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Subject: Measurements Author: Anonymous [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] Date Posted: 13:50:29 03/15/01 Thu In reply to: K 's message, "Dress Patterns" on 15:27:13 03/10/01 Sat [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[> [> Subject: Dress Length Author: Anonymous [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 13:53:39 03/15/01 Thu I am going to have my daughters school dress made by the school dress maker and I wanted a little advice on length. Some of the most recent dresses I have seen at our school look a little big on the dancer, and I would suspect that parents ASK the dress maker to make them that way, to get a longer "shelf life". However, I feel our school dresses are VERY reasonable in price, $200. And if cared for, have an excellent resale value...so...I want my daughters dress to fit nicely, if she outgrows it, I'll resale, and rebuy. She is a dancer who has struggled along for quite some time, and is finally starting to get it together...she does not need the handicap of a too big dress. So...What length do you think looks good on young girls. (she is 8- average height, with loooong legs--she has good dancing feet and legs--her shortcomings, as a dancer, fall in the upper body--so we want that judge looking at the LEGS! LOL) And also...if you give a length in inches above the knee...is it about the knee with a pointed toe, or feet together? Replies: -between 2 and 3 inches above the knee, depending on the height of the child. Most 8 year olds I've seen go about 2 1/2 inches. -To be consistent it is best to measure a dress from the ground when kneeling. For Irish Dancing dresses, our teacher like them to be 2 to 3 inches above the ground when kneeling. Obviously for a growing child this may end up being closer to 4 inches after a few months. But the initial measurement is 2 to 3 inches. -2" above the knee with a pointed toe looks very tidy. -Parents ask me all the time to make them a little long so that they'll last - which I sure understand, since I have a seven-year-old I can't seem to keep in pants long enough. But, considering "wear-time" isn't a big deal to you, try this - Measure you're daughter with her toe pointed, then with her feet together, to get a happy medium. A good length with her toe pointed may be pretty short when her feet are together. also, mark her waist with a string or piece of elastic to make sure both measurements are accurate. (Most eight-year-olds don't have much of a waist yet, and it's harder to get them accurate without marking the waist.) [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> Subject: Initial measurements Author: Anonymous [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 15:21:52 03/15/01 Thu I am taking my daughters measurements to have her school dress made. The dressmaker is about 3 1/2 hours away...so we are doing by mail. My question is, when I measure her, do I allow any "extra" room in the measurements in the waist? Or do I assume that the dressmaker will automatically add a certain amount of room so the dress isn't tight on her. This seems like a dumb question...but the process is just making me nervous!! Replies: -Important: Talk to the seamstress to find out what measurements she wants. I measure my kids a certain way when I am making their Irish dance costumes that is very different than normal sewing measurements. I measure for finished measurements on length of skirt and length of bodice and length of sleeves, but I measure exact measurements for waist and chest. I do add some, to allow for growth, but I want the exact measurements to begin with, for the chest and waist. So it is best to get directions from your seamstress as to how she wants you to measure and what measurements to make. Don't make any assumptions and communicate with your dressmaker, otherwise you may end up with an unpleasant surprise. I think I would even make the 3 1/2 hour trip for the first measurements. I think it would be worthwhile. Then too you could discuss your concerns about leaving room for growth. My daughters first solo costume that we bought (used) left huge amounts of seam allowance in the waist (for letting down the skirt about 3") and huge amounts in the side of the bodice (about 4" each side), but nothing in the sleeve seam. So if I did let out the bodice at the side, then the sleeve would be too small. Talk about poor planning. Unless I wanted to make new sleeves and try to match a difficult shade of green velvet, I was out of luck. -The dressmakers usually take exact measurements and build in extra room for alterations, etc. When taking measurements, tie a piece of string around your daughter's waist so you can get length measurements correct. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]

[> [> Subject: Off the Rack Suggestions Author: Anonymous [ Edit | View ] Date Posted: 17:18:56 09/15/01 Sat I'm making an off the rack dress (my first) and would like to leave some extra seam allowance for length and other alterations. Where is the most critical area? I'm thinking that the bodice to skirt seam would be one area. Also, I'm using the Irish Treads pattern. -With the Irish Threads pattern, the bodice seems to run short anyway, so definitely add a couple inches there. Sleeves are another area, make a cuff that can be moved up or down if needed. [ Post a Reply to This Message ]