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Sewing
Pattern making, fabric buying, and button sizing mix metric, imperial, and trade units. Use the converters below, then read the guides for worked sewing examples.
Converters
Pattern measuring
Chinese blocks
Traditional drafts
Ready-to-wear
Fabric cuts
Bolt labels
Button diameter
Button cards
Yarn count
Fabric weight
Silk weight
Yarn
Metric count
Cotton count
Wasai
Wasai
Needle size chart
Needle numbers are not a linear unit. Common household/industrial sizes: metric NM vs US vs UK.
| Metric NM | US | UK |
|---|---|---|
| 60 | 8 | 8 |
| 70 | 10 | 10 |
| 80 | 12 | 12 |
| 90 | 14 | 14 |
| 100 | 16 | 16 |
| 110 | 18 | 18 |
Stitch density
SPI (stitches per inch) ≈ 25.4 ÷ stitch length (mm). Example: 2.5 mm ≈ 10 SPI. A lookup, not a new unit.
Sewing guides
Body measurements for sewing patterns
Convert cun, inches, and centimeters when measuring a body for patterns.
Fabric yardage: yards and meters
Convert fabric cuts between yards and meters when buying cloth for sewing.
Button ligne explained
What a button ligne is, and how to convert ligne to millimeters and inches.