A centimeter tape is an indispensable thing on the farm. We use it in cases where you need to find out the length, width or thickness of something. This article will focus on this necessary and useful subject in the house. You can find out many interesting facts about him right now.
Appearance story
A centimeter tape appeared for the first time in 1847 in France. It was invented by tailor Alexis Lavigne, master of cutting and sewing of the Empress Maria Eugenia herself. For this woman, he designed and sewed the most original and beautiful outfits at that time. By the way, he is the founder of Esmod - the first fashion school.
What is a centimeter tape?
The soft ruler (also called this tailor attribute) is made of rubberized fabric or soft plastic. The tape is 1.5 meters (150 cm) long and 1.5-2 centimeters wide. The marking on it is applied by the main divisions with an interval of 1 cm and intermediate - 1 mm. The reading of the scale on each side starts from the opposite end. The narrow edges of the centimeter strip are decorated with metal rivets that prevent the product from wear.
Centimeter tape is sold in three types of packaging. The simplest design of a soft ruler is a paper wrapper. The tape is folded in a circle, and then pulled by a paper belt.
The second packaging option is a round plastic box with a lid. This design is convenient for further operation and storage of the tape. In such packaging, the product does not bend or crease.
On the shelves of shops there is a centimeter tape in the form of roulette. Such a thing is convenient in the household, but it will not be easy to use it for its intended purpose, for tailor's needs. Why? The scale on such a ruler does not start from the very edge, so every time you need to add a centimeter to all measurements. In addition, the box-base of such a roulette pulls the end of the tape down, so all the measurements can go astray.
Medical use
A medical 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 in the service? The soft line is used by such specialists:
- surgeon to measure the size of body parts;
- obstetrician-gynecologist for measuring abdominal circumference for pregnant women;
- nutritionist to measure the volume of the hips, waist and other parts of the body;
- pediatrician to measure the growth of children, the circumference of the head and chest of newborns.
How to choose a soft ruler?
If you go to the store to buy an accessory such as a centimeter tape, take a leaf with you in the box. Why is this needed? On it you will check the correctness of the tape scale. Very often, comparing these things released by different manufacturers, you can see completely different indicators in the divisions. And on the leaflet you know for sure that one cell is 0.5 centimeters. Lean the measuring tape against the paper and see if the scale matches the indicators.
The next thing you should pay attention to when buying is the color of the product. Give preference to a ribbon of bright color - so it will be easier for you to look for it in the creative mess, which usually happens in the room where you cut and sew things.
When choosing a soft ruler, remember that it should be soft and elastic. A rigid product will not fit on paper and fabric, bend, and this is fraught with the fact that all measurements will turn out to be incorrect.
If a centimeter tape is torn, stretched or rubbed, do not try to repair it. All the same, the indicators of its scale will already be inaccurate. Such an accessory is inexpensive, so it is better to immediately purchase a new one.