The Secret to Better-Fitting Clothes? Start With Your Measurements
Updated: Oct 8
Have you ever been really excited about sewing a new garment to wear, carefully chosen your size, cut out your pattern and started sewing — only to find that the finished garment doesn't fit properly? Or at all?
One of the main reasons my students give me for attending any of my dressmaking classes is that they're fed up with sewing clothes only to find they don't fit. And what on earth is going on with sizing on sewing pattern packets? It's just as random as sizing in the shops and many of my lovely students decided to become a dressmaker to avoid this pitfall!
If I tell you that there is a simple way to make a sewing pattern work for you without having to decipher any confusing sizing information written on the packet and it's incredibly simple, what would you say?
Understanding your own measurements is the key to success with sewing patterns!
Learning how to take accurate body measurements, where they actually are on the body and then where these are on sewing patterns can completely transform your sewing!
No more poorly fitted garments and failed, unfinished projects! Just beautifully fitting clothes hanging in your wardrobe waiting to be worn!
My Mastering Measurements for Dressmaking Workshop is designed to give you the knowledge and confidence to do exactly that.
During the workshop we'll look at how to take your measurements accurately and consistently, why different measurements matter, and how to use them when choosing and working with commercial sewing patterns.
We'll explore the relationship between your body measurements and a pattern's measurements, so that you can begin to make more informed decisions before you even put your scissors to the fabric.
I like to think of it as taking the jeopardy out of sewing! By using the method I teach you, you'll have done most of the fitting on the paper pattern which, in the long run, saves you time, money and disappointment.
What you'll learn
You'll learn how to:
take accurate measurements with confidence
understand which measurements are most important for different garments
interpret a commercial pattern's size chart
compare your own measurements with the pattern
recognise where and why a pattern may need adjustment
understand proportion, balance and ease
I always recommend my Mastering Measurements for Dressmaking class to all my students, whatever their skill level as I truly believe it's transformational for your sewing. And I'm not tooting my own horn! Here's what my students have to say ~
" I cannot recommend this class enough! As someone with issues around my size and finding sewing patterns so confusing, I found Tara's approach really helpful and supportive and now I can make clothes that fit me. I especially loved Tara's Ted Talk as it made me feel comfortable about myself. " Jane
" Mastering Measurements is a brilliant class ~ it's completely transformed my sewing as I can easily adapt any sewing pattern to fit me now using the techniques Tara teaches in the class. Highly recommend!" C
Whether you're relatively new to dressmaking or you've been sewing for years, mastering your measurements gives you a skill that you can take with you into every future project.
It's one of those fundamental dressmaking skills that, once you've learned it, you'll use again and again. It's a gamechanger as far as I'm concerned!
My Mastering Measurements for Dressmaking Workshop is a short, practical and friendly class designed to help you become a more confident and knowledgeable dressmaker.
You'll leave with a clear understanding of your own measurements and how to use them — giving you a far stronger starting point for choosing, cutting and sewing beautifully fitting clothes that make you feel fabulous!
Tara x
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