Tips on measuring lingerie for a spec
It can feel such an achievement when you complete a technical part of lingerie design to get you to your next step. And measuring your bra and brief accurately is no exception. So where to start?
To start (or finish if your first spec was a rough guess guide) a spec sheet you need to measure your sample piece first, so you can work out the others sizes accurately. There are certain things I do to keep everything consistent so if I pass the spec sheet over to a factory they know where exactly to measure as well.
1. Anything circular (brief, thong, crop top) I measure on the half and state for example “1/2 relaxed waist” in the spec sheet; so you can lie the garment flat on the table and measure. This works for the legs as well.
2.Another tip would be if you have a tape measure taped to the edge of the table you can just lay your garment on top to read the measurement and when you do “1/2 waist stretched” you can use two hands to stretch out your briefs against the tape measure and not have to juggle everything in your hands. Again this works for the legs as well.
3. When measuring a bra under-band don’t include the hook and eyes in the measurement just state “under-band relaxed excl. H & E”.
4. If you have a wide elastic on your brief when measuring the depth I wouldn’t include the elastic - the reason it makes it easier next time if you’re using the pattern again but having a tiny elastic on - you don’t have to rewrite your spec sheet. I would write it as “CF depth excl. elastic”
5. If you have an underwire then I always measure the outer edge of the underwire casing - I know there are people who try measure the middle but for me it’s far easier to put your tape vertical and lay it around the edge of the underwire casing from the centre front to the underarm end. Also doing it this way if you pass the lingerie specification sheet over to a factory you both have consistency on how you are measuring the sample. On the spec I would write the measurement as “outer edge of wire casing”.
Inside the “how to spec a bra and brief book”
These are the top five measurements that I get asked about the most. If you wanting to know more about spec measurements then “how to spec a bra and brief” Is available.
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