How to Measure your Child

How to Measure your Child

So, you’re ordering your princess a little something special and the boutique artisan asks for her measurements for sizing. You start freaking out, but wait! Before you have a panic attack I am going to tell you exactly what you need to know to get that perfect fit for your princess. Please note all measurements are best taken after removing any bulky clothing. A t-shirt and underwear or leggings will probably work for this.

What you need:

Tape measure: skinny thing with all the numbers like a ruler that costs about $.99 at the fabric store.

Pen/Pencil

Paper

THE child: not any child, but the one that the clothing is being made for, trust me you will have much better results.

Common Measurements:

Chest: this is a BIG one and very important. All kids are made differently so you want to have the right measurements for this one. Here’s what you do:

1.       Take the measuring tape, Start from the end marked 1” and hold it in place level with her armpits, have her hold her arms up and measure around the chest or breastbone keeping that one end in place.

2.       Bring the other end until it meets/touches the one you held in place. Now, here is the important part: DO NOT LEAVE ANY SLACK! The tape should not squeeze your child, but having it droop or be loose creates “ease” and most patterns already have ease built in. Take it from me, you don’t need to add anymore ease than is already there.  There is “room to grow” and then there are just ill-fitting clothes.

3.       Write down the number where those two ends meet, try to be as close to the fraction as possible, when in doubt – add. Do not take away from the measurement. If you need to round make sure it’s to the next smallest increment that you can figure out NOT INCH! (I know, we all struggle with fractions. It’s a part of adulthood.)

The rest of the measurements are taken in a pretty much similar manner, the only things that change are the locations.

 

Waist:  Measure around the child’s abdomen, across the belly button works well.

Hips:  Measure around the butt and thighs.

Inseam: Measure from the top of the inside of her leg to where you like her pants to fall.

Waist to Knee: Measure from the waist to the middle of the knee

Neck to Knee: measure from the base of her neck to the middle of her knee

Head: Measure around her head just above her eyebrow.

Height: Have her stand flat footed against a wall looking straight ahead then measure from the bottom of her feet to the crown of her head.

As you can see, occasionally, you will end up with “extra” measurements. You can just toss those out. 

Now, you have your perfect measurements and can give them with confidence, but if you get confused at all you should always touch base with the artisan, he or she can provide a clear explanation of what they want, but at least you have the basics of how it’s done.

Thanks so much for reading,

Tara XOXO

Haute and Posh Designs

Tags: diy, tutorial, how to, measurements, kids’ clothes, boutique clothes, child measurements, child, toddler, kids, how to measure, measuring

Types of Clothing Fabrics

Welcome to this week's Tutorial Tuesday!  We've decided that we need to help inform our customers of all the wonderful details that may get confusing when shopping for handmade clothing and accessories.  So with that in mind, this weeks tutorial is all about the different types of fabrics that boutiques may use to make clothing.  To keep it as easy to understand as possible, I have made a list of the more popular fabrics and a small description of each. 

We will begin with the two most popular types of fabric you will find being used for making handmade clothing- woven cotton and knit. 

Cotton fabrics are very popular in the handmade clothing business because they come in a variety of colors, patterns, and are breathable and comfortable.  Sometimes the cottons used are not 100% and can sometimes be blended with synthetic fibers.  Blended cottons can have a little stretch to them that 100% cotton may not have. Some terms you may hear with woven cottons are Broadcloth, Kona, Sateen, and Designer.  These are just different types of cottons that boutiques may use to make clothing.  They are all a little different in their feel and quality, but the end results all give the same similar appearance. 

Now on to knits.  When you hear the word knit you're probably thinking yarn, sweaters, etc.  But in terms of fabric and sewing, knits are not exactly dealing with knitting needles.  Knit fabric is a term used for the stretchy materials we find used in t-shirts, leggings, yoga pants, etc.  Knits are nice because like woven cottons, they also come in a wide variety of colors and patterns.  Some terms you may hear used along with knits are ribbed, jersey, and cotton/lyrca.  These extra terms determine how much the knit fabric stretches, it's texture, or what it's made of. 

Dress made of woven cotton from My Little Lady and Gentleman

 

 

 Hooded shirt made of knit fabric from Nini and Ash

 

 

Some other fabrics used in boutique clothing are:

Denim, twill, and corduroy-  All of these are heavier fabrics used for many things such as pants and jackets.  

 

Chiffon, organza, tulle (sounds like tool)- These are lightweight, sheer fabrics used in dresses and tutu's.

 

Silk and satin are those shiny but soft fabrics often used in special occasion dresses.

 

Linen is known for its specific woven look.  People often like to wear linen in hot climates because of its cool feel.  

Chambray is a commonly used fabric for shirts, dresses, and children's clothing.  It can resemble a lightweight denim.  It is made by combining a colored yarn and an uncolored yarn.

 

Tutu made of tulle from Haute & Posh Designs

 

 

Pants made of khaki twill from Nini and Ash

 

 

Flannel, fleece, and minky- Soft fabrics used in lounge wear, pajamas,  and blankets.  Flannel is the thinnest of the three and is often used to make button down plaid shirts (think lumberjacks).  Fleece is warm, soft, and thick.  Minky is also a warm, soft, and thick fabric.  However, minky has a furry feel to it.  Minky can sometimes be found in different variations such as smooth, ribbed, or even raised dots. 

Vest made of flannel from My Little Lady and Gentleman

Dress made of satin from Nini and Ash

Hopefully this helps you understand some of the differences with the fabrics you see in our shops.  Next time you think about ordering a custom made item you'll feel a little more comfortable knowing what to expect when the boutique starts asking you if you want a chiffon overlay with the cotton sateen dress and a tulle under skirt. 

Come back next week for our blog about how to properly measure your child for custom clothing!

~Robin from My Little Lady and Gentleman