Wednesday, August 13, 2014

The Pants Project Part I

Hello Chickadees!

Until recently, sewing pants frightened me. There are so many more fitting issues to worry about!

 As soon as I saw Gertie's pants pattern, Butterick 5895, I fell in love. It was the exact style that I was looking for. High waisted. Fitted. Front pockets. Perfect. So pretty much all of my pants have been versions of this pattern.

My first pair of real pants (not pyjama pants. Nobody cares about fitting issues with pyjama pants) were made using a black ponte knit. I used it as sort of a wearable muslin, although I don't find them that flattering. I made them straight out of the envelope using a size 12.

The next pair were a pair of jeans. I made a couple alterations to the leg length and height at the waist, but otherwise didn't attempt any real fitting issues, because I had no idea how to tackle them at the time.

Then there were 2 unfortunate pairs of fitting disasters. They were so bad that I didn't even get a photo of them. I was kind of just hacking away at them without a clue of what actually needed to be fixed.

Now I've had a chance to sit down and actually do some reading about how pants work and fit.

Here are some of the changes I've made
-Graded from a 12 to a 10 at the waist
-Added width to the hips
-Reduced the crotch depth
-Increased the crotch length
-Added width to the thighs
-Lengthened to ankle length

Whoo. That is a lot of pattern adjustments. Let's see if this actually works out!

Do you have any projects or garment types that you consider "scary sewing"?

Rachael

4 comments:

  1. Very exciting!!! I swear, there's something in the water this summer that is putting us vintage loving lasses in the mood for pants (sewing and/or making them, that is). I was bit by the bug myself back around the start of June and have been living in the Heyday swing trousers when the weather hasn't been crazy warm way more often than I usually wear pants at any time of the year.

    I hope the pair your working on goes great. It's possible that with all those adjustments, they might just be the best fitting pants you've ever had! :)

    ♥ Jessica

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    1. As soon as Autumn comes around, I get very excited about pants. I love the look of a cropped cigarette pant with a cute flats and cardigan or boatneck top. It reminds me of many pictures that I've seen of Audrey Hepburn.
      They actually are my best fitting pair of pants! The stretch denim helps quite a bit as well. Oh the magic of stretchy fabric!
      <3 Rachael

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  2. Hey Rachael, popping in to say hello, via Jessica's post! It's always nice to meet a fellow sewing blogger, especially from the lower mainland! I loved your Mad Men suit! Well done!

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    1. Hi Sue!
      Thanks for stopping by. You are so sweet! It's always so nice to find other sewists from the area, although you're the first one I've had a chance to actually interact with!
      <3 Rachael

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