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Tape Measures & Measuring Tools

Tape Measures & Measuring Tools

A tape measure is the one tool every sewing project starts with, and an accurate one is worth the small difference in price. This collection covers soft fibreglass tape measures for taking body and fabric measurements, longer tapes for tailoring and curtain work, and hand gauges for checking hems, seam allowances and buttonhole spacing. Most are marked in both centimetres and inches, so they work with modern and vintage patterns alike.
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Almost everything that goes wrong with fit starts at the measuring stage, and a surprising amount of it comes down to the tape itself. A tape measure is a consumable, not a permanent fixture, and a tired one will quietly cost you the fit of a garment long before you think to blame it.

Why fibreglass

Tape measures are made from a few different materials and they don't perform the same. Coated cloth and cheap plastic tapes stretch with use, and once a tape has stretched every measurement it gives you is short, which is exactly the sort of error that doesn't announce itself. Fibreglass is dimensionally stable, so it keeps its markings where they should be through years of being pulled around a waist, folded into a tin and dropped behind the machine. That's why it's the standard for dressmaking, and it's what most of the tapes here are made from.

Is your tape measure still accurate?

It's worth checking, and it takes a moment. Lay your tape flat next to a metal rule or a cutting mat's printed grid and compare them over the full length. If the tape reads long against the rule, it has stretched and every measurement you take with it will be under the true figure. Look at the metal tab at the end too, since a loose or bent tab shifts the zero point. If either is out, replace it. A tape measure is a couple of pounds; a jacket cut to the wrong measurements is not.

Choosing a length

The standard dressmaking tape is 150cm, or 60 inches, and it covers ordinary body measurements comfortably. Longer tapes exist for good reasons: tailoring, measuring fuller busts and hips where a 150cm tape runs out mid-measurement, measuring fabric off the roll, and curtain and soft furnishing work where you're spanning a window rather than a body. We stock longer options alongside the standard length for exactly those jobs.

Reading the markings

Most of our tapes carry centimetres on one side and inches on the other, which matters more than it sounds. Modern patterns are generally metric, but vintage patterns and a lot of older reference books are in inches, and converting on the fly is where mistakes creep in. Check which end each scale starts from before you take a measurement, because on some tapes the two scales run from opposite ends.

Hand gauges and small measuring tools

A hand gauge is the small sliding tool that does the jobs a tape measure is clumsy at: setting a consistent hem depth, checking a seam allowance, spacing buttonholes evenly, marking pleats. It's a genuinely useful thing to have next to the machine, because it lets you check the same small measurement repeatedly without re-reading a tape each time.

Measuring yourself accurately

Take body measurements over the underwear you'll actually wear with the garment, and stand normally rather than holding yourself straight. Keep the tape level all the way round, snug against the body but not pulled tight, and measure the fullest part of the bust, the narrowest part of the waist and the fullest part of the hip. If you can, have someone else take them, since reaching around yourself pulls everything out of true. One last thing worth knowing: the measurements on a pattern envelope are body measurements, not the finished measurements of the garment, and the difference between the two is the ease the designer has built in.

Why are fibreglass tape measures better than cloth or plastic ones?

Because they don't stretch. Coated cloth and cheap plastic tapes gradually lengthen with use, and once that happens every measurement they give you reads short, without any obvious sign that something's wrong. Fibreglass holds its dimensions, so the markings stay where they should be even after years of being pulled around a body, folded up and dropped in a tin. For dressmaking, where a centimetre of drift changes the fit, it's worth the small difference in price.

How do I know if my tape measure is still accurate?

Lay it flat alongside a metal rule, or against the printed grid on a cutting mat, and compare them along the full length. If your tape reads long against the rule, it has stretched and everything you measure with it will come out under the true figure. Check the metal tab at the end as well, since a bent or loose tab moves the zero point. If either is off, replace it rather than trying to allow for the error.

What length tape measure do I need?

The standard 150cm, or 60 inch, tape handles ordinary body measurements and is the one most sewists reach for. A longer tape earns its place if you do tailoring, if you're measuring fuller busts and hips where a standard tape runs short mid-measurement, if you measure fabric off the roll, or if you make curtains and soft furnishings. Plenty of people keep both, a standard one by the machine and a long one for everything else.

What's a hand gauge used for?

It's the small sliding gauge that handles the repeated short measurements a tape measure is awkward for: turning a consistent hem, checking a seam allowance, spacing buttonholes evenly, marking pleats and tucks. You set the slider once and then check the same measurement over and over without re-reading a tape. It's a small tool that makes a visible difference to how even a finished garment looks.

How should I take my body measurements for a sewing pattern?

Measure over the underwear you'll be wearing with the finished garment, and stand as you normally would rather than pulling yourself upright. Keep the tape level right around the body, snug but not tight, and take the bust at its fullest point, the waist at its narrowest and the hip at its fullest. Getting someone else to take them is more accurate than reaching around yourself. Remember that pattern envelopes list body measurements rather than the finished garment, so the difference between the two is the ease built into the design.

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