155 lines
5.9 KiB
Text
155 lines
5.9 KiB
Text
---
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title: I'm having trouble with measurements. What should I check?
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---
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Each of our [measurements](https://freesewing.org/docs/measurements) is
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documented with a description and two visuals. Referencing these resolves most
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issues.
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We are working on QA functionality that detects possible issues and brings them
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to the user's attention in a way that *makes sense*.
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In the meantime, here are some places to start looking if you're having trouble
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with your measurements.
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## General notes
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Trouser problems are almost always caused by vertical measurements that
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determine the room we have to construct the pants top. For example, waist to
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upper leg *must* be longer than waist to seat; otherwise there is negative room
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to construct the pants.
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The [waist](#waist) measurement location is an important vertical reference
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that should remain consistent during the measurement process.
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You should be measuring all waist-related vertical measurements
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(waist to seat, waist to hips, HPS to waist, waist to floor, ...)
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from that same horizontal plane.
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## Trouble measurements
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There are a few measurements we've noticed tend to cause problems.
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### Waist to armpit
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The [waist to armpit](https://freesewing.org/docs/measurements/waisttoarmpit)
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is a straight vertical measure, not curvilinear (following the curve of the
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body). It should be at the bottom edge of your armpit, only as high as a shirt
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would be comfortable sitting (not digging in).
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The waist to armpit measurement is used to calculate where the bottom
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of the sleeve opening is located.
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An incorrect waist to armpit measurement can affect the shape of the
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sleevecap and size of the sleeve opening.
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### High point shoulder (HPS)
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[HPS](https://freesewing.org/docs/sewing/hps), which is used in several
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measurements, is one of the harder spots to get perfect.
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Here are two approaches.
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One way is to take a pencil, pen, or small dowel to find the point where your
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neck meets your shoulder, as well as the highest point as that's where the
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pencil or dowel will touch the shoulder. If you use that method, you ideally
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want the tool you're using to be parallel with the floor so you can find that
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high point.
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Another way is with a ribbon. Take a longer ribbon and put it over your
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neck/shoulder like a cross body bag. It helps to be able to feel where the neck
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ends and the shoulder begins with a small amount of pressure on the ribbon.
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You'll need to determine where the shoulder seam should sit, but the ribbon
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will tell you where the HPS should sit once you have the shoulder seam
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determined as it will be where the two lines cross.
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### High bust
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[High bust](https://freesewing.org/docs/measurements/highbust) is a horizontal
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measurement that does not need to be perfectly horizontal. It should go around
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your torso at the narrowest part of the upper chest, over the bust, under the
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arms, and across the back, but does not need to be parallel to the ground all
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the way around.
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### Shoulder slope
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Many have had luck using an inclinometer app on a smartphone to measure
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[shoulder slope](https://freesewing.org/docs/measurements/shoulderslope).
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### Seat and hips
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Sometimes people have [seat](https://freesewing.org/docs/measurements/seat) and
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[hips](https://freesewing.org/docs/measurements/hips) reversed.
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In FreeSewing terms, hips is measured at the upper point of the hip bones. Some
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other sources call this the "high hip".
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Seat is across the fullest part of your butt. Some other sources call this the
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"hip".
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For FreeSewing patterns and measurements,
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the seat is always located below the hips.
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### Waist
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The [waist](https://freesewing.org/docs/measurements/waist) measurement
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is important, and unfortunately it is also one of the most difficult
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measurements to locate and take correctly.
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#### Description
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When people hear "waist", they might think of where the waistband on
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trousers sits on the body.
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However, the "waist" is entirely different when referring to the
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sewing measurement.
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Instead, it is is the location on the body that is sometimes known as
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the "natural waist".
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- Typically it is above the hip bone and below the bottom of the ribcage.
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For some this is a very small area, and for others there's a much larger
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gap between the two.
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- It is sometimes described as the point at which your upper body bends
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when you bend sideways.
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- It is sometimes described as the narrowest part of your torso,
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(although this description will be unhelpful for people with larger
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stomachs, whose waists might _not_ be the narrowest part).
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- Often it is higher up on the torso than people expect,
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nearer to the ribcage than to the hips and above the navel.
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Again, thinking about trousers waistbands is often misleading and
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results in incorrect measurements.
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Trousers, slacks, and jeans that are not "high rise" have waistbands
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that sit well below the natural waist.
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Only high rise jeans sit close to, sometimes at, the natural waist.
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#### Measuring Tips
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Try bending sideways and noting the point where your body creases. (For bonus
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points, put your hand on your waist and sing "I'm a little teapot".)
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Or, take a length of 1/4-to-3/4-inch wide elastic and
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tie or sew the ends together to form a band around your waist,
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snug enough not to slide off, but loose enough to not change the
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waist circumference measurement.
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Now try bending from side to side (think "I'm a little teapot" movements),
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or otherwise moving and walking around to see if the elastic band
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naturally slips into place at the natural waist.
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Or, if this is uncomfortable or does not work, you can simply place
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the elastic band at the location you think most accurately denotes
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your natural waist.
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Keep wearing this elastic band as you take other measurements, as
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a consistent reference for the location of the waistline.
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It will make it easier to take other waist-related measurements
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like waist to floor, waist to armpit, etc.
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