure to the selvage at both ends |
| Place on fold | Straight line with an arrow that turns toward the edge | Put that edge on the fabric's fold; the piece opens out double |
| Notches | Diamonds, single, double or triple, on the cutting line | Cut around them or mark them; they match pieces in sewing |
| Dots, circles, squares | Small symbols inside the piece | Mark them (Cutting, marking and pressing): they show matching points, clip points, and where stitching starts or stops |
| Lengthen or shorten line | Line across the piece, labeled lengthen or shorten here | Fold out or spread length here, before cutting |
| Center front and back, fold line, hemline | Labeled lines | Positions used during construction |
Check whether the seam allowance is included before you cut. US commercial patterns usually include it, most often 5/8 in, as Oregon State says; Threads says seamlines on multisize patterns are typically 5/8 in in from the cutting line but tells you to check the instructions. Burda's FAQ says that in most cases its patterns do not include seam allowances and recommends adding 5/8 in (1.5 cm) and a 1.5 in (4 cm) hem allowance; some of its models include them. Convention The guide sheet or the instructions say which; read them every time, as Seams and a first piece says of seam allowances in general.
A PDF pattern is printed at home and taped together. Burda says to print only the page with the test square first and check that it measures exactly 4 × 4 in (10 × 10 cm); if it does not, the printer is scaling the page and every piece will be off by the same proportion. Test it
Laying out and pinning
The guide sheet prints cutting layouts, one per view, size range and fabric width, showing how the pieces sit on folded fabric. Oregon State says to circle the one you will use, gather only the pieces your view needs, return the rest to the envelope, and press very wrinkled tissue with a warm iron. Make any alteration before layout.
- Prepare the fabric. Preshrink it the way the garment will be washed and square it on grain (Choosing and preparing fabric). Press out the center crease; if it will not press out, Oregon State says to work around it, or refold so the selvages meet at the center.
- Fold as the layout shows. Oregon State: the most common fold is right sides together with lengthwise edges matching; fold wrong sides together for napped fabric or a design that must be matched.
- Place the pieces as the circled layout shows, with fold edges on the fold.
- Put every grainline on grain. Pin one end of the arrow, measure from the arrow to the selvage, pivot the piece until the other end measures the same, and pin it. Utah State's pillow sheet uses the same pin-and-pivot method.
- Check direction on napped fabric. The Tennessee sheet says a star means all pieces go with their grainline arrows pointing the same way.
- Pin inside the cutting line, then cut (Cutting, marking and pressing). Count each piece against the guide sheet's "cut 2" or "cut 1 on fold".
5. Testing the fit before you cut
The chart and the finished measurements predict how much room a garment has. They do not show how it hangs: whether the waist sits where you want it, whether the crotch is long enough, whether the hem falls level. Two tests show that before the real fabric is cut. Test it
- Tissue fit: pin or tape the pressed tissue pieces together along the seamlines and try the paper half-garment on, over your usual undergarments. Threads' sample chapter says tissue fitting is enough for many garments, and that patterns without seam allowances are easy to tissue-fit. It is quick and costs nothing, but tissue tears, and it shows length and position better than how the fabric will drape.
- Muslin: a test garment sewn from inexpensive fabric, usually unbleached cotton muslin, before cutting the real fabric. Threads recommends one for complex projects such as a fitted gown or a tailored jacket. For elastic-waist pants or a skirt, a tissue fit is often enough; a muslin is worth it when the pattern is new to you and the fabric was expensive.
What to look for
The Pacific Northwest Extension's Quality Standards for Sewn Items (PNW 197) gives five fit factors. They work for a tissue fit, a muslin or a finished garment. Convention
| Factor | Looks right when | What a problem looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Grain | Lengthwise grain hangs perpendicular to the floor, crosswise grain parallel; left matches right | The garment twists or swings to one side |
| Line | Vertical seams fall straight down; side seams divide the body visually in half; the hem is parallel to the floor unless the design says otherwise | Side seams swing forward or back; the hem dips |
| Ease | Enough room to sit, bend and reach | Wrinkles that pull and draw mean too little ease; loose folds mean too much |
| Balance | The garment hangs evenly from the body, front and back | One side rides up |
| Smoothness | Smooth over the body without strain | Drag lines toward one point |
Sit, bend and lift your arms in it. Write what you see next to the measurement it touches in the measurements sheet.
A full muslin, step by step
From Threads' Fitting for Every Figure sample chapter:
- Press the tissue with a warm dry iron. Cut only the main pieces; for sleeves, cut two and attach one.
- Use plain cotton muslin. Threads says 45 in unbleached muslin is usually enough and need not be prewashed, but steam it thoroughly before cutting.
- Mark everything with a permanent marker: darts, grainlines, the waist and bust points.
- Baste with a long machine stitch, backstitching only at stress points. Pin the closures and hems. Press seams open, and do not trim or clip the seam allowances, so there is fabric to let out.
- Pin out changes on the body, mark both sides of each pin line with a dotted line, transfer the change to the tissue, and sew a second muslin if the change was large. Label the muslin and keep it with the pattern.
6. See it See it
The people, measurements, patterns and results here are invented for this manual.
Priya chooses a skirt size. Priya Raman's first project is a tote bag, but she wants a skirt from a pattern next, so she takes her measurements now with a flatmate holding the tape: bust 34 in, high bust 33 in, waist 28 in, hip 40 in, back-waist length 16 in. Her pattern is a Misses multisize skirt from one of the companies that use Simplicity's chart.
- Known: on Simplicity's Misses chart, her waist of 28 in is size 14 and her hip of 40 in is size 16. Her bust (34 in) is size 12. Her back-waist length of 16 in is 1/4 in under size 12's figure, less than the 1 in that would suggest Petite.
