When you work on a sewing project, do you have trouble trying to find your waist line?

Some waist lines are not as obvious as others. You think you know where it is, but you aren't sure.

You need to know this even for basic sewing.

So many sewing instructions tell you to do this or that from your waist line.

If you can't find it, how can you follow the instructions?

As women age, they get thicker in the middle and really have difficulty trying to figure out where their waist is.

Another reason so many of you have this problem is because you don't wear garments at your natural waist line, especially in the last few years with so many garments cut below the waist.

There is a difference between where your natural waist line is and where you might wear your garments or be forced to wear your garments because of the ready-to-wear clothes available on the market today.

Here are some tips to help you find your natural waist line.

1. Tie a narrow piece of elastic around your middle

2. Bend to the right side

3. Bend to the left side

4. Bend forward

5. Bend backward

The elastic will roll to where your body bends.

Voila! That is your natural waist line.

It may not seem like the best place, but it is where your body naturally says it is.

Garments will be more comfortable there.

Don't worry if your waist isn't level. Mine is up in the front, down in the back, up on the right side and down on the left.

Have you ever put on a pair of panty hose, hiked them way up trying to hold in your "blubber" and watched what happened?

The minute that you bend, they will roll right to where your body bends and the "blubber" just spills out over the top.

Place a 1" waist band at that spot on your body. Bend in all directions. Wear it around the house for a while. It should settle at your natural waistline. When it feels comfortable, continue with the rest of your measurements.

You really should use your natural waist line when you are fitting a master basic pattern. This is particularly true for pants and skirts.

Then, once you have your fit, if you choose to wear your garments below the waist, just make a design change to a copy of your master basic pattern.

Copy design changes from other sewing patterns or garments and learn how to apply them to your master basic pattern that you know fits you. Don't start from scratch trying to fit another pattern.

The rule is: Fit your natural body, then create your designs.

It just makes sense!