As a tailor or fashion designer, one of the factors that determine the fitting of your customer’s garment is taking accurate body measurements. Never underestimate its importance. Even if you are an expert at pattern drafting, style illustration, style manipulation, adding embellishments, and others, when you don’t take accurate body measurements, all your efforts will be wasted.
Taking your customer’s body measurement is a compulsory activity. When not properly done, the garment will either be too tight or too loose. You will then have to spend time amending your customer‘s garment several times.
To ensure that your customer’s measurement is accurately taken, you need to do the following things.
1. Make sure your customer maintains a good posture.
The posture of the customer plays a huge role in taking an accurate body measurement. Your customer should stand straight. They should not bend their heads, sit or kneel.
It is your duty as a tailor or fashion designer to ask your customer to maintain a good posture. This should be done politely. Don’t say it rudely. Sometimes, customers love to bend to see what you are doing. You should not allow it, it will tamper with their measurement.
If your customer’s posture is correct, their body measurement will be accurately taken horizontally and vertically.
2. Use a good tape rule
A tape rule is used to take body measurements. Without the tape rule, you cannot accurately take your customer’s body measurement. Tape rule is very affordable.
As a tailor or fashion designer, your tape rule should always be in a good shape. Don’t use a tape rule that doesn’t have the complete numbering or one that is at the verge of dividing into two. Infact, your tape rule should be as good as a brand new one.
For some reason, some tailors and fashion designers find it unnecessary to have good tape rules. That mentality should change. Bad tape rule equals bad body measurement and vice versa.
3. Don’t add or subtract when taking body measurement
Taking body measurement doesn’t require serious calculations or further mathematics. It is simply correctly placing your tape rule at certain areas of your customer’s body and penning down the numbers you see.
Don’t assume that your customer should wear a tight or loose garment. That is solely your customer‘s decision to make. All you have to do is know the style and take the necessary measurement you need.
The measurement should be exact, no addition, no subtraction. When you add or subtract from your customer’s measurement, there will be an issue with fitting. The garment will either be too loose or tight.
4. Maintain a good position
The time for taking your customer‘s body measurement is not a time to be absent-mindedsent minded or lazy. Typically, it takes few minutes to take your customers’ body measurement.
Be focused. It is not a time for you to be distracted by other things. Bend and stand when necessary.
Always remember that taking accurate measurement will save you from future problems. Most customers will see you as incompetent if your garment barely fits them.
Conclusion
Don’t be frivolous when taking your customer‘s body measurement. You and your customer should treat that time as important. When you take accurate body measurement, it makes your work so much easier.
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