CHAPTER 5 ULTIMATE PANTS WORKBOOK

With simple lines and proportions, an accurately fitted pants pattern will help you make most trousers and casual pants, which can then be stylized into jeans, shorts, leggings, and other creative designs. If you can master the front fly and side pockets, then you can confidently sew a variety of pants and fabrics to suit any occasion.

Many sewists experience unique challenges with pants fitting that can be easily resolved with the right strategy and approach. However, there is a functional aspect to sewing and fitting pants that is not learned from traditional instruction, because the typical solutions are limited in scope. The key to success in fitting pants is to make the pattern match the unique dynamics of the leg. The diversity in figure types, shapes, and sizes can create challenges when trying to achieve a perfect fit, yet rewarding when you understand how to address and resolve the cause of the problem. Common fitting issues you may encounter include leg twist, binding in the seam, or excess fabric below the derriere.

By following this chapter step-by-step, you will be guaranteed great success in your next pants fitting.

How to use this chapter: This chapter features a complete step-by-step systematic approach to pant fitting. Instead of seeking multiple fit methods, focus your approach on learning how to adjust a classic trouser pant pattern to your unique body shape. Once you have a pattern that matches your body proportions, you’ll learn the common core pant adjustments used to refine the fit and then how to modify the pattern to create any style of pant.

Pants come in a variety of styles to fit any shape, contour, or body type. The pant leg may be slim fitting, straight and tailored, or baggy and full.

Leg Characteristics

The first step in fitting a pair of pants is evaluating the leg so that you better understand how the pattern will interact with the body and leg movements. The front is distinctively different than the back, so the corresponding pattern pieces need to be measured separately. A single full hip measurement, for example, does not tell you how much space is needed in the front and how much in the back. If the pattern does not match your body correctly, then a fit issue will occur. The following are leg dynamics that impact how you fit, style, and sew a pant. They also illustrate why most pant patterns require customization to attain that priceless, perfect-fitting pair of pants.

Vertical

Front

waist to hip waist to abdomen waist to thigh waist to knee waist to hem

Horizontal Half Body crotch depth center front waist to front dart

Back

Vertical Horizontal waist to hip waist to thigh waist to knee waist to hem rise center back to dart front waist waist hip full hip full thigh thigh outseam outseam inseam inseam

Fitting Tips

High Center Waistline

Sometimes the waistline is not perfectly straight across the front or back, and it may contour up toward the center. Simply extend the height of the waistband at the center to match the difference. Transition across into the side seam. Important: The very center of the pattern must form a right angle and not come to a point.

Sway Back

The sway back is a common fit issue in the small of the back. It is actually an issue with the length of the pattern being too long in the upper part of the pant. Simple adjusting of the pattern will prevent this; however, if you have pooling of fabric above the seam and right below the waistline, pinning a horizontal tuck across the back will remove the excess.

Dropped Front Waistline

If the waistline dips down in the center front or center back, place a string or elastic around the waist until it falls naturally around the body. Mark the new waistline. The center should form a right angle. Option: Make a hinge by cutting from the center front to the side seam and take the reduction near the waist but in the body of the pattern.