Origins of the Measuring Tape

The measuring tape is a simple, everyday item which I’m sure we all have in our homes.  However, have you ever thought about its origins?  Do you just take it for granted?  Just think about how often you need to pull one of these out of a drawer or your sewing box.  And not even necessarily for sewing.  You might need to measure a wall space to determine if  a piece of furniture will fit.  Or you may need to measure a window for new curtains.  You might just want to measure your child to see how much he has grown! 

Whether you talk in inches or centimetres, yards or meters, it is impossible to get on without one of these simple but very useful tools.

This very interesting article by Debi Warner for “Quilting Hub” will surprise you with the interesting history of the simple measuring tape.