- Two sizes: the hip rule for most skirts gives 16, but her waist is a 14. (Simplicity's live chart page, which starts skirts from the waist, would give 14; section 3's Go deeper compares the rules.)
- Decision: she does not pick one size. She blends: size 14's cutting line at the waist, curving to size 16's line at the hip, on the front and back side seams by the same amount.
- Assumed: that the finished hip for size 16 leaves room she likes; she enters her hip and the envelope's finished hip in the ease tool and writes the result beside the size.
- Open: how the blended skirt hangs. Priya settles it with a tissue fit before cutting.
Marcus checks his pants size. Marcus Reyes is sewing elastic-waist pajama pants from a commercial unisex pattern. His waist is 36 in and his hip 41 in. The pattern's chart puts his hip in size L. The finished hip for L is 48 1/2 in, so the ease tool shows 7 1/2 in of hip ease, against published minimums of 2 to 4 in. The envelope calls the style loose-fitting, so most of that is design ease. The tool gives no verdict and neither do we. The waist is set by elastic, fitted on the body in Closures and elastic.
The envelope gives 2 3/8 yd at 45 in for his size. His flannel measured 42 in after preshrinking, and the chart has no 42 in row, so the yardage converter gives 2 3/8 × 45 ÷ 42, about 2 5/8 yd, approximate. He bought 3 yd before washing; at his measured 4.2 percent lengthwise shrinkage that is about 103 1/2 in after washing, a little under 2 7/8 yd, so the estimate fits under these assumptions. The layout on his actual fabric settles it.
- Simplicity size charts: the current Misses, Women's, Men's, unisex and children's charts and the how-to-measure guide used in this chapter.
- Understanding the Pattern Envelope (Simplicity, PDF): a real envelope front and back, numbered and explained, including the yardage chart and nap marks. Use it for the Start here envelope reading if you have no pattern yet.
- Oregon 4-H Pattern Skills (4-H 320-18): measurements, envelope, yardage lookup, fabric folds and eight pattern symbols, revised April 2024.
- Threads, Fitting for Every Figure (free sample PDF): length adjustments, tissue fitting and the muslin procedure.
7. Practice Practice
Minimum: read one envelope back and write down its yardage at your fabric width, its notions and one finished measurement; for a garment, add four measurements, a size and its ease. Time: 20 minutes to an hour. Materials: a pattern envelope or Simplicity's annotated PDF, a tape measure that does not stretch, a narrow elastic or ribbon for the waist, a helper, and the measurements sheet.
- Read the envelope back. Find the view you would sew. Write its yardage at 44/45 in and at your fabric's actual width (or run the yardage converter), its notions, and its finished bust or hip for one size. Note whether the chart marks the yardage with or without nap.
- Measure. Tie the elastic at the waist and let it settle. Your helper takes bust, high bust, waist, hip and back-waist length while you stand normally. Write each one with the date in the measurements sheet.
- Find your columns. On the envelope's chart, circle the size each measurement falls in. Different columns for different measurements are normal.
- Choose a starting size. Use the measurement that sets the size for your garment (section 3), and note in the sheet which rule you used.
- Work out the ease. Enter body and finished measurements in the ease tool. Write the ease beside the size, and the envelope's fit description beside that.
- Circle your pieces and layout on the guide sheet, and add the notions to the shopping list.
- Tissue-fit the pattern. Press the tissue, pin the main pieces along the seamlines, and try them on. Check the length at the lengthen or shorten line first, then the width. Write each change in the sheet.
- Blend a size. If your measurements fall in two sizes, draw the blended line in pencil on the tissue from one size's line to the other, on every piece that shares the seam.
- Draft the USU skirt instead. Enter your hip, an ease factor and a length in the skirt calculator; Your project sews it.
8. Your sewing Your sewing
9. Check your work Check your work
Criteria
- Did you take each measurement where the pattern company's own guide says, with a helper, over your usual undergarments, and write the date?
- Can you say which measurement set your size, and which source's rule that was?
- Did you compare your body with the finished measurements, not with the body chart, to find the ease?
- Do you know whether your pattern includes seam allowances, and how wide they are?
- Is the yardage you plan to buy for your fabric's real width, with nap noted if it applies?
- For a garment new to you: is there a tissue fit or a muslin in the plan before the real fabric is cut?
Worked example
In the fictional example, Priya's measurements are dated in her sheet, taken by Simplicity's method. She knows her waist and hip fall in different sizes, and her size is a blend of the two rather than a pick between them. Her ease is entered in the tool against the finished hip, and the hang is left open until the tissue fit. Marcus's size L rests on the finished hip and the envelope's loose-fitting description, his yardage is converted to the width he measured, and his purchase is checked against his own shrinkage. Both meet the criteria; neither has settled fit yet, and neither claims to.
Common mistakes
- Buying the store size. Pattern sizes are a separate system; start from the chart.
- Reading the body chart as finished measurements. The garment comes out too small. Look for the words "finished garment" on the envelope or tissue.
- Measuring yourself alone, with the tape tipped down at the back. Use a helper and a mirror.
- Pulling the tape tight, which reads small and chooses a size that is.
- Using the 45 in yardage for narrower fabric. Check your actual width after preshrinking.
- Ignoring the nap star and cutting a napped fabric with pieces in both directions.
- Assuming seam allowances are included on a Burda or other European pattern.
What is still unresolved
This chapter gives you a starting size and a figure for the room in it. It cannot tell you how the garment will hang on you, how your fabric will drape, or whether you like the fit; the tissue fit, the muslin, and the garment itself settle those. Fit changes beyond length and simple width, and alterations to garments you already own beyond hems, are outside this manual; Everyday mending lists the questions to ask a tailor (what to take to a tailor).