Including how changes to the figure change the pattern block (Spoiler: not much)
These stuffing shots may get updated. Or not. Even this rough, you can see how they affect the pattern.
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draw out bodies with modifications and show how the flat pattern changes
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Ludicrous fast stuffing job: all I cared about was getting the range.
In this example both the waist seam allowance and the side seams in my cream-colored fitting muslin shorts have been over cut.*
Following that, we’ll look at how the sewing lines change with different areas of body fullness. Working this out makes me crazy happy.
Muslin over:
Same, a little smoother sculpting of the polyfil:
These also show why it’s worth fitting the body you have rather than waiting for some magical transformation. The alterations for substantial changes in weight are far less than you’d imagine. Here, the accommodation for those Upper Thighs of Destiny (which I used to have) means scooting the side seam and upper inseam out a bit. The inseam wasn’t modified here: you can spot the seam swinging forward.
The fronts still fit fine. The accommodation for the changed body shape happens at the side seams. The inseams have a hard angle due to the deliberately borked stride but we’ll fix that later.
* Do most people need this much at the waist for regular fitting? Yes. At the sides? No, half would be more than ample.
The top of the inseam has not been trimmed, yet there doesn’t need to be extra accommodation there (i.e. swinging the inseams more to the center front). This squares with what I remember from client work and teaching: that even people with large thighs (including guys) got good results using my template for the curves of their inseams.
The free template PDF is provided in my Crotchmaster instructions.
Leave extra at the upper inseam and shape it later.
There will be more weird stuffing of balls in my pants for you.
What about ease for the pockets? Their turn-of-cloth will come out of the side seams when we get to them. Fit what you have for now.
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Early in my pants-drafting days, I discovered in a book of old-style tailoring how the crotch block tilts on its leg as the fullness of the lower torso increases. I flat-drafted six? seven? pairs of pants with this method using body measurements, which has such weirdnesses as “Point 6 from Point 5 is 1/6 the half-seat”*. This gave superbly-fitting pants by going very slowly and triple-checking measurements (errors aren’t obvious until far down the line). At that point I thought “there must be an easier yet as accurate alternative”. My preferred method for students, interns and clients is building the pattern as much as possible on their body, pulling the crotch curve with a flexible ruler.
* should you not be able to find this and search out a tailor’s supply place, their quality pocketing is called silesia, as the finest fabric for these came from (wait for it) Silesia. Virtually indistinguishable from a high-thread-count heavier sheeting.
Essentially each crotch block is grafted onto its leg, pivoting at the crotch fork. The legs’ grain lines extend up (yes, it’s counter-intuitive). This throws the upper section on the bias which with generous figures is a feature, not a bug.
When tracked, the inseams on the front and back pattern must be the same length (green), as must be the outseams (orange).
When the legs are folded lengthwise, matching in- and outseams from ankle to mid-thigh, the grainline will be smack up the middle, so vertical on the body.
As the stomach and/or bottom fullness increases, their respective crotch rises must get longer in order for the waistband to be (more or less) level. The outseam goes up a little, depending on how much padding there is at the side hip.
* actual instructions
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Discussion of different kinds of fabric for pants: weight, stretch (or not) pretreating… Cotton, linen, rayon, hemp, silk; synthetic blends. Knits: single knit, jersey…polyester double knit (turns head and spits, though it’s great for muslins). Weaves: twill.
Preshrink your fabric in a washing machine/dryer or by dry-cleaning. It’s not worth the tiniest amount of anxiety later that you should have done it. When you make your muslins you want them to be accurate versions of your patterns.
Heat, moisture and motion can cause fabric to tighten up even if it’s not as extreme as what you’d get in a machine. I did a wedding where the Bridezilla was insisting that her attendants spend ruinous amounts of money on what had to be the least flattering bilious green dresses I’ve ever worked on. They were adamant that they’d never wear them again so why waste money processing fabric. It was summer. It was hot. They were sweaty. The dresses shrank, and the damned cheap fabric (admittedly, part of the problem) showed every needle hole when the side seams were let out.
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