Convert a full set of body measurements between fractional inches and centimetres, and map them onto a published size chart to see which pattern size to cut.
Change the inputs that matter to your decision. Optional assumptions stay collapsed until you need them.
Fractions are fine — type 36 1/2 exactly as the tape reads. Leave anything blank that you have not measured.
Size 14 on the us misses (pattern sizing) chart.
Every measurement points to the same size, which makes this a straightforward cut. Remember that these are body measurements — the pattern adds ease on top, and how much depends on the style.
| Chest or bust | 36" · 91.4 cmFullest part, tape level and not pulled tight |
|---|---|
| Waist | 28" · 71.1 cmNatural waist — the narrowest point, not the trouser line |
| Hip | 38" · 96.5 cmFullest part of the seat, usually 20 cm below the waist |
| Chest or bust suggests | Size 14Smallest size in the chart that this measurement fits inside |
| Waist suggests | Size 14Smallest size in the chart that this measurement fits inside |
| Hip suggests | Size 14Smallest size in the chart that this measurement fits inside |
These charts hold body measurements, not finished-garment measurements. A pattern adds ease on top — a fitted bodice may add two inches at the bust while a relaxed shirt adds eight — so the size chart tells you which size to cut, and the pattern's own finished measurements tell you how it will fit.
Practical notes about the inputs, assumptions, and result.
Because that is how the tape reads. Nobody measures a bust as 36.5 inches; they read it off between the marks. Fractions are parsed as written and results come back in reduced eighths for the same reason.
Because they are different things. Ready-to-wear sizing is a marketing decision that has drifted for decades; pattern sizing is a published body-measurement chart that has barely moved. It is entirely normal to buy a 10 in a shop and cut a 16 from a pattern, and it means nothing about you.
That is the normal case, not the exception — published charts describe a proportional figure that few people match exactly. Cut the largest size any of your measurements point to and take in the seams where you are smaller. Adding cloth that was never cut is much harder than removing it.
Body measurements. The pattern adds ease on top, and the amount depends entirely on the style — a fitted bodice might add two inches at the bust while a relaxed shirt adds eight. The chart tells you which size to cut; the pattern's own finished measurements tell you how it will fit.
Over the underwear you will wear with the garment, with the tape level and snug but not pulled tight, and ideally with someone else holding the tape. Measuring yourself in a mirror consistently reads small at the back. Each field here carries the guidance for that measurement.
The one your pattern was published to. US misses is the standard for the major American pattern companies; UK and EU charts differ enough at the waist that using the wrong one costs a size. If you are only converting units, choose no chart and no size is suggested.
Other tools in tailoring & sewing.
Estimate cloth for a garment at your fabric's actual width, with pattern repeat matching computed from the repeat length, nap layouts, shrinkage, lining, and a quantity rounded to what the shop will cut.
Choose a seam allowance for a garment and fabric, see the cloth a seam actually consumes, and convert a pattern from one allowance to another — with fractions reduced and metric paired the way patterns print it.
Grade a pattern between any two sizes from your own base measurements, with per-measurement grade rules, a wider grade above L, and the amount to slash and spread at each pattern quarter.