* Pins
* Hand and sewing machine needles
* Chalk and/or disappearing marking pens
* Seam ripper
* Measuring tape
* Scissors and/or rotary cutter
* Bobbins (for your specific machine)
* Thread
* Pattern
* Iron and ironing board

• A short, fine chain necklace -- to establish a natural neckline
• Washable markers -- to draw lines on skin and/or undergarments
• 1/4-inch adhesive dots
• Pins
• Narrow elastic -- to locate and mark the waistline
• Flexible but stable measuring tape
• 12-inch ruler

• A form-fitting T-shirt with set-in sleeves -- to help identify an armhole
• Twill tape/cotton cording -- for marking crotch length

Identify the natural neckline with a short chain necklace that settles comfortably, just below the slight hollow at the base of the neck.

• Mark the exact center front of this neckline with a small adhesive or pen dot.
• Mark the prominent vertebra at the top of the spine with an adhesive or pen dot. (Bend the head forward to make the vertebra easier to find.)
• Mark a point on each side of the neck, in line with the hollow just behind the earlobe.

B. Bust point

Mark the nipple location with a cross of two pins on the bra fabric or with an adhesive dot.

C. Shoulder point

Feel for the end of the flat bone at the end of the shoulder, or raise your arm until a dimple appears at the end of your shoulder and feel for the shoulder bone in this depression. It is important to identify an exact shoulder point.
• Mark it with an adhesive or pen dot.

D. Shoulder seamline

Draw a series of dots (more accurate than a drawn line) on the body, from the side-neck point marked on the neckline, along the top of the shoulder, to the shoulder point.

E. Waistline

Depending upon body proportions, there are two possible waistlines: a natural waist or, for people who do not have a naturally indented waist, a de facto (chosen) waist, where the top of skirts or trousers sits. Find the natural waist by tying a piece of elastic around the person's waist, and having her bend from side to side until the elastic settles comfortably in the hollow around the middle of her body; take the waist measurement here. If the person does not have an indented waist, adjust the elastic on her body to sit at the de facto waist. This often entails moving the elastic above or below the natural waist, sometimes to be higher at the back and lower at the front.
• Once established, mark the waistline on the body with a pen; the elastic can shift while measuring.

F. Armhole

Mark with a dotted line. Start from the shoulder point, down into the crease formed by the body joining the arm, on both the front and back. (If locating the armhole is difficult, duplicate one from a form-fitting T-shirt, slipping one hand under the sleeve to trace the seamline onto the body.)

G. Abdomen

Mark a line parallel to the floor across the fullest part of the abdomen.

H. Hips

Find the widest part of the lower body by wrapping a measuring tape around the hip area and sliding it down the body, note that the widest part may be anywhere from a few inches to more than 12 inches below the waist.
• Where the measurement is largest, mark a line exactly parallel to the floor all around the body.

I. Side seams

Draw a series of dots perpendicular to the floor from the underarm to the ankle on both sides of the body.

J. Center front and center back

Draw a series of dots perpendicular to the floor from the hollow of the neck to the waist. Repeat from the nape of the neck.

Desiree Dress by Tricia Fixx, Couture Candy - $275. Made in 100% polyester with crochet trim.

Adam + Eve Square-neck Shirt, $225; Catherine Malandrino Square-neck Blouse, $325; Adam + Eve Square-neck Empire Top, $325; Butterick 4738 and Simplicity 4022.