How to measure a child for sewing

To measure a child for sewing, take the height first, then the chest, waist and hip with the tape level and a finger underneath, then only the lengths the garment needs: back waist length for a top, waist to knee for a skirt, inseam for trousers. Measure over underwear or a thin T-shirt, keep the session under five minutes, and pick the size from a chart by height rather than by age. Growing room goes into the length, not the width.

Which measurements do you need to sew for a child?

Children's patterns are sized by height. A size 116 fits a child about 116 cm (45 1/2 in) tall, whatever their age, and the chest, waist and hip of each size follow the height. So height is the one number you cannot skip. After that, three girths and a few lengths cover every garment a child wears.

The body measurements page explains each one with its common mistakes; the technique is the same as for adults, with more patience.

How do children's sizes relate to height and age?

The table below is the common European children's chart that most patterns follow. The age is only a label: a tall six-year-old is a size 122 or 128, a small one a 110. Measure, then read the size from the height column.

The waist changes by only 6 cm (2 1/4 in) between 2 and 8 years while the height grows by 36 cm (14 in), which is why a size chosen by the waist gives a top that fits around and is far too short. If the child's girths fall in one size and the height in another, start from the height and adjust the width at the side seams, or draft from the child's own numbers. The full chart with the lengths is on the size charts page.

How do you measure a wriggly child?

A toddler will not stand still for ten measurements, so do not ask for ten. Write the ones the garment needs on a sticky note in the order you will take them, and treat it as a game: the child holds the end of the tape, you count out loud, a screen or a sibling does the entertaining.

• Height against a wall. Heels, bottom and shoulders touching the wall, a book flat on the head, mark the wall and measure to the floor.
• Soft tape, light touch. Children pull in their tummy when the tape touches them or puff it out to be funny. Distract them, wait for a normal breath, then read.
• Two short sessions beat one long one. Girths today, lengths tomorrow.
• Cross-check with a garment that fits. Lay a T-shirt or trousers flat and measure the chest, the length and the inseam.

How do you take each measurement, step by step?

1. Height. As above, no shoes.
2. Chest. Tape around the fullest part of the chest, level front and back, arms down and relaxed. Keep one finger between tape and body.
3. Waist. Children under about 8 have little waist definition, and a toddler's tummy is often the widest point. Tie a length of elastic around the middle, let the child move for a minute, and measure where it settles: that is where a waistband will sit.
4. Hip. Around the fullest part of the seat, feet together. For pull-on trousers and skirts this is the measurement that decides whether the garment goes on at all.
5. Back waist length. Ask the child to tip their head forward; the bump at the base of the neck is the starting point. Measure down the spine to the waist elastic.
6. Shoulder width. Across the back from one shoulder bone to the other.
7. Arm length. Hand on the hip, so the elbow is bent; measure from the shoulder bone over the elbow to the wrist bone.
8. Skirt and trouser lengths. Waist to knee and waist to floor down the side, from the waist elastic.
9. Inseam. Easier from trousers that fit: inside leg seam from crotch to hem.
10. Head. Around the forehead and the widest part of the back of the head, for a bucket hat or a cap.

How much growing room should you add?

Children grow in height much faster than in width, so growing room belongs in the lengths. Add 2 to 3 cm (3/4 to 1 1/4 in) to sleeves and to the hem, and sew it as a deeper hem that can be let down later. Add 1 to 2 cm (3/8 to 3/4 in) to the back waist length of a dress so the waist seam does not ride up by next season.

Do not add width. A top cut 4 cm (1 1/2 in) wider than the chest ease already in the pattern looks like a hand-me-down from the first day and still will not fit around when the child is a size taller. Knits and elastic waists already stretch with the child; a woven garment with a fitted waist should fit now. The ease built into a children's pattern, typically 6 to 10 cm (2 1/4 to 4 in) at the chest for a T-shirt, is comfort room, not growing room.

Which mistakes make children's clothes not fit?

• Measuring over a sweater. Underwear or a thin T-shirt, otherwise every girth is 3 to 5 cm (1 1/4 to 2 in) too big.
• Choosing the size by age. Two eight-year-olds can be 20 cm (8 in) apart in height.
• Measuring the waist at the narrowest point on a toddler. The narrowest point is often under the ribs, well above where trousers sit. Use the elastic trick.
• Going up a size everywhere for growing room. The neckline, the armholes and the crotch of the bigger size are made for a bigger frame; the garment slides off the shoulders and the crotch hangs low.

Can you draft children's patterns from the child's own measurements?

Yes, and for a child whose height and girths fall in different sizes it is the easiest route. Sewly drafts children's sizes from 2 to 14 years by height, or made to measure from the child's own measurements: height, chest, waist and hip are enough to start, the lengths are filled in from the nearest size and can be corrected with the numbers you took. A kids' T-shirt is a good first project with the new numbers, and sewing with kids covers what they can do alongside you.