Sizing help!

[QuiltySisty]

Hello lovely clothes makers!

I have ventured out from the dark side and I need a bit of help please!

I am making very simple Nigerian style tunics for my SIL, who works for the African studies department at a university. One of her colleagues is retiring and they thought it would be nice for everyone to have matching Nigerian tops for the party.

All is going pretty well and I've just had the measurements in for the lady who is retiring, but the tops are being kept secret from her and her measurements have been taken by her husband from her clothes.

It's just occurred to me that the measurements from her clothes (and I have no info on what type of clothes/fabrics the measurements were taken from, I'm just hoping that there wasn't any stretch fabric involved!) will already have ease (is that the word? I mean a bit extra fabric to allow her to move her arms etc) added, therefore the calculations I've been using will result in an oversize garment....

It's a super simple top, basically a long rectangle for the body with a head hole cut out, and rectangular arms that go straight out at the sides, it is known as a "buba". It is sewn with 1 inch seams.

For the body section I have been adding 8 inches to the person's measurement, so am I right to assume that 4 inches of that is seam allowance and the other 4 inches is ease? So for this lady I should just add 4 inches?

And the arm width I have been adding 6 inches, made up of 2 inches seam allowance and 4 inches ease, so I should just add the 2 inches?

I got all my info on making these tops from YouTube and the lady decided not to explain why you add certain numbers, but I'm hoping I've worked it out correctly!

[Iminei]

I have ventured out from the dark side and I need a bit of help please!

You're not the only one Q ...

I have dipped my toe into the Japanese sewalongathon and am bricking it! Just looking at the floppiness of the fabric is giving me the willies!

Good luck with this, your post reads like Flemish to me and what the hell is a 1" seam ???!!!

Maybe one of the experienced sewing bods should do a real sewing Tut for us ????

[Vegegrow]

Quilty ..your right her clothes will have ease.. unless they are a stretch knit.. does the husband know what your making.. perhaps he has measured the same type of garment It sounds like the most important measurement is the bust and hip 

[BrendaP]

Is it something like this? https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FyM7IpKac3g/U4KQ3nuK7CI/AAAAAAAAOSU/-ZgMYHswBNw/s640/blogger-image--1181629794.jpg

[QuiltySisty]

Thanks vege! I'll get onto my SIL to see if she can find out for me, as I'm having visions of this poor lady not able to fit into her top! I think I may make a couple of tops for her so there's more chance of one of them fitting!

Yes Brenda, just like that :-)

[QuiltySisty]

Oooh, Imi I didn't see your message until after I replied!

It's scary out here in non-quilty land! And boring making the same thing over and over again! So far I've made 15 and have about 5 or 6 left to make!

I'll have to pop over to the Japanese sewalongathon to see what you're up to!

[DementedFairy]

Are they like this?


It's not clear to me where you're adding the inches, so it's hard to say how it all works...can you show the instructions?