A centimeter tape is a faithful assistant to a tailor, a medic and an ordinary housewife

A centimeter tape is a thing that is indispensable in the household. We use it in cases where we need to know the length, width or thickness of something. In this article, it will be about this useful and useful subject in the house. Many interesting facts about him you can learn right now.

History of appearance

The centimeter tape appeared for the first time in 1847 in France. It was invented by tailor Alexis Lavin, a sewing and sewing specialist of the Empress Maria-Eugenia herself. For this woman, he designed and sewed the most original and beautiful outfits for that time. By the way, he is the founder of Esmod - the first school of fashion.

What is a centimeter tape?

A soft ruler (also called this tailor's attribute) is made of rubberized fabric or soft plastic. The length of the tape is 1.5 meters (150 cm), width - 1.5-2 centimeters. The marking on it is applied by the basic divisions with an interval of 1 cm and the intermediate ones by 1 mm. The scale reading on each side starts from the opposite end. The narrow edges of the centimeter strip are decorated with metal rivets, which prevent the product from wear.

Centimeter tape is sold in packages of three kinds. The simplest design of a soft ruler is a paper wrapper. The tape is folded in a circle, and then pulled by a paper girdle.

The second version of the package is a round plastic box with a lid. This design is convenient for further operation and storage of the tape. In such a package, the product does not bend or crumple.

On the shelves of shops there is a centimeter tape in the form of a roulette. Such a thing is convenient in the household, but to use it for its intended purpose, for tailor's needs, will not be easy. Why? The scale on such a ruler does not start from the very edge, so each time you need to add a centimeter to all the measurements. In addition, the base-box of such a tape measure pulls the end of the tape down, accordingly all the measurements can be lost.

Application in medicine

A centimeter tape is used to measure the volume and length of individual parts of the body. On modern products of this kind there is a scale in centimeters and inches. Which doctors have this accessory on hand? A soft ruler is used by such specialists:

• The surgeon for removing the dimensions of body parts;
• Obstetrician-gynecologist for measurements of abdominal circumference to pregnant women;
• A nutritionist to measure the volume of the hips, waist and other parts of the body;
• Pediatrician for measuring the growth of children, the head circumference and the chest of the newborn.

How to choose a soft ruler?

If you go to the store to buy such an accessory, like a centimeter tape, take a sheet with you. Why is this necessary? On it you will check the correctness of the tape scale. Very often, by comparing these things produced by different manufacturers, you can see absolutely different indicators in the divisions. And on the leaf you know for sure that one cell is 0.5 centimeters. Leave a centimeter tape against the paper and see if the scale corresponds to the indicators.

The next thing to look for when buying - is the color of the product. Give preference to the ribbon of bright color - so it will be easier for you to look for it in the creative mess that usually happens in the room where the cut and sewing things are made.

When choosing a soft ruler, remember that it should be soft and elastic. The rigid product will not lay down easily on paper and fabric, bend, and this is fraught with the fact that all measurements will be ultimately wrong.

If the centimeter tape has broken, stretched or rubbed, do not try to repair it. Anyway, the indicators of its scale will already be inaccurate. Such an accessory is inexpensive, so it's better to buy a new one right away.