Sewing For Dummies Cheat Sheet

When you want to sew clothing, you start with a pattern. Determining your pattern size can be a humbling experience because it requires you to measure your body, but it’s an essential step in making sure the finished garment fits properly. Here are some tips on taking accurate measurements so your project ends up the right size:

• Get someone else to take your measurements. It is impossible to take them yourself and get an accurate read, so find someone you trust, swear them to secrecy, and start measuring.

• Dress in your underwear or a leotard, and tie a narrow ribbon or a piece of elastic around your waist, but not too tight. Move around a little bit until the elastic or ribbon finds your natural waistline. Note that this may not be where you wear the waistband of your favorite pair of slacks or jeans.

• Measure by placing the measuring tape around the torso as parallel to the floor as possible.

• Have your helper take the following six measurements:

  • Height: ____________

  • High bust circumference at the crook of the underarms approximately 2 inches above the full bust: ____________

  • Full bust circumference at the widest part of the bust: ____________

  • Natural waist circumference (the narrowest part) at the ribbon or elastic: ____________

  • Hip circumference at the widest part and approximately 7 inches below the natural waistline: ____________

  • Back waist length measured from the bone at the base of the neck to the natural waistline: ____________

    

When shopping, you may find the fabric you’re looking for . . . and a whole lot more to inspire you. When you don’t have a particular pattern in mind but find fabric that would, for example, make a great pair of dress pants, you can use this guide to help you buy enough fabric when the creative mood strikes.

Because fabric also comes several widths and your pattern envelope may only give you yardage requirements for two widths, you can refer to this guide to buy the correct amount for the width of the fabric.

This project chart gives you a quick reference and approximate yardage requirements for misses sizes 10 to 14 at an average height of 5 foot 4 inches. Other sizes will vary from 1/4 to 1/8 yard. For fabrics with a nap and/or one-way designs, add 1/4 yard for each yard specified. For plaids, add the length of one plaid repeat for each yard specified.

For beginner sewers, pillow covers are some of the easiest, most affordable sewing projects that require the least amount of time and commitment. This table tells you how much fabric you need for typical pillow projects.

If you use the wrong type of needle for your sewing machine and project, the results could be very bad indeed. Use this table to determine which needle is designed for use in your sewing machine and for your project.