Loose garments are where tailors lose fittings, because the ease matters more than the body. Here is what to measure and how much to add.
Why a Loose Garment Is Harder
On a fitted blouse the body decides almost everything, and a good tape reading gets you most of the way. A nightie is different. Two shops can take exactly the same measurements and produce garments that feel completely different to wear, because everything that matters happens in the ease - how much you added, and where.
Add too little and it pulls at the hip when she sits. Add too much and it hangs like a sack and she stops wearing it. Neither of those is a measuring mistake.
For a nightie, the tape gives you the starting point. The ease gives you the garment.
What to Measure
Seven measurements. Take them over a thin fitted top, tape flat and snug, never pulled tight.
| Measurement | Where | Note |
|---|
Full length | Shoulder top to the finished hem | Ask her where she wants it to end |
Shoulder | Point to point across the back | Small changes here are very visible |
Chest / bust | Fullest part, tape level all round | Level at the back matters as much as the front |
Waist | Natural waist | Only needed if there is a belt or a seam |
Hip | Fullest part, usually sitting height | This is the one that decides comfort |
Sleeve length | Shoulder point to where the sleeve ends | Say short, elbow or three-quarter out loud |
Sleeve round | Around the arm at the widest point | Loose sleeves still need this taken |
The hip is the measurement most often skipped on a nightie, on the reasoning that it is loose anyway. It is the one that decides whether she can sit cross-legged in it, which is the whole point of the garment.
How Much Ease to Add
These are starting points, not rules. Every shop adjusts them for the fabric and for what the customer says she likes, and the right number for your shop is the one your customers keep coming back for.
| Where | Add about | Adjust if |
|---|
Chest | 4 to 6 inches | Less for a fitted-yoke style, more for a full kaftan |
Hip | 6 to 8 inches | More if she sits on the floor at home |
Armhole | 1 to 2 inches deeper than a fitted top | Deeper for a kaftan, which hangs from the shoulder |
Sleeve round | 3 to 4 inches | More for a loose bell or kaftan sleeve |
Neck | Wide enough to pass the head | Check this before cutting, not after |
The neck line is the one that turns a finished garment into a remake. A nightie with no opening has to go over the head, and a neat neckline that fits the neck will not. Either widen it or add a placket, and decide which at cutting.
Nightie and Kaftan Are Not the Same Garment
| Nightie | Kaftan |
|---|
Hangs from | Shoulder and chest | Shoulder only |
Body shape | Some shaping is normal | Straight or A-line, little shaping |
Armhole | Set-in sleeve, deeper than fitted | Often cut in one with the body |
Sleeve | Short to three-quarter | Wide, often full length |
Chest ease | Nearer 4 inches | Nearer 8 or more |
If a customer says kaftan and you cut a nightie with wide sleeves, she will feel it immediately even if she cannot name what is wrong. Ask which one she means and, if there is any doubt, show her a finished one.
Ready Sizes, Approximately
For shops that stitch to standard sizes rather than to a body, this is a rough guide only. Sizing is not standardised across India and every shop finds its own; use this as a starting chart and correct it from your own returns.
| Size | Chest (in) | Hip (in) | Usual full length (in) |
|---|
S | 34 - 36 | 36 - 38 | 50 - 52 |
M | 38 - 40 | 40 - 42 | 52 - 54 |
L | 42 - 44 | 44 - 46 | 54 - 55 |
XL | 46 - 48 | 48 - 50 | 55 - 56 |
XXL | 50 - 52 | 52 - 54 | 56 - 58 |
These are garment measurements with ease already included, not body measurements. Do not add ease on top of them.
Fabric Changes the Numbers
- Soft cotton and rayon drape and forgive. The ease above works as written
- Stiffer cotton stands away from the body. Take a little off the chest ease or it looks boxy
- Anything with stretch needs less ease everywhere, and the neck can be cut closer
- Printed fabric with a one-way design needs more length bought than you measured
The last one is not a fitting matter but it is the one that costs money. Check the print direction before you cut, especially on a long garment where a mistake means buying the cloth again.
Before You Cut
- Read the full length back to her and show it against her body with the tape
- Confirm sleeve length by pointing at your own arm, not by naming it
- Ask whether she wants pockets, and where. This is asked far too rarely
- Check the neck opening will pass over the head
- Confirm whether she wants it loose enough to sit cross-legged
The pocket question wins more repeat customers than any amount of finishing. Very few shops ask it, and almost every customer wants them.
For recording all of this against the customer, see measurement management for tailors.
Frequently Asked Questions
What measurements are needed for a nightie?
Full length, shoulder, chest, hip, sleeve length and sleeve round, plus waist if the style has a belt or a seam. Hip is the one most often skipped and the one that decides whether it is comfortable to sit in.
How much loose fitting should a nightie have?
As a starting point, about 4 to 6 inches at the chest and 6 to 8 at the hip, adjusted for the fabric and for how she wears it at home. A kaftan takes considerably more.
What is the difference between a nightie and a kaftan?
A nightie usually has some shaping and a set-in sleeve. A kaftan hangs straight from the shoulder with a wide sleeve often cut in one with the body, and takes much more ease at the chest.
What is the standard length of a nightie?
There is no standard, and the honest answer is to ask each customer where she wants the hem. Roughly 50 to 58 inches covers most adults, but confirm it against her body with the tape rather than working from a number.
Why does my nightie pull at the hip when she sits?
Not enough hip ease, or the ease was added at the chest and not carried down. Check the hip measurement was taken at the fullest point and that the side seam widens below the waist.
For fitted garments, see the blouse measurement chart.
And the salwar kameez guide.
For taking measurements in general, see how to take measurements for stitching.
For ladies tailoring shops, see ladies tailor shop software.
Write Your Own Ease Numbers Down
Take the ease figures above, adjust them once for the fabric your shop uses most, and write your version on a card by the cutting table. In six months it will be better than anything printed in an article, because it will be built from your own customers coming back.
You can start free on the Basic plan - ten customers, twenty orders a month, no card.
Note: the ease allowances and the size chart above are working starting points used in tailoring, not a national standard. Sizing is not standardised in India. Adjust them from your own fittings.