When you begin dressmaking, and on any course you take you will be shown, one of the most important tasks before you start is measuring your body! Lets face it, no one particularly wants to measure their body for the silly fear of maybe growing an inch or two around the waist, but if you want to make the perfect garment you really do have to. I can tell now, no one that enjoys sewing their own clothing wants to put the hours in to find out at the end that the item does not fit. Not only does it make you want to throw your sewing machine across the room and never touch it again, but it is extremely disappointing! There are lots of different ways to prevent this situation from occurring though, and I can guarentee that before even buying your pattern the solution is to take accurate measurements of your body! It's just like going to a high street shop, you need to know what size clothing you are before buying a dress - if you are a size 12, why buy a size 16? Throughout different pattern companies the sizing may vary, so you have to make sure you are careful to pick out the ones that match your body measurements. So if you are interested in How To measure your body correctly you need to make sure you have an accurate measuring tape like our prym press stud tape measure we sell here at Calico Laine. Thats all you need to get measurements correct for your pattern. You need to make sure you measure the following parts of your body: chest- to measure your chest start by placing one end of the tape measure on the fullest part of your chest and wrap the tape around your chest going underneath your armpits and shoulder blades. waist- to measure your waist you need to measure the centre. Wrap the tape measure around your waistline which is situated just above the belly button but below the rib cage. hips- to measure your hips start by placing the tape on one hip and wrapping the tape around to your other hip. The tape needs to be wrapped around the largest part of your bottom making sure its level all the way around. inseam- to measure the inseam of your body place the tape measure on the top of your inner thigh  and measure to the bottom of your ankle. You may need a hand measuring this part of your body for accuracy. thigh- to measure your thigh wrap the tape measure around the fullest part of your thigh all the way around. sleeve length- to measure your sleeve length you may need help to get a accurate measurement. Start by bending your elbow at a 90 degree angle placing your hand on your waist then measure from the back of your neck down your shoulder to the elbow then to the wrist. upper arm- to measure your upper arm wrap the tape measure around the fullest part of your arm all the way around. When you have measured your body accurately you can start making your own garments using all your favourite patterns. Happy sewing!