A pattern is never cut to the body measurement exactly, or you could not breathe or move. Tailors add ease. The amount depends on the style and the fabric. Typical figures used in Indian blouse cutting:

• Stretch fabrics (Lycra blends) may need little or no ease, or even less than the body.
• Stiff fabrics (brocade, heavy embroidery) need a little more, because they do not give.
• Padded blouses need ease for the pads.

These are common starting points, not rules. Every tailor and every drafting system uses its own figures. Make a trial (a toile) for anything important.

Measurements have relationships. If one breaks the pattern, it was probably taken wrongly.

• Bust is larger than under-bust, usually by several inches. If they are close, check both.
• Shoulder to apex is shorter than front length. Always.
• Apex to apex is usually between about 6 and 9 inches (15–23 cm) for most adult women. Far outside that range? Measure again.
• Armhole is usually a little less than half the bust measurement. Much less, and the blouse will cut under the arm.
• Sleeve round must be smaller than the armhole.
• Left and right are rarely identical. Note it if one shoulder is lower or one bust is fuller.

• Full bust: take the upper chest (above the bust, under the arms) as well. Many tailors draft from the upper chest and add the bust shaping.
• Uneven shoulders: measure each shoulder length separately, from neck to shoulder point.
• Pregnancy: measure every 4–6 weeks; the bust and under-bust change most.
• Wheelchair users: take lengths seated, which is how the blouse will be worn.
• Measuring yourself alone: use a well-fitting blouse instead (the last lesson of Measure Yourself Right).
• Girls: see Blouses for girls, and a note on men; add growth room.

• Tie a string round the waist and let it settle at the narrowest point. Measure lengths to the string.
• Mark the apex with a small sticker on a thin top; both apex measurements become exact.
• Use the same bra for measuring and for the trial. A different bra can change the apex by an inch.
• Photograph the tape on each measurement if you are measuring someone at a distance.
• Measure the old blouse too. Compare it with the body. The difference is that customer’s preferred ease.
• Measure at the same time of day for repeat orders; bodies change slightly through the day.
• Arms down for rounds, arms out for nothing. Lifting the arm changes the armhole.
• Keep the tape flat on the back. A dip at the back adds an inch or more to the bust.
• Professionals write the style next to the numbers: “U neck 7 in; back deep U 10 in; elbow sleeve”. Numbers without the style mean little later.
• Replace an old tape. Cloth tapes stretch over years. Check yours against a steel ruler.
• Write left and right for anything uneven, not an average.

The bust is too tight, though the bust measurement was right.

1. The apex was placed wrongly, so the shaping falls in the wrong place. Re-measure shoulder to apex and apex to apex.
2. Let out the side seams using the margin.
3. Prevention: measure with the same bra and mark the apex with a sticker.

The blouse rides up at the front.

1. The front length was too short for the bust. Re-measure front length over the fullest point.
2. Add a band at the lower edge, or let down any hem allowance.
3. Prevention: always take front length over the apex, not straight down.

The armhole cuts under the arm.

1. The armhole was measured too tight, or ease was not added. Re-measure with one finger’s room.
2. Scoop the underarm curve a little lower (only about 0.25–0.5 in, 0.5–1.5 cm, at a time).
3. Prevention: check that the armhole is close to half the bust; add ease.

The shoulders slip off.

1. The shoulder measurement was too wide. Re-measure point to point across the back.
2. Take in the shoulder seam at the outer end.
3. Prevention: find the shoulder point by lifting the arm slightly and feeling the bone.

The two sides of the measurement sheet don’t agree.

1. One of the two readings is wrong. Take a third.
2. If the body really is uneven, record both and draft each side.
3. Prevention: always take every measurement twice.

The customer measured herself and the numbers look odd.

1. Compare them with the checks above and ask about any that break them.
2. Ask for a well-fitting blouse instead, or a photo of the tape in place.
3. Prevention: send her a short guide (the Measure Yourself Right course) before she measures.

Last year’s measurements no longer fit.

1. Bodies change. Re-measure the rounds and the apex.
2. Use the margin in the old blouse to see how much has changed.
3. Prevention: date every measurement sheet and re-measure for every important order.

Mistakes

• Measuring over a thick top or a different bra.
• Holding the breath or pulling the tummy in.
• Letting the tape twist or dip at the back.
• Mixing inches and centimetres.
• Forgetting to write down the style choices with the numbers.

Myths

• “Bust, waist and length are enough.” Without the apex and the armhole, a blouse rarely fits well.
• “Tighter is smarter.” Too little ease pulls and creases; a good fit sits smooth.
• “Ready-size charts work for blouses.” They are averages. A blouse fits a person.

1. Twice and compare: measure one person twice, ten minutes apart. Every pair should agree within 0.25 in (0.5 cm).
2. The sanity check: apply the checks above to three measurement sets.
3. Body versus blouse: measure a person and her best-fitting blouse. Work out the ease she likes.
4. Remote measuring: guide a friend over a video call to measure herself, then check.

As a hobby: measure the family once a year. A dated notebook of measurements is useful far beyond blouses.

For earning: accurate measuring is the cheapest way to avoid remakes. A studio that measures carefully has fewer alterations and happier customers.

For teaching: pair learners to measure each other, then swap and check. Drill 1 shows each learner how consistent they are.

• One card or file per person: name, date, unit, bra worn, all 14 measurements, style notes.
• Note the ease you used and how the fit turned out.
• Keep customers’ measurements private: store them safely and share them only with the person who will cut.

• Can you name all 14 measurements and say what each controls?
• Do you take every measurement twice?
• Do you know how much ease you add to the bust, and why?
• Can you spot a measurement that breaks the pattern?
• Do you write the unit, the date and the bra?

• Apex: the bust point.
• Ease: the room added to a body measurement.
• Upper chest: the round above the bust, under the arms.
• Shoulder point: the outer end of the shoulder bone.
• Toile: a trial garment in cheap fabric.

• The 14 measurements and their numbering follow D&D’s free course Measure Yourself Right.
• Teacher to check: the ease figures, which are common starting points and vary between tailors and systems.
• Teacher to check: the apex-to-apex range (6–9 in) is a rough guide for adult women, not a rule.
• “Armhole a little less than half the bust” is a rough tailors’ check, not a drafting formula.